THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR: CAST
Hugh Barnett *
(Page/Dr. Caius/Nym) For HRSC: Twelfth Night (Antonio), Much Ado About Nothing (Borachio), The Taming of the Shrew (Petruchio). Other credits include Romeo and Juliet: Remixed, The Sleepless Reader (Expect/Spark); The Perils of Persephone, Nurse Jane Goes to Hawaii, Arsenic and Old Lace (Theatre Collingwood); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theatre Brampton); The Mousetrap (Toronto Truck Theatre); The Courageous One, Medea, The Real Inspector Hound (American Academy of Dramatic Arts). Recent film: Gangster Exchange (Aquila/Gothic Raygun Pictures).
Claire Frances Muir *
(Mistress Ford/Shallow/Anne Page) Selected credits: Cracked: a new light on Dementia (Possible Arts), Asylum by the Lake (Manic Prod.), A Christmas Carol 2008 – 2014 (Humber River Shakespeare), Kissing Swinburne (LTC), Bungsu and the Big Snake (Odyssey Theatre), Survive the Great Outdoors (Theatre Beyond Words), Peter Pan (The Grand Theatre), Cinderella (Port Hope Festival Theatre), Sylvia (Tribal Productions and Festival Antigonish), The Miracle Worker, Sylvia (Theatre North West), A Guide to Mourning (Great Canadian Theatre Company), Serious, Reefer Madness The Musical (B.A. Productions), Oliver Twist, The Stone Angel (Alberta Theatre Projects), Cruel Tears, Romeo & Juliet, Nicholas Nickleby, Mirror Game (The Globe Theatre), A Christmas Carol, Cyrano de Bergerac (Theatre Calgary). Upcoming: August in the Underworld (Marchlight).
Kevin Hammond *
(Director) (Ford/Simple/Fenton/Pistol) As Artistic Director for Humber River Shakespeare Kevin has directed Twelfth Night, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew, Comedy of Errors, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, A Christmas Carol, Hamlet & Ophelia: A Shakespeare Cabaret, among other works. In 2012 Kevin was selected to participate in the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction at the Stratford Festival where he spent two seasons as an Assistant Director. While at the Festival he also directed workshop productions of Double Falsehood and an original Shakespeare mash-up he created, entitled A Most Unnoble Swerving. He recently was a guest director for the Arabian Shakespeare Festival in San Francisco, where he directed Othello. This past spring he directed The Taming of the Shrew for the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Kevin spent five years as Artistic Director for Toronto’s Shakespeare in the Rough (2001-2005)
Dan Karpenchuk *
(Sir John Falstaff) Dan is delighted to join the cast of Humber River Shakespeare’s summer tour of the Merry Wives of Windsor, in the role of Falstaff. Selected credits include Andrew Wyke in Sleuth, Morgan in Drawer Boy, juror #3 in Twelve Angry Men...all at the Rose Theatre in Brampton. Brabantio in Othello, Peter Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing at the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival. Other plays include The Diary of Anne Frank, MacBeth, As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, All’s Well That Ends Well, Elizabeth Rex and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Film and television credits include Murdoch Mysteries, Mayday, Forensic Factor and Masterminds. Many thanks to Kevin and Sara for the opportunity to join the Humber River Shakespeare Company for their current touring season.
Phillip Psutka
(Mistress Quickly/Hugh Evans/Host of the Garter) Phillip is thrilled to be joining the Humber River gang once again. Previous credits with them include: Tybalt in Romeo & Juliet and Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night. After graduating with Distinction from the University of Windsor’s BFA in Acting program, he co-founded Theatre Arcturus (TheatreArcturus.ca). He has performed with the Stratford Festival, CBC Radio, DuffleBag Theatre,Toronto Buskerfest, Stilt Guys, and the TV series Lost Girl. He wrote, directed, and choreographed the fights for Weird (Theatre Arcturus), which toured to Toronto, Hamilton, Stratford, and Windsor. His play Stalled was a Mooney on Theatre Staff Pick and an In the Greenroom Top 10 Pick at the 2013 Toronto Fringe Festival. He has his Advanced Actor Combatant Certification with Full Distinction (FDC), holds a PAL firearms license (RCMP), and is the recipient of the Rapier Wit Award as well as a Tyrone Guthrie Award from the Stratford Festival.
Paula Schultz
(Mistress Page/Slender/Rugby) Paula is delighted to be returning for her fifth summer tour with Humber River Shakespeare. Favourite credits elsewhere include Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing for Dream North (Toronto/Whitehorse), the title role on Candida for Theatre Kingston, and Becca in Rabbit Hole for Alumnae Theatre. Paula is also the Theatre-in-Education Coordinator for HRSC. If you would like to discuss workshop and engagement opportunities for your school or community organization, please contact her at or speak to her after the show!
CREATIVE TEAM
Laura Gardner – Set & Costume Designer
Select Theatre Credits: costume designer of Emily’s Piano (YPT); production designer of Boston Marriage (Headstrong Collective); costume designer of Canada 300 (Watermark Theatre); set and costume designer of Les Zinspirees 3D (Theatre Francais); set designer of Kitchen Radio (Blyth Festival); costume designer of New Jerusalem (Harold Green Jewish Theatre); set and costume designer of Chess and Parade (Sheridan); set and costume designer of Cunning Little Vixen (Glenn Gould School); costume designer of Bea (Actors’ Repertory Company). Training: BFA, York University, theatre production and design program. Please visit lauragardnerdesign.ca
Lindsay Jenkins – Stage Manager*
Lindsay is recent graduate of York University with a BA Professional Writing and Business Minor. Lindsay has worked primarily in freelance theatre, enjoying various creative roles in Lighting and Sound Design, Stage Management, and Production Management. She also has experience in administrative roles with Vanier College Productions, Angelwalk Theatre and Roseneath Theatre. Some credits include: Lighting Designer/Stage Manager for If I Can Dream (Steve Michaels). Production Manager for Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl (2013/14 Tour), Stage Manager/Producer for Parallel Play (Toronto Fringe Festival), Stage Manager for Recurring John (Summerworks) and Stage Manager for Retreat, Delicacy and Punch Up (Theatre Brouhaha). www.lindsayejenkins.weebly.com
Eva Barrie – Assistant Director *
Originally from Okotoks, Alberta, Eva is currently a Toronto-based director, actor and creator and has created art in Germany, India, Italy, Poland, Canada and the United States. She is a graduate of Ryerson University’s Performance Acting Program and has trained with Anne Bogart’s SITI Company in Saratoga Springs, NY and New York City, NY. Last fall she was the Co-Program Director of Nightwood Theatre’s Young Innovators Lab, a lab celebrating alternative theatre-making. Recent directing credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Parikrma Humanity Foundation), the dreamer examines his pillow (JR Theatre), Marge and Tom Break Up (New Voices Festival 2013), My Second Smile (Theatre Bassaris, Ottawa Fringe 2013), Olga (New Voices Festival 2012). Assistant Directing Credits: The Biographer, assistant to Alan Dilworth (Tango Co.). Her writing has been supported by the Ontario Arts Council and she was lucky to have her play Olga read at Tarragon Theatre’s “Rehearsal Hall” (director: Andrea Donaldson). She makes a mean cheesecake and can carry a tray like one of the pros.
* appearing with the permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association