The Olde School Shakespeare Collective announces the cast for this unique and timely presentation of Measure for Measure, taking place at 7:30PM on November 4, 2023, December 2, 2023, February 3, 2024, and March 2, 2024 at The Raven Room at Redline VR, 4702 N Ravenswood Ave.
The cast includes Stephanie Neuerburg as Isabella, David Gordon-Johnson as Angelo, Craig Duff as Duke, Jen Sinnen as Claudia, Jack Disselhorst as Pompey, Micah Mabey as Lucio, Becca Rowland as Juliet, Colin Kovarik as Friar Peter, Gwyneth Clare as Mistress Overdone, Mollie Peery as Escalus, Kevin Cruz as Elbow, Nora Kuzdak as Provost, Lorena Estevez as Mariana, and Halli Morgan as Francesca.
The show is led and curated by Sophie Murk, Wyatt McCall, and Hayley Procacci, who, as a part of the company’s mission, are also part of the acting ensemble. In this production of Measure for Measure, The Olde School Shakespeare Collective brings the audience into the story of a religious community in crisis. The leader has abandoned them and left the stringent Angelo in his place. His brutal attempt to eliminate debauchery ignites the community in a counter-quest for justice led by the purest soul of all, Isabella. When Shakespeare wrote the story, he was inspired by the Catholic reign in Vienna. Today, Olde School Shakes chooses to tell this story through the lens of a fundamentalist evangelicalism.
“In 2018, two of the biggest megachurch leaders in the nation fell from grace and stepped down due to allegations of sexual misconduct and financial embezzlement in the Chicago suburbs. Church by church, we see the same thing happening all over the country,” says The Olde School Shakespeare Collective co-founder, Sophie Murk. “How do we find right and wrong once we no longer trust the institution that’s always ruled us? This production attempts to find the answers by being us the story of Isabella, a devout Christian who strives to fight for the redemption of her sister and save her life, but she encounters a hypocritical proposition as her only choice, pressing her to ask us ‘did I tell this, who would believe me?’”
Olde School Shakes invites and encourages audience engagement and participation, reminiscent of the groundlings and playhouses of Elizabethan England with a modern twist. Enjoy some drinks and revelry in the back room at Redline VR, and don’t just watch the story, but help make it happen.
VIP tickets, which include table seating and one free drink can be purchased for $25 and General Admission tickets can be purchased for $15. Anyone under the age of 17 is encouraged to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
To purchase visit: https://www.theoldeschoolshakes.com/upcoming-shows
About the Collective of Measure for Measure
Gwyneth Clare (she/her/hers) (Mistress Overdone) is thrilled to be making her debut with the Olde School Shakespeare Collective! She is an actress, book lover, and tennis enthusiast from Dayton, Ohio who graduated in 2020 from Ball State University with a BFA in Acting. Most recently, Gwyneth performed with The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio as #00 in their spring production of The Wolves (directed by Aviva Neff). When she is not onstage, you can find her being weird elsewhere. Give her a follow on Instagram: @gwynethclare to see memes and lots of photos of her cat, Zelda. Thank you to her friends for the constant support!
Kevin Cruz (he/him/his) (Elbow, u/s Lucio) is a Puerto Rican actor from South Florida, a recent graduate from New World School of the Arts (BFA) in Miami, and a newcomer to Chicago’s theatre scene. Previous work includes: Native Gardens (Pablo) at GableStage, Refuge (Wolf) at FAU Theatre Lab, Grand Horizons (Tommy) at Boca Stage.
Jack Disselhorst (he/him/his) (Pompey, u/s Angelo) is an actor, teaching artist, and social worker. OSSC credits: Twelfth Night (Malvolio). He holds a BFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University and is currently pursuing a Masters in Social Work at Loyola University Chicago.
Craig Duff (he/him/his) (Duke) is a national Emmy award-winning video journalist, documentary filmmaker and professor who is taking a second chance on his first love of theatre. This production marks his return to the stage after a few decades chasing a different career. In his younger acting days, Craig’s favorite roles included: Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire; Thomas in The Lady’s Not for Burning; Henry VIII in Royal Gambit; Henry David in The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail; Arnolphe in Moliere’s The School for Wives; Teddy Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace; Preacher/Judge in The Rimers of Eldritch; Vernon in They’re Playing our Song, and several others, including the Shakespearean roles of Macduff and Petruchio. Craig serves on the advisory board for Invictus Theatre Company in Chicago. For his day job, Craig is a professor at the Medill school at Northwestern University, where he leads the video and broadcast specialization in the graduate journalism program.
Lorena Estevez (she/her/hers) (Mariana, u/s Claudia) is a first-gen Cuban-American Chicago based artist! Recent credits include placing 5th in Improvised Big Brother and North & Chicano at Second City, Twelfth Night by Olde School Shakes and Rat City at The Ravens Room, Original solo material for Burlesque is More in the Roadtrip, Gore, and Brrlesque run, A Disney Exploited Musical and A Comedy of Disasters all at Annoyance Theater, and also placed 5th in Season 1 of Improvised Survivor at iO. Gratitude for my loved ones that continuously show me to live with a fearless heart y con la mente positiva! Los amo <3
David Gordon-Johnson (he/him/his) (Angelo) is thrilled to FINALLY get to tackle this whole play. Selected Chicago credits include New Faces Sing Broadway 1984 (Porchlight Music Theatre), And Neither Have I Wings to Fly (First Folio), The Winter’s Tale (Oak Park Festival Theatre), Hundred Days (Kokandy), Hello Again (Theo Ubique), Southern Gothic (Windy City Playhouse), and Tug of War: Civil Strife (Chicago Shakespeare).
Colin Kovarik (he/him, they/them) (Friar Peter/Sound Designer/Drummer) is an actor, sound designer, musician, and organizer finally based in the city after years ricocheting around the Midwest, glad to finally be getting his footing in the city of his birth. He’s ecstatic to be working with OSS after its production of Twelfth Night made so bold as to remind him that joy is real. Selected recent design work: We Will Not Be Silent (Acacia Theatre Co), Ghost Bike (MKE Rep), Mad, Beat, Hip, and Gone (Promethean Theatre Ensemble). Check out his podcast on the ongoing contemporary verse drama renaissance and what it means for the future, Hamlet to Hamilton: Exploring Verse Drama, wherever you listen!
Nora Kuzdak (she/her, they/them) (Provost) is an emerging director, actor, and theater maker. A recent transplant to Chicago, she graduated from the George Washington University in 2019 with a Bachelor’s in Philosophy and minors in biology and sustainability. Before pursuing theater full-time she worked for four years in the International Programs Office of the U.S. Forest Service where her primary interests were urban forestry, community engagement, and accessibility. In 2021 she moved to Galway, Ireland to obtain a Master’s in Theatre Practice and Production, where she co-founded the ensemble company HystERia Téatar.
Micah Mabey (they/them/theirs) (Lucio) is thrilled to be making their Olde School Shakes debut. Mid-west born & raised. Musician & digital artist. @micahutonline on most social platforms. Previous credits: Hamlet with Bubbles (Horatio) conceived through Parallel 45 Theatre, Chicago All-Stars Romeo & Juliet (Romeo), and Pigeon Creek Shakespeare’s King Lear (Edgar). Assistant Director for Princess Ivona at Trapdoor Theatre. As always, Micah would like to thank their buddy Norm for the constant inspiration.
Wyatt McCall (he/him/his) (Creative Team, Ensemble) is thrilled to be a part of The Olde School Shakespeare Collective's second show. Wyatt is an actor, director, writer and chef from Chicago. He co-founded The Olde School Shakespeare Collective with a few family members and some friends from college with the intent of creating accessible theatre for working class people. Wyatt previously captained Olde School's production of Twelfth Night and starred as Sir Toby Belch. Additional credits include As You Like it at Nonsense Theatre Company, Hamlet at The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, Much Ado About Nothing at The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, Wonderland: Alice's Rock and Roll Adventure at Metro Theatre Company, A Christmas Carol at Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre, Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical at Maples Repertory Theatre, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Maples Repertory Theatre and Peter Pan at Theatre in the Park in Kansas City.
Halli Morgan (she/her/hers) (Francesca/Abhorson/Worship Band, u/s Mistress Overdone) is thrilled to be making her Olde School Shakes debut in Measure for Measure! Favorite credits include Merrily We Roll Along (Blank Theatre Company), Peter Pan (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), and How to Succeed… (Music Theatre Works). When she’s not performing, you can catch Halli seeing a concert, playing with her cats Lucy and Goose, and thrift shopping. Much love to Tommy, the “Telestration Station” squad, and the Texas fam! Party on.
Sophie Murk (she/her/hers) (Creative Team, Ensemble) BFA Webster Conservatory. Born-and-bred Chicagoan, Sophie is a local actor and teaching artist. She recently left her work in ministry as director of an overnight camp to embrace a career path that is more inclusive of the queer community. She is a certified ASTEP fellow and certified in Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead™️ work. Recent credits: Gay Card (PrideArts), Merrily We Roll Along (Blank Theater Co), Titanic, As You Like It, A Christmas Carol (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Daddy Long Legs (Awaken Theatre) The Hundred Dresses, Say Something Do Something (Metro Theater Co), The Polar Express (Rail Events Productions). Stephanie Neuerburg (she/her/hers) (Isabella) is a Chicago-based actor, writer, and tour guide. Some favorite roles include Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing (Montana Shakespeare), Anne Brontë in The Art of Sisters (Vision Productions), Ella in Ella Enchanted (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), and Sue Trinder in Fingersmith (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). Her poetry has been featured in dirt child, Okay Donkey, & Lazy Women literary magazines, and her original play Science Night was a national finalist for the John Cable Outstanding Short Play Award. She is also the host & producer of The Saddest Case of Celibacy in the West, the ghost town road trip podcast. When not performing, she works as a docent on the architecture boat tours on the Chicago River. www.stephanieneuerburg.com
Mollie Peery (she/her/hers) (Escalus, u/s Isabella) Stage credits include: A Chorus Line (Connie), Rabbit Hole (Izzy), You Can't Take it With You (Alice Sycamore), Godspell (Disciple), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Peter Quince). Peery originated the role, "Q" in The Muse which was filmed earlier in May of 2023. She also played Antonio in the debut show of Twelfth Night at OSSC. She majored in film studies with a minor in theater at Olivet Nazarene University and furthered her film education in California through a program called LAFSC. She has also choreographed in multiple different platforms both onscreen and onstage. She currently works in videography for a non-for-profit.
Hayley Procacci (she/her, they/them) (Creative Team, Ensemble) is thrilled to be joining The Olde School Shakes creative team this season! They are a director, actor, and educator based in Chicago. They are currently an adjunct professor at The Theatre School at DePaul. Hayley’s recent directing credits include Man and Moon(16th Street Theater); Games(SoHo Playhouse, TTS, Theatre Unspeakable); A Sign of the Times (LDK Productions). www.hayleyprocacci.com
Becca Rowland (they/them, she/her) (Juliet, u/s Provost) is a multi-disciplinary queer theater artist and Chicago transplant by way of Northern California. Always in pursuit of the perfect balance between clever and downright stupid, Becca is interested in creating theater that is non-hierarchical, curious, and highly opinionated. They love collaboration, idea exchange, and screaming into the collective void and seeing what bounces back. BA in Drama, University of California Irvine.
Jen Sinnen (she/her/hers) (Claudia) is a Chicago-based theatre artist and educator. Chicago credits include: Twelfth Night with Old School Shakes, Murder in Residence with Chicago Dramatists, and Games with Theatre Unspeakable. Jen is also an educator within the Chicago Public School system and currently teaches K-8 Theatre.
About The Olde School Shakespeare Collective
The Olde School Shakespeare Collective is a community-driven ensemble that immerses audiences in the world of Shakespeare. Our approach is refreshingly unconventional - we're actors, directors, and artists who come together to craft theater experiences for the working class. We proudly take the reins of our own productions, rehearsing only once before transforming a local public house into our stage. Here, our community members can enjoy a drink, engage with us, and depart with a newfound perspective on theater's possibilities.
Within our non-hierarchical framework, those actively involved in the creative process take center stage. We're akin to mad scientists, experimenting with age-old theatrical techniques to craft contemporary responses. At the heart of our mission is the belief that Shakespeare should be accessible and enjoyable for all, regardless of background or experience. Join us for an evening that promises to transport you to another era while redefining the very essence of theater