• Catch us on Studio40 Live

    We have been invited to appear for a short segment on Studio40 Live on Thursday, July 20 at noon. Check us out, get your tickets as you’ll surely be inspired by our witches to not miss this show.

    Tickets are going fast, so if you wish to join us as we close this show this weekend, please consider buying in advance. We cannot promise that we will have walk-in capacity at show time.

  • Meet the Cast of Macbeth – Part 8

    Macbeth opens July 7 and runs through July 23. Tickets available.
    Cuautli Quezada-Gardea (Lennox)

    This is Cuautli’s first show with SSF and is excited about the opportunity. Cuautli mostly has been performing with Falcons Eye Theater most notably in 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵’𝘴 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 where they played Puck and recently 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 where they were part of the chorus. Cuautli plans to continue studying acting at ARC to work towards becoming a professional actor in the future.

    Dennis Redpath (Siward/Duncan’s Servant)

    Dennis started in theatre taking courses at the University of Hawaii and later the University of Montana. After a long break he returned to performing in his first show with City Theatre, the 2013 production of After Juliet. Since then he has been active with both City Theater and the Sacramento Shakespeare festival productions of Much Ado About Nothing, The Uninvited, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, Henry V, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

    Lauren Graffigna (Witch Team 6/Lady Macduff)

    Lauren is making her Sacramento Shakespeare Festival debut. She is elated to be back at Sacramento City College where she recently performed as Segismundo in Life is a Dream and Rose Red in Snow White: A British Panto. You may have also seen her at the B Street Theatre in the 24 Hour Play Festival’s Norwegian Death Cleaning. Lauren is grateful to be working with Christine and Luther again and with Lori-Ann for the first time- I appreciate your kindness, vision, and leadership. Lauren would also like to thank the Devised Artist Julianna, the Fight Choreographer Dave, the Costume Designer Nicole and her team, and a resounding thank you to our stage managers Hannah and Erika! Above all, Lauren is thankful to her support system of family, friends, and coworkers who make it possible for her to continue to hone her acting skills and pursue her passion for theater arts. 

  • Meet the Cast of Macbeth – Part 6

    Macbeth opens July 7 and runs through July 23. Tickets available.
    Petra Tafoya (Angus/Apparition)

    Petra has been acting in plays for a year now. You have seen her in ROMEO AND JULIET, as Head Guard in LIFE IS A DREAM, as Prince Charming in SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DUDES, and as Captain Harville and Charles Hayter in BEYOND PERSUASION. She also house managed for THE ALCHEMIST. 

    Jim Laferriere (Doctor/Witch Team 6/Porter)

    Jim is jumping back into acting after a decade’s hiatus. This is his 2nd show in 2023, after performing in Clue with Village Stage Productions in Elk Grove. He previously studied theater in high school and college, with roles in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and West Side Story. His impossible dream is to write, direct, and/or perform in a movie that is one day labeled “classic” by film snobs like himself.

    Shelby Saumier (Witch 3)

    Shelby Elizabeth Saumier is overjoyed to be returning to the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival. Previous acting credits include: Anne Elliot in BEYOND PERSUASION (City Theatre), title role in HENRY V (SSF), Florinda in THE ROVER (Big Idea Theatre), Narrator/Engineer/Ensemble in STORIES TO BE TOLD (CSUS), Elinor Dashwood in SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (City Theatre), Phantom in THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW (Green Valley Theatre), Jane Bennet in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (City Theatre), Yvonne Chandel in A FLEA IN HER EAR (ARC), Claudio in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Wildflower Ensemble), and Sandrine/Glory/Hope in ALMOST, MAINE (CSUS). Shelby proudly attended Sacramento State University, where she received her BA in theatre, her teaching credential, and her MA in teaching. Shelby would not be where she is today without the love and support of her friends, family, and life partner Reilly. 

  • Meet the Cast of Macbeth – Part 3

    Macbeth opens July 7 and runs through July 23. Tickets available.
    Nicholas Friederich (Witch Team 6/Drummer)

    Nicholas will be performing this year as one of the witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and has previously performed as Gregory in Romeo and Juliet and Oliver in Another As You Like It Reunion during last year’s Sacramento Shakespeare Festival. He is also an avid performer of choral music and has recently performed in Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Sacramento Choral Society. Nicholas credits his older sister as his inspiration for pursuing community theater and choir, as she has performed in several plays/musicals across the greater Sacramento area and always encourages him to audition. 

    Matthew Malone (Witch Team 6/Drummer/King/Fighter)

    Matthew has acted with the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival since 2012. He appeared in the festival last summer as Hamlet in ANOTHER AS YOU LIKE IT REUNION. He has also played Sam in SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, Dr. Pinch in THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, and Flute in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. He is excited to help bring the magic to MACBETH as one of the witches.

    Jackie Martin (Lady Macbeth)

    Jackie was previously seen at the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival as Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. She is a company member with Big Idea Theatre and has been seen with the company as Olivia in Twelfth Night, Bianca in Othello, Mrs. Marchmont in An Ideal Husband, Orangutan in Water by the Spoonful, and Valeria in Coriolanus.

  • My Journey to Macduff

    Macbeth opens July 7 and runs through July 23. Tickets available.

    by Kathleen Poe

    Let me begin by saying that it is always a pleasure to work on Shakespeare. Whether it is the timeless nature of his stories or the delicious taste of his words dripping off my tongue, I have had a lifelong love affair with the Bard.

    Specifically, this play. Macbeth.

    Kathleen Poe as Macduff & Gabriela Llarena as Witch 1

    We read it aloud in my 10th-grade English class. I can still remember reading the part of Banquo and falling in desperate love with the story, the characters, the themes, the verse – all of it. We delighted in the Witches and their super-rad (to coin a term from high school) prophecy, we marveled at the wild, audacious ambition of the Macbeths, and we cheered for the miracles of nature that bring the story to its unexpected conclusion.

    We laughed at “I am slain”, as you do. To be honest, I’m still laughing at it. The ridiculousness of announcing one’s own death never ceases to send me into a fit of giggles.

    (Side note: as I am now a veteran of dying a Shakespearean death, I far prefer, “Thou hast slain me”. It just hits differently.)

    I spent my late teenage years obsessed with The Scottish Play. During my junior year, in my English class, we were asked to write a diary of a famous person, and I chose Macbeth. That summer, I spent my babysitting money to go see a production of Macbeth at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego. It was amazing. They performed it in the round, and I was up close and personal. The Witches pounded thick ropes on the stage while giving their prophecies, and one of them ended up in my lap (the ropes, not the Witches). Mac and Lady M swapped an outrageous amount of spit. I was even more enthralled. How could I not be enthralled? I promise it wasn’t because of the spit.

    In college, I took a Shakespeare class that only fueled my fire. Not only did I passionately love Macbeth, but now that adoration stretched to King Lear, Henry V, and Richard II (it took longer for me to love Hamlet, to be honest, but now I do, with all my heart).

    When I first started doing Shakespeare on the stage, about eleven years ago, I couldn’t believe that I got to speak those words, and actual people would come to see and hear me do it. I also couldn’t get enough. I’ve now done 18 Shakespeare plays. Yes, 18.

    Including my favorite – Macbeth.

    But, strangely, up to this summer, I’ve never been able to participate in a fully staged, full-scale production of Macbeth.

    My first experience was in a staged reading that we performed on Halloween. I read the role of the First Witch, and I couldn’t believe that I got to speak those words – “Double, double, toil and trouble”. That experience kept my Macbeth fire blazing.

    Breanna Reilly, Georgann Wallace, Kathleen Poe & Martha Kight in the staged reading of Macbeth

    A few years later came two nights as Macduff and the Second Witch, as part of our all-female Wildflower Women’s Ensemble. We performed in a park in midtown, with minimal staging, surrounded by traffic noises, beer bikes, and live, amplified, tonally suspect covers of Beatles tunes blaring from the café across the street. Despite the less-than-ideal circumstances, it was a wonderful experience. I dearly loved playing Macduff and hoped for another chance at the role.

    Christine Nicholson as Macbeth & Kathleen Poe as Macduff;
    Wildflower Women’s Ensemble cast of Macbeth
    Kathleen Poe as Witch 2, Nina Dramer as Witch 1, Danielle Laroux as Witch 3

    I got another crack a few years later, during the pandemic, when we put together an online version of The Scottish Play, complete with online sword choreography. It was an optimistic idea that didn’t quite work, but we gave it a good try. Whatever the case, it kept me in contact with my most cherished of all Shakespeare plays.

    And now, here we are – the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival 2023. Macbeth, Macduff, we meet again…

    When we first started our tech run-through on Saturday, some of us were dancing around backstage, almost giddy with excitement, as we saw the world that we’ve been working so hard to create begin to take a more complete and vibrant visual form.

    Cast of Macbeth
    Kathleen Poe as Macduff, Gabriela Llarena as Witch 1, Jackie Martin as Lady Macbeth, Brandon Lancaster as Macbeth
    Kathleen Poe, Brandon Lancaster, Christine Nicholson, Petra Tafoya

    Good grief – the colors are going to be spectacular (and I’m not just talking about the vivid bruises on my arms from sword battles and stage combat)!

    I am floored by the talent involved in this project, both offstage and on. It is such a thrill to be a part of it, and to share the stage with such amazing, hard-working actors. How lucky I am.

    In a way, this is some intense full-circle stuff for me. It is my lifetime obsession come to fruition.

    And I can’t freakin’ wait for everyone to see it.

  • Meet the Cast of Macbeth – Part 2

    Macbeth opens July 7 and runs through July 23. Tickets available.
    Kathleen Poe (Macduff/Cawdor)

    Kathleen is a Music professor at Sacramento City College but loves doing theater in her copious free time.  She was last seen as Lady Russell/Mrs. Musgrove in BEYOND PERSUASION (City Theater).  Some favorite previous roles include The Narrator in WOLVES (Big Idea Theater), Judy Boone in THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHTTIME (City Theater), Polonius in HAMLET (both at CSUS and Sacramento Shakespeare Festival), and Colleen/Edna in MR BURNS – A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY (City Theater), and Jaques in AS YOU LIKE IT (Sacramento Shakespeare Festival). She is a proud original company member of Wildflower Women’s Ensemble, an all-female Shakespeare ensemble.
    Sean Thomas Olivares (Ross)

    Sean Thomas is making his return to the stage for Sacramento Shakespeare after a 6-year sabbatical. He is a graduate of Sacramento City College. His previous credits include Florindo in Servant of Two Masters, Don Armado in Love’s Labours Lost, Captain Hook in Peter Pan, A British Panto, Solyony in Three Sisters, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Rochefort in The Three Musketeers, and Leandro in Scapino! all for Sacramento Shakespeare or City Theatre.  As a director, his most recent work was as co-director of The Three Musketeers by Ken Ludwig last summer for ACME Theatre Company in Davis. 

    Deandre Fritz (Donalbain/Fleance/King)

    Deandre is super honored to perform in Macbeth and would love to thank his parents and peers for supporting him along the way. Deandre recently performed as Pseudolous in the musical A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum and Phil in the play The Fisherman And His Wife with other selected credits including: Much To Do About Nothing, Little Shop Of Horrors, Pajama Game, Almost Maine, and You Can’t Take It With You. He hopes to someday act in more film and theater productions!

  • Meet the cast of Macbeth – Part 1

    Macbeth opens July 7 and runs through July 23. Tickets available.
    Thomas Dean (Banquo/Fight Captain)

    Thomas Dean is excited to be in his second production of Macbeth and second production at Sacramento Shakespeare! Thomas has most recently been seen on the B Street School Tour and at Big Idea Theatre’s production of Twelfth Night! He also co-wrote and directed SuperMa’am at Big Idea earlier this year. Some of Thomas’ favorite roles that he has played include Clarence in Jasper, Saul in As Is, and Reverand Hale in The Crucible.

    Gabriela Llarena (Witch 1)

    Gabriela is excited to be making her Sacramento Shakespeare Festival Debut. Llarena received a B.F.A from NYU where she trained at Stella Adler Studio. Recent stage credits include Twelfth Night (Viola) at Big Idea Theatre and Rocky Horror Picture Show (Janet) with Amber Sweets. When not performing theater, Llarena can be found on stage sharing her original poetry or running errands with her Abuela or Lola. 

    Caylin Bach (Gentlewoman/Cawdor Fighter)
    Caylin is very excited to be returning to the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival! When she is not working or acting in shows she enjoys singing, digital art, hanging out with friends and an unhealthy amount of bad television and movies. She was recently seen in Romeo and Juliet, Life’s A Dream, and Beyond Persuasion. Caylin is so thankful to have the opportunity to work with a wonderful cast/crew. She would also like to thank her family, friends, and every audience member for supporting the show.

  • Meet the Directors – Macbeth

    Macbeth opens July 7 and runs through July 23. Tickets available.
    Christine Nicholson – Director

    Christine has been teaching Theatre at the University/College level for over twenty years, directing professionally over twenty years, and has been a working actor since the 1980s. She is Associate Producer/Director for the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival, founding member of Splinter Group Theatre (a theatre dedicated to Panto), and member of Wildflower Women’s Ensemble. She’s directed 12TH NIGHT (twice), ROMEO AND JULIET, 3 MUSKETEERS, COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO for Sac Shakes, HAMLET and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM for Sac State, and MIDSUMMER at both UC Berkeley and STC. She’s also adapted and directed 10 productions for SCC’s Shakespeare Lite. She played Feste/12TH NIGHT at Big Idea Theatre; Rosalind /AS YOU LIKE IT at Tahoe Shakespeare; Antipholus/COMEDY OF ERRORS, Emilia/OTHELLO, and Lady Macbeth at Sacramento Shakespeare; and title roles in /KING LEAR and MACBETH, Angelo/MEASURE FOR MEASURE, Dogberry/MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, Friar Lawrence/ROMEO AND JULIET for Wildflower Women’s Ensemble. Other favorite roles include Martha/…VIRGINIA WOOLF, Anna/CLOSER, and Greta/CARTHAGINIANS. Christine holds an MFA in Theatre from UC Davis (Irish Drama focus).

    Lori Ann DeLappe-Grondin – Director

    A member of the faculty at Sacramento City College since 2005, Lori Ann has been working in the local theatre community since 1994. As an artistic fellow of both the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival and City Theatre, she takes on both administrative and artistic positions with those organizations including directing, management, and education. She is the program director of the High School Intern Program for SSF which she created in 2004. She founded an all-female Shakespeare ensemble, Wildflower Women’s Ensemble, to provide free Shakespeare in the park to her community and opportunities for women to explore traditionally male roles.

  • Eleven hour day – Check!

    Macbeth opens July 7 and runs through July 23. Tickets available.

    July 1 was our longest day in the rehearsal process. It’s often called the “10 out of 12” day. A day where the technical elements – scenic, lighting, props, sound, and special effects are incorporated into the show. It’s the beginning of tech week and is one of my favorite days.

    Last week, while watching this brilliant cast do their work during rehearsal, I whispered to my co-director, Christine, “I can’t wait to see this with lights.” And I was not disappointed.

    As a lighting designer, there is a lot of magic to be made. The script gives insight, the conversations with the director(s), and the intricate knowledge of how light works can lead to beautiful shows. And then there is this show – our designer, Isaiah Leeper – has been indeed giddy over working with the cast. One of the greatest compliments I’ve heard given to a cast is that he is excited to light them…not just the show, but the actors/characters and the work they are doing which are inspiring more magical moments than anticipated.

    Another aspect of this rehearsal process that I’m thrilled to hand over has been some sound design-ish work. Music is very inspirational to me and at least a few times, I’ve based entire show concepts on the feeling I get from one song. When I was directing “After Juliet” in 2013, I had just been introduced to The Punch Brothers and Electric Guest. “The Bait” by EG and “Movement & Location” by The Punch Brothers evoked such imagery for me that I commissioned some original music based on that feeling and decided on a steampunk theme, which tied the whole show together.

    For this show, we have set it in the mid-1200s where the Vikings were being beaten by the Scots after over 400 years. We have incorporated that Viking theme into the show, and the music is a big part. And to truly work with the music for the witch scenes, alarums, and flourishes, we had to get creative. And I’ve been trying to run as much of it as I can, as it was gathered, during rehearsal, I discovered I was missing watching the show as much as I wanted to. As we are co-directing, I knew we were covered, but wanted to do more of my part in the note-taking. So, on Saturday, I got to give over the sound to our sound team, Elijah, Scott, & Gabi and it was remarkable to hear it through the theatre speakers. It’s going to be amazing!

    Tech day is over, we made it through the show, and it is going to be stunning! The cast is ready for the next step, which is Monday with first dress. They will dress in their costumes, put on their makeup and do their hair…then just four more days til opening. I hope you’ll join us!

    ~Lori Ann, co-director, Macbeth

  • My Make-Up Journey to Witch 1

    by Gabriela Llarena

    Macbeth opens July 7 and runs through July 23. Tickets available.

    Makeup has always been a tool for self-expression and identity. In modern days, makeup is
    often viewed in an artistic sense and a skilled artist can entirely transform their face. Within
    the theater, makeup is used to enhance the storytelling for two very important reasons:
    characterization and clarity over distance. In layman’s terms: the audience needs to know who
    you are and what you are expressing from a distance.

    Theater is the reason I began doing my own makeup and the lockdown of 2020 gave me plenty
    of free time to explore. When I got cast as Witch 1 for the show, my mind immediately got
    excited at the opportunity to have a creative makeup look! As our show is set during the time
    period at the end of the Vikings’ reign in Scotland, makeup is a fundamental support to help drop
    the audience into the moment we are playing in. After speaking with our directors, Christine
    Nicholson and Lori-Ann Delappe-Grodin, and conferring with our costume designer Nicole
    Sivell, I had my parameters within which I could come up with a witch makeup look.
    The assignment was this: eyeshadow of earth tones (greens/browns), white lines, and minimal
    makeup around the mouth. I asked if I could include runes in the look and was given the green
    light.

    To be accurate to the time period, the look would need to be colors and styles that would have
    been prominent near the 1300s. Traditionally makeup has been used as a form of protection
    against sunlight. This plays a part in the longstanding popularity of kohl, a dark mineral that lines
    the eyes. Along with the practicality makeup provided, it was often used to identify the
    individual’s power or strengths as well as to evoke the gods. The three main witches in Macbeth
    are magical and powerful in their own right. The three of us cast in these roles (Gabriela
    Llarena, McKenna Sennett, Shelby Saumier) dived deep into the mythology surrounding our
    characters and brainstormed how the makeup could enhance the storytelling.
    When I finally sat in front of the mirror, I let the makeup tell me where it wanted to go. I started
    with brown eye shadow in the inner eye area because I wanted to emphasize a deep-set stare
    that would contrast nicely against the brightness of my eye. I blended that out to a deep shade
    of green. As the witches were not following the standard kohl look, I wanted to still incorporate
    the practical usage of makeup at that time. By having a dark green shadow, it mimics the effect
    of providing sunlight protection. Underneath the eye, I went in with a brown shadow that would
    blend out into the skin. The witches live in the dirt and the forest, constantly getting into
    mischief, so this is to further showcase the difference between the witches versus the rest of the
    humans in the play. It felt wrong to have the right side disconnected from the left side so I used
    a simple line over the nose to bring the look into unity.

    I ended the look by combining the directors’ desire for white lines with the usage of runes. With
    white eyeliner, I drew on 3 runes: gateway, breakthrough, and disruption. Gateway and breakthrough
    went on my forehead. I’ve been playing my witch as someone who loves mind games so a large
    source of my power comes from my ability to break into other’s minds. The rune for disruption
    went below my mouth because it is through the prophecies and spells spoken that the witches
    create major disruptions and shifts in the play. When I finished the last rune and looked at the
    overall effect, I felt confident and powerful – ready to cause havoc. Each witch will have their
    own runes that are unique to their character, so if you want to learn more come out to our show!

    Gabriela Llarena as Witch 1
    Gabriela Llarena as Witch 1 & Brandon Lancaster as Macbeth
    Gabriela Llarena as Witch 1 & Jackie Martin as Lady Macbeth
    Kathleen Poe as Macduff, Gabriela Llarena as Witch 1, Jackie Martin as Lady Macbeth & Brandon Lancaster as Macbeth