Sampson/Servant/First Watchman ✤ (he/him)
Matthew Nordstrom (he/him) is very excited to be doing this show if Romeo and Juliet. This is his 10th show but 1st show outside of high school. He is excited to learn from my cast members and directors while becoming a better actor. Some of Matthew’s credits include Juror #8 in 12 Angry Men, Felix in Frankenstein, and White Rabbit in Shrek, along with many others.
Instagram - @mattynord31

Mercutio ✤ (he/him)
Cole is excited to play his role Mercutio for this play. This is his first official Shakespeare play and is excited for him to see what new experiences this brings him.

Director/Prince Escalus ✤ (she/her)
Elle is so very excited to be making her directorial debut alongside Colin with Ye Olde Theatre Eaters’ summer company. She is currently an acting metier student at California Institute of the Arts, minoring in creative writing. She has been stage acting for over 15 years but her most recent work has been on film. When she’s not memorizing scenes or reading plays you can find Elle at the beach, napping with her cat, or playing Stardew Valley.
Welcome to Verona and we hope you enjoy our productions!

Lord Montague/Abraham/Second Watchman ✤ (he/him)
Sage is excited to work with everyone in YOTE and with Shakespeare’s text itself. He’s worked with Shakespeare twice before, in Aliso Niguel Theatre Company’s Twelfth Night as a Second Officer, and Renaissance Theatre’s King Lear as the King of France and Oswald. He’s currently a student at Saddleback, taking theatre classes. Shakespeare can be a learning and a growing process, and he hopes he can partake in that, as well as our lovely audience!

Benvolio ✤ (he/she)
Harrison Tate-Pascua is a current English and sociology major with a focus in Diversity and Inequality at the University of California, Irvine. Harrison also hopes to one day pursue a PhD program, specializing in early modern English literature. When Harrison isn’t studying, he is also in the theatre doing whatever she can get his grubby little hands on from tech to directing to acting to writing. Some of Harrison's most notable acting credits are Helena (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Ariel (The Tempest), and Prince John (Robin Hood). Harrison has also directed (The Bacchae), done costume design (Fairview, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Gulf), stage managed (White Privilege, The Dionysian On Acts Festival), and done props design (Clue: A Radio Play).
Harrison also encourages people to support local theatre and hopes you enjoy YOTE's first production season!
Instagram - @paxador

Juliet ✤ (she/her)
Liahna Flores is a newly graduated acting student from OCC and is playing Juliet! She’s so excited to play such a notorious and bittersweet role after recently emerging into the spotlight. She’s also starred in Assassins as Proprietor and The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged as Jessica.

Stage Manager ✤ (she/her)
Morgan Plass is an actor, director, stage manager, and lover of all things Shakespeare. She is currently a rising senior in high school and plans to pursue a BFA in Acting. This production is her third time stage managing, with previous stage managing credits including Peter and the Starcatcher at San Clemente High School and The Shape of Things at No Square Theatre.

Nurse ✤ (she/her)
Bella Shulman is an experienced educator, marine scientist, and now aspiring actress. While she’s new to the theatre world, she has been extremely lucky to play Ed(ith) Devery in Born Yesterday as well as Sarah Jane Moore in Assassins. Her dream roles include Jenna Hunterson in Waitress, Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Medea in Medea, and Catherine in Proof. She is tremendously excited to further delve into the world and language of Shakespeare as she portrays the Nurse in YOTE’s upcoming productions of Romeo and Juliet and The Three Gentlemen of Verona.

Lady Capulet ✤ (she/her)
Lily Rose is a 22-year-old Orange County based actor and choreographer. She currently teaches at Acting Academy for Kids and Rhythm and Dance Academy. Some of her favorite credits include Viola in Twelfth Night, Natasha in Three Sisters, and Abigail in The Crucible. Lily is so excited to be part of her very first production with Ye Olde Theater Eaters!

Gregory/Page ✤ (he/him)
Nate Wienick is excited to make his YOTE and community theatre debut! He previously did theatre at Aliso Niguel High School’s program, and is currently pursuing a theatre arts degree at Saddleback College. In his free time, Nate loves to draw and listen to music. Previous roles include Malvolio (Twelfth Night) and John N. Fail (Failure: A Love Story).

Romeo ✤ (he/him)
Jimmy is super excited to be a part of this production! He is currently finishing his BFA in Musical Theatre at Cal State Fullerton, and this is his first ever Shakespeare play! Some of Jimmy’s previous roles include Handsome Brady and Wolfgang at Knott’s Berry Farm, and Don in A Chorus Line at Fullerton College. Special thanks to Jim, Susy, and the Fridge, for all of the support and encouragement that has gotten him this far!
Instagram - @jim.exe

Director/Lord Capulet ✤ (he/they)
Colin Rinard a passionate actor who is thrilled to take part in the Production of Romeo and Juliet. He is pulling double duty as Lord Capulet and Director. He loves his cast and thanks all of them for their hard work and dedication and would like to thank his family and loving partner Harrison for their unwavering support of his artistic endeavors.

Paris/Balthazar ✤ (he/him)
Joey Strauss is playing Paris and Balthazar in this production season. This is the first production Joey has been a part of outside of my high school, and he is very happy to be here. Back at his high school he had roles including Nikos in Legally Blonde, Chad in All Shook Up, and most recently Lurch in The Addams Family. Outside of theater Joey enjoys playing guitar and cooking, but acting is what he loves the most. Shakespeare is a better representation of the type of theater Joey enjoys doing than all the musicals he did at my high school, so he is very excited to be a part of this.

Interim Stage Manager ✤ (she/they)
Brooke was the Stage Manager for the August weekend of shows. Thanks Brooke!

Tybalt ✤ (he/they)
Madi Winter is a queer trans actor determined to be the representation he wishes he had when he was younger, and he hopes he can help trans kids have easier and happier times finding themselves than he did. His time spent performing is when he feels the most alive, he was a competitive baton twirler from age ten until he was nineteen, and he began acting at thirteen years old, at which point he fell in love with every aspect of theatre. Some of his favorite roles he has played include Peter Pan in Peter and the Starcatcher, Ariel in The Tempest, and The Sergeant in Pirates of Penzance. As well as acting, he has a passion for writing and directing. Ultimately, his only wish is to create meaningful art, forever. You can find him on Instagram if you want to follow along with his creative endeavors!
Instagram - @madiwinterwonderland

Prince Escalus Swing ✤ (he/him)
Maxwell was the on-book swing for Prince Escalus for the August 21 performance of Romeo and Juliet. Thanks Maxwell!