Comedy Love’s Labour’s Lost 2021

Cast of Characters (Update w/ 2020 info when you get it.)
Antipholus of Ephesus – Jonathan Fisher
Antipholus of Syracuse – Alex Elliott-Funk
Dromio of Ephesus – Melissa Green
Dromio of Syracuse – Brendan Kane
Adriana – Olivia Saccomanno
Luciana – Amber Luallen
Aegeon – Andy Kallok
Abbess / Luce – Sonja Inge
Duke – Jane Hink
Courtesan / Balthasar – Sharon Jewell
Angelo – Benjamin White
Pinch / 1st Merchant – Sean Spencer
2nd Merchant / Gaoler – Alden Bettencourt
Luciana Understudy 6/17, 8/17 – Haley Tubbs

Meet the Cast Members

Alden Bettencourt  (2nd Merchant/Gaoler)
Alden is from Hanford, CA and a recent graduate of Pepperdine University with a BA in Theatre and Music. Recent credits include the World Premiere of The Abode at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Curtains at Pepperdine University (Belling), and a lead role in the new podcast musical, Monotony by Jared Taylor and Sarah Luery. This is Bettencourt’s first production with SBTS. (Cast List)

Alex Elliott-Funk (Anthipholus of Syracuse)
Alex studied theatre at the University of Iowa before settling in Los Angeles. In 2018, he was nominated for a Stage Raw Award for Best Male Comedic Performance for his work in the world premiere of Supper, by Phinny Kiyomura, at Theatre of NOTE, where he has been a proud member since 2010. He also has performed with the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, School of Night, and The National Theatre for Children, among others. He is so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this production. His performance is dedicated to all those who have had to fight to be their true selves. @funkonfire (Cast List)

Jonathan Fisher  (Antipholus of Ephesus)
Jonathan  is excited to return to Shakespeare by the Sea for a second season after appearing in last year’s The Winter’s Tale (as Clown) and The Merry Wives of Windsor (as Sir High Evans). Jonathan comes to Southern California by way of South Florida, Chicago and Rhode Island, and holds a BA in Theatre and English Literature from Northwestern University. Some favorite recent theatre credits include: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (A Noise Within); Elevada, Tribes and The Eight Reindeer Monologues (Chance Theater); Macbeth (Sacramento Theatre Company) and Henry IV Part 1 (Shakespeare Orange County). Special thanks to my parents and love to Anna, Milly and Leo. (Cast List)

Melissa Green (Dromio of Ephesus)
Melissa is a Southern California based actress and playwright hailing from San Juan Capistrano, California. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University (Theatre Arts, ’18), she’s most recently been seen in productions of Nine, The Three Sisters, and notably The Cherry Orchard at the Moscow Art Theatre School in Moscow, Russia. Her writing has been locally and nationally lauded (her plays Goldenrod and Mashka and Mashenka Board a Train are both available for production) and she’s always working on something new. When she’s not performing and making a fool of herself, she serves as an assistant director with Creative Kids Playhouse Children’s Theatre of Orange County and teaches the next generation how to make pretend. She’s proud and excited to take part in and share a great theatre tradition this summer. (Cast List)

Jane Hink (Duke)
Jane is excited to work with SBTS. She has performed in and directed over 20 Shakespeare plays from the East Coast to the West, and has loved it since she snuck her grandmother’s car out without a license to see Romeo and Juliet as a teenager. Among the roles she’s played are Hamlet in Hamlet, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Dionyza in Pericles, Prince of Tyre, Lady Macbeth, Ophelia in Hamlet, Rosalind in As You Like It and Viola in Twelfth Night. On TV she’s been seen as Doris the cleaning lady in many Mindy Project Episodes, also recurred on Nickelodeon’s School of Rock and guested on Veep, House of Lies, Getting On, Profiler, Frasier and many more. She would like to dedicate her performances this summer to her uncle, Bob Hink, a Shakespearean Scholar.   (Cast List)

Sonja Inge  (Luce/Abbess)
Sonja is excited to be part of the 2019 Season for SBTS! She has also played Mistress Quickly in Henry V for Shakespeare Orange County, Leonatta (Leonato) in Much Ado About Nothing for the Long Beach Shakespeare Company and Sallie Mercer in The Lady Was A Gentleman for the Broad’s World Ensemble. A native of Southern California (Gahr Gladiator for life!), Ms. Inge spent eight years in Japan as an English teacher and was active with Tokyo International Players, an English language theater group. She holds a BA in Communications from Howard University and is currently studying at Lesly Kahn & Co. (Cast List)

Sharon Jewell (Courtesan/Balthasar)
Sharon is thrilled to be making her debut with Shakespeare by the Sea this summer and to be playing in the Bard’s world once again! Previous credits include: Godspell (Thomas Aquinas), Oliver! (Mrs. Sowerberry) at Laguna Playhouse; The Tempest (Ariel), Comedy of Errors (Courtesan/Luce/First Merchant) at Alchemy Theatre; Chicago (Roxie), 1940s Radio Hour (Ginger), The World Goes ‘Round (Soloist) at No Square Theatre; Memphis (Clara), Singin’ In The Rain (Ensemble) at Musical Theatre West; Young Frankenstein (Tasha) at Palos Verdes PA; Crazy For You (Follies Girl), Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (Dorcas) at Candlelight Pavilion; Mickey’s Soundsational, Pixar Play and A Christmas Fantasy Parades at Disneyland; Me and My Big Hair on YouTube Channel: Miss Jewell; Instagram: @jewell.sharon; Website: sharonjewell.com. Thank you for coming and I hope you enjoy the show! And if you happen to see Antipholus, tell him he owes me 40 ducats! (Cast List)

Andy Kallok (Aegeon)
“Once more unto the breach, dear friends”. Not one to listen to reason, Andy returns to SBTS for his 14th season. He has played the “old guy with the grey beard” in 25 productions since 2002. For the Long Beach Shakespeare Company, Andy played Nestor in Troilus and Cressida, Prospero in The Tempest, and for the past 3 years, Scrooge in their annual reading of A Christmas Carol. Recently he has turned his attention to performing material written “during this millennium” by acting in several independent and student film projects. (Cast List)

Brendan Kane (Dromio of Syracuse)
Brendan is thrilled to be making his SBTS debut! He was raised in an Air Force family and brought up all around the country, and has found a home in Los Angeles. A graduate of Oklahoma City University, he was last seen as Max in Lend Me a Tenor at the Long Beach Playhouse. Other past credits include: California Suite (Noisy Nest); The First and the Last (Hollywood Fringe 2018); As You Like It (Culver City Public Theatre); Macbeth (Annapolis Shakespeare Company); Much Ado About Nothing (Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre). He thanks his amazing crew and cast, and sends all the love to his supportive friends and family. For Dad. brendanrkane.com (Cast List)

Amber Luallen (Luciana)
Amber trained at The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts as well as iO West and The Groundlings. She is so excited to be making her L.A. Shakespeare debut with SBTS. Amber is a hard working full time actor. She currently works with performance companies such as Teatro Martini, Imagination Machine, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Story Pirates! Her favorite theater credits include: Dromio of Syracuse in Comedy of Errors, Ophelia in Hamlet Has No Legs, Desdemona in Othello, Evelyn in The Shape of Things, Aspatia in The Maid’s Tragedy, Prudence in Beyond Therapy, and Elizabeth in Jeffrey Hatcher’s Jekyll and Hyde. Her television credits include Fox’s The Mindy Project and Showtime’s I’m Dying Up Here. (Cast List)

Olivia Saccomanno (Adriana)
Olivia is thrilled to be making her SBTS debut with the play that made her fall in love with Shakespeare. Past favorite credits include: King Lear (Goneril), The Winter’s Tale (Hermione), Three Musketeers (Milady), His Girl Friday (Hildy Johnson), Big Love (Thyona), Educating Rita (Rita Susan White), Doubt (Sister James), The Lion in Winter (Alais Capet), and Antigone (Ismene). She is a co-founder and artistic director of Four Walls and a Stage- a collaborative theatre company with a focus on women and the LGBTQ+ community. Olivia studied at the Moscow Art Theater School in Russia and has a BA from Willamette University and her MFA from the University of Connecticut. @oliwankanobe (Cast List)

Sean Spencer (Pinch/1st Merchant)
Since graduating from the New York Film Academy, Sean has appeared in various performances around the Los Angeles area.  Most notably, would be his performance as Watson in Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure at the LAPC Theatre as well as various roles in The Laramie Project and appearances as the stage hand in The Victory Theatre Center’s Resolving Hedda.  In addition, he has taken steps to help further strengthen his performance studies by auditioning for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.  As of late, Sean has taken a few steps back from performances due to concerns in the family, but has continued to stay in touch by stage managing the occasional show. (Cast List)

Benjamin White (Angelo)
Benjamin is excited to make his SBTS debut! His love for Shakespeare began when he played Antipholus of Syracuse (Comedy of Errors) at Santa Monica College. For this performance, he was nominated to compete in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF), where he received Best Actor in an NPP Play for his portrayal of Ryan in The Moment After. Ben has also appeared at the Long Beach Playhouse as Sebastian in The Tempest. His most recent role was Bicarat (The Three Musketeers) at the Norris Theatre. (Cast List)

2019 Production Team