Written & Directed by Jessica Kubzansky
World Premiere Production
Boston Court’s first-ever immersive play, utilizing the entire building, will take you on a journey behind the curtain to experience the layered and intimate complexities of creating theatre. In this play-within-a-play, a renowned director rehearses a spectacular new production of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, “the original #metoo story.” But backstage, there’s an even bigger drama playing out as the power dynamics of the play and the rehearsal blow up in the course of the night. Don’t miss this unique and unexpected world premiere written and directed by Boston Court Artistic Director Jessica Kubzansky.
CONTENT WARNING: Contains depictions of sexual harassment and sexual violence.
ACCESSIBILITY NOTE: This show has immersive elements which will require the audience to move between spaces. In every space there is seating available for those that need it. Please contact our box office for any questions or special arrangements to ensure your best and most comfortable experience.
CLICK BELOW TO LEARN THE PLOT OF SHAKESPEARE’S MEASURE FOR MEASURE:
EPISODE ONE: “Chaos”
EPISODE TWO: “The Role Model”
EPISODE THREE: “The Understudy”
EPISODE FOUR: “Tension”
THE CAST
BUKOLA OGUNMOLA*
DIONNA, the actor playing Isabella
Bukola Ogunmola is a Nigerian-American actor, writer and producer born and raised in NYC. She is so excited to be making her Boston Court Pasadena debut and so grateful for the wonderful cast and crew. Some of her latest theater projects with LA’s Shakespeare in the Park include are Twelfth Night as Viola and Knight of the Burning Pestle as the titular Knight Rae. Some of her film credits include Better Than Dreams‘ Romeo and Juliet as Juliet and Live at the Porpentine: A Comedy of Errors as Adriana. TV: Bob Hearts Abishola. MFA, USC.
ROBERT BEITZEL*
BRUCE ELLIOT NORTON, the actor playing Duke Vincentio, also the play’s Director
Off-Broadway: Women or Nothing, The Atlantic Theater. Our Town, Barrow Street Theater. In Masks Outrageous and Austere, The Culture Project. Hallway Trilogy, Rattlestick Playwrights’ Theater. Finer Noble Gases, Rattlestick. Faster, Ra
Robert has a BFA in drama from the Juilliard School.
DESIREE MEE JUNG*
ALEXIS, the Stage Manager
Des was last seen at Boston Court in Colony Collapse. Select credits include: Vietgone (Alley Theatre); Sense & Sensibility (South Coast Rep); Much Ado About Nothing (Denver Center); Richard III, Comedy of Errors, Pericles (Utah Shakespeare Festival); Love’s Labour’s Lost and Edward III (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); Gloria, The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide (Curious Theatre Company); All’s Well That Ends Well, Frankenstein (A Noise Within); As You Like It, Measure for Measure, Henry IV Part I, Diana of Dobson’s, The Curse of Oedipus (Antaeus Theatre Company); Hamlet (The 6th Act); The Bonesetter’s Daughter (world premiere Book-It Rep). TV: NCIS, The Winchesters. DesireeMeeJung.
MARA KLEIN
BROOKE, the actor playing Marianna
Mara is honored to return to Boston Court’s stage having previously appeared in their production of The Judas Kiss. Select theatre credits include: An Octoroon (Fountain Theatre), According to the Chorus (The Road), Sucker Punch (Coeurage Ensemble), the world-premiere of Mary Laws’ Blueberry Toast (Echo Theater Company), and Marina in Pericles (Porters of Hellsgate). She is a proud union member #SAGAFTRAstrong with TV credits on Casual as “Young Valerie,” Startup, Young & Hungry, and Fresh off the Boat, among others. Mara hails from the suburbs of Washington D.C. She holds a BFA from NYU Tisch, and trained at RADA in London. More at www.aboutmara.com or say hi @mararklein
DINAH LENNEY*
MARY, the actor playing Escalus and the Provost
Dinah Lenney has played countless roles on stage and screen, among them Murphy Brown’s Secretary #3, ER’s Nurse Shirley, and Sister Miriam, a nun with a gun, on FX’s Sons of Anarchy. She’s a graduate of Yale (where she didn’t study theater) and the Neighborhood Playhouse where she did, and the author or editor of six books, including Acting for Young Actors, with director Mary Lou Belli. She lives with her husband in Echo Park—and you can watch her TEDX talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
LEO MARKS*
SAM, the actor playing Angelo
Boston Court: Shylock in Everything That Never Happened and Lewis Carroll in The Missing Pages of Lewis Carroll. He’s played the Fountain, Rogue Machine, Playwrights’ Arena, Geffen Playhouse, the Kirk Douglas, the Ahmanson, Pasadena Playhouse, Evidence Room, Antaeus, D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Seattle Rep, Berkeley Rep, The Intiman, Cleveland Playhouse, Houston’s Alley Theatre, ACT’s The Strand, the Old Globe, South Coast Repertory, Playwrights Horizons, and he played Hamlet in Jessica Kubzansky’s acclaimed production.
Awards include an Obie, Stage Raw, LA Ovations, Ticketholder, Bay Area Critics, and LA Drama Critics Circle nominations and awards.
ALEXANDER MATOS
J. TODD, the actor playing Claudio
Alexander Matos (SAG-AFTRA/EMC) is hyped to make his Boston Court debut! Raised in Brazil and LA, he’s a graduate of Brown University/Trinity Rep’s MFA Acting program and holds a BA in Ethnomusicology/Composition from UC Berkeley. Recent theater work includes Gordon Silver in Dr. Silver (South Coast Rep), Florizel in The Winter’s Tale (A Noise Within), Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Chautauqua Theater), Younger Brother in Ragtime & Caliban in The Tempest (Trinity Rep), and various pandemic virtual-theater productions (Kennedy Center/NNPN, Hudson Stage Company, Pork Filled Productions). Screen work includes a commercial for Toyota and a co-star on ABC’s American Housewife. —www.alexandermatos.com— IG/Twt: @AlexanderDMatos
RANDOLPH THOMPSON
GRIFFIN, the actor playing Lucio
Favorite productions include: Much Ado About Nothing (A Noise Within), Pericles (New Swan Shakespeare Festival), Ready, Steady, Yeti…Go (Rogue Machine), Trevor (Circle X), 1984 (Greenway Court), Secret in the Wings (Coeurage), The Hamlet Project (Loose Canon), Henry V (Pacific Resident Theatre), Dancing vs. The Rat Experiment (LaMama), Roberto Zucco (Ohio Theatere), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Baryshnikov Arts Center), The Winter’s Tale (San Antonio Shakespeare), Schriebstück (U.S. & Canadian Premieres). Television appearances include: Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster (Netflix), Criminal Minds (CBS), Rosewood (Fox), Serious Music (ABC), and several national commercial campaigns.
JENAPHER ZHENG*
FRANKIE, the Assistant Director
Jenapher Zheng is an actor and multi-disciplinary artist from Alhambra, CA with her training from CalArts. Past work includes NCIS:LA, festivals like SXSW and HAAPIFest, major brand commercials, and videogames by Tender Claws and Niantic. Theatre credits include Man of God at Geffen Playhouse, Seize the King at La Jolla Playhouse, Kentucky at East West Players, and readings of The Great Leap and Tokyo Fish Story at The Old Globe and South Coast Repertory. Past immersive theatre credits include activations for John Wick 4, American Horror Story, and Warrior, and productions with Ceaseless Fun, After Hours, and MetaForYou. She is the editor of Kwento Comics, and is JenZany on Twitch.
ROB BEITZEL: Bruce Elliot Norton: The Actor Playing Duke Vincentio; also the play’s Director
JENAPHER ZHENG: Frankie: The Assistant Director
BUKOLA OGUNMOLA: Dionna: The Actor Playing Isabella
LEO MARKS: Sam: The Actor Playing Angelo
RANDOLPH THOMPSON : Griffin: The Actor Playing Lucio
ALEXANDER MATOS: J.Todd: The Actor Playing Claudio
DINAH LENNEY: Mary: The Actor Playing Escalus/Provost
MARA KLEIN: Brooke: The Actor Playing Marianna
DESIREE MEE JUNG: Alexis: The Stage Manager
*Indicates a member of Actor’s Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage members in the United States.
UNDERSTUDIES:
For Bruce and Sam: DAN STEVENS; for Dionna: SHARLEE TAYLOR*; for J.Todd and Griffin, KYLE T. HESTER for Mary and Alexis: DAWN ALDEN; for Brooke and Frankie: MARY ANN PIANKA
THE CREATIVE TEAM
Set Designer: Francois-Pierre Couture**
Costume Designer: Denitsa Bliznakova**
Lighting Designer: Tom Ontiveros**
Sound Designer: John Nobori
Video/Projection Designer: Jason Thompson**
Props Designer: Cindy Campos
Production Stage Manager: Kimberly Sanchez Garrido
Dramaturg: Emilie Pascale Beck
Intimacy Director: Carly D.W. Bones
Shakespeare Consultant: Miranda Johnson-Haddad
Casting Director: Julia Flores
Assistant Director: Erica Chamblee
Associate Lighting Designer: Jennifer Gonzales
Associate Sound Designer: Caitlin Leong
Assistant Stage Manager: Jasmine Leung
