June 5, 2025 – August 2, 2025
“Ha, ha, what a fool Honesty is!”
–Act 4, scene 4
Journey into a tale of jealousy, loss, and ultimate redemption with Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. King Leontes’ suspicions lead to tragedy, but a miraculous twist opens the path to forgiveness.
This play explores the power of time, love, and the human capacity for forgiveness. With spellbinding storytelling and a breathtaking stage, The Winter’s Tale is a poignant exploration of redemption, resilience, and the magic of second chances.
View our Summer Program online.
Cast
Geoffrey Warren Barnes II is a gifted actor whose compelling and elegant performances light up the ASC stage and beyond.
Leontes & Mopsa
Jordan Friend is a gifted actor, music director and composer whose compelling and elegant performances light up the ASC stage and beyond.
Komi M. Gbeblewou is a gifted actor whose compelling and elegant performances light up the ASC stage and beyond.
Tristan Rose Gillia is a gifted actor whose compelling and elegant performances light up the ASC stage and beyond.
Corrie Green is an Actor and Dance Captain at the American Shakespeare Center and performs as Belle and Belinda in A Christmas Carol 2024.
Sara J. Griffin is a gifted actor whose compelling and elegant performances light up the ASC stage and beyond.
Angela Iannone is a celebrated actor, known for her nuanced performances and captivating presence at ASC and beyond.
L James is a gifted actor whose compelling and elegant performances light up the ASC stage and beyond.
Raven Lorraine is a dynamic performer whose captivating talent and bold storytelling shine on the ASC stage and beyond.
Artistic Team
Director
Raphael Emmanuel is an innovative director whose bold vision and creative energy inspire captivating storytelling at ASC and beyond.
Assistant Director
Anna Bigham is an Assistant Director at the American Shakespeare Center for Summer 2025.
Jess Snellings is is a versatile performer and theatre artist whose dynamic talent shines in productions at ASC and beyond.
Thomas J. Coppola was part of the American Shakespeare Center from 2015 to 2025.
Tenley Pitonzo is an experienced stage manager whose expertise ensures seamless productions at ASC and theatres across the country.
Rachael Sheffer, Assistant Stage Manager at the American Shakespeare Center.
Kaela A.C. Wilson, Assistant Stage Manager at the American Shakespeare Center.
Music Director/Composer
Jordan Friend is a gifted actor, music director and composer whose compelling and elegant performances light up the ASC stage and beyond.
Doreen Bechtol is a seasoned movement consultant, actor, and educator with extensive experience in theatre, choreography, and original devised works.
Haley Fentriss Roberts is an accomplished Intimacy Choreographer dedicated to fostering meaningful connections on stage at ASC and beyond.
Conrad Gothard worked at the American Shakespeare Center from 2023 – 2026
Braden Miller is a skilled Prop Shop Artisan with experience bringing contemporary productions to life.
Assistant Prop Shop Manager/Artisan
Danielle Pecchioli is a Prop Artisan at the American Shakespeare Center.
Elizabeth Wislar is a costume designer at the American Shakespeare Center. Explore her theatre experience and education.
Marie Lupia served at the American Shakespeare Center from 2022–2025.
Amy Monsalve is Wardrobe Manager & Design Assistant at the ASC, recognized for her attention to detail and passion for bringing costumes to life.
Trina Yager is the Costume Coordinator & Wardrobe Supervisor at the American Shakespeare Center.
D. Scarlet Frishman is a dedicated Wardrobe Assistant and versatile theatre artist with a passion for storytelling and costume design.
Acting Fellow
Maggie Lengerich is an Acting Fellow at the American Shakespeare Center.
Molly Minter is an Acting Fellow at the American Shakespeare Center.
Kathleen Mitchell is a passionate performer whose compelling portrayals bring Shakespearean and contemporary characters to life at ASC and beyond.
Pete Sheldon is a versatile performer and musician whose passion for Shakespearean theatre and dynamic storytelling shine at ASC and beyond.
Katy Shinas is an Acting Fellow at the American Shakespeare Center.
Kyle Showalter is a versatile performer and theatre artist whose dynamic talent shines in productions at ASC and beyond.
Julia Sommer is a versatile performer and theatre artist whose dynamic talent shines in productions at ASC and beyond.
Emmett Temple is a is a versatile performer and theatre artist whose dynamic talent shines in productions at ASC and beyond.
Nick Trusty, Acting Fellow at the American Shakespeare Center.
- Leontes, the King of Sicilia, has been hosting his boyhood friend, Polixenes, the King of Bohemia, for nine months.
- When Leontes asks his wife, Hermione, to persuade Polixenes to stay longer, she succeeds.
- Suddenly, Leontes suspects that his wife has been having an affair with Polixenes and that her unborn child is Polixenes’s.
- Leontes orders the arrest of Hermione and separates her from their young son, Mamillius.
- He orders his councilor, Camillo, to murder Polixenes. Instead, Camillo helps him escape to Bohemia.
- In prison, Hermione gives birth to a daughter. Her attendant, Paulina, brings the infant to Leontes and pleads with him to reconsider.
- Leontes sends the infant away to die and demands the Oracle’s judgment on Hermione’s guilt.
- At Hermione’s trial, the oracle proclaims her innocence. Leontes refuses to believe it.
News arrives: his young son Mamillius has died. Hermione collapses and is pronounced dead. - Meanwhile, as a storm is brewing, Antigonus arrives on a Bohemian shore and abandons the infant girl. Antigonus exits, pursued by a bear.
- A Shepherd and a Clown find the girl. Her name is Perdita.
- Sixteen years later, Time appears to bridge the gap. Perdita and Prince Florizel (Polixenes’s son) are in love.
- At the festival, Florizel (in disguise) courts Perdita. Polixenes (also in disguise) forbids it.
- Camillo, Leontes’s councilor, helped Polixenes flee to Bohemia sixteen years ago and now helps the young lovers flee back to Sicilia.
- Autolycus, a roguish peddler and pickpocket, stirs up mischief along the way.
- Unions, reunions, and wonders ensue…
The Winter’s Tale can almost be considered two plays: a compelling story of perceived betrayal that is basically complete, yet leaves you wondering; followed by its sequel, which provides us with the closure that we often seek, and have become accustomed to in storytelling.
The truth is, stories never end, only our involvement, participation, or knowledge of what happens next, creating an ongoing ‘Butterfly Effect’, as each decision, action, and response impacts the direction of the tale. We are the author of our own narrative, yet we intersect with others in an infinite web of humanity.
This play explores the consequences of our actions, as well as themes of loyalty vs morality, betrayal, redemption, and reconciliation. The decisions we make do not happen in a vacuum; they are a product of our experiences up until that point.
(Director Raphael Emmanuel at The Winter’s Tale Table Read 2025. Photo by Madison Patterson.)
It is easy to condemn Leontes’ jealous measures (rightfully so); yet, in his mind, for reasons known only to him, he is justified. We see a rogue in Autolycus; yet thievery is most often performed out of necessity. Camillo makes choices based on honor, no matter the potential result. Sometimes we are quick to judge and label individuals, without considering what we don’t know.
We have reimagined our setting using inspiration from Black Bohemia, another name for the Harlem Renaissance, and a time definitively impacted by an explosion of Black culture, WWII, Jazz music, Prohibition, and more. This does not change the story on the page, but seeks to draw comparisons to the already existing themes in the play. Enjoy.