Matthew Ballin

Duke/Graciano – O

Matt Ballin holds a BFA in Theater from UC Santa Barbara, an MFA from The Ohio State University.  He just finished his 4th year as the Program Director of the Irvington Conservatory Theater in Fremont.  Before that he spent 14 years at Washington High School also in Fremont. He has acted, directed, and choreographed fights throughout the Bay Area, and has been an Associate Artist with The Livermore Shakespeare Festival for 16 years.  He last appeared as Ragueneau in Cyrano de Bergerac for LSF, and has played Bottom, Dogberry, Dromio of Ephesus, Master Ford and others for the festival.  Matt lives in Livermore with his wife Pam, their two daughters Emmy and Hannah, and their dogs Mitzi and Hornet.

Summer Brown

Emilia – O

Summer is excited to work at LSF for the first time. She is entering her third and final year at American Conservatory Theater’s Master of Fine Arts program. Recent MFA production credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The School for Scandal, and The Bacchae. Summer holds a BA in Theater from the University of Maryland.

Skyler Cooper

Othello – O

Skyler Cooper is ecstatic to make his LSF debut. He has a strong appetite for gender-bending roles, and performed at innumerable Bay Area theaters, including Crowded Fire Theater, Main Stage West, TheaterFirst, and Faultline. His talents for storytelling are evident in filmmaking and screenwriting. Skyler is also developing a television series that follows transgender people across time in American history. Proud to be the first transgender male to play Othello on the professional stage, he considers it his greatest challenge and his ultimate achievement.

Jeremy Gallardo

Cassio – O

Jeremy Gallardo is a Bay Area actor with his BFA from the University of Idaho’s acting program. He was an acting apprentice for Livermore Shakes for three years– 2013, 2014, and 2015. You may remember him as Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility (2015), Barracio in Much Ado About Nothing, and Taming of the Shrew. He returns after spending three seasons acting at Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Robyn Grahn

Complete Works

Robyn is very excited to return to Livermore Shakespeare in one of her favorite plays! For the past 2 years, Robyn has been involved almost entirely in Shakespearean productions so it is a cherry on the icing to play with the Bard’s words in this fantastically playful piece. Previously, she performed at Wente Vineyards in the 2015 performance of Sense and Sensibility as Elinor. Other theatrical credits include: Comedy of Errors (Adriana/Courtesan/Egeon/Aemelia/Merchants), Twelfth Night(Viola), Romeo and Juliet (Mercutio/Friar Lawrence), Hamlet (Rosencrantz), and The 39 Steps (Annabelle/Margaret/Pamela). Keep up with her projects: robyngrahn.com

Blair Leatherwood

Brabantio – O

Blair Leatherwood returns to LSF, having appeared in both shows last year. Based in Sacramento, he works in multiple media, as a standardized patient, and an audio describer for blind and low-vision theater patrons. Always grateful to be in Livermore!

Nicole Odell

Desdemona – O

Nicole earned her B.A. in Drama from SFSU and trained at the Second City Conservatory in LA. Currently, Nicole is a sketchwriter/performer with Killing My Lobster, and she teaches and performs with Leela Improv. Recent theatre credits include The Congresswomen with Exit Theatre and Galatea with CounterPulse. She wants to thank her husband for his support and for figuring out the Instant Pot.

Jed Parsario*

Complete Works

Jed Parsario is an actor and teaching artist based in Oakland CA. He is humbled to make his LSF debut.  He is a company member of both Playground SF and Red Ladder Theatre Company, and a resident artist of Bindlestiff Studio. Recent credits include Best of Playground 2019(Playground SF); Sweat (A.C.T.); White (Shotgun Players); The Gangster of Love (Magic Theatre).  Jed is a proud alum of Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA.  www.jedparsario.com

Malcolm Rodgers

Iago – O

Malcolm was seen at Livermore Shakespeare Festival as Polixenes in The Winter’s Tale and Sir Walter Elliot in Persuasion. He also designed LSF’s ‘in-the-round’ stage at Wente Vineyards and has been scenic designer for the last three seasons for LSF. He has performed with Custom Made Theatre, CCCT, Arabian Shakespeare, Napa Valley Shakespeare, and Ross Valley Players. Malcolm studied theater performance at PCPA, and stage design at San Francisco State University.

Sydney Schwindt

Complete Works
Fight Choreographer

Sydney Schwindt is pumped to return to LSF as a fight director and an actor this season! Acting Credits Include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo & Juliet, The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Davis Shakespeare Festival), Hamlet (SF Shakespeare Festival) She Persisted The Musical (BACT), Blithe Spirit,The Miss Firecracker Contest (Lucky Penny Productions) . Education: BFA Hartt School of Music, Dance, and Theatre, Society of American Fight Directors, SF Clown Conservatory. www.sydney-schwindt.com

Mark Vashro

Roderigo – O

Mark Vashro is excited for his debut performance at Livermore Shakespeare Festival. He is a graduate from Emerson College in Boston, MA. Recent Productions: Antonio in What You Will down at The Pear Theater, Constantine in The Seagull for Utopia Theatre Project and Herman in The Speakeasy at Boxcar Theater. He also performs with Shotz SF and Pint Sized at Pianofight.

Rachel Anderson

Production Apprentice
Wardrobe Mistress – O
Assistant Stage Manager – CW

Rachel is excited to be doing her first shows with LSF this summer! She has been involved with community theater since 2015 and is currently attending Las Positas Community College, pursuing an AA in Theatre Arts as well as her Certificate in Technical Theatre.

Keven Boult

Acting Apprentice
Officer/Gentleman – O
Understudy

Keven Boult is a 1st year English Major at University of the Pacific, hoping to learn from his experiences in theatre. He aspires to be a screenwriter known for character depth and descriptive details. He has participated in theatre in the past and finds it to be a constant enjoyment.

April Chai

Management – Marketing/Box Office Manager

April Chai is a Media X major starting her second year at University of the Pacific. She enjoys Shakespeare, having previously acted in high school productions like Much Ado About Nothing. Recently, she has had the opportunity to lead the marketing team for Media X’s spring production First Person Shooter and is thrilled to further develop her skills at LSF.

Lena Costello

Acting Apprentice
Saylor/Messenger/
Gentleman – O
Understudy

Lena Costello is excited to rejoin LSF after being a high school intern during the 2016 season. She is a rising senior at Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania, pursuing a B.M. in Music Performance (Vocal) and a B.A. in Theatre Performance. Recent roles include Agnes in She Kills Monsters, Berthe in Pippin, and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing.

Natalie DeBoer

Acting Apprentice
Bianca – O
Understudy

Natalie is honored to be a part of LSF’s season. She is a junior BFA Actor at SUNY Fredonia. Favorite credits include Glory in Almost, Maine (Fredonia Performing Arts Co.) and Mae in Castle on the Hill (Binghamton University Mainstage), as well as her directorial debut of Inherit the Wind. And nothing would be possible without her family’s endless support.

Casey Hartman

Acting/Managment Apprentice
Front of House – O
Understudy 

Casey first worked with the Livermore Shakespeare Festival as a high school intern in 2014 and is delighted to be back as a college apprentice. She is about to enter her senior year at Cornish College of the Arts, where she studies acting.

Evan Held

Acting Apprentice
Lodovico/Officer – O
Understudy

Evan is a recent graduate from PCPA and former actor with San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. Having just closed The Tempest up North in Healdsburg and Comedy of Errors on tour, he is delighted to be working with Livermore Shakes!

Daniela Santiuste-Loera

Acting/Management Apprentice
Herald – O
Front of House – CW
Understudy

Daniela is thrilled to start her first summer as an acting apprentice with Livermore. She is currently entering her junior year at Delta College where she is majoring in theatre. Her favorite credits include Rachel in Baltimore, Zubaida in The Laramie Project, and Julia in 1984. She hopes to transfer to a four year university in the fall of 2020.

Kevin Simoskevitz

Stage Management Apprentice – CW

Kevin Simoskevitz has fallen in love with the arts over the last few years: stage managing, directing, and performing in a number of shows. He has acted as stage manager for Evita, Under Construction, The Water Engine, and Side by Side by Sondheim at the Las Positas Theater.  He plans on continuing his education in Production Management in the coming years.

Lucia Gutierrez

HS Intern

Lucia is an incoming sophomore at Livermore High School. This is her first summer as in intern for LSF and she is very excited to be a part of the production!

Kendall Parry

HS Intern
Assistant Stage Mngr – O

Kendall is going into her Sophomore year at Granada High School. She is passionate about both theatre and Shakespeare, and is thrilled to spend her first summer with Livermore Shakes as a high school intern!

Aryan Raikar

Intern

Aryan has appeared as Jasper in 101 Dalmatians and Captain Hook in Peter Pan at the Firehouse Arts Center. A past LSF attendee, he is excited to be backstage this year. He begins high school in the Fall.

Luis Gonzalez

Film Team

Luis is currently interning/editor at LSF. Interested in movies and theater since high school, both as a student and teacher’s assistant in video production, he has continued film studies with Future’s Explored Inc. for the past five years. He has studied editing, screenwriting, directing and cinematography.