Michael Harris returns to SOT as a teaching artist after masterfully portraying Falstaff in Merry Wives of Windsor in the 2016 season. In the 2017 season he will take on the role of Nick Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
A versatile artist, Mr. Harris has served as the Artistic Director of the Baltimore Improv Group (BIG) since 2010. Mr. Harris has been an invited performer at Comedy and Improv Festivals throughout the country. In the DC area, he has performed with Studio, Signature, and Spooky Action Theaters. He is a company member of Lean & Hungry Theater, and is an alumnus and faculty member of the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Georgetown. He regularly produces comedy videos as part of the duo, The Siegfried Olsson Band. You can find the videos on Youtube at The Siegfried Olsson Band or follow on twitter @siegfriedolsson
This is Cynthia Ballentine’s first season with SOT, and she is pleased to be serving as an Associate Producer. A native of the DC area, she was born and raised in Fairfax, Virginia. A gifted soprano, she earned a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from James Madison University, and was awarded a full scholarship to Florida State University, where she earned a Master of Music in Voice. Ms. Ballentine has appeared with Santa Fe Opera, Opera Colorado, The Sarasota Opera, and a number of programs abroad. She made her home in the Philadelphia region for a number of years, but has recently returned to Northern Virginia, and is delighted to support the arts throughout the region as a performer and administrator.
Kelsey Sasportas is the costumer for The Merry Wives Of Windsor and Falstaff. After working as a performer at King’s Dominion in Richmond, VA, she found her way into their costume shop and never left. Her transition into theater includes shows such as Sister Act and Mame with Riverside Dinner Theatre in Fredericksburg, VA and most recently Rodger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella with the Wagon Wheel Theater in Warsaw, IN.
As a Shakespeare Opera Theatre Associate Artist, Mezzo Soprano Natalie Naudus continues to entice audiences with her “luscious” voice and “delightful” character portrayals (Metropolitan Arts Reviews/Shakespeareances.com) In the 2016 season, she portrayed Mistress Quickly in Falstaff with SOT. Other recent engagements include Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Mercédès in Carmen, Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd, Mere Marie in Dialogues des Carmélites, Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor, La Badessa in Suor Angelica and Announcer in Gallantry. Ms. Naudus made her European debut with Germany’s Mittelsächsisches Theater Freiberg as Jenny Hildebrand/Nursemaid in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene. While a Young Artist with Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, she created the character of Rudy in the world premier of the acclaimed comic opera series Night Caps.
This Brittany Martz’s 2nd show with Shakespeare Opera Theatre. Last year she had the opportunity to play Beatrice in Much Ado and this year she is excited to be directing! She is a resident director with Pocket Change Theatre Company and is always looking for new opportunities to tell quirky stories. Look for her next at The Capital Fringe Festival, where she will be playing Peyton in the new musical “Dark Times at Grimesville High.”
“Radiant in voice and striking in stage presence” (The Washington Post) Verdi soprano Lori Lind has won top prizes and career grants from The Annapolis Opera, Violetta DuPont, Albanese-Puccini, Liederkranz, Gerda Lissner, Schuyler-Bender and Tucker Foundations. She has been lauded as “riveting” (Fiordiligi in Cosi Fan Tutte – The Cleveland Plain Dealer), “astonishing” (Aida – The Houston Chronicle) and “dazzling…impress(ing) mightily…” (Violetta in La Traviata – Raleigh News Observer). More recently, her theatrical and musical arrangements, stage directing, and conducting have also been highly praised. Dr. Lind serves as Organist and Choirmaster at St. Thomas Epsicopal Church in McLean, Virginia, whose congregation graciously hosts Shakespeare Opera Theatre. She also maintains a private voice and music studio, judges competitions, and gives master classes throughout the region. She founded Shakespeare Opera Theatre in 2015 and has served as Managing Director ever since. A native Floridian, she now lives in Haymarket, Virginia with her dogs, Quimby and Romeo, where they love enjoying the four seasons of the Mid-Atlantic together.
Elena Dolores, Meg Page in Falstaff, Make-up Artist and Hair Supervisor, is a Dramatic Mezzo who last performed as Ursule in Beatrice & Benedict, Shakespeare Opera Theatre’s first production. A review of the opera in the Washington Post stated, “[Elena Dolores] held her own and anchored two good ensemble numbers.” She is very excited to be performing once again with the company in the role of Meg Page.