"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.
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 
Elizabeth Keith is excited to join the Midsummer cast in her first production with Shakespeare Opera Theatre. Past Shakespeare credits include A Comedy of Errors and Much Ado About Nothing. Most recently, she was part of an eight-week immersive theater experience at the Torpedo Factory by Through the Fourth Wall Productions based on the life and works of Edgar Allen Poe. Other area community theater credits include: Almost, Maine; The Glass Mendacity; The Great Gatsby; Children of Eden; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; Proof (WATCH Award for Outstanding Featured Actress); The 39 Steps; Widdershins; Picnic; An Inspector Calls (WATCH Award winner for Outstanding Featured Actress); The Dresser; Arsenic and Old Lace; Prelude to a Kiss; and Room Service. 
A proud graduate of the 2016 Honors Conservatory at the Theatre Lab, Cassandra Newman is thrilled to be working with Shakespeare Opera Theatre. Recent credits include Melanie in "Subtraction" and Mary Prendick in "The Island of Dr. Moreau" for the Theatre Lab, multiple roles in "Atheist's Paradise" for the Edge of the Universe Players and the lead in "Cecilie La Rue, Vampire Hunter," a web series pilot she wrote and produced. Her play "Truth and Reconciliation" is published with Lazy Bee scripts. 
Theodore Sapp is elated to be making is SOT debut as part of the cast of this 'lamentable comedy'! Fun Credits include The Magic Flute [Die Zauberflöte], La Boheme, Porgy and Bess, Carmen Jones, Anything Goes, Dreamgirls, Once on This Island, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Man of La Mancha. He has worked with companies such as The Arlington Players, The Momentum Collective, The Aria Club of Greater Washington, Little Theatre of Alexandria, DC Dogs, The Kennedy Center, Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre, and many others. Theodore sends love and thanks to the entire village. 
Gregory Stuart has sung/acted with SOT since its inaugural production. He has performed leading roles in operas locally and regionally. A soloist in world premieres of Paul Leavitt's Cantata Emmanuel, his Magnificat and in premieres of his Requiem in Washington, Paris, at Lincoln Center, NYC and on CD. As an actor he has tread the boards at Spooky Action Theatre, Studio Theatre, three Shakespeare Festivals, Pittsburgh Playhouse, Bay Theatre, Seacoast Repertory Theatre, performed in many musicals including a national tour of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and directed several operas and plays. He's the Manager of External Affairs for Vocal Arts DC. 
Clark Furlong, age 10, started his acting career in October, 2016 sharing the lead roles in The Letter Boxers, a tv pilot shot in New Orleans, with his sister Roane. This winter he played Red Riding Hood's dog Rover in Little Red Riding Hood: The Operetta at Riverside Theatre Center. Clark dances 12 hours a week, loves to sing and play violin with his siblings in their Celtic and Bluegrass band, 
Roane Furlong, age 8, loves to draw and play with her friends. She was in a tv pilot last fall with her brother, Clark. They shared the lead roles of Trevor and Trixie, a brother sister duo seeking Letter Box clues in New Orleans. Roane also plays violin with her siblings in their band, Sibling Rivalry. Find them on 
Local Credits: Arena Stage - A Midsummer Night's Dream, Studio Theatre - The Steward of Christendom, Woolly Mammoth Theatre - Half Off, Kennedy Center - Little Women, Metro Stage - Stars in the Morning Sky, American Century Theatre - The Children's Hour, Rep Stage - More Fun Than Bowling & Les Liasions Dangereuses, Ford's Theatre - A Christmas Carol, Adventure Theatre - A Little Princess, Round House Theatre - More Fun Than Bowling, Source Theatre - Dumb Supper & A Cry of Players. Film/ TV Credits: Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Homicide: Life on the Streets, That Night, Blue Mouse, Rebel Rebel. Directing credits: Circus Millennia, Arts on the Horizon, Kennedy Center & Arlington Children's Theatre. Jen is a graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, attended Ithaca College and has a degree in Theatre from UMW. Locally, she studied acting with Joy Zinnoman at Studio Theatre, physical theatre at Living Stage as well as mask work and LeCoq clowning with Dody DiSanto. She is grateful to her family and Dr. Lind for helping launch her out of retirement! 
Mezzo-Soprano/Actress Caroline Colvin is elated to be making her debut performance with Shakespeare Opera Theatre as Starveling in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Primarily a character actor, her recent roles include Hattie in Laundry and Bourbon, Ursula Merkle in Bye, Bye Birdie (National Award Nominee), and Ginette in Almost, Maine. Colvin studies voice with an operatic emphasis and has been seen in a multitude of choral and solo concerts in the Northern Virginia area. 
Ms. Straus, is a soprano and actress residing in Washington D.C. and a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University Music. Ms. Straus has participated in masterclasses with artists such as Arianna Zukerman, Ann Baltz and Jennifer Casey Cabot. She has performed a variety of roles including: Jou-Jou (Merry Widow), Papagena (Die Zauberflote) and Gianetta (The Gondoliers). As a featured soloist she has performed as the soprano soloist for works like Vivaldi's Gloria and Mozart's Exultate Jubilate. She is excited to make her DMV stage debut as Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream with Shakespeare Opera Theatre! 
Dr. Bloy has been with Shakespeare Opera Theatre as a pianist, vocal coach, and conductor since SOT’s 2016 production of Falstaff. In 2018, she became the Associate Artistic Director of the company. She is a vocal coach at George Mason University and has been on the faculties at Pennsylvania State University, Olivet College, and Blue Lake Fine Arts. Dr. Bloy has also served as music director at Atlantic Music Festival in Maine and Bethesda Music Festival in Maryland. In addition, she is an active recitalist in the Washington, D.C. area. Dr. Bloy holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory, Pennsylvania State University, and Michigan State University. She resides in Haymarket, Virginia with her husband and two children. 
Sadie Albert is a costumer in the DC area. She has worked at Signature, the Folger Theatre and Studio Theatre. She has also styled TV commercials with Assembly Films and designed costumes for film in LA. Sadie studied costume design and Spanish at James Madison University. 
Catherine Heller is a scenic designer & fine artist with a recently acquired BS degree in Studio Art from Skidmore College. Her previous credits include Fragments (Scenic Designer & Paint Charge), Who Will Carry the Word (Asst. Scenic Designer), and Macbeth (Asst. Scenic Designer & Paint Charge). As a skilled artist and photographer, Catherine runs a freelance business and has studied at the Studio Arts College International in Florence, Italy. Her experience includes picture book illustration, fashion photography for Jewel and Lotus, and photographic journalism for Ridgefield's HamletHub. Catherine's art has additionally been featured in a number of national and international exhibitions. Her most recent show at the Tang Museum in Saratoga Springs exhibited her series (Wo)man, a triptych exploring gender and the misrepresentation of the female body. A Midsummer Night's Dream is the first show Catherine has independently designed and painted outside of her work as a student with the Skidmore College Theater. Her experience with SOT has been both phenomenal and immensely rewarding. Catherine would like to thank the entire cast and crew, especially Dr. Lori Lind and Tom Trinch, whom without the set could not have possibly been built.