Company Member Testimonies: ARCHIVE

Lonnie Alcaraz ‘08, ‘09, ‘10, ‘11, ‘12, ‘13, ‘14, ‘15, ‘16, ‘17, ‘18, ‘19, ‘21, ‘22, ‘23
Lighting Designer, LD Supervisor, Community Engage Project Coordinator, Co-Associate Artistic Director
Connection: I was first told about GRSF while designing a show for Paul Barnes at the Utah Shakespeare Festival in the early 200’s  – he was in the process of putting together a proposal. I heard wonderful things about the festival from him in the next few years and then in 2008 he asked if I could come design, and I have lit almost every season of shows since then. GRSF has become an artistic home where I feel heard as an artist and not just in the lighting role I play. I was given the opportunity to produce the Community-Engaged Project (All the Town’s a Stage: A Winona Story) and have now joined the team as a Co-Associate Artistic Director.
Favorite Memory: This is a recent memory but it was coming back to see closing night of the CEP project and being able to experience the GRSF community and the Winona community come together so beautifully.
Upcoming Projects: I am returning to theatre at the San Juan Capistrano Mission in Southern California with the regional theatre South Coast Repertory to light the play La Havana Madrid – it is a beautiful place to create theatre. I will also be taking an old-time train ride to the Grand Canyon with my wife in August for our 14th anniversary.
Home: Home is Southern California and while I feel I have a few artistic homes, GRSF is at the top of that list not only for the art we create but for the many many GRSF and Winona residents that I am lucky enough to call dear friends.

Benjamin Boucvalt ‘13, ‘14, ‘15, ‘16, ‘17, ‘18, ‘19, ‘21, ‘22, ‘23
Acting Company, Video Team, Teaching Artist (SYA and SYF), Fight Choreographer
Highlighted Roles: Romeo/Romeo & Juliet, Orlando/As You Like It, Cassius/Julius Caesar, Buckingham/Richard III, Marlowe/Shakespeare in Love, Banquo/Macbeth, Ariel/The Tempest, Orsino/Twelfth Night
It is the place where I always get to create the kind of theatre that makes me come alive. Where we tackle difficult stories and seek to find the truth in them.
Kicking a bottle off of Doug's head without kicking him in the face and convincing a crowd of people to throw a pie in Tarah Flanagan's face.
On the writing front, I have completely a one-person show that I'll be mounting later this year. Be on the lookout!!
Home is many places. My heart lives in Louisiana, I seek adventure in NYC, and after 11 years of being in Winona... I'd say home is here, too

Ashley (Ash) Bowen ‘21, ‘22, ‘23
Acting Apprentice, Acting Company
Highlighted Roles: Anne/African Company Presents Richard III, Viola/Imbroglio, Rosalind/As You Like It
Connection: Before GRSF, I had never acted in a Shakespeare play. I remember reading Hamlet, The Tempest, and R&J in school, but I never got to perform in one of his plays. Performing in the 2021 apprentice production of Romeo and Juliet was my first experience acting Shakespeare. My first time being an understudy also happened that same summer here at GRSF. My first time going on as an understudy happened here as well in 2022. I have grown so much as an actor over the last few years because of this company. I started out as an acting apprentice and now it’s my second year being an acting company member. I have gained some of my bestest friends from working here and I have so many people I look up to in this company. 
Favorite Memory: One of my favorite memories from GRSF was being a part of The African Company Presents Richard III. Meeting the playwright, Carlyle Brown, and telling that story has been a highlight of my career. 
Currently working on: I am going into my third and last year of graduate school at UMKC, and I’m going into my second year of teaching. I am so grateful to everyone at GRSF and to the Winona community .

Leslie Brott ‘08, ‘13, ‘14, ‘15
Text Coach, Text/Vocal Coach, Acting Company
Highlighted Roles: Gertrude/Hamlet, Mistress Quickly/Merry Wives of Windsor, Amanda/Glass Menagerie
Connection: I have been very fortunate to work with the GRSF founder, Paul Barnes, at several different theatres. Paul invited me to work with GRSF first as a vocal and text coach, then later as an actor. The great joy was working with old friends and making new ones.
Favorite Memory: I have three: first, being fortunate enough to work with Paul and the swell cast of The Glass Menagerie: Stephanie Lambourn, Andrew Carlson, and John Maltese. All three of them supported, challenged and delighted me daily. Second, running around to a stage left entrance early for every performance of Much Ado, to watch Chris Mixon, as Dogberry, to do a physical bit with Andrew Carlson, as Don Pedro. The bit was text based, so it was perfectly hilarious. They nailed it every time. Third, watching French Open and Wimbledon matches in the early morning with Robert Montgomery, Ted Kitterman, and John Maltese, and trying - vainly - not to disturb my apartment-mate, Michael Fitzpatrick. We were ridiculous. Michael, as always, was gracious and lovely.
Recent Projects: I'm the head of acting at Utah State University. One of the best things that happened for the USU program as we emerged from the pandemic, was having Tarah Flanagan in as a guest director for Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley. The production was a gift to the university and the community. Tarah was a gift to all of us.
Home: My hometown is Paradise, CA. I work in Logan, UT.

Emma Bucknam ‘14, ‘17, ‘19, ‘21, ‘22, ‘23
Young Performer, Box Office Associate, House Manager, Box Office Manager
Highlighted Roles: Yorke/Richard III, Macduff Child/Macbeth, Schoolchild/Merry Wives of Windsor
Connection: My connection to GRSF began in 2010, when I saw my first ever Shakespeare show, The Comedy of Errors, when I was 8 years old. In 2014, my grandparents, who are active volunteers for the festival, encouraged me to audition for The Merry Wives of Windsor, as a young actor. That fateful audition with Paul Barnes at the history center has led me down a path I have been unable to turn my back on. I worked as a young actor in two later productions, was part of SYA for 7 wonderful years, created and directed a youth Shakespeare company, and now have had an opportunity to experience an entirely different side of things working several Front of House jobs and assisting with the summer education programs. For me, GRSF is intrinsically linked to my love of theatre. It was here that I found my passion for Shakespeare and language.
Favorite memory: It’s hard to pick just one, but I’d have to say it’s all the connections that I’ve made with fellow students while here. Shakespeare for Young Actors brought me out of my shell and into the world, and without the lovely instructors and wonderful classmates, I don’t know that I’d be pursuing acting as I am. I’ll always remember lunches by the Alphabet Fountain while doing extra textwork, or playing Bards Dispense Profanity.
Working On Now: I’m heading into my senior year at Nebraska Wesleyan, and will graduate May 2024 with my Acting BFA. Some recent projects I’ve worked on there include Twelfth Night (Olivia), Measure for Measure (Mariana), and Bondagers (Tottie). 
Home: When not at school, I am right here in my hometown of Winona, MN. 

Alexander Carey ‘19, ‘22, ‘23
Assistant Stage Manager (Intern), Stage Manager
Connection: My connection started when I was working as the PSM for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Auditions for KCACTF Region 3 in undergrad. Doug was one of the people who watched and responded to hundreds of students' auditions for the preliminary round. After we wrapped up the two days of preliminary auditions he asked if we could get lunch and talk about the stage management internship program within GRSF. Through my intern year I was blessed with great mentors and leaders in the room helping me navigate my own stage management style and what I needed to improve upon. I came out of the program with a great sense of the theatre industry, a new found community of friends, and skills I still use to this day.
Favorite Memory: My favorite memory from GRSF was from my first year working as the ASM on No Child. Melissa, Tarah, Madison, and I (with the occasional guest star appearance from Michael Fitzpatrick) would Yoga Breathe before opening the house for each performance followed up by group hugs. Within the Winona community, going to Garvin Heights Lookout to stargaze is one of the core memories that stick to me to this day.
Current project: The next few projects I will be working on will be at Nevada Conservatory Theatre. I will be the PSM for Happy Days and Cinderella Under the Mistletoe.
Home: I am currently based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. But I call Roscoe, IL home.

Emily Fury Daly ‘05, ‘07, ‘08, ‘09, ‘10, ‘13, ‘23
Young Performer, Acting Journeyman, Acting Apprentice, Acting Company
Highlighted Roles: Yorke/Richard III, Macduff Child/ Macbeth, Hermione/Winter’s Tale, Touchstone/As You Like It
Connection: My connection with Winona started because my dad, Jon Daly, was one of the first members of the acting company. My mom, Gale Daly, has also worked at GRSF as their text coach. Starting from the time I was 10 years old until I went away to college, I spent every summer here, so it’s safe to say my connection with Winona is a very deep one. I really grew up here! That very first summer of GRSF, I spent most of my free time in the back of the theatre, watching hours and hours of tech rehearsal for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Winter’s Tale”.  I probably should have been running around outside like a normal kid, but I much preferred sitting in the dark and watching. Clearly, I got hooked on Shakespeare and theatre pretty young, and GRSF was definitely the reason! I got to participate in the beginnings of Shakespeare For Young Actors which solidified my love of doing Shakespeare and gave me the necessary confidence and creative validation that I so needed as a teen. Because of that early training, and those many hours spent in the back of the theatre watching some of the best actors in the country work, I went on to college and grad school for acting. I was an apprentice in 2013, and now, I’m an actor in the company. It’s been really full circle for me to return to a town that holds so many special memories. Winona has always had a piece of my heart, and I’m so grateful to be back in the community that truly helped raise me.
Favorite memory: I have so many favorite memories of my time here in Winona, they could probably fill a book! However, the time I spent as a child actor in GRSF productions was truly amazing. I mean, I really had the time of my life. A memory that comes back often for me, especially since now I’m working with her again, was when I played Tarah Flannigan’s lady-in-waiting in GRSF’s “Merchant of Venice” when I was eleven or twelve. Every night I got to stand upstage and watch her perform. I think I learned more about acting doing that than I ever did in drama school, ha! It was really a masterclass. I’m sure she’ll be super embarrassed I wrote that, but it’s true, Tarah! Deal with it! Now, she’s my director, and I not only get to watch her from afar but actually act WITH her which is a dream come true.
Upcoming Projects: Next up, I’m going to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August with my one-woman-show, “Furious.” It’s very exciting!!
Home: I’m originally from Milwaukee, so part of my home will always be in the midwest. But these days, my home is also New York City

Jon Gillard Daly ‘04, ‘05, ‘06, ‘07, ‘08, ‘09, ‘10, ‘11, ‘12, ‘13, ‘14, ‘18
Acting Company
Highlighted Roles: Bottom/Midsummer, Richard/Richard III, Shylock/Merchant of Venice, Malvolio/Twelfth Night, Lear/King Lear, Falstaff/Merry Wives of Windsor
Connection: I am one of the founding members of the GRSF acting company. We arrived in Winona in 2004, charged with creating a Shakespeare company from the ground up. In forty years as an actor, I had never before and have never since gotten the opportunity to be part of a theatre company from its inception. The people of Winona welcomed us so enthusiastically, and accepted us so unconditionally, that they enabled me and my colleagues to have experiences that were a highlight of our careers. I personally got the chance to play some of the greatest roles I’ve ever played anywhere: Bottom, Richard III, Shylock, Malvolio, Falstaff, Prospero, Lear, and so many others. I count my time at GRSF as among the happiest, most challenging, and satisfying times of my artistic life. My colleagues here at GRSF are some of the closest friends I’ve ever made in the theatre. 
Additional Comment: And now, in this 20th anniversary season, I have been given the sublime gift of seeing my daughter on the very stage where I worked, and in a production of the very same play which opened the Festival, THE WINTERS TALE. I’m  thrilled and deeply moved by the extraordinary impact of the Great River Shakespeare Festival on my career, and my life. To reflect on what GRSF means to me is overwhelming and intensely gratifying. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU.

Dionne (Laviolette) Dabelow ‘07, ‘08, ‘10, ‘11
Acting Apprentice, PR/Marketing Intern, Director of Press and PR
Connection: As an Ole grad, Doug visited St. Olaf and held auditions for the acting apprentice group. I was studying to become a stage director but knew that an environment like GRSF would allow me to get hands-on experience with all departments. I also love Elizabethan literature so joining a Shakespeare Festival sounded like an absolute dream. I grew up in Brooklyn Park and was not familiar with Winona - or really any rural towns outside the 694/494 loop (other than Northfield). Winona felt so familiar and welcoming. I acclimated quite quickly. I was later invited back as Director of Press and Public Relations. For about 4 or 5 years I packed up my tiny Honda Civic with all my worldly possessions and drove down to my second home in Winona to continue my work as Director of Press and Public Relations. I am supremely proud of the work I achieved during those years. I believe I tripled the press coverage, strengthened relationships with local media, and appeared on Wisconsin Public Radio (among others). My greatest achievement would have to be learning how to write a press release in 15 minutes with no warning and regarding a subject I knew nothing about. That skill has helped me immensely in my career. Earning my MBA was a breeze after that gauntlet. Oh you need a paper about the ethical ramifications of capitalism on a global economy? Cool - I'll get it to you in an hour.
Favorite Memory: At the 2007 Chocolate, Shakespeare, and Champagne event, a few of the apprentices went in on bidding for several sheet cakes and won. They had to bring luggage trolleys into their apartment to hold all of them and lowered the A/C as far as it would go to ensure they would keep. We survived off of that cake for weeks.
While my love for Harry Potter has since greatly waned (trans people are people), the midnight release party for the 7th book is an experience I will never forget. It was legitimately magical. On wednesday mornings I would help Paul Barnes prepare the hamburger patties for the shop grill out. I am particularly sensitive to onions so at some point it was unsafe for me to chop the onions while tears STREAMED down my face. I purchased a set of large swimming goggles to cover my glasses and nose which solved the problem but then created another one when Paul saw them and could not stop laughing. I still have those goggles. A group of us apprentices went canoeing down the root river. Evan brought a harmonica and serenaded us all down the lazy river with the sun shining through the leaves. It might be the most relaxed I've ever been. Dan busting his cheek open during a dress rehearsal of Julius Caesar. We were supposed to surround him and attack him as an angry mob and as he turned around showing us all his new wound, our looks of HORROR transferred to him. Truthfully, this isn't a GREAT memory but I still viscerally feel that moment.
Lastly, pretty much any memory involving Tarah Flannagan, Chris Gerson, Anna Sundberg, and Bryan Hunt.
Current projects: I am currently taking a break from theater while I raise the most adorable 6 year old you've ever met. His name is Orion and you better believe I'm bringing him to the Festival! Perhaps in another 20 years he'll be up on that stage because he is for sure a performer. In the meantime, I work as an outsourced CFO for schools across the country. It is a departure from my previous work but I also don't think it would surprise anyone - I always loved learning new things and diving in head first.
Home: My little family in Minneapolis. Especially while spending a lazy Sunday playing games, reading, or gasping at whatever mess / injury / art the neighborhood kids created.
Additional: Sending my love to everyone! CONGRATULATIONS on 20 years. It makes me feel so damn old but also so incredibly proud to have helped the Festival's growth in the early years. It has become something greater than I could have ever imagined!

Kate Fonville ‘09, ‘10, ‘11, ‘12
Actor, Education Coordinator
Connection: I was lucky enough to meet Paul Barnes while in graduate school, and when he needed/wanted someone with auburn hair for a role in Loves Labours Lost…. well, my hair and I were in the right place! From the first day, I knew I was in a special place. I was challenged artistically ( and physically: ie, hanging upside down on set in The Tempest in a unitard) each season that I was involved in, and met friends that I treasure to this day. I have never laughed so hard in all my life, or been so inspired by a town. Eventually my now husband (boyfriend in my first season, fiancée in my second, husband by the third) joined me in Winona…. and we cannot wait to bring our two kids back someday to see the magical place we talk of to this day. 
Favorite Memory: It’s nearly impossible to pick one favorite memory— but helping to write and produce some of our promotional videos, including The Real Housewives of Shakespeare is probably top of my list. 
Home: My family ( husband Ryan, kids Gabriel 8 and Georgia 2) currently lives in Sarasota Florida:) 

Jenni (McCarthy) Harbour ‘13, ‘14
Acting Apprentice, Acting Intern
Highlighted Roles: Anne Page/Merry Wives of Windsor, Player/Hamlet
Connection: I was in the 2013 Apprentice class, and came back in the 2014 season as an Acting Intern. The apprentice experience solidified my dedication to Shakespeare performance and the transformative power of theatre education. 
Favorite Memory: Shakespeare classes with Leslie Brott. An incredible wealth of knowledge was given, and I’m forever in her debt. 
I also always loved Steamboat Days, trips to Mugby Junction, grabbing food at Zaza’s, and kayaking on Lake Winona with friends. 
Currently working on: I am currently the Associate Education Director at Creede Repertory Theatre in Creede, CO. This year, my main artistic pursuits are directing Creede Rep’s KID Show (production for students ages 10-18), Intimacy  choreographer for Cinderella, and managing our Young Audience Outreach Tour; a bilingual musical that sees 30,000 students across the Southwest annually. I am also in the 2023 Educator Advocate Program through Theatrical Intimacy Education. 
Home: Creede and Creede Repertory Theatre has become my artistic home. I feel challenged, appreciated and artistically fulfilled here.

Bryan Hunt ‘07, ‘09, ‘10, ‘17, ‘18, ‘19, ‘21
Acting Apprentice, Directing Intern, Education Coordinator, Director, Apprentice Program Co-Director, Text Coach, Producer, Actor
Connection: I got to Winona by accident. My college acting professor (Leslie Brott) knew her friend Paul had a couple of guys drop out of the apprentice company about 2 weeks before the start of season 4. She cornered me and my friend Evan Farrior and said (without asking, as only Leslie Brott could do) “you guys will be spending your summer in Winona”. I didn’t know what I was signing up for, but ended up as part of the apprentice company that year. That summer changed my life - I learned what a professional company was, how it operated, that there was more to a rehearsal room than “just wing it”, and that, though difficult, you can make a career in the theater. I can trace every professional job I’ve had back to that summer in Winona. Our apprentice company’s show was Julius Caesar - we all still text Phil who played Caesar every Ides of March telling him to “watch his back”. Coming back to run the apprentice company for 5 years was so important to me and one of the great honors of my life. I know first hand what that program did for me, and so many others. It was always the highlight of my year, getting to work with so many new, talented young actors and early career professionals. 
Favorite Memory: Two stories - 1. I understudied many parts in As You Like It my apprentice year. Tarah was playing Celia and is still one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. I learned what a well defined character was. To this day, I still think As You Like It is actually about Celia because of that performance. 2. This is a silly story, but maybe the one I tell the most. My apprentice summer, we were at Chocolate Shakespeare and Champagne. A live auction was part of the evening, and the last item up for bid (before we all had to tear the tent down in the rain), was all of the left over sheet cake that wasn’t going to be eaten that night. We’re talking at least 8-10 MASSIVE sheet cakes. A couple of us had bid on the cake, mostly as a joke, but were quickly outbid. The next thing I know, I get a tap on my shoulder and voice in my ear saying “win the cake”. It was Paul Barnes with a wad of cash. We way over bid, and won the cake. After realizing we had no way to store the cake, we decided the best option was to put it all on one of the moving carts at East Lake, drag it into our apartment, hack the thermostat and turned the temperature down to a “balmy” 58 degrees. We lived in cold for the next 2 weeks, on a diet of mostly cake. 
Life Update: I’m now a full time producer with the New York based producing company Octopus Theatricals. We produce Hadestown (soon to open on the West End), along with lots of other touring shows - Denis O’Hare and Lisa Peterson’s An Iliad (staring Denis O’Hare), Bill Irwin’s On Beckett (Coming to the Guthrie in February 2024!) and many more. My wife Victoria Teague (former GRSF text coach) is now a full time educator at The Tenement Museum in NYC, after getting her masters in Museum Studies during the pandemic. 
Home: Victoria and I are currently on our 10th year calling Brooklyn, NY our home. 
Additional: HAPPY 20TH ANNIVERSARY GRSF!

Willa Krase ‘21, ‘23
Box Office Associate
Connection: I became involved in GRSF five years ago through the young actors program. I had just recently been introduced to the magic of Shakespeare’s language, and I was eager to discover more. The SYA program allowed me to expand my knowledge of and love for his work. I know I will always be an avid Shakespeare lover, no matter where life takes me. Through studying Shakespeare’s plays, I have been able to understand more about myself and the world around me. And through working with the festival, I have met so many wonderful people with so many unique experiences. 
Home/future projects: I’m a Winona local, and I’m currently studying Geography and Spanish at the University of Minnesota, with hopes of pursuing sustainable development. 

Stephanie Lambourn ‘09, ‘10, ‘11, ‘12, ‘13, ‘15, ‘16, ‘17
Acting Apprentice, Acting Intern, Actor
Highlighted Roles: Hermia/Midsummer, Cordelia/Lear, Olivia/Twelfth Night, Laura/The Glass Menagerie, Queen Elizabeth/R3
Connection: I first came to Winona and to GRSF as an acting apprentice. I understudied Tarah Flanagan in The Tempest and played the role of Ophelia in the apprentice production of Hamlet. It was my first time working in the USA and Winona and GRSF became my artistic home for eight wonderful seasons. 
Favorite Memory: My final fitting for The Comedy of Errors. Meg Weedon’s costume design was incredible and I loved that costume so much! 
Upcoming Projects: I’m returning to Melbourne, Australia towards the end of the year to play Mrs Cratchit in the Old Vic production of A Christmas Carol. It will be the third year that I’ve been involved in this particular production and I just love the Old Vic team and this version. 
Home: Minturn, Colorado. My husband and I finished building our home right before Covid. Building a house was one of the hardest and most rewarding experiences. 

John Maltese ‘13, ‘14, ‘15, ‘16
Actor
Highlighted Roles: Laertes/Hamlet, Fenton/Merry Wives, Tom/Glass Menagerie, Brutus/Caesar, more
Connection: I played Romeo to Gerrad Taylor’s Mercutio (the definitive Mercutio in my book) in Paul Barnes’ production of R&J at UNLV our final year of grad school and that production and relationship with Paul brought us both to GRSF. Paul is the most impactful and committed mentor I’ve ever had. He’s has a huge influence on my life beyond my acting career. 
Favorite Memories: I spent several weeks over a couple summers hosted by Keith and Virginia Laken which was always a heart warming experience. Their hospitality and way of life made a big impression on me. They taught me how to make a great espresso, compost our food waste, take care of a beehive, and openly share my thoughts, feelings, and experiences (which was real hard for me in my 20s). I truly learned new ways to think and communicate from them. I really miss floating down the Root River every summer in an inner tube on sunny day with friends from the company. Minnesota is such a beautiful place - never made it “up north” though!
Current project: I changed careers to software engineering during the pandemic and I run a product called Coursetune now - a tool that helps universities design their curriculum. It’s currently in use by several Minnesota State colleges and many others around the country. I still get to be creative and work adjacent to education but my life is more stable now and working remotely gives me the opportunity to travel. 
Home: I’m still based out of New York City (ten years this year), but I fell in love with New Orleans after the pandemic. I try to spend my winters there now, if I can. The prevalence and accessibility of the music and art is really inspiring. The food is delicious. And there is always something weird and wonderful happening. It inspired me to pick up guitar and I’m about a year into lessons now. That place also helped produce the likes of Benjamin Boucvalt so we all owe the Crescent City our gratitude. 
Additional: I met a lot of amazing people in Winona and at GRSF…many friends and mentors. I still try to pester Michael Fitzpatrick with the occasion joke or story via text. What’s not to like about that guy? Favorite onstage memory was playing Tom to Leslie Brott’s Amanda in Paul’s Glass Menagerie. Leslie is amazing in everything, a theatre legend, and sharing the stage with her was probably the closest I’ll ever get to Broadway or “making it” and that’s more than enough for me!

Melissa Maxwell ‘17, ‘18, ‘19, ‘21, ‘22, ‘23
Co-Associate Artistic Director, Director, Playwright, Acting Company
Highlighted Roles: Queen Margaret/Richard III, Queen Elizabeth I, Nurse/Shakespeare in Love, Ms.Sun/No Child…, Prospero/The Tempest
Connection: TARAH FLANAGAN is completely and utterly responsible for my introduction to GRSF and Winona, and I am eternally grateful to her for it!
I’d not been onstage in over to 10 years and I hadn’t done Shakespeare in close to 20. However, when Tarah heard that I was interested in acting again, she was adamant that I meet with Doug. After a 40 minute phone conversation, and without an audition, I found myself on my way here to play Queen Margaret in Richard III.
Winona reminds me a lot of the town I grew up in, Seekonk, MA. I love that I can get on that pretty blue bike the Johnsons let me borrow each year and ride around town, much like I did as a child. Riding that bike puts my directly in touch with my six-year old self. And the irony is not lost on me that in losing my partner of 31 years, I gained an artistic home in Great River, and family in the patrons of Winona, which makes this my happy place.
Favorite Memory: To reduce it all down to one memory is impossible, as it is the totality of one's time here that is what makes being at the festival in Winona so special. It is being picked up at the airport by a stranger and getting to know them along the ride, it’s tech meals and Company Conversations, it’s sharing fried cheese curds at Steamboat Days and someone giving you herbs from their garden, its ceremonies on the bluff and having people stop you in the grocery store to say how glad they are to have the festival back, it is being invited over to someone’s house for tea or lunch or dinner, it’s watching Emma Bucknam go from playing a prince in one of our shows to watching her masterfully direct and produce the best production fo Shakespeare I’ve seen to date. From hand-clapping day to closing ceremonies and everything in between, it is the warm smile and strong sense of community that comes with every interaction that makes this place so special.
However, I would be remiss if I did not also mention getting to have my play's world premiere done here. From those who believe in me enough to put money behind the show (anonymously or otherwise); to Doug and Aaron trusting me to direct my own work; to the phenomenal actors helping me to make discoveries in rehearsal; to the designers, stage management team and crew lending their incredible talent; to the patrons expressing excitement around wanting to see it; to the number of people who are flying in from around the country to see it, I am truly humbled by all the support. In a word, it has been exhilarating.
Home: NYC.

Duncan McIntyre ‘16, ‘17, ‘23
Acting Apprentice, Acting Intern, Acting Company
Highlighted Roles: Hastings/Richard III, Amiens/As You Like It, Florizel/Winter’s Tale
#1 I earned my MFA at University of Missouri-Kansas City, and one of our faculty (the great Carla Noack) was a company member here for several season. When we were in school, Paul Barnes came and auditioned us for the season. I was considered to join the company as an actor and pianist for the musical Georama. They ended up casting the INCREDIBLE Ana Marcu in that role and asked me to consider being her understudy and work in the apprentice company. I ended up having nothing else to do that summer, so I came and did the apprentice program, understudied both Georama and As You Like it, and have been fortunate to be asked back a few times. GRSF has been a great place for me. So many friends, connections and great artists come through Winona and GRSF and it’s great to be in the room with all of them.
#2. My favorite memory is back in the days of the “Will Run” I won my age group. I am an amateur runner and never have been competitive but I won my age group in that race….mainly because Benjamin Boucvalt was in the age group ahead of me…no one can compete with his long-legged stride!
#3.  I’m really proud of the music in As You Like It. I don’t compose all that often and the responses to the songs have taken me by surprise and I am really happy with how it’s turned out.
#4. I am Chicago-based…for now. It always is changing but I love Chicago and it’s home for now.  BUT…my family has a lake place in Northern Indiana (like we’re on the 6th generation at this place) and that will always be where my home is!

Joseph (Joe) Millett ‘14, ‘15, ‘16, ‘17, ‘18, ‘19, ‘23
Production Manager
Connection: “I was connected to GRSF through Paul Barnes, with whom I had worked a few years before my arrival in Winona. I had applied for the Production Manager gig using Paul as a reference, he gave me a glowing review, and I was hired. I don't know about personal or artistic growth; I didn't learn any new skills, if that's what you mean.”
Favorite Memory: “My favorite memories of Winona are connected to people, both the locals and some festival members, past and present.”
Current project: “There are no really interesting things in my life right now, except for my family, of course. I have tried retiring from theatre, but that hasn't exactly worked out this summer…”
Home: “Home is Arkansas, but I'm not really proud of that…”

Eileen Moeller ‘07, ‘17, ‘18, ‘19, ‘21
Buyer/Props Intern, Marketing & Audience Services Director
Connection: I attended WSU from 2005 - 2010 and in that time, interned for GRSF as a Buyer/Props Intern. After moving away from Winona in 2010, I returned in 2016 and was hired at GRSF as the Marketing & Audience Services Director. I continued in that role until 2021. I still live in Winona and now serve as the Managing Director for the Frozen River Film Festival.
Favorite Memory: I was very proud of being responsible for the first-ever completely sold out performance of the mainstage theater in the festival's history. (That happened in 2018 I think, but I'm not 100% sure).
Current project: I'm very proud of my work at the Frozen River Film Festival, which is also a Winona arts festival. We launched our first summer camps this summer for young filmmakers!
Home: Winona, where my family, dog, friends and garden make me feel at home.

Megan Morey ‘12, ‘13, ‘14, ‘15, ‘16, ‘17, ‘18, ‘19
Master Carpenter, Technical Director
Connection: My favorite thing about GRSF was having the pleasure of working with and learning from Eric Stone and Paul Barnes.  These two created an inspiring environment in which to work, where we collaborated to solve interesting challenges, trusted one another to contribute our best, and enjoyed every step of the process leading up to ambitious achievements.  I am a better theatre artist today because of them.  

Jeanne Oost ‘04, ‘06, ‘07, ‘08, ‘09, ‘10, ‘11, ‘12
Costume Shop Supervisor
Connection: I was there the first 10 seasons, and of course have many tales to tell as GRSF literally grew before my eyes! I'm thrilled that it is going strong and has been a Winona Cornerstone for 20 years!
I was fortunate enough to be part of the inaugural season. I was the new one to the group and had no prior connections, so I thought until we began talking and figured out there were several mutual colleagues.  I spent the first 10 seasons at The Great River Shakespeare Festival, making Winona my summer my home.  The first few years were exciting, hopeful, and A LOT of hard work, everyone wore so many different hats as we integrated into the community, the Winona State spaces to establish GRSF as a serious new theatre company. We had the most talented, skilled, enthusiastic local Winona volunteers in the Costume Shop, that I’ve ever worked with, the skills that they brought to the early years was invaluable. They were artists, teachers, and quilters, wanting to check us out and share their stories and learn ours.
There’s a handful of GRSF company members and Winonans that I am still in touch with regularly, and have even holidayed with. GRSF brought us together, and I am forever grateful.
As a teacher, it was invaluable to work with students, some of them my own, to watch them grow and apply what they had learned in the classroom into a real world theatrical setting. Some of the interns have been overhired to fill season production positions, on Illinois Wesleyan University productions, where I spent numerous years of my career.
Favorite Memories: There were countless coffee runs to Mugby Junction. I may still even have points or credit there?!  So many memories...Rosemary hand marbling silk for the fairies in Midsummer, in the men's Winona State dressing room while listening to Harry Potter Audio books, while Meg, Terena, and I cut, sewed, and crafted our way in the costume shop with 4 student interns. Just relaxing and having coffee with Rosemary and Meg + (Kitty) in their East Lake Apartments, planning the week!  One of my favorite memories was securing a space for a short stint, working at the Epic Winona Knit Mills Building,  home to the makers of the Big Lebowski sweater.  There was so much space, everyone could be all in the same room!  2011 was some of our largest costume staff. We had three costume designers, two assistant costume designers, a crafts artisan, draper, two first hands, two stitchers, wardrobe supervisor, hair and make up supervisor, 4 costume interns, and of course the beloved volunteers, including full hair salon support!  There was natural light, aka tons of windows, room for storage, AND we didn’t have to worry about blowing a fuse, with the irons and all the equipment! It was truely a magical time and space.
Currently Located: I currently reside in Neenah Wisconsin and work as a costume shop supervisor at the University of Oshkosh. Dave and I adopted two amazing children in 2015, who are currently in fifth and seventh grade.

Jennifer (Jenn) Oswald ‘13, ‘14, ‘16, ‘17, ‘18, ‘19, ‘21, ‘22
Costume Intern, Costume Design Asst, Stitcher, SYD Teaching Artist, Director of Summer Education Programs
Connection: I was first connected with GRSF by Jeanne Oost (former costume shop supervisor) and I started with the festival as a costume intern back in 2013. I spent several more years working in the costume shop as a design assistant and later as a stitcher while also leading the Shakespeare for Young Designers program. In 2018, I took over as the Director of Education and was in that role through the 2022 season. I loved getting to grow within and alongside GRSF – meeting so many people here over the years who have continued to be deeply important to me even as we are now spread throughout the country.
Favorite Memory: My favorite part of every season has been the Summer Youth Education Showcase – seeing the students from Shakespeare for Young Designers, Young Actors, and Young Filmmakers share their work. Working with SYD in a very limited capacity alongside Lauren Smith and Megan Morey my intern year was genuinely what inspired a deeper interest in education for me. I have them (and SYD!) to thank for teaching me about, among other things, how magical a classroom can be with passionate and empathetic teachers at the helm. It has been so remarkable to watch young people interact with and learn from theatre, especially those who stuck with the programs for many years. 
Outside of the festival, there are too many notable memories to even begin to count over the nine years that I spent making a summer home in Winona. I am profoundly grateful for this town and the people in it who made such an impact on me even as an intern – I never could have imagined all of the laughs, challenges, and adventures to come way back then. 
Updates: In 2021, I returned to school to get my Masters degree in Secondary Education with DePaul University. I have been in the classroom full time for the last couple of years and now teach Middle School Humanities in Chicago.

Christopher (Chris) Sheard ‘10, ‘11
Acting Apprentice, Acting Intern
Highlighted Roles: Francis Flute/Midsummer, Prince Hal/Henry IV, Titus Andronicus/Titus Andronicus (apprentice show)
Connection: I was first connected to GRSF through the incredible Paul Barnes. I was fortunate enough to work with his wonderful husband Jim Edmonson on Titus Andronicus, a role that he had played when he was “way too young” as well. I learned valuable lesson after valuable lesson from them both. I was moved to have been welcomed into the Winona family from the apprentice sponsors, the board and supporters of the festival. There were many wonderful meals provided and some of the best memories I have as a young actor new to regional theatre. 
Favorite Memory: I hold some of my fondest memories from my time at GRSF (as an apprentice and company member). One of my favorite memories is working with the other ‘Mechanicals’ on Midsummer (David Coral, Chris Gerson, Brian White, Michael Fitzpatrick, Chris Mixon). Hours and hours were spent ringing choir bells, with a number or wrong notes throughout, and trying to figure out that prologue.
Home/Currently Working On: Currently, I am living in Chicago. I’ve recently taken a pause from acting to complete my masters in social work and to work full time at a therapy practice until I have licensure.
Additional: As a side note: of all the towns I’ve performed in, my parents still talk about Winona. They recall with great joy, the community, the nature, the beauty, the small businesses and of course, GRSF!

Greg Ivan Smith ‘10, ‘11, ‘12, ‘13, ‘14, ‘15, ‘16, ‘17, ‘19, ‘21, ‘22
SYA/SYF Teaching Artist, Co-director/Co-Lead Instructor (SYA/SYF)
Connection: As “Michael Fitzpatrick’s husband,” which I usually go by whenever I’m in MN, I started visiting GRSF during the early seasons. I started teaching with SYA with Andrew Carlson, the. around 2010 (?), my position with SYA, then SYF, evolved into Co-director/Co-Lead Instructor with Tarah Flanagan and Benjamin Boucvalt.
Favorite Memory: One of my favorite memories is the party that GRSF threw for us to celebrate Michael’s and my recent marriage (2013). It was at the home of our dear friends Kathy and Dave Christenson, and my mother Jessica happened to be in town for it. Michael and I were so touched by the outpouring of love. My mother said, “This really is your second home.”
Current project: I am currently in post-production for the feature-length horror film that Michael and I made alone during the pandemic, “REMISSION.”
Home: Anywhere with Michael is home, and we live in Altadena, CA, which is part of Los Angeles County.

Daniel Stewart ‘18, ‘19, ‘23
Acting Apprentice, Acting Company
Highlighted Roles: Silvio/Servant of Two Masters, Lennox/Macbeth
Connection: This is my Third Season; my first was as an apprentice and I got that opportunity when GRSF came to my school for some auditions. I’m very grateful that they’ve given me another opportunity to learn and grow with the company. I’ve made several friends through my time here and I enjoy every time I get to work with them too.
Favorite Memory: During our time doing Servant of Two Masters in 2019, I enjoyed going all over and performing in offsite locations. Truly a magical way to experience theatre and Minnesota.
Current Project/home: I’m currently based in Texas as a Game master at an escape room and I’ve joined the Murder Mystery Theatre Troupe in Dallas.

Madison Tarchala ‘18, ‘19, ‘21, ‘22, ‘23
Stage Management Intern, Stage Manager, Production Stage Manager
Connection: Winona has been the place where I have been able to grow in both my personal and work life. I started at GRSF in 2018 as a Stage Management Intern and am now the Production Stage Manager. Some of my closest friends I met at GRSF and it is even where I met my partner! I love coming back every summer and seeing how the town has grown and changed as well.
Home: Currently, home is New York City!

Brian White ‘09, ‘10, ‘11, ‘12, ‘13, ‘14, ‘15
Acting Apprentice, Acting Intern, Acting Company
Highlighted roles: Brian/Complete Works Abridged, Claudio/Much Ado, Benvolio/R&J, Horatio/Hamlet
Connection: “Paul Mason Barnes directed me in Saint Joan where I was introduced to GRSF. That summer, I joined the apprentice company and worked with GRSF for the next seven years. On top of the plays, I directed the Callithump, taught Shakespeare in the Schools, and worked with SYA. It's a cliche but the friends I've made at Great River have been some of the most important in my life, not only professionally but friends I now consider family. Blech, that's too sweet, it makes my tooth hurt but it's true. Last year, I worked with a whole team of GRSFers, including Michael Fitzpatrick, on my play “Future Tripping.”
Favorite memory: “Escapes to one of the pizza farms after an incredibly long week of shows. It wasn't just the company but also family of the company. The stillness, the sunsets, the company, and the landscape were just stunning. We'd all be so wiped but so happy. There was a quiet joy there. I miss the pizza farms.”
Current project/home: “Working with Scout Comics on a graphic novel which will be adapted into a TV show (after the strike). Producing a new play about my time at NASA/JPL while living in New York and Los Angeles. I'm a stakeholder with the Backroom Shakespeare Project.”