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HUDSON VALLEY SHAKESPEARE ANNOUNCES
CASTING FOR
THE SAMUEL H. SCRIPPS THEATER CENTER
GRAND OPENING 2026 SEASON
FEATURING
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S
AS YOU LIKE IT
DIRECTED BY MIRIAM LAUBE
WITH ORIGINAL MUSIC BY AMANDA DEHNERT
JUNE 10 – SEPTEMBER 18
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S
KING LEAR
DIRECTED BY DAVIS MCCALLUM
FEATURING KURT RHOADS AS KING LEAR
JUNE 12 – SEPTEMBER 17
AND
BY ARRANGEMENT WITH CAMERON MACKINTOSH
A NEW PRODUCTION OF
BOUBLIL AND SCHӦNBERG’S
LES MISÉRABLES
PRESENTED BY ARRANGEMENT WITH MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL (MTI) AND CAMERON MACKINTOSH LTD
DIRECTED BY JENN THOMPSON
MUSIC SUPERVISION BY AMANDA MORTON
AUGUST 12 – SEPTEMBER 27
(March 18, 2026 – New York) Hudson Valley Shakespeare (HVS) (Davis McCallum, Artistic Director; Kendra Ekelund, Managing Director) announced today casting for its 2026 Season, which will be the first season in its new, permanent theater space, the Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center.
William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, directed by Miriam Laube (OSF’s Much Ado About Nothing) and featuring original music by Amanda Dehnert (HVS’s Love’s Labor’s Lost) will begin performances on Wednesday June 10, with opening night set for Sunday June 20 for a run through Friday September 18.
The cast for As You Like It will include Eric Berryman* as Oliver, Helen Cespedes* as Rosalind, Zack Fine* as Silvius, Kiara Geolina as Audrey, Lucas Kai Hakoshima as Ensemble, Safiya Harris* as Celia, Katie Hartke* as Corin, Carl Howell* as Amiens, Denis Lambert* as Duke Frederick, Melissa Mahoney* as Phoebe, Maya Mays as Ensemble, Sean McNall* as Jacques, Keshav Moodliar* as Orlando, Howard W. Overshown* as Duke Senior, Luis Quintero* as Touchstone, Kurt Rhoads* as Adam, and Christian David Tinajero as Ensemble, with additional casting to be announced.
As You Like It will feature costume design by Herin Kaputkin, lighting design by Jeff Croiter, sound design by Charles Coes, and properties by Buffy Cardoza. Carl Howell is the Music Supervisor, Luis Quintero is the Fight Choreographer, Alithea Phillips is the voice and dialect coach, and Daniel Vaughn* is the stage manager.
All the world’s a stage as imagination takes the spotlight in this exuberant, music-filled romp. Rosalind and her cousin Celia adopt new identities and seek refuge in the Forest of Arden, where exiles become adventurers, friendships bloom into romances, and wit collides with whimsy. Enjoy Shakespeare’s bucolic romantic comedy against the backdrop of the Hudson River valley in this celebration of love, identity, and transformation.
William Shakespeare’s King Lear, directed by Davis McCallum (HVS’s The Matchmaker) will begin on Friday June 12, with opening night set for Monday June 22 for a run through Thursday September 17.
The cast for King Lear will include the previously announced Kurt Rhoads* in the title role, Eric Berryman* as Edgar, Helen Cespedes* as Regan, Aamar-Malik Culbreth as Lear’s Knight, Zack Fine* as Earl of Kent, Lucas Kai Hakoshima as King of France, Katie Hartke* as Goneril, Carl Howell* as Oswald, Melissa Mahoney* as Cordelia, Sean McNall* as Duke of Cornwall, Keshav Moodliar* as Edmund, Anand Nagraj* as Duke of Albany, Howard W. Overshown* as Earl of Gloucester, Ronald Sopyla as Old Man, Caroline Santiago Turner as Curran, and Nance Williamson* as the Fool, with additional casting to be announced.
King Lear will feature movement by Susannah Millonzi, costume design by Elizabeth Hope Clancy, lighting design by Jeff Croiter, sound design by Darron L West, and properties by Buffy Cardoza. Alithea Phillips is the voice and dialect coach, Luis Quintero is the Fight Choreographer, and Janelle Caso* is the stage manager.
What happens when the crown slips from a king’s head and into the hands of those who would destroy him? Shakespeare’s tragic tale of madness, power, and betrayal roars to life in this gripping open-air production. An aging monarch divides his kingdom between daughters demanding their love as proof of loyalty, and setting off a chain of deceit and destruction that tears family and country apart. In the heart of the tempest, Lear learns too late that a king must first be a man, and the price of wisdom is everything he once held dear.
A new production of Boublil and Schӧnberg’s Les Misérables, presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI) and CAMERON MACKINTOSH LTD, directed by Jenn Thompson (HVS’s Into the Woods, Annie at Madison Square Garden) with music supervision by Amanda Morton (Operation Mincemeat), will begin on WednesdayAugust 12, with opening night set for Saturday August 15, and a run through Sunday September 27.
The cast for Les Misérables will include David Beach* as Monsieur Thénardier, Haley Rose Ciaramella as Eponine, Haley Dortch* as Fantine, Kiara Geolina as Cosette, Denis Lambert* as Javert, Alex Ross as Marius, Nance Williamson* as Madam Thénardier, and Josh Young* as Jean Valjean. The ensemble will include Kelly Berman*, Aamar-Malik Culbreth*, Lucas Kai Hakoshima, Safiya Harris*, Stefanie Londino*, Maya Mays, Anand Nagraj*, Luis Quintero*, Christian David Tinajero,Josh Totora*, and Caroline Santiago Turner.
Les Misérables will feature choreography by Rhett Guter, costume design by Tilly Grimes, lighting design by Matt Richards, sound design by Ken Travis, and properties by Buffy Cardoza. Alex Gutierrez serves as music director and conductor, and Janelle Caso* is the stage manager.
After 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread, Jean Valjean is given a second chance, but freedom comes at a price. Haunted by his past and relentlessly pursued by Inspector Javert, Valjean’s quest for redemption unfolds against the rising storm of revolution in 19th-century France. Les Misérables is a soaring tale of love, justice, and the unbreakable human spirit — featuring iconic songs including “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “Bring Him Home,” and “One Day More.”
Les Misérables is presented by special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI) and by arrangement with CAMERON MACKINTOSH LTD. All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. (www.MTIshows.com) This production is licensed by Music Theatre International.
Casting for the season is by Calleri Jensen Davis.
Tickets are on sale now and available at hvshakespeare.org.
* denotes member of Actor’s Equity Association