2022-2023 National Tour

With

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Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice

Published in 1813, Jane Austen's ultimate romantic comedy, Pride and Prejudice, has stood the test of time. As the Bennet sisters try to navigate their way toward love and marriage, Austen humorously skewers the hypocrisies and absurdities of the English class system, and puts the thoughts and feelings of her women characters front and center. Filled with unforgettable characters, this sharp social satire has it all: wit, romance and lots of dancing!

Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

In Aquila theatre's striking new production, we are taken on a journey into a world of conspiracy and betrayal. Fresh from success on the battlefield, a triumphant Caesar returns to Rome a virtual dictator. Brutus, Cassius and a group of like-minded senators decide that his undemocratic power grab must be stopped and Caesar assassinated. After the act has been carried out, violence erupts on the streets of the capital and the country is plunged into civil war. The conspirators find they must contend with forces still loyal to the murdered leader, led by Mark Antony and Caesar’s nephew, Octavius. The play reaches its climax when the two opposing sides meet in battle at Philippi, and the fate of a nation hangs in the balance.

Warrior Chorus: American Democracy

The Warrior Chorus is a national initiative that trains military veterans to present innovative public programs based on ancient literature, presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities. It will create national discussions around democracy, led by the people who fight for it. Staged readings, workshops and a series of discussions around the meaning and future of democracy will tour in tandem with this year's Aquila Theatre Company 2022 Season. Aquila Theatre will run staged readings of “Antigone” with a public discussion, and Unity Workshops during post- and pre-show discussions in conjunction with the U.S. National Tour of “The Great Gatsby” and “Macbeth”.

These performances and affiliated workshops and readings are a part of Aquila Theatre's "Warrior Chorus: American Democracy" program made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy Demands Wisdom.

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Full Calendar and Ticket Links can be viewed HERE: Tour Calendar

Glendora, CA – 9/30/22 – 10/1/22
Malibu, CA – 10/4/22
Irvine, CA – 10/6/22
Palm Desert, CA – 10/11/22 – 10/12/22
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA – 10/14/22
Modesto, CA – 10/18/22
Grass Valley, CA – 10/19/22 – 10/20/22
Albuquerque, NM – 10/23/22 – 10/24/22
Fayetteville, AR – 10/27/22
Galveston, TX – 10/29/22
Storm Lake, IA – 11/3/22
St. Joseph, MN – 11/5/22
Athens, OH – 11/8/22
West Lafayette, IN – 11/10/22 – 11/11/22
Richmond, KY – 11/13/22 – 11/14/22
Columbus, GA – 1/12/23 – 1/13/23
Aiken, SC - 1/15/23
Orlando, FL - 1/17/23
West Palm Beach, FL – 1/20/23 – 1/22/23
Athens, GA – 1/27/23
Greenville, SC – 1/29/23 – 1/31/23
Asheville, NC – 2/3/23 – 2/6/23
Meridian, MS – 2/9/23
Baton Rouge, LA – 2/12/23 – 2/14/23
Orange, TX – 2/16/23
Alexandria, LA – 2/17/23
Joplin, MO – 2/22/23
Ada, OK – 2/23/23
Tulsa, OK – 2/24/23
Rolla, MO – 2/25/23
Henderson, KY – 2/27/23
Paducah, KY – 3/1/23 – 3/2/23
South Bend, IN – 3/3/23 – 3/4/23
Springfield, OH – 3/7/23
Selinsgrove, PA – 3/9/23

Saratoga Springs, NY 3/11/23
Williamsport, PA – 3/12/23 – 3/13/23
Norfolk, VA – 3/16/23

Conner Keef (Mr. Darcy/Mr. Bennet/Ensemble in Pride & Prejudice - Caesar, Cicero, Cinna the Poet, Lepidus, Messala & Ensemble in Julius Caesar) is delighted to be touring with Aquila. Conner is a Brooklyn-based, Kentucky-born actor. They studied as an apprentice at Williamstown Theatre Festival (‘18) and The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (‘19) before receiving their BFA in Acting from Western Kentucky University (‘19). Conner is a member of The Makers Ensemble. New York: Marlowe’s Faustus (Faustus), Romeo and Juliet (Tybalt) Regional: Ken Ludwig’s The Three Musketeers at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (Septime)

James Lavender (Mrs. Bennet/Mr. Gardiner/Lady Catherine de Bourgh/Ensemble in Pride & Prejudice - Cassius, Artemidorus, & Ensemble in Julius Caesar) Theatre credits:  As You Like It, An Enemy Of The People, Hamlet, The Tempest, Sense & Sensibility (Aquila Theatre); The War of The Worlds (dotdotdot); Sleeping Beauty, (Rhodes Arts Complex); Loves Labours Lost, Twelfth Night, Comedy Of Errors, The Importance Of Being Earnest (Oxford Shakespeare Company); Henry V (Antic Disposition); Peter Pan, Cinderella, Jack & The Beanstalk (Sheringham Little Theatre);  Much Ado About Nothing (Lord Chamberlain's Men); Philoctetes (BAM New York); Macbeth (Gym at Judson Theatre, New York); Adventures in Wonderland, Supermarket Shakespeare (Teatro Vivo); Aladdin (Hazlitt Theatre); The Taming of The Shrew, As You Like It (Groundlings Theatre); Jack and the Beanstalk (Millfield Theatre); Headlines (BAC); Sleeping Beauty (Georgian Theatre Royal); The Jungle Book (Birmingham Stage Company); The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Greenwich Playhouse); Plebians Rehearse the Uprising (Arcola Theatre). James trained at Rose Bruford.

Desiree Sanchez (Adaptation & Direction) has been Aquila’s artistic director since 2012. Last season she directed both her new adaptation of The Great Gatsby and Macbeth. Past productions she has directed include Nineteen Eighty-Four and The Odyssey (2019); A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Frankenstein(2018); Hamlet and Sense and Sensibility (2017); Much Ado About Nothing and Our Trojan War (2016); Romeo and Juliet, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Philoctetes (2015); The Tempest and Wuthering Heights (2014); A Female Philoctetes at BAM Fisher's Hillman Studio (2014); Twelfth Night and Fahrenheit 451 (2013); The Taming of the Shrew and Cyrano de Bergerac (2012); Herakles (2012) at the Festival of the Aegean in Syros, Greece and at the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation in Athens and at BAM in 2013; Macbeth and The Importance of Being Earnest (2011); and Six Characters in Search of an Author (2010). Desiree wrote the stage adaptations for Frankenstein, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and Wuthering Heights for the Aquila Theatre and choreographed for: A Very Naughty Greek Play, based on Aristophanes' Wasps (2004); Julius Caesar (2006), Catch-22 (2007); The Iliad: Book One and The Comedy of Errors (2008). Desiree had a twenty-year career in dance which included working as a principal dancer for the Metropolitan Opera Ballet.

Alex Duncker, (Production Stage Manager) Hailing from beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Alex began her love affair with the performing arts at her local western dinner theatre. After progressing from showgirl to stage manager, she ventured east to pursue a Theatre degree from the University of Vermont. Since moving to New York in 2016,. Alex has dabbled in film, managed several inventive new works (Meshahnye, Late Night at the Serpent, Codependent, Cartography, Voyeur), and produced a pop-up theatre (Destiny Manifests) in a repurposed storefront that presented Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love alongside original poetry, dance, live music, visual and performance art. Now, Alex is elated to be back on the road for her fourth tour with Aquila to continue her career of working with women-led artistic endeavors.

Michael Castelbanco (Company Manager) has been working with Aquila Theatre Company since 2014. Starting with a role in “A Female Philoctetes,” he has also been involved with Aquila’s “Warrior Chorus” as a contributing member and facilitator. Michael assisted with the 2015-2016 tour and was honored to join Aquila for performances in both London and Athens in 2016. Additionally, he has collaborated with Aquila Theatre in several events with Society of Artistic Veterans, where he serves as Executive Director. Born in the United States but into a military family, Michael has lived and worked in many countries and cities around the world and served in the United States Marine Corps from 2003 to 2011, serving as a Korean Linguist and Intelligence Analyst. Believing that life is an adventure, Michael has worn multiple hats since leaving military service, including in Emergency Management, Accessibility, as a Flight Attendant, Barber Stylist and Hospitality Sales Manager. Michael has always been a lover of and participant in the arts as a musician, vocalist and actor, with a tenor voice and focus on keyboards/piano. His favorite role to date was playing Georg in Dominion Stage’s “Spring Awakening” in 2012. He is an avid runner and addicted to chocolate! Michael holds an Associates in Korean Language and Culture (DLIFLC), a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies (UMUC), and a Master of Urban Planning (NYU).

Bob Rogers (Production Management, Technical Director, Set & Lighting Design) is excited to be back with Aquila theatre for another exciting season. Bob's technical career started in 2005 at Crossville Tennessee. Since then, he has worked on cruise ships, theme parks, tours, regional theatres, circuses, and even 100 feet diameter balloons. Bob has done technical theatre in every state of the continental US, Guam, and even China.

Lianne Arnold, Projections Designer, is a video & scenic designer and inter-disciplinary artist working in theater, opera, music, dance, film, & art installation. For Aquila: 1984, Hamlet, Sense and Sensibility. Other recent performance & film projects include Lil Buck & Jon Boogz’ Love Heals All Wounds (projections / CAP UCLA & MOVE on Netflix), Prospect Theater Co.’s VISION Series & The Hello Girls (scenic & projections), HBO's The Lady and the Dale (animations), Jazz Singer (projections / Abrons Artspace), Oscar at the Crown (projections / 3 Dollar Bill), Words on the Street (co-creator & projections / Baruch), Joseph Keckler’s Let Me Die (projections / Opera Philadelphia/FringeArts) and Joseph Keckler’s Train With No Midnight (projections / Prototype Festival/HERE). When the Covid-19 shutdown happened in March 2020, Lianne was working as the associate projection designer on The Lehman Trilogy on Broadway. Lianne teaches Video Design/Creative Technologies at The New School and is a member of Wingspace Design Collective. MFA from CalArts. www.liannearnold.com

Kara Branch (Costume Designer) is a New York based costume designer. Her recent design projects include Fidelio with Heartbeat Opera Company, Machinal at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and The End of Hester, Imagining Madoff and Brecht: Call and Response with New Light Theater Company. Recent Assistant design credits include Hamilton (Broadway, National Tours and International Germany Tour),  Slave Play (Broadway), The Secret Life of Bees at Atlantic Theater Company, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark at Signature Theater Company and Detroit ’67  at The McCarter Theater. karabranchdesigns.com