(he/him/el) Debut
Regional: The Three Musketeers (Cleveland Playhouse). Richard III, You Can’t Take It With You, Edward III (Colorado Shakespeare Festival). Macbeth, Merchant of Venice, Henry IV pt.1, Othello, Taming of the Shrew (Houston Shakespeare Festival) Peter Pan, Hitchcock Blonde, Treasure Island (Alley Theatre) TV/ Film: Haikyu, Food Wars, Angel Beats, High School of the Dead (Sentai Filmworks) One Piece (Crunchyroll). Starship Troopers: Invasion/ Traitor of Mars, Appleseed: Alpha (Sony Pictures Intl) Education: University of Houston: Professional Actor Training Program (MFA).

(he/him) 10^th Season
Cincinnati: Every Christmas Story Ever Told, All the Way, Fences, Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Hamlet (favorite CSC), After AIDA (Ensemble Theatre/Cincinnati Opera), Hands on a Hardbody (Ensemble Theatre), Marian: or the True Tale of Robin Hood (The Know Theatre). Regional: Book of Will (Illinois Shakespeare Company), The Tempest (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). Education: University of Texas at Austin (MFA), Webster University (BFA) and Cincinnati’s School for Creative and Performing Arts.

(he/him) 11th Season

Cincinnati: As You Like It, One Man, Two Guvnors, The Grapes of Wrath, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, August: Osage County, The Living Dead, Twelfth Night, The Winter’s Tale, The Comedy of Errors, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) (favorite CSC), Girlfriend, Ada and the Engine, Whisper House (Know Theatre of Cincinnati), Wuthering: A Musical On the Moors (Gregory and McWethy/Cincinnati Fringe Festival). Regional: The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Promethean Theatre Ensemble, Chicago), The Bacchae (Right Brian Project, Chicago). Education: Alumnus of Northern Kentucky University.

(he/him) 25th Season

Cincinnati: The Play That Goes Wrong, The Importance of Being Earnest, King Lear, Pride & Prejudice, Cyrano de Bergerac, Much Ado About Nothing (Director), Every Christmas Story Ever Told (Director), The Comedy of Errors (Director), Titus Andronicus (Director) (favorite CSC); Fortune, Red Velvet (Ensemble Theatre); Neverwhere (Know Theatre). Regional: A Flea in Her Ear, Escape from Happiness (Milwaukee Rep); Two Households (Unseam’d Shakespeare). New York: The Rewards of Being Frank (New York Classical). TV/Film: The Wise Guys, Hauntology, Miles Ahead, Santa’s Promise. Website: DubinJD.com

(She/Her) 6th Season
CINCINNATI: Trouble in Mind, Julius Caesar, The Play That Every Christmas Story Ever Told, Gaslight, Macbeth, A Christmas Carol (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Marian: The True Tale of Robin Hood (The Know Theatre Cincinnati) REGIONAL: Gaslight (Merrimack Reparatory Theatre), The Cake (Human Race Theatre), The Winter's Tale (Island Shakespeare Festival), The Pirates of Penzance (Theatre Monmouth), The Tempest (Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival).

(She/Her) Debut 

International: Much Ado About Nothing, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Richard III, Macbeth, Henry V, The Crucible, The Revolutionists, Into the Woods (Prague Shakespeare Company). Regional: Macbeth, Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Henry IV Part I, Pericles (Houston Shakespeare Festival), Clean/Through, Anna Bella Eema, Bluefinger, Big Death and Little Death (The Catastrophic Theatre), Mrs. Warren's Profession, Cyrano de Bergerac (The Alley Theatre), The Italian Girl in Algiers, The Barber of Seville (Houston Grand Opera).

(She/Her) 11th Season
Cincinnati: Kindred Spirits, Much Ado About Nothing, Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Trouble in Mind, As You Like It, The Living Dead, Pride & Prejudice, Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet (favorite CSC). Regional: The Great Gatsby (Cardinal Stage Company); Annie Warbucks (Theatre at the Center). Alumnus of Indiana University (BA). courtneylucien.com

9th Season

CINCINNATI: Much Ado About Nothing, Julius Caesar, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, Diary of Anne Frank, August: Osage County, Flea In Her Ear (CSC); Dial M For Murder, To Kill A Mockingbird, Treasure Island, Pride & Prejudice (Cincinnati Playhouse). Freud’s Last Session, Tribes, Bloomsday (Ensemble Theatre) REGIONAL: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Long Wharf Theatre, Capitol Rep, Intiman Theatre, St. Louis Rep, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Human Race Theatre, Merrimack Rep, etc. NEW YORK: Wild Oats, Ghost Sonata, Balloon, Danton’s Death (Classic Stage Company), Life In The Trees (Westbank Theatre). FILM/TV: The Mastermind, Dark Waters, Surviving Compton, A Kind of Murder, Extremely Wicked.

(He/Him) Debut

Cincinnati: Romeo and Juliet (One Off Productions), The Bar Series (The Know Theatre), H2O: A Play About Water (Cincy Fringe). Regional: Twelfth Night, A Child's Christmas in Wales, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey), Frindle (Griffin Theatre- National Tour). TV/Film: Chicago Med (NBC/Peacock), Deadly Associates (Reelz). Education: Alumnus of University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (BFA) and Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts.

(He/Him/His) Debut

REGIONAL: The Crucible, Frozen, Titus Andronicus, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing (Prague Shakespeare Company), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Orange Flower Water, Bright Ideas, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Sexy Laundry, Driving Miss Daisy, Silence Rounding Third (Stages), A Christmas Carol (Alley Theatre), The Taming of the Shrew, The Odd Couple, Doubt, Nixon’s Nixon, The Sound of Music, The Glass Menagerie, Lion in Winter (Unity Theatre), Romeo and Juliet, King John (Houston Shakespeare Festival), The Blackest Shore (The Catastrophic Theatre), The Royale (Rec Room Arts).

Brian Isaac Phillips* (Producing Artistic Director and Ensemble, 23nd Season) has been leading the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company since 2003.  During his tenure, Mr. Phillips has guided the organization to artistic and financial success, including the opening of The Otto M. Budig Theater, a $17.5MM world-class facility at the corner of 12th and Elm Streets in OTR, as well as the completion of Shakespeare's 38 play canon, making Cincinnati Shakespeare Company one of the first five theatres in the United States to accomplish this milestone.

Mr. Phillips, originally from Pittsburgh, PA, is a graduate of Morehead State University and has been a resident of Cincinnati for over two decades.  In that time he has collaborated with virtually every arts organization in the region.  He is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association and the Stage Director’s and Choreographer’s Society.

In 2020, Mr. Phillips was awarded the International Shakespeare Theatre Association's prestigious Sidney Berger Award for excellence in artistic direction and was also named as one of Cincinnati Magazine's 300 Most Powerful Business Leaders. Mr. Phillips was nominated in 2019 and 2016 for the SDCF Zelda Fichandler Award for outstanding artistic contribution to our region. Mr. Phillips was recognized by both Mayor John Cranley and Mayor Mark Mallory for service at CSC and to the city of Cincinnati. He was also selected for the 2014 Class of Forty Under Forty and a has been nominated for the Ohio Governors’ Arts Awards. In 2016, Mr. Phillips graduated from Cincinnati USA Chamber’s 39th Class of Leadership Cincinnati and is now happy to serve on one of the steering committees.  Also in 2016, Mr. Phillips was selected as a finalist for the Business Courier’s 2016 C-Suite Awards for Chief Executive Officer.

Most recent CSC directing credits include Kindred Spirits, All the Way, The Merry Wives of Windsor, August: Osage County, 1984, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Dracula, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest (Co-Director), The Elephant Man, Antony and Cleopatra, Death of a Salesman, Cyrano de Bergerac, One Man, Two Guvnors, Waiting for Godot, The Birds, and The Great Gatsby.

Brian is the lucky husband of one of the most amazing actors in town and the proud father of Holden and Annabel.

(he/him) 25th Season

Cincinnati: The Play That Goes Wrong, The Importance of Being Earnest, King Lear, Pride & Prejudice, Cyrano de Bergerac, Much Ado About Nothing (Director), Every Christmas Story Ever Told (Director), The Comedy of Errors (Director), Titus Andronicus (Director) (favorite CSC); Fortune, Red Velvet (Ensemble Theatre); Neverwhere (Know Theatre). Regional: A Flea in Her Ear, Escape from Happiness (Milwaukee Rep); Two Households (Unseam’d Shakespeare). New York: The Rewards of Being Frank (New York Classical). TV/Film: The Wise Guys, Hauntology, Miles Ahead, Santa’s Promise. Website: DubinJD.com

Matthew Lewis Johnson* (any) (22nd Season): Cincinnati: Trouble in Mind, A Flea in Her Ear, A Midsummer Night's Dream, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Henry IV pts 1 and 2, The Cherry Orchard, Hamlet, One Man Two Guvnors, King Lear, Antony and Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Love's Labors Lost, A Long Day's Journey Into Night, The Seagull, Twelfth Night, Troilus and Cressida, The Comedy of Errors, An Ideal Husband, The Importance of Being Earnest, Our Town, The Taming of the Shrew, As You Like It, Amadeus (CSC); Regional: Equivocation (Athens West); Hamlet, My Fair Lady, Mamma Mia (Distilled Theatre); The Grapes of Wrath, A Christmans Carol, Twelfth Night (Alliance Theatre) Floyd Collins, Harvey, The Rainmaker (Aurora); The Bible, The Spitfire Grill, I Dream Wild Horses, The Big Bored (Horizon Theatre); Shoemaker and the Elves, Xperimental Puppet Theatre, Rainforest Adventures, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Don Quixote, Charlotte's Web, Whinnie the Pooh, Tortoise and the Hare, Ballad of Wriggly Buttonhole (Center for Puppetry Arts); Free Parking, Theatre Sports, Puppet Slam (Dad's Garage). Alumnus of VIrginia Commonwealth University (MFA) Morehead State University (BA).

Charlie Calvert (he/him) is happy to be back for his second time with CSC after designing last season’s production of Julius Caesar. Recent credits include: A Man for All Seasons, Blithe Spirit, Henry VIII, Much Ado about Nothing, and Love’s Labour’s Lost at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey; A Comedy of Tenors, Dial M for Murder and Fickle: A Fancy French Farce at Olney Theatre Center; Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill and Last Five Years (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival); Spring Awakening and Let the Right One In at CCM. Charlie received his MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and serves on the faculty at University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music.

Rainy Edwards (she/her) (6th Season) is from Llano, Texas, and received her MFA in Costume Design at Florida State University. She has been with the company since 2018. Rainy has had the pleasure of designing many shows here including, The Winter’s Tale, Titus Andronicus, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and All The Way, to name a few. Her work has been seen at Utah Shakespeare Festival, The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Triad Stage, and Lexington Children’s Theatre. Rainey is excited to be back and making art with her colleagues and friends. She is forever thankful for the support of Chris and their dog Obi.

Abigail is a 4th Year undergraduate studying Lighting Design and Technology at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (UC-CCM). She is thrilled to design her first show at Shakes! Recent Work: In the Green (UC-CCM), Esmerelda (UC-CCM), Jux De Posed (UC-CCM), Miami Dance Theater (Miami University), The Wolves (Liberty Exhibition Hall),  Asst. Clue! On Stage (UC-CCM), Asst. Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (UC-CCM). https://www.abigailfluck.com/biography

Robert Carlton Stimmel (he/him) (6th Season) is thrilled to be returning to Cincinnati Shakespeare Company! He is a Cincinnati area native, hailing from Fairfield, Ohio. After receiving his BA in Theatre at Miami University, he has worked with various theatre including Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Alliance Theatre, Short North Stage, and Tantrum Theatre. In addition to his technician and design work, he is also a performer and producer and is always looking to expand his artistic abilities! Robert is the Artistic Director of Impaired Vision Productions, a local theatre organization that produces new works. He would like to thank his wife Kayla for her constant support of his artistic aspirations and her unconditional love.

Gina Cerimele-Mechley (she/her) (30th Season), a Cincinnati native, has been involved with CSC as a performer and fight director since its inception as Fahrenheit Theatre Company. Gina is a 33-year member and one of the few female Fight Directors with the Society of American Fight Directors. She has done fight direction for Cincinnati Opera and Ballet, Ensemble Theatre, Playhouse in the Park, and Human Race Theatre in Dayton. Gina runs the nationally recognized Cincinnati Actor’s Studio & Academy, and she was the first recipient of the CAA’s Arts Educator Award. Some of her favorite regional credits outside of Cincinnati include Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Denver Center Theatre Company, Opera Theatre St. Louis, and Alaska Cabin Nite Dinner Theatre.

Susan Jung (she/her) is excited to be back with CSC having choreographed Much Ado About Nothing. She is the Artistic Director of The Story Collective and Director/Choreographer for CHCA. With 25 years in the business, she has choreographed over 70 productions and taught musical theater dance and acting for CCM prep and Playhouse in the Park. Susan was one of the stage directors and choreographers for the Christmas production “Awaited.”  Susan’s professional acting career includes the film Between Mercy and Me, regional and national commercials, print ads, voice-overs and theatre. Her favorite onstage roles include M’lynn in Steel Magnolias, Gypsy Rose Lee in Gypsy, and Annie in The Play that Goes Wrong. Susan has performed with local theatres, The Story Collective, Falcon Theatre and WFIT and holds a B.A. in theatre from Northern Kentucky University. Much thanks to the entire company of CSC. 

Cole Sweasy (they/them) (4th Season) is thrilled to return for their fourth season in a stage management role at CSC! Previously, Cole acted as the production associate throughout CSC's 28th season, as well as the AEA assistant stage manager throughout the 29th season. Before moving to Cincinnati, Cole was a stage manager for events in Nashville, Atlanta, and other cities in the southeast. Cole has received three Bachelor of Arts from Western Kentucky University in theatre, communication studies, and English.