The 2016-17 Season launches with Shakespeare’s Macbeth. ETC’s first foray in decades into the works of Shakespeare arrives just in time for election season with one of literature’s great tales of blind and bloody political ambition. Fresh from victory against invading forces, the triumphant Macbeth is presented with a chilling prophecy from three witches: he will ascend to the throne despite possessing no royal blood. Spurred by his wife’s unquenchable thirst for power, Macbeth commits a supreme act of murder, throwing the world into a bloody upheaval.
Joseph Fuqua* (Banquo, Ross) is honored to be returning to the New Vic! He has appeared with Ensemble before in Fallen Angels, directed by Andrew Barnicle, The Mystery of Irma Vep, directed by Jenny Sullivan, and Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, directed by the late Robert Grande Wise. Broadway and Off- Broadway credits include Brighton Beach Memoirs, 110 In the Shade, Raft of the Medusa, and Yours, Anne. Regionally, Joseph has worked at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Portland Stage, The Arena Stage in our nation’s capital, Yale Rep, and many others. The Rubicon Theatre Company is his ‘Stage’ home, having been a Company Member since 2000 where he has appeared in twenty-seven plays including the title role in Hamlet, directed by Jenny Sullivan (Independent Award), All My Sons, directed by James O’Neill (Ovation Award) and Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady. Joseph is a graduate of The Yale School of Drama and a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association.
josephfuqua.com.
Leslie Gangl Howe (Second Witch, Lady Macduff, Gentlewoman) is pleased to be working with Ensemble Theatre Company at the New Vic. No stranger to the Santa Barbara stage, Leslie has built a repertoire of strong if not dysfunctional characters. The most recent was that of meddling Aunt Lavinia in The Heiress, and the confused house wife Becky in Becky’s New Car. From the independently minded feminist Heidi in The Heidi Chronicles and the hapless professor Constance Ledbelly in Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet, to Joy Gresham the tragic love of C.S. Lewis in Shadowlands, and the forgiving wife Stevie in The Goat or Who is Sylvia, whether she was the lonely drugged out Agnes in the crazed Bug, the old Russian director in Anton in Show Business, Queen Elizabeth I in The Beard of Avon, or the supportive mom of a down syndrome boy in the Garth Brooks music video Standin’ Outside The Fire, bringing these people to life has been a joy. Thank you HRH for your continued support.
Jamison Jones* (Macbeth) is pleased to return to ETC! He was last seen at ETC in Théresè Raquin. Theater credits: Angels in America, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Othello and the West Coast premiere of Maple and Vine (The American Conservatory Theater), the West Coast premiere of Elemeno Pea and the world premiere of Doctor Cerberus (Tony Award winning South Coast Rep.), The Three Musketeers (Tony Award winning Denver Center), How the Other Half Loves (Pasadena Playhouse); God of Carnage, The Foreigner, The Lion in Winter, All My Sons, Dancing at Lughnasa and The Rainmaker (Tony-nominated McCoy/Rigby Ent., at La MiradaTheater); Fool for Love, Dracula, Bent and Timon of Athens; Cyrano de Bergerac (A Noise Within); the European premieres of Tennessee in the Summer and Purple Hearts (Edinburgh Festival, Scotland.) Jones earned his MFA from the American Conservatory Theater. Last seen in Spielberg’s The Whispers and HBO’s “True Detective,” other film/TV credits: Collusions with Tom Everett-Scott, The Lodger with Alfred Molina, Born to Ride with William Foresyth, He Was a Quiet Man with Christian Slater and William H. Macy, Dark Blue with Kurt Russell and Hollywood Homicide with Harrison Ford, “Burn Notice,” “24,” “General Hospital,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Terminator,” “CSI: NY,” “N.C.I.S.,” “Crossing Jordan,” “Alias,” “JAG,” “That 70’s Show,” “Beverly Hills 90210,” and “Will and Grace.” Jones is the co-creator of a new series not yet aired, titled “Agoura Hills,” the story of an Agoraphobic weatherman who’s afraid to go outside.
Kathryn Meisle* (Lady Macbeth, First Witch) is happily making her debut with Ensemble Theatre Company here in Santa Barbara. Broadway: The Elephant Man (also London’s West End), Outside Mullingar, A Touch of the Poet, The Constant Wife, Tartuffe (Tony Award nomination/Calloway Award), London Assurance, The Rehearsal, Racing Demon (LCT). Off-Broadway includes Romeo & Juliet (CSC), Women Beware Women (Calloway Award), Top Secret, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told (NYTW), Living Out (Second Stage), Old Money (LTC), Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, As You Like It (Drama Desk nom.), Othello (NYSF/Delacorte). Recent Regional credits include The May Queen at Geva, Cymbeline at Yale Rep, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare Theatre, DC), Clybourne Park, The Real Thing, and Three Sisters at the Guthrie, A Flea in Her Ear (Williamstown), Leaving by Václav Havel (Wilma), Creditors (La Jolla), Arkadina in Seagull and Jaques in As You Like It (OSF). TV and Film credits include: “Private Practice,” “Body Of Proof,” “The Closer,”
“Bones,” “The Unusuals,” “Law & Order: SVU,” ‘Lie To Me,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Damages,” “New Amsterdam,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Without a Trace,” Four, Bereavement, You’ve Got Mail, The Shaft, and Rosewood.
AK Murtadha* (Macduff, Captain) has enjoyed various classical and contemporary roles in regional and repertory theatres. His Shakespearean appearances include Othello, Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing, Jacques in As You Like It, Escalus in Measure for Measure, Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Valentine in Two Gentlemen of Verona. He is pleased to be returning in his second role at ETC; last season he played George in Intimate Apparel. His most recent roles include playing Martin Luther King in All the Way and Dr. Prentice in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner at Asolo Rep. Some of his TV and Film credits include: “NCIS-LA,” “All My Children,” “Raising the Bar,” “The Unit,” “Medium,” “Numb3rs,” and the upcoming feature – 8989 Redstone. Awards include Best Actor – New Orleans Short film festival – In the Wind; NAACP Award: Best Ensemble – All My Sons (playing Chris Keller). He was also the Featured Guest Artist for Auburn University’s – The America Play. www.akmurtadha.com twitter:@ak_sage. Member: AEA, SAGAFTRA.
James Joseph O’Neil* (Seyton, First Murderer) is happy to be playing The New Vic! Broadway – Present Laughter, Roundabout. Off-Broadway – A Month in the Country and Look Back in Anger, Classic Stage Company – Richard III, Epic Theatre Ensemble – The Hired Man, 47th St. Theatre. Regional – Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Center Stage, American Repertory Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, South Coast Repertory Theatre, Ojai Playwright’s Conference, Mark Taper Forum, Old Globe Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Long Wharf Theatre, American Stage Festival. Film/TV: Aardvark, Dovid Meyer, Deep Powder, The Bourne Legacy, Fair Game, Zodiac, Acts of Worship, “The Knight,” “Person of Interest,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “24,” “Veronica Mars,” “Numb3rs,” “Third Watch,” “Sex & the City.” MFA/USD, BFA/Adelphi University.
Christine Sage (Third Witch, Fleance, Macduff’s Son, Messenger, Young Siward) is properly enthused to perform with this theatrical community. Previously seen in Los Angeles with The Porters of Hellsgate as King Henry VI in King Henry VI, in Othello and Henry V, in A Woman of No Importance at Sacred Fools, and Macbeth at Edgemar Center for the Arts. Bay Area credits include Splitting Infinity at San Jose Rep, Peace at Magic Theatre, Christmas Carol at Sierra Repertory, and Romeo and Juliet, Tempest, and Sleeping Beauty at Santa Cruz Shakespeare. Television and film appearances include Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing,” “Supreme Justice,” “Jiji,” and Glass Animal’s “Pools” music video. Christine is also a professional faerie whose secret identity, Miss Sage, brings joy to children and guffaws to adults all across California.
Paul David Story* (Malcolm, Second Murderer) is pleased to be back at Ensemble! He is the founder and Artistic Director of the USC NAI Theatre Workshop. The Theater Workshop supports student literary scholarship through the performing arts, bringing literature to life in South Central LA. Theatre credits: Broadway – Standby for Alan Strang in Equus, Junius Urban in The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, Off-Broadway – Ferguson/Wilkes Booth in Our Leading Lady at the Manhattan Theatre Club, David in The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel at The Public, Regional theater- Ken in RED at SouthCoast Rep, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet at Arizona Theater Company, Ferdinand in The Tempest at A Noise Within-Arviragus in Cymbeline at A Noise Within, Philip, King of France in The Lion in Winter at the Ensemble Theatre Company, Hamlet in Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead at the Baltimore Center Stage, Mr. Bingley in Pride & Prejudice at the Dallas Theatre Center. Film/TV: In Time, American Violet, The Undying, St. Nick, Vartan LLP, “The Mentalist,” “Body of Proof,” “Nip/Tuck,” “Law & Order: SVU.” Recent Publications- Mountain Lion in Gambling the Aisle Magazine. Education/Training: North Carolina School of the Arts
Rudolph Willrich* (Duncan, Old Man, Doctor) has performed in several ETC productions at the Alhecama Theatre, the most recent being The Clean House. Other appearances with ETC include Sylvia, The Cripple Of Inishmaan, Moon Over Buffalo, Ride Down Mt. Morgan, Picasso At The Lapin Agile, and The Weir. His most recent appearances were in Noises Off and My Fair Lady at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura where he also appeared in Hamlet, The Boys Next Door (Robbie Award), Night Of The Iguana and Happy Days. On Broadway he played in Pirandello’s Emperor Henry lV, Tom Stoppard’s Dirty Linen and Newfoundland, and Noises Off. Off Broadway he was in Anna K, The Contractor, Taking Steps and Saved. His work in Television and Film includes “The Practice,” The Number 23, Because I Said So, “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Enterprise,” Steal Big, Steal Little, What’s Love Got To Do With It, Nine 1/2 Weeks, “All My Children,” The Shadow, “Family Law,” Legal Eagles, Alice Sweet Alice, and The Battle of The Bulge. He has received 4 “Indies” for his work at ETC in A Doll’s House, Sight Unseen, Art, and A Life In The Theatre. A graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, he trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Sponsored by Dana White
2016-17 Season sponsored by The Stephen and Carla Hahn Foundation