Henry V - GreenStage

For one night only we will perform a virtual sneak preview. Continuing our history cycle, Henry V picks up after the events of Henry IV. After the death of his father, Henry has chosen to leave behind his rebellious youth for the responsibilities of ruling his kingdom. With England weakened and France threatening war Henry gathers his troops in what he hopes will unite the country. But when his army is stopped in France and his men outnumbered with a storm of swords around him he must become the king he was born to be. Directed by Vince Brady.

A short summary of the show

What is harder for a soldier-king? To win at war or to win at love?

Prince Hal, now King Henry V, has proven to be a much better ruler than his wayward youth led any in Britain to expect. Now, with matters at home finally settled into a state of peace, the King turns his eyes to France. He’s decided it’s time to reclaim those “Salic Lands” which are his right. France, of course, and particularly its young and arrogant Dauphin, see things differently.

While England’s king and France’s prince trade insults like tennis balls, in the old Eastcheap pub that was the haunt of Hal’s youth an old friend passes away and the remaining denizens prepare to follow the King to war in France.

With support both noble and common, “the warlike Harry” sets forth to conquer a nation, reclaim a kingdom, and woo a princess. He’s had some practice at the first two, but his odds at the third look dodgy. This King isn’t one to settle for two out of three.

Who’s Who

Vince Brady | Director
Melissa Wilson | Stage Manager
Heather Bernadette | Production Manager

Meredith Armstrong | King of France
Dale Bowers | Ely/Governor/Erpingham
Dylan Cook | Jamy/Bedford/Bates/French Soldier
Peter Cook | Westmoreland/Gower/Burgundy
Anthony Duckett | Grey/Dauphin
Cassie Fastabend | Nym/Montjoy
Eric Hampton | Exeter
Aubrey Sara Kaye | Cambridge/Fluellen
Marlena McHenry | Bardolph
Mary Murfin-Bayley | Quickly/Alice
Beth Pollack | Katherine/Boy
Luke Sayler | Pistol
Joseph Shaw | Henry
Eli Simons | Canterbury/Orleans/Williams
Nicole Vernon | Chorus
Andrew Yabroff | Scroop/Constable/Macmorris

Cast and Production Team Bios

Meredith Armstrong (she/her) – (King of France)

Henry V (2005) was the show that brought Meredith into the GreenStage family, and she’s delighted to have looped the histories by returning to it this season. She hopes that next summer we can all gather in the parks again and bring it to you in the flesh. Previous GS roles include Goneril (King Lear), Glendower (Henry IV, Part 1), Duchess of York (Richard II), and Katherine/Boy (Henry V), among too many others to recount. Past favorites with other companies include: Judith (Blood Water Paint, Macha Theatre Works), Dr. Susan Reach (Red Planet Blue (World Premier), Driftwood Players), Richard Henry Lee (all-female 1776, Reboot Theatre Company), Hannah (Arcadia) and Catherine (Proof, both with Renton Civic Theatre), and Mercutio (all-female Romeo & Juliet, Hose & Britches). She holds a BA in Theatre from WWU and studied with the National Shakespeare Conservatory in NY. Love to Erik and Astrid!

Dale Bowers (Ely/Governor/Erpingham)

Dale is no stranger to Puget Sound’s Shakespeare scene. He has appeared in such critically acclaimed productions as Seattle Shakespeare’s all male version of The Taming of the Shrew and Intiman’s production of Richard III directed by Tony award winning Bartlett Sher. He appeared in GreenStage’s 2014 production of Love’s Labour’s Lost. A big “thank you” to his wife Carrie for her support and Vince Brady for including him in this adventure.

Dylan Cook – (Jamy/Bedford/Bates/French Soldier)

Dylan is thrilled to be a part of GreenStage’s production of Henry V. With the current circumstances he was worried that it would be months before he would be able to do any performance but thankfully that was not the case. Dylan has performed throughout the Seattle area, most recently playing Billy in The Goat (Valley Center Stage). Before that he has performed as ensemble in The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas (Seattle Musical Theatre) and Simeon in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Snoqualmie Forest Theatre). Dylan also performs with the Dickens Carolers of Seattle during the holidays. He would like to thank his Beautiful Fiancé for giving him invaluable advice and support, as well as his family and friends for all the joy they bring.

Peter Cook – (Westmoreland/Gower/Burgundy)

This is Peter’s first time working with GreenStage and he is thrilled. He has just finished a ZOOM run with BAT’s production of They Promised Her the Moon and is excited to work on another production in this new medium. For over 2 decades Peter has appeared on stage in Seattle, Olympia, and throughout the east-side. His favorite roles include The Father in Six Characters in Search of an Author, and Charlie in The Foreigner. Peter has authored a short play, Mr. Nep?, that was produced at the Anex Theatre in 2014 and at the Toronto Fringe Festival in the summer of 2016. He would like to thank Vincent and this wonderful cast and crew for their support, and Carolynn, John, Dylan, and Samantha, whose love makes everything possible.

Anthony Duckett – (Grey/Dauphin)

Anthony is delighted to return to the parks, er……screen……ahem, this summer in his eighth production with GreenStage. Previous GS credits: Arthur in King John, Trinculo in The Tempest, Cornwall in King Lear, Dumain and Nathaniel in Loves Labours Lost and King Louis and Rochfort in The Three Musketeers. Hard Bard credits: Anselmus in Cardenio and finally Ferdinand in The Duchess of Malfi. Anthony has made the rounds with some other theater companies in the Seattle area as well, including Book-It Repertory, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Sound Theater Company, Seattle Public Theater, Theater Schmeater, Open Circle Theater, Theater Simple, Second Story Rep, etc… In his spare time Anthony enjoys fast cars, loud motorcycles, reading fantasy fiction and endless daydreaming. Anthony sends his love to Abby, Mom and his very hairy children, Millie and Finn.

Cassie Fastabend – (Nym/Montjoy)

Cassie has been performing since early childhood in dance, music composition, and acting. She holds a Dual BA from the University of Puget Sound in Theater and English, and has studied acting and youth arts education in London at The Actor’s Center, The Space theater, and RADA. Since moving to Washington, Cassie has been an actor and youth arts teacher in the South Sound for over 7 years. Recent productions as an actor include Lysistrata and Hamlet with New Muses, Macbeth and Lear(s) at the Slate Theater in Seattle, Hamlet and A Streetcar Named Desire at UPS, A Few Good Men and The Importance of Being Earnest at Lakewood Playhouse, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Stopkiss, and Gypsy at Tacoma Little Theatre, The Pajama Game and Robin Hood: A Holiday Panto at Centerstage Theater.

Eric Hampton – (Exeter)

Eric is thrilled to be returning to GreenStage! He previously appeared at GreenStage as Bolingbroke in Richard II and as Posthumus in Cymbeline. Other past roles include Actor 1 in Baskerville and Faker in Room Service (Taproot Theatre), Carter and Dr. Wyatt in Witness for the Prosecution (Centerstage Theatre), and Richard in The Lion in Winter (SecondStory Repertory). Eric would like to thank his family, who provide endless love, support and encouragement.

Aubrey Sara Kay (she/her) – (Cambridge/Fluellen)

Aubrey is excited to return to the Henriad with GreenStage for the third year running, after playing Prince Hal in Henry IV, Part 2 and Lady Percy in Henry IV, Part 1. She is a graduate of the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts and holds a degree in Computer Science from California Lutheran University. Other favorite Shakespeare roles include: Ophelia, Gertrude in Hamlet (GreenStage – Backyard Bard), Hermia, Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (GreenStage – Backyard Bard), Ophelia u/s, Player Queen in Hamlet (Kingsmen Shakespeare Company), Duchess of York u/s in Richard III (PCPA), Audrey in As You Like It (California Lutheran University), and Margaret in Much Ado About Nothing (PCPA – Conservatory Rep).

Marlena McHenry (she/her) – (Bardolph)

Marlena is a Seattle-based theatre artist who loves devising, Fitzmaurice, and Viewpoints. She has a BA in Theatre from Western Washington University. Recent credits include One Horse Town with Annex Theatre (Susan), Triceratops Love Song with Somniterum Productions (Ellie), and Orange Flower Water with Come Up Productions (Beth). Favorite quarantine activities include cross-stitching, gluten-free and vegan cooking, crosswords, and Animal Crossing.

Mary Murfin-Bayley – (Quickly/Alice)

Mary is delighted for the opportunity to have played Mistress Quickly in GreenStage’s entire Henry cycle, Henry IV, 1 and 2, and now Henry V. Previous GreenStage roles include Belarius in Cymbeline and Gratiana in The Revenger’s Tragedy. She has worked with a number of Seattle theatre companies including Annex, Last Leaf, Theater Schmeater, Book-it, Azeotrope, and Seattle Public Theatre. Most recently she played Lucifer in Theatre9/12’s Henry Miller’s Creation of the World and Other Business. So glad you are here!

Beth Pollack – (Katherine/Boy)

Beth is a Seattle-based performer, teaching artist, and arts administrator. As an educator, Beth has worked with New York’s Mad and Merry Theatre Company, Seattle’s Young Shakespeare Workshop, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, The 5th Avenue Theater, Book-It Theatre, Jet City Improv, and ACT Theatre. As a performer, she has been involved in various classical, contemporary, and devised pieces in New York and Seattle. This production marks her appearance in 12 of Shakespeare’s 37 plays, including work with Dacha Theatre’s Shakespeare Dice series, for which she memorized the entirety of Twelfth Night, Hamlet, and As You Like It (and Pride and Prejudice, but that’s a different story). She has also been a cast member of Seattle Shakespeare Company’s Educational Touring Program for two years and was preparing to go on the road playing the title role in a Spanish-English Bilingual production of Hamlet when Covid-19 hit. Beth holds a BA in Theatre Studies and the Historicization of Dramatic Literature from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study and would be happy to explain what that means.

Luke Sayler – (Pistol)

Luke Sayler is glad to be “back” with his GreenStage family! Last summer he portrayed the cunning Prince John and the peculiar Shadow in Henry IV part 2. Previously, Luke joined GreenStage as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Duke of Suffolk in Henry VIII, and as many, many, characters in the Backyard-Bard productions of Macbeth, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He also loves to teach Shakespeare performance to children in GreenStages summer camps. Some of Luke’s favorite indoor performance credits are as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast (directed by Vince Brady), Stanley in One Man, Two Guvnors, Caligula in Caligula, Theo/Pip in Three Days of Rain, and Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest.

*** Mr. Sayler is also proud of his other career in Seattle Public Schools.

Joseph Shaw – (Henry)

Joseph is a Seattle-born, New York-based actor. He played Berowne in the 2015 GreenStage production of Love’s Labour’s Lost, and is privileged to be exploring Shakespeare in the company of such bard-lovers again. Joseph has worked regionally with Seattle Shakespeare and Tennessee Shakespeare among others, and just graduated from NYU’s Graduate Acting program.

Eli Sklov Simons – (Canterbury/Orleans/Williams)

Eli is happy to be working with GreenStage again. Eli is a househusband, who likes walking in the woods with his wife and two dogs and making music.

Nicole Vernon – (Chorus)

Nicole joined GreenStage during the 2006 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and is tickled to be in such great company once again. Most recently seen in The Three Musketeers as the much maligned Milady de Winter, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Big Sofa Productions’ Love, Loss, and What I Wore, she would love nothing more than to be getting sunburned and mosquito-bitten with all of you in the Parks this summer. Stay strong

Andrew Yabroff – (Scroop/Constable/Macmorris)

Andrew Is thrilled make his GreenStage debut .He was last scene in the international zoom reading of Midsummer Nights Dream with The Show Must Go Online out of Glasgow. Locally you have seen Andrew in four seasons at Island Shakespeare Festival where he was Puck in Midsummer, Clown in Winters Tale, Touchstone in As You Like it and many more. Andrew has also performed at Jewel Theatre in Santa Cuz CA (Explorers Club), Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland OR (Taming of the Shrew and King Lear), many shows with Riot of the Tipsy Bacchanals and Shakes on the Rocks in Los Angles, CA. You might also recognize Andrew from being a Tour/Actor Director with Missoula Children Theatre. Andrew is represented by Big Fish NW in Seattle and Hartman Entertainment and Tilmar Talent in LA. He holds a BFA in Acting with a minor in Shakespeare Studies from Southern Oregon University. @yabroffa

Vince Brady – (Director)

Vince is thrilled to be working with GreenStage again. He has worked with them as both an actor (King Lear, Hamlet) and as a director (Love’s Labour’s Lost, Cymbeline) and always has a great time. He was born in Liverpool, England and worked as an actor and director in the U.K. and Europe before settling in the Pacific Northwest. In England he studied with Barbara Houseman (RSC & Shakespeare’s Globe) and Patrick Tucker (RSC, Original Shakespeare Company & Shakespeare’s Globe). Since moving to Seattle, he has worked with many wonderful organizations including Seattle Shakespeare Company, Wooden O, Harlequin, Village Theater, SecondStory Rep and Centerstage. Vince would like to thank everyone involved for donating their time and talent, with special thanks to his wife, Sally for letting him use her laptop and teaching him how Zoom works. Enjoy the show and stay safe.

Melissa Wilson (Stage Manager)

Melissa is excited to be doing her second show with GreenStage, but this time as a stage manager! While generally found acting, Melissa loves expanding her knowledge in all areas of theatre so she is thrilled at this chance to stage manage. Her past roles include Drew (CYT), Ursula (CYT), Biondello/Widow (GreenStage), Captain Hook (CYT), and Babette (KCC Dessert Theatre). Thanks to God, family, and friends. Phillipians 4:6-7.