ANJA AVSHARIAN

LADY MACDUFF / ATTENDANT

Born and raised in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC, Anja Avsharian is thrilled to

make her debut with the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival. New

Orleans stage credits include Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible

(The Fat Squirrel), Blanche (Panic) in The Six Blanches (Tennessee

Williams Theater Company), and Rose Stopnik in Caroline, or Change

(JPAS). Their film work includes the feature Faces of Death and shorts

Sybconscious, Echo’s Chamber, The Maids, Mugshot, Cannibal Hotel,

and Subsequent. In New York City, Anja has appeared Off Broadway at

The Players Theater as Beauty in Beauty and the Beast and A Christmas

Carol, as well as Malka Silber in The Argentinian Prostitute (Theater

Row). She graduated from NYC’s Professional Performing Arts School,

earned a BA in Theater Studies from Loyola University New Orleans,

and completed additional training at The Lee Strasberg Theater and

Film Institute in NYC. She is represented by The Krewe Collective.

 

JAMES BARTELLE

FIRST WITCH

James Bartelle was most recently seen in The Shakespeare Festival at

Tulane’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Puck). Previous

Festival credits include Julius Caesar (Mark Antony), Romeo & Juliet (The

Prince), Hamlet (Horatio), The Tempest (Gonzalo), Two Gentlemen of

Verona (Speed), The Importance of Being Earnest (Jack), Merry Wives

of Windsor (Sir Hugh Evans), and As You Like It-2008 (Orlando). James

has appeared in several productions with The NOLA Project including

Frankenstein (Multiple Roles), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bottom),

Robin Hood (Robin Hood), and Marie Antoinette (A Sheep). A multiple-

award winning actor and writer, James is the co-creator of the two-person

play Flying Dreams [The Ambitious Ascent of Icarus & Daedalus] which will

travel the Fringe Festival circuit in the very near future.

 

 

ARRIANNA CHAI

MALCOLM

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Arrianna is a theatre artist and

educator excited to work with the New Orleans Shakespeare

Festival. Credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Puck),

Macbeth (Malcolm), Twelfth Night (Maria/Balthasar), Romeo and

Juliet, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Dussie Mae), Three Sisters (Irina),

She Kills Monsters (Lilith), By/Vera Stark (Lottie/Carmen), and Picnic

(Christine). She has worked with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company,

Sargent Conservatory, and various independent artists. Arrianna has

also participated in PLAY/WRITE with Crescent City Stage and Goat

in the Road Productions. She is a graduate of Webster University’s

Sargent Conservatory for Theatre Arts.

 

 

ROBINSON J. CYPRIAN

DONALBAIN / MURDERER 1 / MESSENGER

Born in Hammond, Louisiana, raised in Trenton, New Jersey; Robinson is

elated to return to Festival again! A graduate of the University of Southern

Mississippi, Robinson’s recent performance credits include A Midsummer

Night’s Dream, The Imaginary Invalid, and A Streetcar Named Desire.

Special thanks to my family and friends. I love you JB & Benji.

 

 

LUCIEN GRACE

MACDUFF’S CHILD

Lucien Grace was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and is excited to

be setting foot on the Lupin Theater’s stage for the first time. He is

ten years old and made their theatrical debut at the Le Petit Theatre

during Summer 2025. Lucien enjoys music, acting, mine-crafting, and

is honored to portray a character in such a historic play.

 

 

MONICA R. HARRIS

ROSS

Monica R. Harris is a Black Filipina multidisciplinary artist with a BA,

Theatre Arts from Loyola University New Orleans and has performed

with the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane since 2018. Recent

works: Little Shop of Horrors (Director, Loyola University New Orleans),

Vampires of New Orleans (Atun-Shei Films), New Orleans Fringe Festival

(President, Board of Directors), Somnotomy (Intramural Theater), Mother

Catherine & the Temple of the Innocent Blood (Mudlark Puppeteers,

Jim Henson Foundation), Anne Rice: All Saints’ Day Celebration (The

Orpheum, Q&A Productions NY), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (TWTC), Julius

Caesar (New Orleans Shakespeare Festival), Penny Dreadfuls (TWTC),

Shakespeare’s Tempest: Reimagined (The NOLA Project), Romeo & Juliet

(New Orleans Shakespeare Festival), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The

NOLA Project), Vieux Carré (Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theatre

Festival), Bare: A Pop Opera (Guest Artist, Whitman College), Birth of a

Culture (Director, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra), The Conductor’s

Spellbook (Narrator, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra).

 

 

RYAN HAYES

BANQUO

Ryan Hayes is thrilled to return to the New Orleans Shakespeare

Festival where he recently performed in King Lear, The Imaginary

Invalid, and Julius Caesar. Other local credits include The Lehman

Trilogy (Emanuel), Beautiful- The Carol King Musical (Don Kirshner), Let

the Right One In, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,

all at Le Petit Theatre. He’s newish to New Orleans after 23 years in

San Francisco and over 50 plays, musicals, films and commercials. He

played James Tyrone in A Moon for the Misbegotten and Long Day’s

Journey into Night in Ireland and California with the Eugene O’Neill

Foundation. He created a one man show he adapted from the poetry of

Walt Whitman entitled Boys Together Clinging.

 

 

DAVID LIND*

MACBETH

David is thrilled to be working with the New Orleans Shakespeare

Festival. Select credits include: Noises Off, You Got Older (Steppenwolf

Theatre Company), The Lehman Trilogy, Doubt (Le Petit Theatre)

New Country (Rattlestick Theater). Other Regional credits: Macbeth,

Amadeus, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Play That Goes Wrong,

The Thanksgiving Play, The Glass Menagerie, Sweat, Who’s Afraid of

Virginia Woolf?, The Grapes of Wrath, The Miss Firecracker Contest,

Tender Napalm, Dividing the Estate. Film: Five Nights at Freddy’s, Ally

Clark, Billboard. Television: Chicago P.D., The Bear, Chicago Fire, Fargo,

Shameless, NCIS: New Orleans. Education: Millsaps College, Circle in

the Square Theatre School.

 

 

BRIAN MCCORMACK

SEYTON

Born in NYC, Brian is excited to make his New Orleans Shakespeare

Festival debut. Previous credits include: Henry VI Part 1 (Purchase

Repertory Theatre) and The Seagull (Columbia MFA Dir. Thesis).

 

 

JANA MESTECKY*

LADY MACBETH

Theatrical highlights in her three-decades-long career as an actor/director

include Cherry Lane Theatre, The New Group, Lincoln Center, Playhouse

on Park, Gloucester Stage Company, The New Globe Theatre, Inc, Epic

Repertory Theatre, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Crescent City Stage

(a theatre she co-founded), Tectonic Theater Project, Shakespeare & Co

(Paris, France), The Astoria Choir, and The Actors Studio. Jana holds an

MFA in Acting from Actors Studio Drama School (NYC) and has studied

at The American Conservatory Theatre (CA), The American Repertory

Theatre in Boston, and Le Théâtre des Cinquantes in Paris, France. Jana

also teaches for a variety of institutions in and around New Orleans

including Loyola University, Benjamin Franklin High School (awarded

Teacher of the Year), the English-Speaking Union, Southeastern Louisiana

University, and NOCCA.

 

 

ROBERT A. MITCHELL

DUNCAN

Robert is stoked to return this summer to tackle the role of Duncan!

Past roles here include Beralde in The Imaginary Invalid, Starveling

in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Antonio in Twelfth Night, and

Northumberland in Henry IV, Part I. Thanks, Graham - and, as always,

thanks to my Bunny for giving me up to the theatre.

 

 

GEORGIA MORGAN

THIRD WITCH

Born in North Carolina, Georgia is immensely grateful to be back in

New Orleans making her New Orleans Shakespeare Festival debut in

Macbeth. Credits include: Interview with the Vampire (AMC), Appalachian

Dog (CH Squared Films), Unnecessary Farce (Rhinoleap), and Henry

VI Part I (Purchase Rep). Graduate of UNC School of the Arts & SUNY

Purchase’s Conservatory of Theatre Arts (BFA).

 

 

DC PAUL

LENNOX

DC Paul is a New Orleans native and seasoned multi-hyphenate

entertainer whose work spans stage, comedy, hosting, and voiceover.

His theatrical credits include Pass Over and The Colored Museum (The

NOLA Project), Colossal (Southern Rep), The Bluest Eye (Le Petite), and

The Color Purple (ABCT). DC is thrilled to bring his talents to this year’s

Shakespeare Festival as part of the cast of Macbeth.

 

 

DAVID SELLERS

PORTER / ANGUS / MURDERER 2

David is happy to be back with his family at the Festival. Recent NOLA

credits include Cliteau Cliteau in NOLA Project’s Clown Bar 2 and

Doc Baugh in TWTC’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Past credits include Friar

Laurence in Romeo and Juliet (New Orleans Shakespeare Festival),

Reverend Tooker in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Le Petite Theatre), and Harry

Bishop in Song of a Man Coming Through (Southern Rep). Numerous

Chicago credits include Claudius in Hamlet, Edgar in King Lear and

Boaz in Sirens of Titan (Lifeline Theatre).

 

 

SOFIA SEVERSON

FLEANCE

Sofia is from London, England, and is excited to make her professional

debut with the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival. Previous credits

include: The Lesson, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Ubu Roi (Tulane

Department of Theatre and Dance). Sofia is a rising senior at Tulane

University pursuing a BA in Theatre Performance, Dance, and History.

She would like to thank her family for their continuous support!

 

 

EDWARD CARTER SIMON*

MACDUFF

A New Orleans native and SAG-AFTRA/Actors’ Equity member, Edward

trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (New York) and

the Strasberg Theatre Institute (Los Angeles). Stage highlights include

Kingdom of Earth (TWTC, Crescent City Theater Award Winner, Best

Actor), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Big Easy Award Nomination, Best Actor

in a Musical), and Dinner with Friends at Le Petit Théâtre. Musical credits

include Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus) and Xanadu (Sonny) with JPAS. On

screen, he portrayed Lieutenant Bradshaw on NCIS: New Orleans. Beyond

the stage, Edward holds a doctorate in clinical psychology. He is proud to

make his New Orleans Shakespeare Festival debut.

 

 

ZARAH HŌKŪLE’A SPALDING

SECOND WITCH

Though born and raised in O’ahu, Hawai’i, Zarah has trained classically

in both New York (SUNY Purchase Theatre Arts Conservatory (BFA))

and London (RADA; The Globe Theatre). Zarah was also the national

champion for the ESU Shakespeare Competition at Lincoln Center

(2015). She is beyond honored to be returning to NOSF for her

fourth season! Recent theatre credits include, NOSF’s A Midsummer

Night’s Dream (Titania), Flying Dreams (Icarus), NOSF’s Julius

Caesar (Octavius), and NOLA Project’s The Tempest (Ferdinand).