Worlds Elsewhere Theatre Company Presents:
William Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost

Watch the Stream ✦ Premiered

“Navarre shall be the wonder of the world;
Our court shall be a little Academe.”

So begins William Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, a play where words, learning, and intellect are valued above all else. The King and Lords of Navarre have sworn to study, swearing off love and contact with the outside world; this oath is soon complicated by the arriving Princess of France and her entourage.

A battle of wits, words, and politics fills this love story that takes us on unexpected twists and turns in this play that is not quite the comedy it seems to be. Director Joshua M. Feder leads this contemporary virtual production that explores the joys and challenges of these romances, friendships, and scholarly values.

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Company Artistic Statement

Theatre, given its nature as a medium made of people in space, has always been a first victim during times of plague.

When the COVID-19 pandemic spread through the world at the start of the year 2020, theatres closed, and millions were left unemployed.

Worlds Elsewhere Theatre Company was founded during this terrifying time. It is our mission to create theatre without a theatre — to create a space online that can serve as a theatrical one. Our company shall create an online space that serves the same function that theatre has served for millennia — as a place of catharsis and healing.

Support Us

Worlds Elsewhere is pleased to present Love’s Labour’s Lost on a pay-what-you-want basis. Prior to the show’s live performance, we offered virtual “tickets” with bonus access to a live talkback with the cast and crew. Ticket sales are closed, but if you still want to support future content like this from our theatre company, please go to our Donate page! Thank you for your support!

Donate to Worlds Elsewhere!

We understand if you, like many people, are not in a position to offer your financial support at the moment; this is a difficult time. If that is the case and you would still like to support our mission, any of the following steps would be very welcome assistance:

About This Production

Love’s Labour’s Lost explores the power of words, how we communicate, and the way logic is constantly in tension with emotion. Characters rely on (and value) language as a sign of intelligence and a means to share information. Each is committed to their beliefs — philosophical, political, intellectual, or romantic — and does their best to articulate and be true to those values. Like many of us, they attempt to (over)analyze their feelings, but emotions are too powerful to rationalize; we just need to let ourselves love.

Our production takes a contemporary look at these themes by broadening and shifting the genders and sexualities of the characters. With four couples and a love triangle, Love’s Labour’s Lost allows for an examination of many different identities, genders, relationships, and sexual orientations. This variety of experiences shows what is unique about each couple, and what is universally true about being in love. Similarly, “Team Navarre” and “Team France” are two groups of friends who connect based on personalities and interests; they interact with one another, encouraging, teasing and challenging, regardless of gender. They form friendships and fall in love, not because of gendered traits, but because of each person’s unique humanity.

This Shakespearean play lives in the tensions between reason and emotion, study and experience, life and death, love and loss, comedy and tragedy. These paradoxes make the play truer to the lives we lead; we all connect, love, and find joy, while acknowledging and managing difficult realities. It is in that balance that we find the greatest reward. The best plays allow for tears and laughter, depth and silliness, fun and meaning; Love’s Labour’s Lost does just that.

~ Josh Feder, Director

The Plot

Acts I - IV

The King of Navarre and her Lords swear an oath to commit to three years of study, and to not interact with the outside world or give into any romantic or sexual temptations. Berowne, one of the lords, points out potential problems, since the Princess of France and her entourage are arriving later that day. Meanwhile, Don Armado, a visiting noble from Spain, is in love with the milkmaid Jaquenetta, who is in turn in love with the country-person Costard. The Princess of France and her court arrive to negotiate the return of Aquitaine; politics is soon forgotten as old and new sparks ignite between the two sets of nobles. Armado and Berowne each write a letter, and each ask Costard to deliver it to their respective loves. The Princess and her crew, on their morning hunt, are interrupted by Costard delivering the (wrong) letter to Rosaline. Then, while Holofernes the schoolmistress, Nathaniel the curate, and Dull the constable discuss the hunt, Costard and Jaquenetta arrive to ask someone to read the letter they think is for Jaquenetta. Later, each of the Navarre lords recite their love poems, thinking they’re alone, but they all overhear one another. Together, they decide that Love is the greatest thing to learn, and plan to woo these “friends of France.”

Intermission

Act V

Armado assembles the citizens to put on a play that the King has asked them to perform to help in their wooing of the French nobles. The Princess and her friends, having received letters and gifts from their paramours, learn that the Navarre nobles are coming to woo them in disguise; they devise their own plot to trick the Navarre nobles into courting the wrong French nobles. The plan works perfectly, and they all admit their feelings, just in time for the performance of the play. The nobles watch (and heckle) with delight, but the fun is soon interrupted by two announcements. What was once a romantic comedy becomes a reminder of the fleetingness of life, as each pair of lovers separates, promising to wait a year and a day until they reunite to prove their love for one another.

Dramatis Personae

The Kingdom of Navarre

KING FERDINAND …………… Xenia Danylyszyn
BEROWNE, a lord …………… George Nettleton
LONGAVILLE, a lord …………… Danny Sorrell
DUMAINE, a lord …………… Lisa LaGrande

The Royalty of France

PRINCESS OF FRANCE …………… Audrey Loomis
ROSALINE, a noble …………… Lesley Lina
KATHARINE, a noble …………… Siena D’Addario
MARIA, a noble …………… Sam Boelens
BOYET, an attending lord …………… Morgan Stutler
MARCADÉ, a Messenger …………… Bex Silberfein

Visitors from Spain

DON ADRIANO DE ARMADO, a lord ……… Brody Rogers
MOTH, his page …………… Ellie Jay Mckee

The Citizens of Navarre

COSTARD, a country person ……… Emma Marie Montoya
DULL, a constable …………… Lucas Gutiérrez-Robert
JAQUENETTA, a milk maid …………… Lia Prindle
HOLOFERNES, a schoolmistress ………… Pam Palsat
NATHANIEL, a curate …………… Ilana Degann

Understudies

For LONGAVILLE, MARIA, ARMADO, DULL, HOLOFERNES ……… Matthew Tiemstra
For DUMAINE, MOTH, JAQUENETTA, NATHANIEL ……… Bex Silberfein
For KING FERDINAND …………… Siena D’Addario
For BEROWNE …………… Danny Sorrell
For PRINCESS …………… Emma Marie Montoya
For ROSALINE …………… Ilana Degann
For KATHARINE …………… Lia Prindle
For BOYET …………… Lucas Gutiérrez-Robert
For COSTARD …………… Ellie Jay Mckee

Cast and Crew

Performers

Sam Boelens (Maria; any pronouns) is an actor, singer, dancer, writer, and musician, currently residing in the NYC metro area.

Siena D’Addario (Katharine; she/her) is a NYC-based actor, writer, producer and singer that graduated with a BFA in Acting from NYU Tisch (Playwrights Horizons Theater School); she also studied classical acting at RADA in London, England. Recent theatre credits: Sisters on the Ground (Max Posner), directed by Ken Rus Schmoll; The Shoebox (Kate Brennan), directed by Lindsey Hope Pearlman; The Cherry Orchard, directed by Rakesh Palisetty (Columbia University, MFA Directing Program); Alex Getting Better, directed by Agustina Cedraschi (Garden of Voices). Recent film credits: Spinning Man and Semper Fi (Amazon Prime), Ranch Water (Feature), Cocoa (Feature, and Co-Producer), K2 TOG (Short, Co-Producer & Co-Writer). www.sienadaddario.com

Xenia Danylyszyn (King Ferdinand; she/her/they/them) is a NYC-based classical actor who is very excited to be joining this fantastic virtual team. Much like Ferdinand, she enjoys hijinks, poetry, and coming up with amazing (read: awful) plans with friends. It has been a privilege to work with you all. Onwards, lusty gentlemen!

Ilana Degann (Nathaniel; she/her) is an actress, musician, and comedian from Los Angeles, California. She’s excited to be returning to acting for the first time since 2020 and is even more thrilled that she gets to work with this cast and crew. When she’s not performing, she can often be found making short form videos on social media, but don’t worry - she doesn’t dance.

Lucas Gutiérrez-Robert (Dull; they/them) is an Argentine-Canadian actor from the Maritime Provinces. Growing up, they attended the Theatre New-Brunswick musical theatre program. It was there that they developed both their skills and their appreciation for the performing arts. Lucas has also been part of their own local outdoor Shakespeare troupe, Bard in The Barracks, for the past seven years. This is their first production with Worlds Elsewhere, and they greatly hope it is not their last.

Lisa LaGrande (Dumaine; she/her) is delighted to join the cast of Love’s Labour’s Lost! She is an Actor, Intimacy & Movement Director, and playwright. Some of her favorite past acting roles include: Andromache in Trojan Women, Catherine in Proof, and Mistress Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Juliet in Romeo & Juliet, and way too many other beloved Shakespeare roles to count. She would like to thank her beloved friends and family for their unwavering support of her in life, on stage, and in all of her creative endeavors. Please visit www.lisalagrande.com to learn more.

Lesley Lina (Rosaline; she/her) is an actress based in Manila, Philippines. During the pandemic, Lesley found solace in Shakespeare and his works, appearing in virtual productions of The Winter’s Tale as Hermione (Manila Shakespeare Company), Macbeth as Lady Macbeth (Theater Space Manila), and The Merry Wives of Windsor as Anne Page (Facsimile Productions). She is thrilled to be working with the cast, crew, and creative team of Worlds Elsewhere’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, essaying another dream role of hers, Rosaline, and to once again experience the power of theatre to heal, inspire, and bring people together, no matter the distance.

Audrey Loomis (Princess of France; she/her) is thrilled to be joining Worlds Elsewhere for this production. Previous credits include All Is Fair Parts 1 and 2 with Quest Players in NYC. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, and has also studied with the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Her undergraduate thesis, “Unsex Me: Exploring Gendered Adaptation in Shakespeare” was selected for the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s Wooden O Symposium.

Ellie Jay Mckee (Moth; she/her) is elated to step back into Shakespeare after an unplanned hiatus. Ellie has appeared in A Midsummer Night’s Dream about 4 times and it’s her dream to eventually play every role in the show. While Shakespeare has a special place in her heart, she loves to perform in musicals and can be seen in Carrie the Musical as Sue Snell and Patty Di Marco in School of Rock coming up in May. Ellie would like to thank her friends here in New York as well as her family cheering her on in Seattle. Thank you for tuning in!

Emma Marie Montoya (Costard; she/her/they/them) is so excited to be joining Worlds Elsewhere’s virtual production of Love’s Labour’s Lost! From Santa Fe, NM where she grew up, to Irvine, CA where she received her BA in Drama with Honors, to her current home in Chicago, IL, Emma has always had a passion for storytelling and theater, no matter the platform. They especially love working on Shakespeare and have appeared in Merry Wives of Windsor (Anne Page), Pericles (Marina), and Macbeth three times (Lady Macbeth, Witch, Macduff). Throughout the pandemic, Emma has focused on continuing to make art virtually through various projects including leading a neo-futurist collective at UC Irvine through over 8 virtual productions.

George Nettleton (Berowne; he/him) is a British actor originally from the county of South Yorkshire. A graduate of the RADA Foundation Course, he specializes in Film, Theatre and Voiceover Work. He currently lives and works in London.

Pam Palsat (Holofernes; she/her) kept busy during lockdown with many online productions. These include two pantos and an original children’s play for the NorCal Fringe Festival. Love’s Labour’s Lost for World’s Elsewhere Theatre Company is her second online Shakespeare production. Her first was a YouTube Live production of Richard III (Hastings) for Dramatists Unite Collective.

Lia Prindle (Jaquenetta; she/her) grew up in the small town of Albany, CA, in the San Francisco Bay Area, and began doing theatre at the age of 9, where she played the coyote in her fourth grade play, and fell in love with it. Since then, she studied Drama with minors in Film and Education at the University of California, Irvine. Since graduating, she has returned to her hometown in SF, and has been a part of numerous short films and commercials. This is her first time working with Worlds Elsewhere Theatre Company, and is super excited to bring Jaquenetta to life!

Brody Rogers (Don Armado; he/him) is an actor from the Bay Area, and, boy, what a good-looking one.

Bex Silberfein (Marcade/Understudy; they/them/she/her) is thrilled to be dipping their toes back into acting after an extended stay on the other side of the table! They would like to thank the entire LLL team and WETC at large for being a safe space to get creative and play. This one’s for all my Shakespeare nerds out there!

Danny Sorrell (Longaville; he/him) is a cynical English actor who, despite all his fatalism, can’t help but love theatre and the way acting makes him feel. He’s always loved disappearing into other worlds, and likes to think he always comes out a little bit wiser.

Morgan Stutler (Boyet; he/him) is a voice actor and printer technician originally from Michigan. Morgan moved to Richmond, Virginia, in early 2018 and has been happy to join Worlds Elsewhere as he works towards a proper presence online. A student of Italian swordsmanship and martial arts, a gamer, LARPer, singer, and student of history, Morgan is reachable on Twitter at @MrMorphine482.

Matthew Tiemstra (Understudy; he/him) is thrilled to be returning to Worlds Elsewhere! Previous credits include: Hamlet (Hamlet), Julius Caesar (Cassius), Twelfth Night (Orsino), 1776 (Thomas Jefferson). Thank you to Julie for love and patience with my use of our bandwidth. Enjoy this production, navarre to be seen again! More wit and questionable wisdom here: MatthewTiemstra.com

Production

Joshua M. Feder (Director; he/him) is overjoyed to be working on one of his favorite Shakespeare plays with such creative theatermakers. Currently based in Southern California, Josh is a director, choreographer, educator, and producer who has worked extensively in NYC and New England. He is preparing for his 15th summer at the New London Barn Playhouse, where he is the Education Director and has directed Sylvia, Over the Pub, and 30 shows with their teen company. In addition to directing Cymbeline, The Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night, and three productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, other favorite directing credits include: The Heidi Chronicles, The Learned Ladies, The Drowsy Chaperone, Legally Blonde, Sweeney Todd, and How I Learned to Drive. BA: Dartmouth College. MFA in Directing and Certificate in Arts Management: UC Irvine. @joshuam.feder | www.joshuamfeder.com

Audrey Napoli (Assistant Director; she/her) is a recent graduate of the University of California, Irvine (zot zot zot!), where she studied directing. She has recently moved to Chicago, IL, where she currently works as an actor and director. She is very excited to be working with Worlds Elsewhere for the first time and hopes you enjoy the show!

Kelley Ho (Producer; she/her) is a creative, born and raised in South Sacramento, who now resides in Brooklyn. She has worked in production teams on stage and on screen throughout the country. Theater: Z Space, Art Rat, MOON Collective, South Coast Repertory, New London Barn Playhouse. Film: Yale Productions, Jen Kim Productions, Caramel Hippo Studios. Kelley is grateful to be reunited with her UCI colleagues and to have the opportunity to work with this incredible cast and crew. Portfolio: bit.ly/kelleyho

David Neubauer (Assistant Producer; he/him/they/them) is a long-time game nerd who is getting into theatre things since they go so well together. This is his third Worlds Elsewhere production (She Kills Monsters, Winter Spooky), and he is excited to learn more from this crew as we go!

Molly O’Donnell (Stage Manager; they/them) is a non-binary theatre artist who was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. They recently graduated from UC Irvine, where they double-majored in English and Drama, with an Honors in Directing. Molly is a proud CODA (Child of a Deaf Adult) and is deeply passionate about increasing and improving accessibility in the theatrical field and beyond. Molly is a stage manager, director, playwright, barista, and above all this, a true lover of storytelling. This is their first time working with Worlds Elsewhere, and they hope you love Navarre as much as they do.

Kyle Kallgren (Technical Director; he/him) is the co-founder and Director of Digital at Worlds Elsewhere and is excited to serve as Technical Director. Previous work for WETC includes A Midsummer Night’s Stream (Director/Theseus), Winter Cabaret (Director), and The Space Between (Director/TD). As Director of Digital, Kyle is tasked with navigating Worlds Elsewhere through the digital landscape, growing our platform and following. He supervises our public facing communications, including social media outreach, as well as the technical aspects of our streaming. Outside of WETC, he has been producing video essays regularly on YouTube, both independently and as part of larger creative collaborative groups, for nearly 12 years.

Ilana Greenberg-Sud (Social Media Coordinator, Moderator; she/her/they/them) is a writer, cosplayer, director, producer, performer, and whatever else needs doing (like Social Media…) when it comes to making theatre. In addition to helping found Worlds Elsewhere, she made her directorial re-debut in October ‘20 with Lysistrata, and has had her fingers in pretty much every WETC pie since. She is excited to expand the Worlds Elsewhere community with every show, and has not seen any of the rehearsals for this show, and is beyond thrilled to get to see it for the very first time. She doesn’t intentionally have a small personal social media footprint, but her continued hiatus from Twitter and Facebook has been very restful.

Company Staff

Executive Director - David Kowarsky
Director of Theatre - Ilana Greenberg-Sud
Director of Digital - Kyle Kallgren
Company Technical Director & Web/IT Manager - Adrianne Greenberg-Sud
Special Projects Manager - Nicole Lopez-Hagan

Worlds Elsewhere Theatre Company is based in New York City, Seattle, and the Central California Coast,on lands home to the Munsee Lenape, Duwamish, and Coast Salish peoples.

In addition, Worlds Elsewhere’s company and repertory members are located on the lands of the following peoples:

Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ
Bodwéwadmi (Potawatomi)
Canarsie
Chumash
Coast Salish
Confederated Villages of Lisjan
Duwamish
Fernandeño Tataviam
Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk)
Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo)
Kizh (Gabrieleno)
Lənape Haki-nk (Lenni-Lenape)
Me-Wuk (Miwok)
Mi'kma'ki
Munsee Lenape
Muwekma
Myaamia
Očhéthi Šakówiŋ
Ohlone
Payómkawichum (Luiseño)
Peoria
Powhatan
Schaghticoke
Tongva (Gabrieleno)
Wabanaki (Dawnland Confederacy)
Wappinger
Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet)
Yokuts

We acknowledge that this land came into government possession through acts of genocide, as part of our commitment to work towards addressing the impacts of those acts in our pursuit of social justice, and to foster a world where such injustices are truly consigned to the past.

Tribe names provided by Native Lands Digital

For more information, consult #HonorNativeLand — US Department of Arts and Culture

Audio, Music, and Image Attributions

Special Thanks

Andrew Miller
Ray Zarate