Hiko Addison (They / Them)

Knight, Attendant, & Gentle

Old Man

Nathaniel Hiko Addison is a Denver-based actor and storyteller, thrilled to make

their Colorado debut with Bowls with the Bard in King Lear, one of their personal favorite

Shakespearean dramas. They earned their BFA in Theatre Performance from Central

Washington University, where they trained in acting, voice, and movement.

As a Black and queer artist, they are passionate about the role of theatre as both reflection and

reckoning, especially within classical work like Shakespeare.

They are deeply grateful to be part of this production and to the Bowls with the Bard community for keeping live theatre accessible and alive. When not performing, Hiko continues to pursue work across stage and screen, while also working across creative and community-based fields, including fashion production with the Black-owned brand HAUS, real estate, and hospitality.

They are always excited to connect with fellow artists, craftspeople, collaborators, and creatives.

Ayden Armstrong (She / They)

Kent / Oswald

Costume Designer

Ayden Armstrong is excited to be joining her first performance with Bowls with the

Bard as both a performer and designer! Born and raised in the Denver theatre community,

Ayden has worked with many local companies. Recently, she has been seen as Governor

Ferguson/ensemble in Bonnie and Clyde (Bright Heart Stages), The Witch in The Wood

(ArtsHub), and ensemble characters, Juliet’s Understudy, and the costume designer for Romeo

and Juliet (Upstart Crow)! Ayden received her BFA in Music Theatre from Metro and uses her

training both in theater and in the classroom as she teaches a high school theatre class!

Erin Banthoff (She / Her)

Regan & Edgar


Erin is a Denver-based theatrical artist who is always on the hunt for the next creative opportunity. By day, she serves as Operations Manager for the nation’s longest-running disability theatre, Phamaly Theatre Company. By night, she is trying to find time for everything else: performance, voice over, design, directing, and spending time with her beloved cats. Every day, she is thankful for her supportive circle and husband, Jeremy.

Aidan Blank (They / Them)

Steward, Attendant, & Curan

Swing for Lear, Fool, France,

& Albany

Movement Director

Aidan Blank is a Denver-based actor and movement choreographer. You may have recently seen his performance side as Kyle Carter in Exit, Pursued by a Bear (prod. Shifted Lens) or George/The Drowned in The Legend of Anne Bonny (co-prod. by Two Cent Lion and Shifted Lens). You could have also seen his choreography work in Matilda Jr. (with Girls Athletic Leadership School) or Romeo & Juliet (prod. The Upstart Crow). They are so pleased to continue working with Shakespeare’s words and bring some comedy to this classic tragedy!
Enjoy the show!
@aidan_blank

Adrianna DelPercio (She / Her)

Cordelia & Gloucester

Adrianna is very excited to be back with Bowls with the Bard for King Lear. She is from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and has been in beautiful Colorado for about 2 years. Although she was raised in South Carolina she spent 6 years in Oklahoma where she received her BFA in Acting and a minor in Directing from Oklahoma City University. Some recent credits include Macbeth (Porter/Hecate) Bright Star (Mama Cane), Eurydice (Loud Stone), ALiEN8 (Janet), and Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey 2). When she is not performing on the stage Adrianna likes to spend her time being creative through painting, writing, or reading whatever new fantasy book has taken her attention that week. Adrianna would like to thank her family, friends, her cat Hamilton, and her wonderful boyfriend John for always supporting her.

Emogene Lovey (They / Them)

Burgundy & Cornwall

Although they have been working behind the scenes as a costume designer for many years, Emogene Lovey just recently made their onstage debut in The Wood by Gabi GlidewellI. As a long time user of both weed and Shakespeare, they are excited to be doing their first show with Bowls with the Bards. If you enjoy their performance, or just like their vibe, you can follow their artistic journey on isntagram @emogenelovey. 

Andrea Mérida (She / They)

Goneril & Edmund

Happily returning to perform with BWTB, I offer my wit, laughs and a heaping helping of magic to the roles of Goneril and Edmund! These roles would not be possible without my cat distracting me from learning my lines, my loving family and friends lending a listening ear to the wonderful concept of the show, and of course, Nature, that most blessed goddess. 

Daniel Mothershed (He / Him)

Lear & Fool

Daniel Mothershed is thrilled to work with Bowls with the Bard again and attempt to be every inch the king… and Fool, too, apparently. Daniel is an actor/director based in Denver, with over a decade of experience making theatre in Colorado and in a tiny Chicago apartment. Favorite theatre credits include Nick Bottom (2019) and Theseus (2024), A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Hamlet, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged); Friar Francis, Much Ado About Nothing; and directing the Colorado premiere of Austin Tichenor’s Fool: The HILARIOUS True Story of King Lear. He also co-wrote Oh Greeley: An All-American Musical. It has been a joy escaping to the circus with these brilliant artists and “expressing our darker purpose.”

Drake Simon (He / Him)

Swing for Regan, Edgar, Cordelia, Gloucester, Old Man, & Attendants

Drake is very excited to have his Denver debut with Bowls with the Bard! Drake is an all around Performing artist that recently moved into the Denver area from Grand Junction. He most recently worked as a professional Ballet/Contemporary dancer but is excited to branch out into his passion for theatre! He has loved Shakespeare since performing it every summer on the Oregon Coast where he grew up, so is excited to join in bringing shakespeare to the Denver community. Along with dancing and acting he plays multiple instruments including the flute and the ukulele.

Jaylin Wiese (He / Him)

France / Albany

Jaylin is a Denver based actor!







Meet

The Production Team

Clove Love (They / Them)

Director


Clove Love is an early career director, intimacy director, playwright, and educator based in Denver, CO. They have worked for many theatre companies all over Colorado including Phamaly Theatre Company, Breckenridge Backstage, Miners Alley Playhouse, Curious Theatre Company, Vintage Theatre, and Shifted Lens Theatre Company. Clove is a passionate multidisciplinary theatre artist whose mission is to take progressive steps in the active forwarding of theatre as an art form for years and generations to come. They are thrilled to present their Denver directorial debut at Bowls with the Bard. To find out more about their work and artistic vision, you can check out their website or instagram at www.cloveslove.com or @clovedirects

Clara Papula (She / Her)

Assistant Director


This is Clara’s debut with Bowls with the Bard!  Credits include: Romeo and Juliet (AMDA LA), The Glass Menagerie (Vintage Theatre) and The Red Coat (AMDA LA).  Enjoy the chaos of the circus!

Alison Talvacchio (She / They) 

Dramaturg & Shakespeare Coach

Alison Talvacchio (she/they) is so grateful to make her dramaturgical and text coaching debut with Bowls with the Bard, after playing Friar Laurence, Tybalt, and Prince in Romeo & Juliet, Posthumus and Cloten in Cymbeline and being a swing in Twelfth Night. Other Colorado acting credits include: Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice) and Sister Mary Ignatius… (Diane) with The Three Leaches, The Pillowman (Tupolski) with Miscreant Theatre, The Revolutionists (Charlotte) and Elizabeth Rex (Lord Cecil) with 11 Minutes Theater, and Myth Adventures with Arts in the Open. Previously Alison created artistic work in Austin, TX and Washington, DC - where she graduated from the Catholic University of America’s Drama Department. alisontalvacchio.wixsite.com/alisontalvacchio

Cheri Bauman (She / Her)

Lighting Designer

Cheri is currently in her third year at the University of Colorado Boulder, studying Design Tech and Management, with an emphasis in Lighting Design. You may have seen some of her work in: The Normal Heart (Sandbox Student Series), Sister Seance (Unleashed Theatre Company), Romeo and Juliet (The Upstart Crow), John Proctor is the Villain (CU Mainstage), and As You Like It (Sandbox Student Series). She is an avid reader of webtoons, loves taking photos, and playing volleyball! She can’t wait for you to see the show!

Frieda Dunkelberg (They / Them)

Stage Manager

Tech Director

Frieda Dunkelberg is a lifelong theatre maker and enjoyer. Originally hailing from Dallas, they have called Denver home since 2019. Since coming to Denver, they've stage managed several shows, including Ja-Ne's "Zotto: An Immersive Folktale". While Frieda's main focus is directing, they can be found participating in every role that lends itself to the stage. 


Micaela Mannix & Jonathan Miot

Artistic Director & Production Manager

Micaela Mannix (she/her) is an actor, content creator, and Shakespeare lover from Draper, Utah. She is the face of 10kshakespeare on instagram and TikTok where she is working towards 10,000 hours of Shakespeare practice. Micaela is the founder and host of Bowls with the Bard. Acting credits include: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Julius Caesar, The Tempest, Othello (BSF); Macbeth, King Lear (Commonwealth Shakespeare); Henry V, Pirate Macbeth (Cohesion Theatre Company); Loves Labors Lost (Chesapeake Shakespeare); Twelfth Night (Three Leaches); Antony and Cleopatra (Brave Spirits Theatre). Micaela holds a BM in Musical Theatre from The Catholic University. Learn more at micaelamannix.com.

Jonathan Miot (he/him) is less than a year into his Denver theater journey and is already enamored with what this incredibly diverse and welcoming community has to offer. Thank you for coming and enjoy this fresh new experience!


Emy McGuire (They / Them)

Fight Director

Emy McGuire is an aspiring siren, sailor, and sword-enthusiast whose passion in life is to experience and tell stories. She has written eight novels, sailed across the Atlantic ocean, and has the world premiere of two of her plays in summer 2025.

Emy was raised in the foothills of Colorado, but she has spent time all over the world, including on the road performing Edgar Allan Poe from San Francisco to Salem, on a ship sailing from Rome to Antigua, and Sarasota, Florida where she received her bachelor’s in Theatre, Dance, Performance Studies/Creative Writing from the New College of Florida.


Ashley Abbink (She / Her) 

Musician

Nashville singer-songwriter Ashley Abbink’s sound transports listeners to different worlds. Her unique love of cinematic and theatre composition combined with modern, pop lyricism create folk inspired forests, cinematic epic-adventures, anthems for a Greek goddess, and more. Originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where she received a Bachelor of Music degree from Belmont University. In 2020, Abbink began live-streaming weekly musical performances on Twitch.Tv. She has amassed nearly 10k followers on Twitch; live-streamed to thousands of viewers around the world; been a featured musician on Twitch’s homepage; participated in Twitch’s invite only program “The Collective;” and been a featured artist on Amazon Music’s show Breakthrough. Listeners can find her music on all major music platforms and more content on social media @ashleyabbink.

Production Dedication

This production is dedicated to our long time friend and collaborator Paige Flores-Medrano

Paige became one of our favorite artists during our very first production of a Midsummer Night's Dream as our Assistant Director and Movement Director. They went on to direct our productions of Cymbeline and Twelfth Night as well as playing the role of Dramaturg in our production of As You Like It. Paige was set to direct the Tempest for us this fall but unfortunately passed away in February. This production, and all of our future work, is created in their honor. They are dearly missed.

King Lear Study Guide by Our Dramaturg

Click the link below to learn everything you need to know before watching our production of King Lear!


Study Guide

Director's Note

Whenever I embark on a new directorial journey, I make it my mission to challenge myself, more so than in my previous productions. King Lear was no different. Upon Bowls with the Bard offering me this production slot, I had to decide which Shakespeare I should take a stab at next, following my Colorado directorial debut of a queer, regency retelling of Romeo & Juliet just last year. King Lear, being my 2nd favorite Shakespeare, came to mind immediately; but what was my challenge? The illustrious and lengthy regal text? Certainly. The tragic nature of this specific Bard play while directing for a company such as BWTB, who illuminates and brings out the comedy in the text through the actors' weed consumption? Absolutely. I wanted to add another challenge, one that would dare my artistry and provoke wonder in an influenced audience. That is where my concept of dualism came into play. The characters you may know well are flipped on their heads in this version of King Lear, with actors playing 2 characters each; one costumed on either side of the actors bodies and faces. In addition, I considered, what would be the best setting for a concept such as this; where the costume design is split down the middle? That is when Lear’s circus, and the characters within, came to me. 


 While preparing this feat, I studied and analyzed the text, asking myself which characters are foils of each other and how their contrasts contribute to the duality of the eccentric characters within this play. This presented as an explorative challenge within my blocking; how I positioned each actor to appear as one character over the other, and with my King Lear, himself, who is doubled as the Fool and who is the only actor on this stage that gets to act with himself, rather than another actor. This conceptual decision is rooted in Lear’s fall to dementia and his percepted view of the players around him. We see what Lear sees. Additionally, I asked in my analysis, how can the text adapt to the entertaining circus theme that our Lear is now Ring Master of? 


 This concept explores the duality that finds Lear when he is succumbed to his own mind and he creates the Fool personality seen in Shakespeare’s text and within this production. The Fool shows up when Lear most feels he is in need of contradiction and when he, deep down, knows that his choices may lead to chaos and ruin within his circus. The Fool pleads with and makes fun of Lear’s decisions, attempting to convince Lear to change his path and reverse the damage that has been done. We see Lear fighting to share the stage with the Fool; the actor turning into Fool and then back to Lear in split seconds, and the characters surrounding Lear expressing annoyance and patience with Lear’s Fool coming out to play. This production intends to inquire how this tragedy transforms when its very core, the title character, becomes an unreliable narrator. 


 I am thrilled to be presenting this version of King Lear to our audiences today and am so grateful to the actors who jumped into this concept and helped the team discover meaning and madness within it. I am so thankful to my production team, specifically my costume designer, who didn’t shy away from this crazy dream of mine, and embraced the dual character concept fully and completely. Finally, I am endlessly appreciative to Bowls with the Bard, for taking a chance on a new director, and allowing me to expand Lear’s world, immersing this story with comedy, spectacle, and wonder. 


Clove Love

Director of King Lear

Special Thanks

to B. Ryan Glick for accessibility consultation

to Phamaly Theatre Company for Rehearsal Space

to the Tetra Lounge and the Three Leaches for our performance spaces

to Nicholas Setty for legal counsel

to Daniel and Carolyn Mannix for considerable contributions

to Lizzy Colandene for our Graphic Design



Land and Labor Acknowledgements

Bowls with the Bard acknowledges that by performing in Denver, we are performing on the land of the Apache, Comanche, Cheyenne, Ute, and Arapaho Tribes. We also recognize that statements like these are merely words without action. We encourage our patrons to make donations to the organizations at the links below:


Native American Rights Fund: https://secure.narf.org/page/64457/donate/1?locale=en-US


First Nations Development Institute: https://www.firstnations.org/fndi_donate/


We acknowledge our debt to the enslaved people, primarily of African descent, whose labor and suffering built and grew the economy and infrastructure of a nation that refused to recognize their humanity. We encourage our patrons to make donations to the following organizations:


Black Lives Matter 5280: https://www.coloradogives.org/donate/Blm5280


YouthSeen Colorado: https://youthseen.app.neoncrm.com/forms/2022-individual-donors