Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits!
A Brand New Way to See Shakespeare
Presented by the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival
MEMBER ONSALE: 10/28
PUBLIC ONSALE: 10/30
EARLY PURCHASE OPTION: If you are not a member of our VIP Program, you can join today, and buy tickets today to this show. After clicking BUY TICKETS, click JOIN NOW and choose NEW MEMBER TICKETS. The cost of the VIP Program will be added to your shopping cart.
Why you should see this show…
The long-running Cleveland Shakespeare Festival presents the Bard’s greatest hits in an intimate cabaret setting! This will be an exciting new and unique way to enjoy the brilliance of Shakespeare that will appeal to Shakespeare newbies and aficionados alike! The show will feature only the very best scenes from Shakespeare’s greatest plays. From Romeo and Juliet‘s balcony scene to Macbeth’s murder scene to the Rude Mechanicals’ show within a show; this cabaret style performance will feature comedic, dramatic, and action-packed scenes from Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, King Lear, Tempest, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, and Julius Caesar.
SEE ALL PERFORMANCE DATES HERE.
DUSTEN A. WELCH
DUSTEN A. WELCH is an award-winning fight choreographer and director. He teaches Stage Combat for both the CWRU’s MFA in Acting program and Baldwin Wallace University’s Acting and Directing Studies. As a fight choreographer, Dusten has more than 80 credits to his name, with work seen at Cleveland Playhouse, Great Lakes Theater, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Beck Center for the Arts, Cleveland Public Theatre, and Ensemble Theatre among others. Recent directing credits include works at Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, Beck Center for the Arts, Baldwin Wallace University, and the Academy for the Performing Arts. He is a multi-recipient of the Kennedy Center Foundation’s ACTF Achievement Award for Fight Direction (2007 and again in 2016). Currently Dusten is the Art Director for Fight Master Magazine, Creative Director for Creative Sidekick Studios, and freelances as a fight choreographer, director and graphic designer. Dusten served as the Artistic Director for Cleveland Shakespeare Festival from 2019-2024. He is a member and Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors, and holds a BA in Theatre and Performance from Ashland University.
DANI SCHMALTZ
DANI SCHMALTZ is a theatre artist and educator originally from Des Moines, Iowa. She has delighted in exploring Cleveland’s vibrant theatre scene, working as a teaching artist with Great Lakes Theater, Beck Center for the Arts, and Talespinner Children’s Theatre. In addition to appearing as Aubrey in The Right Room with the BorderLight Festival, Dani made her Cleveland Shakespeare Festival debut in last summer’s production of Twelfth Night as Maria. She is thrilled to bring more Shakespeare to life with a merry troupe of actors in this unique cabaret experience. Recent acting credits include The 39 Steps (The Appalachian Center for the Arts), Energy Game Changers educational tour (The National Theatre for Children), the world premiere musical The Suffragist (Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and The Nerd (St. Croix Festival Theatre), and Dry Land (Rising Fire Theatre).
EMILY WIRTHWEIN
EMILY WIRTHWEIN is incredibly grateful to be working with the CSF team once again! After recently receiving her MFA in Classical Acting from George Washington University, Emily returned to her home town of Cleveland to help inspire the next generation of sword fighters and Shakespeare lovers. Having played many of Shakespeare’s most famous heroines such as Juliet and Viola, Emily is also striving to play as many of the bard’s traditionally male characters as possible. Already having played King Henry IV, Malcolm and Hamlet, Emily looks forward to showing the next generation of actresses that they do not have to be limited by traditional gender roles. Thanks to her parents, friends, and fiancée for the constant love and support.
SAMUEL J BARTLETT
SAMUEL J BARTLETT is a graduate of Marietta College with a Bachelor of the Arts in Musical Theatre. He is a classically trained vocalist with an extensive range, giving credit to Dr. Amy Yekel (award-winning International American Dramatic Soprano). Throughout his college career, he received multiple nominations and a semi-final position for the Kennedy Center’s ACTF Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship, for his role as Jeff Bowen, as well as for his role as Eddie in Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love. In the summer of 2021, Samuel was chosen among a number of college students throughout the country to go to NYC for Open Jar Institute’s Broadway Theatre Intensive, where he worked on his craft with Broadway professionals. In 2021-2022, Samuel also had the opportunity to work with John DeMita, professional stage and voice actor, for Marietta College’s voice acting fellowship program. Since his move to Cleveland, he has been involved in several productions and readings at theaters including Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland Public Theatre, Clague Playhouse, Convergence-Continuum, Kulture Kids, French Creek Theatre, and Pioneer Summer Theatre. Samuel has also starred in three short films: You Will Never Be My First Kiss (Payton Burkhammer), Last Night Stand (Caleb Reese), and The Curb (Jenna Cooper). His recent credits include: Franklin Shepard (Merrily We Roll Along), Dracula (Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors), Leaf Coneybear (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Lysander/Cobweb/Flute/Thisbe (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Prince Ferdinand (The Tempest), Davey (Newsies), and Georg (Spring Awakening).
ALLEN BRANSTEIN
ALLEN BRANSTEIN is once again proud to represent Cleveland Shakespeare Theater. They have allowed him to play characters like Richard III, Dogberry, Agrippa, Dennis, Bottom, Banquo, King Lear, Shylock, Titus, Toby Belch, Ghost of Hamlet’s Father, Malvolio, and many other colorful characters. He has worked for Great Lakes Theatre, Dobama Theatre, Beck Center for the Arts, Cleveland Public Theater, Ensemble Theatre, and theatre’s past–Bad Epitaph and Red Hen–and many others. He has been in a few movies, and a few commercials, and does stand-up regularly. He has also written and directed the Vaudeville team, the Mike and Al/Al and Mike Show, and he would like to thank Paula…because he can.
RACHEL GOLD
RACHEL GOLD is the Artistic Director for the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival (CSF), and an accomplished director, actor, fight choreographer, educator, and writer, receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Baldwin Wallace University. She has directed at CSF, the Beck Center for the Arts, Dobama Theatre, her alma mater, and many radio plays with Radio on the Lake Theatre. Her fight direction has been on the CSF stage, Cain Park, French Creek Theatre, and many local community theatres. As an actor, she has worked for Great Lakes Theatre, Dobama Theatre, Cleveland Public Theatre, CSF, Frantic Theatre Company, Borderlight Festival, and more. She has been a teaching artist with the Beck Center for the Arts (2021-present), Great Lakes Theatre (2023-2025), and Dobama Theatre (2025-present). Rachel’s work spans from classical to contemporary with a focus on physical storytelling. She took over as the Artistic Director of CSF in the fall of 2024, and since then she has created the new program, RadioShakes, bringing the Bard’s classics as close as your own home in the form of radio plays as well as the brand new CabaretShakes program, being performed at the wonderful Music Box Supper Club. Her hope and goal for the future of CSF is to ensure that Shakespeare’s text is accessible to every community in the greater Cleveland area.
JASMINE RENEE
JASMINE RENEE is a multi-disciplinary theatre artist and educator based in Cleveland, OH. As a teaching artist, Jasmine has worked with programs including “I Have A Dream” working within the public schools of Harlem, NYC, “Peoples Theatre Project” based in Inwood, NYC, “Great Lakes Theater” in school program based out of Cleveland, OH and “Fairmount Center for the Arts” based out of Novelty, OH. This past year for Jasmine has been filled with exciting debuts. Her debut at Dobama Theatre as #00 in The Wolves, as both fight and dance choreographer for Getting My Act Together And Taking It On The Road with the Musical Theatre Project, directing The Right Room for the Borderlight Fringe Festival, and cast as a “Swing” in the upcoming Playhouse Square production of Sankofa. Recent acting credits include, Oin/Gloin and various others in The Hobbit (Dobama Theatre), Fabian in Twelfth Night (Cleveland Shakespeare Festival), and #00 in The Wolves (Dobama Theatre) Jasmine has been involved with the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival since 2020 as an actor, director, special effects coordinator, and customer.
CODY SWANSON
CODY SWANSON is a professional actor, teacher, stage manager, fight choreographer, and sound designer who has been working with The Cleveland Shakespeare Festival for the last six years, and is ecstatic to bring the best of the Bard to the Music Box Supper Club! In addition to being an actor with CSF, Cody serves as CSF’s director of operations (or DOO as he and Al affectionately call it). Cody currently teaches theatre with Near West Theatre and with The Fairmount Center for the Arts. He is also the resident sound engineer & designer and student crew advisor at Mayfield High School. Cody is a proud graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, earning a BFA in acting with a minor in musical theatre and stage combat. Cody is also a proud graduate from the Academy for the Performing Arts in Chagrin Falls, OH, where, after his time at UArts, he taught theatre for over 5 years. Cody was most recently seen making his Dobama Theatre debut in The Hobbit as Bilbo! Favorite on stage regional credits include Ragtime (Tateh) at Cassidy Theatre, Young Frankenstein (Igor) at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, Romeo & Juliet (Mercutio) with The Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, Assassins (Sam Byck) at Lakeland Civic Theatre, Bus Stop (Carl) at Big Dog Theatre, and Wait Until Dark (Roat) with French Creek Theatre. Cody also has performance credits with Smash Up Entertainment, Clague Playhouse, Shadow of the Run Immersive Theatre, and The Cleveland Play House. Cody has staged violence for Lake Erie College, Mayfield High School, Highland High School, Lorain County Community College, Ravenna High School, The Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, and The Access Theatre Project. He also has sound design credits for Baldwin Wallace University, Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, and Beachwood Community Theatre. Finally: thanks always to Jasmine, and thank YOU audience, for supporting live and local theatre!
FULL PRESS RELEASE
CLEVELAND, OH – The long-running Cleveland Shakespeare Festival and Music Box Supper Club have teamed up to present the Bard in a unique and exciting new way: Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits! The show will feature the very best scenes from Shakespeare’s greatest plays. From Romeo and Juliet‘s balcony scene to the Macbeth‘s murder scene to the rude Mechanicals show within a show; this intimate, cabaret style performance will feature comedic, dramatic, and action-packed scenes from Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, King Lear, Tempest, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, and Julius Caesar. The audience should plan on seeing some amazing sword fights!
Says Mike Miller of the Music Box, “Our focus at the Music Box has always been to try new ideas that expand beyond the concerts we present. It’s why we invented the Cleveland Stories series and present programming that includes Tropical Cleveland, Magic Shows, and Drag Brunches. We are thrilled to be adding another one! We are partnering with Cleveland Shakespeare to present a brand-new way to enjoy the brilliance of Shakespeare that we think will appeal to Shakespeare newbies and aficionados alike!”
This series will highlight the best of Shakespeare’s work and be presented by the talented cast of Cleveland Shakespeare. Founded in 1998, The Cleveland Shakespeare Festival has been dedicated to bringing the timeless works of William Shakespeare to life for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Historically, the Festival has performed in parks and public spaces throughout Greater Cleveland each summer. Their mission is to make Shakespeare accessible, engaging, and relevant to today’s audiences through high-quality productions, educational outreach, and community partnerships. From classics like Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream to innovative programs such as KidShakes for families, Cleveland Shakespeare Festival continues to celebrate the Bard’s enduring impact while enriching the region’s cultural landscape.
“For the past 27 seasons, we’ve only been doing a summer season. So, stepping into the role of artistic director, I’m very interested in programming throughout the entire year. I’m excited to partner with a beautiful indoor venue like the Music Box and for our actors to showcase their incredible talent and passion for Shakespeare during what would normally be our off-season.” says Rachel Gold, Artistic Director of Cleveland Shakespeare.
Dining Option
Purchase of a ticket to a show in the Supper Club ensures you will have a seat for the concert. However, if you intend to dine before or during the performance, you also need to make a dining reservation. To make a dining reservation, click here or call our Box Office at (216) 242-1250. Click here to see the menu.
If you are attending a concert in the Supper Club with a party of two or more, please have one person make a reservation for the whole group to ensure you are seated together. If you are attending with a party of nine or more, you must call the Box Office to make your reservation at (216) 242-1250.
To better serve all our customers, we require that you arrive on time for your dining reservation. Arriving more than 15 minutes after your reserved time will result in the cancellation of your reservation. You will be seated for the concert, but you may be put on a waiting list for dining.
