Spontaneous Shakespeare Players

(Artistic Director & Co-Founder) Amanda is proud to be a founding member and Artistic Director of SSP.  She was last seen as the Detective in Clue: The Musical at the Lycian Centre.  Recent credits include: Lady M in the Scottish Play and Grumio in Taming of the Shrew with SSP's Shakespeare Gone Wild! Festival, Sylvia in the one-woman show Harem. Com (Emerging Artists Theatre) and Adriana in Comedie of Errors (NESF).   Amanda is currently writing and starring in the webseries I Hate Actors, part of the eGarage.TV show Must See TV.  She can also be seen performing with eGarage's sketch comedy troupe, The Grease Monkeys.  Next up, Amanda will be playing Marcus Lycus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet with the Adirondack Lakes Summer Theatre Festival.  Amanda holds a BFA in Drama from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.  She would like to thank anyone and everyone involved with SSP!

(Resident Dramaturg & Co-Producer) Nicole is thrilled to be a part of the Spontaneous Shakespeare Players, as an Actor and more recently as Dramaturg. She can’t get enough of those cue-scripts! NYC: Richard III, Chain of Deed, Loves Labors Lost, The Tempest, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Three Sisters. Regional: Twelfe Night, Taming of the Shrew, Much Adoe About Nothing. Also a frequent collaborator with Extant Arts Company and New England Shakespeare Festival. Thanks so much to Amanda and Melinda, and all the love in the world to friends and family (esp. ESG)! www.nicolegreenbaum.com

Laura Mae is so excited to be a part of this fun and educational Shakespeare company! She has played multiple parts in the SSP productions of Midsommer Nights Dream, Taming of the Shrew, Richard III and Macbeth…and loved every crazy minute of it!! Other favorite roles include: Alice in Alice in Wonderland (Off B’way) , Lucy Van Pelt in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown (Heights Players), Diana in All’s Well That Ends Well (Hudson Shakespeare Co.), Emma – original cast of Spoiled Cherries, The  Emcee of Donna’s Late Night Shakespeare Cabaret   (Manhattan Rep), Rapunzel in Into the Woods (Center Stage Playhouse), Gabby Godmother in Polly Princess and the Penniless Fry Cook (Tuckaberry Productions), Dromio of Ephesus in Comedie of Errors (New England Shakespeare Festival), and Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol (American Family Theatre). Locally, Laura Mae has also had roles in King Lear, Loves Labours Lost, Ditty Doodle Works: Live, O! Pioneers, Cinderella, The Passion Play and the world premiere of The Art of Negotiation.  She dedicates every performance in her life to her mother, Carol.

Jennifer is thrilled to be a member of SSP.  Previous First Folio productions include Much Adoe About Nothing (NESF), Romeo and Juliet (Wild Bard), A Midsommer Night’s Dreame (SSP and OPSFest), and The Two Noble Kinsman (ISC).   She is also a founding member of MosesMogilee.  Past MM productions include Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice) and The Game (Life).   Thanks to Melinda and Amanda for keeping Shakespeare this much fun!

Joshuah Laird holds a BA in Theatre from Northwestern State University of Louisiana. He has toured the United States and Europe with Missoula Children's Theatre, playing such roles as Long John Silver in Treasure Island and Geppetto in Pinocchio. He performed on the Las Vegas Strip in Marc Savard's Mesmermized at the V Theater in the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Favorite roles include CB in Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, and Chris Keller in All My Sons.

Michelle is happy to be back with SSP again this summer after appearing as Queen Elizabeth in last year's Richard III and as Lady MacDuff (and others) in Macbeth. A veteran of dozens of New York and regional shows, favorite roles include Cressida in Troilus and Cressida (American Theatre of Actors); Kate in Taming of the Shrew, and Margaret in Richard III (New England Shakespeare Festival). Michelle has worked as a teaching artist for Theatre for a New Audience and Wingspan Arts. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching at Montclair State University. Many thanks to Amanda and Melinda for letting me play, and most of all to her fabulous husband, Erik and two rockin' kids, Max & Henry.

Mary Riley always loves working with her favorite Players!  New York: Comedy of Errors with Inwood Shakespeare, Four by Tenn, Measure for Measure and Much Ado About Nothing with American Bard Theater Company, A Midsommer Night’s Dreame with SSP, The Winter’s Tale with American Globe Theatre. Regional: Southwest Shakespeare Festival, New England Shakespeare Festival, Mill Mountain Theatre, Virginia Stage Company, and Winnipesaukee Playhouse. M.A. in Music from Radford University, and a B.M. from East Carolina University. Ever grateful to Amanda and much love to my four beautiful nieces: Grace, Sophia, Isabella and Victoria!  MaryRiley.net

Rich is thrilled to be with so many thrilled people. Rich Wisneski won an award at the Seattle Film Festival, for his role in "Orgy Tonight: A Comedy".
His band Ten Thousand Dollar Ego has played the New York City Marathon three years running. His play "Listen and Learn" has been published by the W.C.S.
His debut comic book "Burt Romsky" is set to debut by Christmas. And Richard Simmons sang him a personalized song.

(Director of Education & Co-Founder) Melinda is a loving co-founder of SSP and is excited to play Olivia this spring!  NYC: Kate in Taming of the Shrew, Duchess of York in Richard III, Lady M in the Scottish Play, Princess in Loves Labours Lost, Emilia in Two Noble Kinsmen, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Phebe in As You Like It, and Cressida in Troilus and Cressida.  Regional: Beatrice in Much Adoe About Nothing, Adriana and Dromio of Ephesus in Comedie of Errors.  Stewart has most recently been performing and writing comedy with The Other Baldwins, performing at Ha! Comedy Club in a massive sketch/rockshow and taking "A**holes on the Brink.." to the NOLA Fringe Festival in 2010.  Teaching Artist with SSP, Slightly Askew Theatre Co., NESF and Annie’s Playhouse- has taught students age 6-20, all around Cleveland, OH, in NYC, NJ, NH, and in the Yale Undergraduate Drama program.  Stewart adores and thanks everyone involved with SSP!  www.themelindastewart.com

(Finance Manager) Kristen is happy to be keeping the books for such a fabulous group of players!  Outside of SSP, she serves as the Deputy Director of Member Services for Philanthropy New York.  Kristen holds a bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies from Wellesley College.  She currently serves on the New York Women's Foundation's Grants Advisory Committee and has previously volunteered for several nonprofit organizations, including American Friends Service Committee and Der Bau Hof Community Center.       
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Collin Biddle's  recent NY stage credits include the role of Sir Robert Chiltern in An Ideal Husband, When Joey Married Bobby off Broadway, Praying Small, Othello, Twelfe Night, All’s Well That Ends Well, King Kong and War of the Worlds.  Regional credits include Twelfe Night, Much Adoe About Nothing, Romeo & Juliet and Taming of the Shrew with The New England Shakespeare Festival.  Currently filming The Search for Agent Z, previous films include Valley of the Moon and The One, as well as TV, industrials, branded content, etc.  With love and thanks to Ann and the girls.

Jen is an actor, writer, and director based in New York.  Sometimes she collaborates with people in far away lands and sometimes she works all by herself.  She’s quite pleased to be working with SSP once again as it is always a thoroughly enjoyable experience.  Her most recent roles include a sword wielding, sneezing clown in Bandage: A Fight Play as part of The Brick Theatre’s Fightfest and a girl in love in the short film Life Without Desire.  She’s been seen around town performing with Rebellious Subjects Theatre, The Red Door Theatre Company, and Deconstructive Theatre Project.  Several of her short plays have appeared at Learning Stages’ Play-in-a-Day and most recently her short play The Nudist and Her Son had its first read at The Looking Glass Theatre. Her play For the Birds co-written and produced with actor/writer Siobhan Donnellan appeared in last year's New York International Fringe Festival. 

James is thrilled to be a part of SSP! He holds a BA in Theatre from Muhlenberg College ('09) and is a recognized Actor/Combatant within the Society of American Fight Directors. He is also a student of WingTsun kung fu, and loves fightin'. Favorite professional credits include Romeo and Juliet, Kiss me Kate and The Mikado. James also served as Fight Choreographer for Kiss me Kate, The Mikado and both Macbeth and Richard III for SSP.

Adam is thrilled to be a Spontaneous Shakespeare Player and loves working with EVERY SINGLE ONE of his fellow players!  Thanks so much to Amanda and Melinda for being frickin’ awesome.  And then I think Alex is alright too...  :)  Some credits:  Miss Julie (Cherry Lane Theater), The Tempest (Public), Fools In Love (BAM), The Secret of Our Souls (Minetta Lane Theater), Four Dogs and a Bone (CSV Flamboyan Theater), La Ronde (Manhattan Theater Source), and loads of Shakespeare.  www.adamreich.net

Alexander is delighted to see his name in print on the interweb. He is considering never rehearsing anything ever again. NYC credits include Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, Richard III, A Mysterious Way, Blacken the Bubble. Regional credits include Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, and lots of musicals. Alexander is currently studying at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. Many thanks to Amanda and Melinda.

Evan is thrilled to be able to work with the SSP. Previous credits include Max & Ruby (TheaterworkUSA), Midsummers...(SSP), Romeo & Juliet (Wild Bard), Comedy of Errors (NESF), KNB: The Musical (FRINGENYC), and many others. Evan received his BA in Theater Arts from Rutgers University and is currently studying at The Barrow Group and Upright Citizens Brigade. High Fives to Melinda and Amanda.