William’s Folly + Vacillating Valor
presented as part of the
Kentucky Shakespeare Festival
August 11-15, 2021
Current as of 8.11.2021
Marc Antony
Daniel Scofield*
Cleopatra
Veronica Higgins*
Octavius Caesar
Jake Mingus*
Octavia
Sarah Bradley*
Ensemble
Nakoma Ehrhart**
Aniya Hamblin**
Dagny Ingle*
Michaiah Peebles**
Chrystal Thomas**
*Louisville Ballet Studio Company Artist **Waterworks Dance Theater Artist
William Shakespeare
Brandon Ragland^ / Nicholas Bentz^^
Shakespeare’s Voice
Braden McCampbell, BeeBee Patillo
The Young Man
Ryo Suzuki
The Dark Lady
Brienne Wiltsie
Corps de Ballet
Sarah Bradley
Veronica Higgins
Addison Mathes
Griffin Greene* / Nicholas Bentz**
Jake Mingus
Daniel Scofield
^Performing 8/11, 8/12, 8/14 ^^Performing 8/13, 8/15
*Performing 8/11, 8/13, 8/15 **Performing 8/12, 8/14
We are thrilled to return to the stage, for the first time since February 2020, and we’re so glad you’re here to join us. We couldn’t be more grateful for this partnership with Kentucky Shakespeare since 2016, and for this opportunity to reconnect with our community by offering these free performances in Old Louisville’s beautiful Central Park.
We’re very excited to include so many community dance partners as part of this week of performances. Thank you to DESTINED Dance Company, Ambo Dance Theatre, LaNita Rocknettes, Belize Dance Intermix, Step-N-Dance, Flamenco Louisville, Genesis Arts, and Keen Dance Theatre for being in-residence with us .
We’re also excited to present a new work by Alex Betts, Waterworks Dance Theater’s Artistic Director, as part of this production. It was a joy to work with Alex and to perform alongside Waterworks dance artists.
And, of course, THANK YOU for being part of this live experience.
We invite you to join us for more live, in-theater performances as we celebrate our 70th Anniversary Season, starting with my own Swan Lake in November.
Enjoy this magical night!
Robert Curran, Louisville Ballet Artistic Director
ROGER CREEL
Choreographer, William’s Folly
Roger Creel, a Massachusetts native, danced with Louisville Ballet from 2013 to 2018 after graduating summa cum laude from Amherst College with degrees in Geology and English. With Louisville Ballet, Roger performed leading roles in works by Balanchine, Caniparoli, Hoagland, Jervies, Stevenson, and Tharp, in addition to classics such as Giselle, La Sylphide, Coppélia, Swan Lake, Nutcracker, and Firebird. In 2016, Roger danced in Swan Lake with The Australian Ballet.
Roger has choreographed six works for the Louisville Ballet, including evening-length versions of The Tempest, King Lear, and Cleopatra. This production, William’s Folly, which unites Appalachian folk music, ballet, country dance, and 23 Shakespearean sonnets, first premiered as part of Kentucky Shakespeare’s 2016 summer festival. Roger is currently a PhD candidate in geophysics at Columbia University, New York, where he explores what sea level rise during past warm periods can tell us about Earth’s hot future.
ALEX BETTS
Choreographer, Vacillating Valor
Alex Betts minored in dance at Morehead State University where he studied, Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, African, and Ballroom. While attending Morehead State University, Alex performed in the Core Dance Ensemble under the direction of Natasha L. Davis, where he performed solos and received recognition for being the a standout dancer his sophomore year. Alex began dancing with Louisville-based Keen Dance Theater in 2014 under the direction of John Keen, where he served as the Rehearsal Director and company member.
Alex has performed as a dancer/supporting actor in many big productions, including Hairspray and Grease. In 2017 Alex started what is now Waterworks DanceTheater as the Artistic Director. Alex strives to teach and educate children and adults on the disciplines of dance and overall dance education and performance. Alex’s goal is to provide a service to people who normally wouldn’t have the means to obtain this type of experience and he believes that everyone should be free to express themselves through movement. Alex has choreographed for musicals and many local dance productions. He partnered with Fund for the Arts in 2019, was awarded as the leader of dance education in District 3, and also has been honored as a 2021 Kentucky Colonel for his work in his community.
SCOTT MOORE
Composer / Musician, William’s Folly
Scott Moore was born and came of age in rural Kentucky. He began his career as a violinist and composer as a four-year-old in New York. He’s been a soloist with a number of orchestras, played Mozart for the Archduke of Austria, and given an impromptu recital in Carnegie Hall for an audience of ghosts. He’s been an organic farmer and a professional driver, learned fiddle tunes from old-timers in the hills of eastern Kentucky, drunk bourbon with rock stars on a steam-powered riverboat, and played music on four continents
An enthusiastic collaborator on stage and in the recording studio, Scott has forged a reputation as a skillful and inventive musician unbound by genre. His versatility, imagination, and unique artistic voice have made him a performer and creator in growing demand.
We invite you to join us for our 70th Anniversary Season!
Subscriptions are on sale now.
We can’t wait to celebrate our return to the theater with you!