"Be great in act, as you have been in thought."
- King John V.i
Click for Company Bios and Pictures
Our Story
The Underground Shakespeare Company was founded in January 2001 by Akiva Fox and Nigel Caplan at the University of Pennsylvania. Our mission is to produce high quality, no-nonsense plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries. We use a variety of approaches to bring the plays alive, and to break down the barriers between actors and audience.
The Underground Shakespeare Company is resident at Rodin College House, and usually performs in their beautiful Rooftop Lounge. From this comfortable lounge, 25 stories above the ground, the audience is treated to a panoramic view of Philadelphia, helping to create the fun, informal atmosphere which characterizes our group.
The Undergroundlings are a company of players - we have no committees or hierarchies, and we do not distinguish between actors in principal or secondary roles, musicians and techies. We all work together on all aspects of the production, and have a lot of fun in the process. Our philosophy calls for short rehearsal periods which stress the meaning of the text. The result is an authentic, organic performance.
As a company, we choose plays to perform and projects to undertake. We are an amateur student group, and we just want to put on plays that we enjoy preparing and that audiences enjoy watching.
How to get involved
Company auditions for actors, musicians and technical crew will be held before each production, and will announced on this web-site, on email listservs and on posters around the Penn campus. The Underground Shakespeare Company welcomes members from throughout the Penn community: undergraduates, graduates, visiting scholars and anyone remotely affiliated to this or any other local university.
We'd also love to catch up with you after one of our shows! Please don't be shy about saying hello.
Joining our e-mailing list
If you would like to be added to our electronic mailing list which we will use to announce auditions and performances, please email us at thenigel@undergroundshakespeare.com.
The Cast and Crew of The Duchess of Malfi:
Faryn Pearl (Madman 3)
| This is Faryn's second USC performance. It's ok if you don't recognize her though - she's wearing a different shirt. |
Dan Wolfe (Ferdinand)
| Dan does not enjoy being pelted with urinals filled with rose-water, contrary to the rumors. |
Elisa Asencio (Julia)
| Elisa doesn't think Julia is a prostitute... |
Jen Wu (Pescara)
| Yay Gregory! |
Bethany Cam (Cariola)
| Bethany may sleep with Antonio only when the Duchess is not present. That way it's not cheating. |
Megan McMonigle (Madman 4 / Old Lady)
| Megan hopes she wasn't typecast as the woman whose face "resembles that of an abortive hedgehog". |
Lauren Frazier (The Duchess)
| Lauren is the F to the E, R, G, the I, the E, and can't no other Duchess put it down like she. |
Barry Slaff (Cardinal)
| Yeeeeeeees, Barry can be angry without this rupture. |
Nick DiStefano (Madman 1)
| Nick as a child conversed at length with a fictitious demigod GooGoo-GaGa, Lord of Babies. |
Samantha Apfel (Silvio / Madman 2)
| Samantha hasn't slept all week because her pillow was stuffed with a litter of porcupines. |
John O'Malley (Bosola)
| "Lauren likes my musky apricots. And we all know what that means." |
Rob Gard (Antonio)
| Rob is a strong-thighed bargeman. |
Elaine Ogden (Delio)
| Elaine is the realio delio. |
Caiti Sommers (Malateste)
| Caiti is officially, finally, a creepy alum! It is exactly as awesome as expected :) |
Ella Duangkaew (Duchess's Servant 1)
| Ella loves great pistols, especially if they're in greater codpieces. |
Sarah Doherty Granoff (Grisolan / Pilgrim 2)
| Sarah is Grisolan. It rhymes with glycerin. |
Dixie Bali (Cardional's Servant)
| "O Misfortuuuuuuune." That's how it's done people. |
Anna Bunton: (Pilgrim 1/Duchess's Servant 2)
| Anna is the bee's knees. Not to be confused with Bee's knees. |
Angela Santurbano (Roderigo)
| Angela has so many things to say that nothing actually comes out. |
Abhishek Gadiraju (Officer 1 / Executioner)
| Abhishek would like to give a shout out to fourth floor green suite! |
Zach Burchill (Castruchio / Officer 2)
| Zach is actually a real man, despite what you may think. |
Becky Kotcher (Music Director)
| Becky will serenade your betrayal, if you want. |
Devin Plantamura (Director)
| Devin's biography is still being written. Such as it is for us all. |
Becky Lu (Dramaturg)
| Becky wants to say that you look sensational in that dress. |
Bee Reed (Stage Manager)
| Bee is a saucy and ambitious devil. |
Sarah Hendry (Producer)
| Sarah thinks everyone looks better in an awkward prom photo. |
Olivia Rutigliano (Executive Costume/Set/Prop Designer)
| Olivia would sincerely like to thank her roommates for happily coexisting with and not complaining about the grotesque masks, bloodied bodies, and severed limbs she had lying around her apartment in preparation for tonight's performance. |
Julie Kozeracki (Costume/Set/Prop Consultant)
| Julie has been professionally recommended as "lovably neurotic." |