Laurel Ballantyne (they/them) - Demetrius
Laurel Ballantyne is so excited to be working with TiTO for the first time! Laurel studied at the British American Drama Academy and currently attends Sarah Lawrence College, but is making the most of the summer by frolicking in actual nature before returning to the concrete jungle in the fall. Recent credits: Hamlet (Hamlet), Troilus (Troilus and Cressida), Viola (Twelfth Night), Hugh Evans (Merry Wives), Belarius (Cymbeline), Cherea (Caligula), Percy Jackson (The Lightning Thief). @laurellovesyou
Lydia Charlotte Brendel - Lysander
Lydia Charlotte Brendel is a North Shore based actor, director, and stage manager known for co-founding Castle Hill Productions in Ipswich, MA and The VanGuard Shakespeare Co. in Salem, MA. She is a graduate of AMDA’s New York conservatory program and Los Angeles BFA program. Onstage credits include Lucy Steele/Margaret Dashwood in Castle Hill Production’s Sense and Sensibility, Richard in Richard III, Caesar in Julius Caesar, Hermia/Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet with Elsewhere Shakespeare Co., and Helena/Snug in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Viola in Twelfth Night with The VanGuard. With Theater in the Open she’s appeared as Adam/Audrey (U/S) in As You Like It, Antonio in Twelfth Night, Victoria in A Bold Stroke for a Husband, and is a member of the Bar(d) Crawl team. She’s delighted to be turning one year old as an Artistic Associate for Theater in the Open and cannot wait for what’s next!
Allegra Dubus-Brandolini - Starveling/Titania
Allegra Dubus-Brandolini is thrilled to be joining the cast of A Midsummer Nights Dream! She has performed in countless shows including Theater in the Open’s productions of The Game of Love and Chance (Silvia), Antigone (Ismene), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hermia), Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), Cinderella in December: A Frozen Fairytale Panto (Cinderella), Medea, and Lady Windermere’s Fan. Other credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Boston Theatre Company), and School of Rock the Musical (Ogunquit Playhouse). She trained at the British American Drama Academy in London and graduated with a BA in Theatre and Creative Writing at Sarah Lawrence College. When she is not on the stage, you can find Allegra teaching in the classroom and in the woods. Allegra wants to thank the wonderful talented cast and creatives she feels honored to work with!
Sarah Jean Durning - Snug/Titania
Sarah Jean Durning is SO happy and grateful to have her Theatre in the Open debut with one of her favs: A Midsummer Night’s Dream! She graduated from Salem State University with a BFA in Theatre Performance but not before finding her calling for being a theatre artist at Northern Essex Community College. When Sarah is not working as an educator in Lynn Public Schools, she works as an artist in the Camberville/Northshore area where she produces shows with her baby theatre company Big Deal! (follow @bigdealtheatreco on instagram to see info on their next show <3) and you can also find her selling linoprints and crafts locally (@reallycoolgirlcrafts on instagram)! Past acting credits include Medea in Medea (Deadword Theatre Company), Myrrhine in Lysistrata (No Notes Theatre Company) and Calpurnia in Julius Caesar (Deadword Theatre Company). She would like to send her love and gratitude to her friends and family for their constant support. :) for AJF <3
Gwynnethe Glickman - Bottom
Gwynnethe Glickman is a multi-disciplinary artist and mother from Newbury, MA. Gwynnethe joined TitO at 12 years old and has gone on to perform in numerous of their productions. This will be Gwynnethe’s first time performing in a full length production of Midsummer, and she is so grateful it is with the company she calls home. You can also catch Gwynnethe performing as Fettuccina in TitO’s original production Fettuccina and the Stork this September at Maudslay State Park. Recent credits include: The Seacoast Repertory Theatre’s Macbeth (Witch 3, Duncan, Lady Macduff, Old Man, Menteith) and The Cirque Us Benefit Show (self devised roller skate clown act).
Jessie Lillis (she/her) - Fairie/Titania/Flute US
Jessie Lillis is a nomadic actor, director, and educator whose work has been seen in London, Paris, Philadelphia, DC, and throughout the Midwest and East Coast. Past roles include Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Olivia/Andrew in Twelfth Night, Troilus in Troilus and Cressida, Hamlet in Hamlet, Rosalind in As You Like It, and Hal, Hotspur, and Falstaff in three different productions of Henry IV, Part 1. Jessie is also the Producing Artistic Director of Starling Shakespeare
Skylar Longley - Flute/Titania
Skylar Longley is a Boston-area based actor and artist with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater Performance from Salem State University. Her most recent credits include MacMorris (King Henry V) with Here Comes Everybody Players, Rod/ Women’s Chorus (Lysistrata) at No Notes Theatre Co., Jane Ahlquist (Our Lord and Savior*) at Boston Fringe Festival 2026, and Witch 2 (MAC BETH) at Drama Works Theater. Other credits include Minette (A Bold Stroke for a Husband) at Theater In The Open. She is so excited to be back playing and performing with Theater in the Open at the beautiful Maudslay State Park this summer! *Awarded Best Alt Venue Drama/Musical
Instagram: @skylarlongley
Jack Norton - Theseus/Oberon
Jack Norton has been performing and directing for well over a decade. He recently appeared in Twelfth Night with The VanGuard Shakespeare (Maria), and in Sense & Sensibility with Castle Hill Productions (Edward/Robert Ferrars). Other favorite credits include As You Like It (Silvius/Charles) and the Bar(d) Crawl with Theater in the Open. Offstage, Jack teaches Spanish and directs musical theatre at The Governor’s Academy. Whether performing indoors or under branches, the stage is truly his happy place. He wants to thank this incredible ensemble and hopes you enjoy getting lost in this magical production!
Bridget Saunders (she/her) - Peter Quince/Titania
Bridget Saunders is a theatre artist hailing from Maine with a BFA in Theatre Performance from Salem State University. Bridget is excited to return for her second summer with TITO after appearing in “As You Like it” in 2025! Recent credits: “Frozen: The Musical” (Emerald City Theatrical), “T: An MBTA Musical” (Infinte Rotary Productions), “The Infinite Moment of Now” (Larcom Theatre, world premiere), “The Suppliant Women” (Apollinaire Theatre Company). Upcoming you can catch her playing Georgia Holt and Lucille Ball in “The Cher Show” at Emerald City Theatrical. With thanks to her family and in memory of Alyssa June. bridgetrsaunders.com | @bridgetrsaunders
Kayla Sessoms - Hermia
Kayla Sessoms is excited to be making her Theatre in the Open Debut! Some previous credits include CSC: Romeo and Juliet (CSC2), Julius Caesar (ARC). Hub Theatre: Tartuffe. Front Porch Arts Collective: Holiday Feast, The Mountaintop (U/S). Suffolk University: Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer, Kinda?, Working: The Musical. She has also worked as an assistant director with CSC, SpeakEasy Stage, The Porch, TCSquared, and Hub Theatre. She works in casting and operations at The Front Porch Arts Collective and Dunkin Donuts on the weekends. To God be the glory!
Catherine Volinski - Hippolyta/Titania
Catherine Volinski is excited to be part of Theater in the Open's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream! She has performed in the local acting community since the mid 1990's. Most recent theater credits include Mourning Glory (Josie) with The Playwrights Collaborative, and Fuente Grande (Amparo) and Lysistrata (Myrrhine) with The Actor's Studio of Newburyport. This is her third time acting in a production of Midsummer - her first time being when she was 12! Catherine is very grateful to all of her teachers including Mara Flynn, Anna Smulowitz, Paul Wann, Steven Haley, and Marc Clopton as well a robust community of actors and artists who continue to inspire her on a daily basis!
Hannah Young (she/her) - Helena
Hannah Young is thrilled to be gallivanting in the forest with Theater in the Open for the first time! She is a Boston-based actor and was last seen over in Gloucester for CHURCH (Lanes Coven Theatre Co.). Her Boston credits include Mariette in Ecstasy (Treehouse Collective), Bull in a China Shop (Treehouse Collective), Little Women (Needham Community Theatre), and Much Ado About Nothing (Mystic Players Revival). A great lover of language and rhetoric, Hannah previously taught Shakespeare for Young Actors at the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Minnesota. She would like to thank STA Con 2026 for bestowing her with such amazing new friends and her family for showing her how to love fiercely.
Edward F. Speck (he/him) - Egeus/Puck
Edward F. Speck has served as the Artistic Director of Theater in the Open since 2009. He has been seen in TITO shows for the past 25 years, including Metamorphoses, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Medea, and Much Ado About Nothing, and every Panto the theater has produced. He is a proud member of Exit Dance Theatre.