LISA BENAVIDES (Scene Study) Graduate of The Juilliard School and The Teacher Development Program. Teaching credits include: SUNY-Puchase, The Actors Center New York, New York University, The Stella Adler Studio, and The Shakespeare Lab (Public Theater). Theater credits include: Lincoln Center, The Huntington Theater, Williamstown Theater Festival, The Acting Company, The Alliance Theater and Portland Stage. Film credits include: The Upheaval, Eye of God, O, and The Grey Zone. She proudly serves on the board of The 52nd Street Project.

BARRY EDELSTEIN (Director of the Shakespeare Lab, teacher of Text) has directed Shakespeare at The Public Theater and at venues around New York City and the country. He staged Julius Caesar starring Jeffrey Wright at the Delacorte in Cental Park and The Merchant of Venice, featuring Ron Leibman’s OBIE award-winning portrayal of Shylock at the Public. From 1998-2003 he was Artistic Director of Classic Stage Company, where he directed Richard III starring John Turturro and Julianna Margulies and The Winter’s Tale starring David Strathairn. At the Williamstown Theater Festival, he directed As You Like It starring Gwyneth Paltrow. Other New York credits include the world premiere of Steve Martin’s The Underpants, which he commissioned; Jonson’s The Alchemist; and Moliere’s The Misanthrope, starring Uma Thurman in her stage debut (all at Classic Stage Company); Arthur Miller’s All My Sons (Williamstown, then Roundabout; won Lucille Lortel Award for Best Revival); and Steve Martin’s Wasp and Other Plays (The Public). He has directed many contemporary and classic plays at leading regional theaters. His first film, My Lunch with Larry, starring Lisa Edelstein and Greg Germann, played the festival circuit in 2006 and 2007. Edelstein has taught Shakespearean acting at the Juilliard School, NYU’s Graduate Acting Program, and USC. He has lectured on theater around the USA and the world, and has written on the subject for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic, and American Theater Magazine. His book Thinking Shakespeare (called by New York Magazine “a must-read for actors”) was published in 2007, and his book Bardisms: Shakespeare for All Occasions is forthcoming. He is a graduate of Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar.

IAN HERSEY (Ensemble) Ian has a Master's in Education from Harvard University. An alumnus of the NYSF Shakespeare Lab and The Actors Center, he served on the faculty at Barnard College, New World School of the Arts and The Actors Center. He has taught Shakespeare in schools, colleges, prisons, community centers, shelters and conservatories. A recipient of the Fox Foundation Fellowship, he studied Shakespeare with Ron Van Lieu, Barry Edelstein, Michael Langham, Mario Siletti, Peter Francis James, Brian Murray and Catherine Fitzmaurice. Other acting teachers include Lloyd Richards, Olympia Dukakis and Earle Gister. Credits for dramaturgy and/or text coaching include The Last Goodbye at Williamstown, Ser or no Cervantes, Shakespeare on the Sound, The Public Theater Mobile Unit. As an actor he has performed on stage and television, in film and commercials. Ian is currently the master teacher and curriculum designer in the R.Evolucion Latina Shakespeare Project.

NANCY LEMENAGER (Movement) Recently starred as Velma in the Broadway production of Chicago. She has also starred on Broadway as Brenda in Movin’Out and Penny in Never Gonna Dance. Also on Broadway Kiss Me Kate, Dream, How to succeed… and Guys and Dolls. Other NY credits include: New House Under Construction (59E59 ST.), The Curious Distance…(EST) and The Devils Right Hand (EST). She was seen in Unrequited at the Public Theater directed by Barry Edelstein, and appeared in John Patrick Shanley’s Italian American Reconciliation. Regionally Nancy starred as Lisa in the world premier of The Studio at South Coast Repertory and played Ilona in She Loves Me at Arena Stage (Helen Hayes Nomination). She played Bitsy in the world premier of Smart Cookie at the Alliance Theater and made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2004 with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops. She has appeared on Television in: Law and Order and in the film Kate and Leopold starring Hugh Jackman and Meg Ryan. Along with teaching dance around the country, Nancy has also taught at the Shakespeare Lab 2008 and at Cap 21 in New York. She is also a certified pilates instructor.

ORLANDO PABOTOY (Clown) has taught at the Juilliard School, the Graduate Acting Programs at NYU, UCSD, University of Texas in Austin,The Old Globe, Cal Arts, and USC, he is currently a member of the Faculty at Tisch School Drama Department Classical Studio and Heads the Physical Acting Program for The New Studio on Broadway. He also taught at CSULB, The Actors Center in New York, and has been a faculty for the Public Theater’s Summer Lab for three summers. He also teaches Internationally in both the Netherlands and Italy.

He has Created and Directed shows off-broadway, for The Juilliard School, University of Southern California, The Ma-yi Theater company and Theater Mu at Mixed Blood theater in Minneapolis. His most recent projects include: Directing and Adapting Il mondo della Luna (USC MFA in Acting). Creating and Directing That Beautiful Laugh (LA New Musical Festival); Directing Zibaldone (CSULB), Directing The Romance of Magno Rubio (Theater Mu at Mixed Blood), Directing Scapin for the Juilliard Drama Division and Choreographing Shakespeare Santa Cruz’ production of Romeo and Juliet dir. Kim Rubenstein and for Andrei Belgrader’s production of Pericles (UCSD and USC MFA). Orlando’s revival of Creation, which opened Off-Broadway in New York City (August 2006), was met with critical acclaim, and he also directed a revival of Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me for the Sounding Theater Company.

He has performed for the Met Opera House, The Public Theater, The Globe Theater, Yale Rep, The Kirk Douglas Theater and in numerous off-broadway shows as well as David Neumann's Dance Company: Advanced Beginners Group. Some of his roles include Aufidius in Coriolanus, Puck and Lysander in A Midsummer Nights Dream, Azdak in Caucasian Chalk Circle, Petruchio and Grumio in The Taming of The Shrew, Prospero, Nestor Norales Dog Eaters, Antonio and Stephano in The Tempest, Capt. Jamy and a French Lord in Henry V (with Liev Schreiber), Magno in The Romance of Magno Rubio, Genet in Jean Genet, and the Fool in King Lear. He was a cast member for the Grand Finale 365 plays/365 days by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Suzanne Lori-Parks, sponsored by CTG in Los Angeles. His Television/Film credits include three Seasons on Strangers With Candy with Stephen Colbert and Amy Sedaris (Comedy Central), and guest starring on JAG (CBS), In the Weeds (Independent Feature), Blue Hour, The Beat (WB) and Whoopi (NBC). Orlando helps facilitate and has been a participant for the Arts in the One World Conference lead by Erik Ehn who is the head of playwriting at Brown University. AOW is a once a year conference where artists around the world come together to discuss the artist’s role as a global citizen. Orlando is a co-founder of Studio Six school of clowning which began in Los Angeles, CA. He is a recipient of a John Houseman Award, Fox Fellowship and an OBIE award. Orlando is fluent in three languages.

ROBERT PERILLO (Voice) is a Master Voice Teacher and has trained actors for over a quarter of a century. He has worked at Binghamton University, Marymount College, the National Shakespeare Conservatory, New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting where he was head of the Voice Department. Mr. Perillo trains and coaches actors privately both for performance and auditions. In addition he has worked extensively with businessmen and women, writers, politicians and singers. He has given seminars and workshops to choral groups, readers of scripture and to other teachers of voice and speech. Mr. Perillo is a stage director and has directed playwrights as varied as William Shakespeare, Noel Coward, John Patrick Shanley, Tom Stoppard, and Charles Ludlam. He recently directed the musical The Spitfire Grill. Mr. Perillo is on the faculty of the New York Public Theater's Shakespeare Lab, and this past spring he was a Visiting Lecturer at Stanford University. Mr. Perillo lives in New York City.

MICHAEL POLAK (Stage Combat) has worked for the past 13 years in New York and regionally as a professional actor, director, fight director, and teacher. He has performed off Broadway at the Mint Theatre and is excited to be back teaching at the Shakespeare Lab at the Public Theatre. Regional credits include: Pioneer Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare, A.C.T., Delaware Theater Company, Philadelphia Theatre Company, The Shakespeare Theatre, Hartford Stage, and the Cape Playhouse to name a few. He is recognized as an Associate Instructor with Dueling Arts International and has lead stage combat certification workshops through D.A.I. Michael received his M.F.A. from Penn State University and B.A. from the California State University at Fullerton.

J. STEVEN WHITE (Stage Combat) has taught for the Shakespeare Lab every summer since its inauguration. His Broadway credits include The Pillowman, The Color Purple, Bombay Dreams, Uncle Vanya, Pirate Queen, A View From the Bridge, Golden Child, The Lion in Winter, All My Sons, as well as Shogun: The Musical (Assistant Director). His other New York credits include Don Juan, Fifth of July, Cyrano de Bergerac Monster, The Credeaux Canvas, A Skull in Connemara, Hotel Suite, and Burn This with Edward Norton. For the New York Shakespeare Festival, his fight work has been seen in 22 shows including Julius Caesar, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, King Lear, A Language of Their Own, The Triumph of Love, The Playboy of the Western World, and Cymbeline with Liev Schriber and Michael C. Hall, whom Mr. White trained at NYU Graduate Acting. His fights have been on the stages of every major New York theater, including the Manhattan Theater Club, Classic Stage Company, Playwrights Horizons, Roundabout Theater Company, and the Irish Repertory Theatre. He has worked at many of the nation’s regional theaters, including eleven seasons at American Conservatory Theatre, where he began his teaching career 33 years ago. Mr. White is on the faculties of the Stella Adler Studio, Graduate Acting Program at NYU-Tisch, and Columbia University MFA. For the Lab, his combat workshop involves learning the simulation of punches, kicks, and other physical verbs. Then the class works on fight scenes from Shakespeare’s plays. The emphasis is on blending the psychological into the physical and basing all action from character.

JANET ZARISH (Acting) is Head of Acting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Acting Program where she teaches and directs. She has also taught at The Actors Center, UCLA, USC, and North Carolina School of the Arts. As an actress, she has performed On and Off-Broadway, starring in such productions as Other People’s Money at the Minetta Lane Theatre, Romola & Nijinski at Primary Stages and Miss Julie at The Roundabout Theatre. She has originated roles, working with such writers as David Mamet, Shel Silverstein, Wendy Wasserstein and Terrance McNally. Regional credits include leading roles at Longwharf Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Sundance, Hartford Stage, Seattle Rep, ACT, The Old Globe and The Shakespeare Theater working with such directors as Nycholas Hytner, Daniel Sullivan, Emily Mann, Mark Lamos and Michael Kahn. Film credits include The Next Big Thing, Object of My Affection, Malcolm X, Danny, Mystic Pizza, The Zoo and Without a Trace. She has guest starred on over twenty television shows and is currently directing Frank Gilroy’s “Piscary” for Ensemble Studio.