SUMMER 2023
CYMBELINE
Township 7 Winery - July 6 - 16
Douglas Park - July 17 - 23
Bakerview Farms - July 27- 29
Doors at 6pm, Performances 7pm
Single tickets available May 1st
Directors Message
Dayna Coulter
I’ll let you in on a secret.
Lean in closer. Closer. Closer. Too close. Here it is: I never thought I’d want to direct.
I fell in love with Cymbeline after seeing it at Bard in the Beach. It was such a fantastic show! Why wasn’t it one of the top five produced Shakespearian shows?! When I realized the original version is almost four hours long that answered my question and I thought I should cut down a version so someone could direct it for Bard in the Valley. As I dove into the text and immensely enjoyed the story all over again, I realized I didn’t just want to cut it. I wanted to direct it!
I grew up loving fairy tales, and Cymbeline just fits the bill. It has all the fairytale and Shakespearian tropes including an evil step-mother (#spoileralert), missing princes, a princess in love with a commoner, a jealous husband, a death poison (or is it a death fake-out poison?), a woman dressed as a man in the woods, and an arrogant suiter. The only thing it really needed in my humble opinion was more pirates and a little less Jupiter ex machina. And so the BIV version was born.
I have so many people to thank! Thank you so much to our audiences for supporting us and sharing these stories. We would look very silly performing by ourselves. Thank you to the amazing BIV team of volunteers—everyone from cast and crew, designers and front of house: working with you all is the dream. I have been so inspired by your talents, creativity and problem-solving. Thank you to the team who read my first cut and gave me feedback. Thank you to my Dad for sharing a love of music with me and helping me create these songs. Thank you to the babysitters who have supported my family and allowed us to be a part of this project. Thank you to Dylan for being my best friend.
I am so thankful to have been given this opportunity.
Enjoy the show!
CAST
Belle Hernberg-Johnson
Imogen
Belle is overjoyed to be working with Bard in the Valley for her third time in the last year. She has recently received her Bachelor of Education at Simon Fraser University and has taken to the stage as an educator teaching in Langley. Belle would like to thank her supportive family, friends, and boyfriend as well as the cast and crew involved in making this experience and this play absolutely magical.
Lucas Morehouse
Cymbeline/Philario
Lucas is a theatre Graduate from Trinity Western University. Born and raised in Kelowna, Lucas has been acting since he was nine when he fell in love with Shaekspeare. Previous roles include Jimmy/Randy/Dave from Almost, Maine and Duke Vincentio from Measure for Measure, both with Bard in the Valley. He has also done Martin Marcus from Ruby Sunrise, Multiple Characters from The Comedy of Errors at the School of Arts, Media, and Culture at TWU.
JD Dueckman
Posthumus Leonatus
Hard to believe it's already been four years since J.D. was last onstage with Bard in the Valley, but we all collectively lost a couple years there, didn't we? And the return comes with a twist: puppets! This is a new one for J.D., both Cymbeline itself and being a puppeteer, but a welcome challenge after all this time away. You may have seen him before at BIV in A Midsummer Night's Dream (2019) or The Comedy of Errors (2013), or a number of productions at UFV Theatre before that. So sit back and watch as this play you're not familiar with becomes a show you won't easily forget!
JONATHAN (SHARKY FRIESEN
Cloten, Pirate
Jonathan Friesen, also known as “Sharky”, will be playing as the conniving Cloten. He is excited that after a 10 year hiatus he is back on stage and working with puppets! An avid Muppet fan, he has been working as an Early Childhood Educator in recent years with some film experience prior. As a former student of University of the Fraser Valley, he has performed in a few Shakespeare shows and Director Festivals. Just before his hiatus, he enjoyed playing Rosencrantz in a Society for Creative Anachronism dinner theatre performance of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead; and his most recent role was Ebenezer Scrooge in Theatre Junkies’ production of A Christmas Carol. He wants to give special thanks to his Dungeons & Dragons friends, who got him through the lockdown as well as his Wifey and two amazingly creative children.
Dylan Coulter
Iachimo, Minstrel, Chorus
Dylan Coulter is the Vice President of Bard in the Valley and has been since 2019. Dylan has performed in 7, BIV productions from Julia Caesar 2014 to Measure for Measure in 2022. Dylan directed Much a do about nothing in 2017 and will direct our 2024 Summer Production of Shakespeare's 'A Winters Tale'. Dylan studied theatre at UFV and is widely versed in Shakespeare. Dylan brings a critical eye and thoughtfulness to our organization.
Sheri Eyre
Queen, Helen, Pirate
Jonathan Friesen, also known as “Sharky”, will be playing as the conniving Cloten. He is excited that after a 10 year hiatus he is back on stage and working with puppets! An avid Muppet fan, he has been working as an Early Childhood Educator in recent years with some film experience prior. As a former student of University of the Fraser Valley, he has performed in a few Shakespeare shows and Director Festivals. Just before his hiatus, he enjoyed playing Rosencrantz in a Society for Creative Anachronism dinner theatre performance of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead; and his most recent role was Ebenezer Scrooge in Theatre Junkies’ production of A Christmas Carol. He wants to give special thanks to his Dungeons & Dragons friends, who got him through the lockdown as well as his Wifey and two amazingly creative children.
Brayden Meehan
Pisanio, Arviragus, Chorus
Dylan Coulter is the Vice President of Bard in the Valley and has been since 2019. Dylan has performed in 7, BIV productions from Julia Caesar 2014 to Measure for Measure in 2022. Dylan directed Much a do about nothing in 2017 and will direct our 2024 Summer Production of Shakespeare's 'A Winters Tale'. Dylan studied theatre at UFV and is widely versed in Shakespeare. Dylan brings a critical eye and thoughtfulness to our organization.
Patrick McMath
Cornelius, Pirate
Jonathan Friesen, also known as “Sharky”, will be playing as the conniving Cloten. He is excited that after a 10 year hiatus he is back on stage and working with puppets! An avid Muppet fan, he has been working as an Early Childhood Educator in recent years with some film experience prior. As a former student of University of the Fraser Valley, he has performed in a few Shakespeare shows and Director Festivals. Just before his hiatus, he enjoyed playing Rosencrantz in a Society for Creative Anachronism dinner theatre performance of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead; and his most recent role was Ebenezer Scrooge in Theatre Junkies’ production of A Christmas Carol. He wants to give special thanks to his Dungeons & Dragons friends, who got him through the lockdown as well as his Wifey and two amazingly creative children.
John McCallum
Guiderius, Lord 1, Minstrel, Chorus
Dylan Coulter is the Vice President of Bard in the Valley and has been since 2019. Dylan has performed in 7, BIV productions from Julia Caesar 2014 to Measure for Measure in 2022. Dylan directed Much a do about nothing in 2017 and will direct our 2024 Summer Production of Shakespeare's 'A Winters Tale'. Dylan studied theatre at UFV and is widely versed in Shakespeare. Dylan brings a critical eye and thoughtfulness to our organization.
Gordon Law
Belarius, Minstrel, Chorus
Dylan Coulter is the Vice President of Bard in the Valley and has been since 2019. Dylan has performed in 7, BIV productions from Julia Caesar 2014 to Measure for Measure in 2022. Dylan directed Much a do about nothing in 2017 and will direct our 2024 Summer Production of Shakespeare's 'A Winters Tale'. Dylan studied theatre at UFV and is widely versed in Shakespeare. Dylan brings a critical eye and thoughtfulness to our organization.