The Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company

Experience the Event

Presented by

Friday, November 15, 2024 12:00 pm

Shakespeare and Possibility continues with our conversation with several recently-graduated Notre Dame seniors from the Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company, Notre Dame’s student-run Shakespeare club, re-established in 1997. These students, the “NSR” class of 2024, had the unique experience of entering their freshman year at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Over their four years as undergraduates, “NSR” produced 8 mainstage Shakespearean productions and more than 10 auxiliary performances. 

The Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company is home to some of the most dedicated and passionate students on campus. These students come from multiple colleges and communities across the University but have taken the stage united by the inspiration, camaraderie, and possibility they found in Shakespeare. Join us in a conversation celebrating their 2024 commencement and the joy they have cultivated, both by their artistic accomplishments and in their friendships within the Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company.  

If you are interested in joining the club or auditioning for the shows, please email [email protected] to join the email list. You can also follow the Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company Instagram page, @nsr_shakespeare, for more information on past and future productions. 

Upcoming NSR shows in 2024-2025:

• Julius Caesar (Fall 2024): Directed by Ryan Palmer and Brittany Alvarez, this production will be set during the struggle of the English suffragette movement. 
• Error of Comedies (Fall 2024): a set of comedy skits written entirely with lines from Shakespeare, directed by Jake Rush.
• King Lear (Spring 2025): Directed by Alyssa Miulli and Jake Rush, this Lear depicts the tribulations of the 1930’s American Dust Bowl. 
• Pirate Twelfth Night (Spring 2025): Directors Tommy Liddy and Will Barret bring a high seas adventure to the stage. 
• Unrehearsed (2025): our annual show where everyone gets a role in an abridged version of a Shakespeare play with only a cue script in hand. 

Meet the Moderator: Cate Cappelmann '22

Cate Cappelmann ’22 is the General Manager of Shakespeare at Notre Dame.

She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where she received a BA in American Studies and the Program of Liberal Studies. While a student at Notre Dame, she was a frequent collaborator with Shakespeare at Notre Dame, both spending her summers working on the administrative side of the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival and stage managing for Actors from the London Stage. She is also a proud alumna of the Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company, where she served the board as a Producer, directed Macbeth, and assistant directed Julius Caesar and The Taming of the Shrew. After graduating, she spent a year in service as an AmeriCorps member with the Robinson Shakespeare Company where she had the privilege of teaching Shakespeare and Drama to over 200 K-12 students each week in South Bend Public Schools and at the Robinson Community Learning Center. Cate loves to empower fellow artists to do their best work and is passionate about investigating the importance and power of Shakespeare in our community life.

Meet the Speaker: Natalie Alton ‘24

Natalie Alton ’24 is a Neuroscience and Behavioral Studies major from Columbus, Ohio. With NSR, she played roles such as Buckingham (Richard III), Rosaline (Love’s Labor’s Lost), Nurse (Rodeo and Juliet), and Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing). She was also the assistant director for NSR’s 2022 production of Measure for Measure and served as Executive Producer for the 2023-2024 year.

Meet the Speaker: Brittany Alvarez ‘24

Brittany Alvarez ’24 is a recent graduate in Civil Engineering at ND. During her five years at ND she was part of NSR since her freshman year in different productions including Richard III, Rodeo and Juliet, Measure for Measure, and Romeo and Juliet. She also spent 10 years performing with the Indianapolis Children’s Choir across the globe. On campus she also did research and participated in other clubs including the Themed Entertainment Association. She’s excited to start a masters next year at ND where she’ll continue her NSR journey as a producer for the club and the assistant director for Julius Caesar.

Meet the Speaker: John Donaruma ‘24

John Donaruma ’24 was a part of the Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company from his first semester in the Fall of 2020. Through NSR, John was able to develop a passion for Shakespeare while pursuing his undergraduate degree in Civil (Structural) Engineering with a minor in Energy Studies. John’s roles ranged anywhere from Measure for Measure‘s Claudio to Richard III‘s Richmond and King Edward, all of which he deeply enjoyed playing in the company of his friends. After school, John is planning to pursue a Master’s degree in Structural Engineering at University College Dublin.

Meet the Speaker: Anna Falk, ‘24

Anna Falk ’24 is a Cincinnati, OH native who graduated from Notre Dame with a BA in Neuroscience and Behavior and a minor in Irish Studies. During her time at NSR, she played Jessie in A Little Princess, Lord Grey in Richard III, stage managed Love’s Labors’ Lost, and assistant directed Rodeo and Juliet. In the fall, she will be pursuing her MSc in Behavioural Neuroscience at University College Dublin.

Meet the Speaker: Dominic Keene, ‘24

Dominic Keene ’24 comes from Walla Walla, WA and recently graduated from the University of Notre Dame with majors in Electrical Engineering (Semiconductors and Nanotechnology Concentration) and Film, Theatre, and Television (Theatre Concentration). During his time at Notre Dame, Dominic was heavily involved with the student-run Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company, where he acted in nine shows over the past four years playing such roles as Benedick, Petruchio, Leontes, Polonius, and Richard III. Dominic’s non-Shakespeare credits include Jerry in The Zoo Story, Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, and Tom in Tom Sawyer. Outside of acting and engineering, Dominic’s passions include close-up card magic, reading, playing board games, and rock climbing. This summer Dominic will be attending the Prague Shakespeare Company’s Summer Shakespeare Intensive program before performing with the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival in As You Like It, after which Dominic will be living in Baltimore, MD where he will pursue his career in the field of semiconductor microchip fabrication while continuing to act and hone his performance skills.

Meet the Speaker: Josh Lehman ‘24

Joshua Lehman ’24 is an Electrical Engineer and Cyber Warfare Officer in the United States Army. During his time in NSR, he directed the Spring 2024 production of Richard III, as well as portrayed Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing and the King of Navarre in Love’s Labour’s Lost. Looking back at his four years, Josh cites joining NSR as the best decision he ever made at Notre Dame.

Meet the Speaker: Isabel Olesinski ‘24

Isabel Olesinski ’24 is a recent graduate of the University of Notre Dame, double-majoring in Political Science and English with a minor in Constitutional Studies and a Creative Writing concentration. She is from downtown Chicago and has studied Shakespeare since her sophomore year of high school. At ND, Isabel was part of the Not-So Royal Shakespeare Company and acted in 13 NSR productions. On top of being a Marketing Director and Producer of NSR, she also committed herself to working to overcome the political discussion gap through BridgeND. She is eternally grateful for the wonderful friends she met through NSR. After graduating, she will be heading off to law school.

Meet the Speaker: Anna Schmidt '24

Anna Schmidt ’24 is a recent graduate of the class of 2024 who double majored in the Program of Liberal Studies and Film, Television, and Theatre. She first got involved with the Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company through their Twelfth Night Unrehearsed show her junior year, but was not involved in a main stage production until she assistant directed Loves’ Labour’s Lost as a senior. After graduation, Anna is moving to Chicago to work for McMaster-Carr as a part of their Management Development Program.

Meet the Speaker: Megan Sherry ‘24

Megan Sherry ’24 is a psychology and classics major from Ohio. She joined NSR as a choreographer for Much Ado About Nothing during her junior year. She was also one of the choreographers for Love’s Labor’s Lost, Rodeo and Juliet, and Richard III. Outside NSR, Megan was involved in the Ballroom Dance and Swing Clubs on campus. This fall She will be attending IU Bloomington to get her Master’s in Library Science.

Meet the Speaker: Hannah Smith ‘24

Hannah Smith ’24 is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame who majored in the Program of Liberal Studies and Theology with a minor in Chinese. She has been an active member of the Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company since freshman year, appearing in productions of The Taming of the Shrew (Bianca) and Richard III (Catesby), and directing productions of Love’s Labor’s Lost, The Winter’s Tale, and Macbeth. This summer she will be performing and honing her craft with the Prague Shakespeare Festival as part of their Shakespeare Summer Intensive program.