Director: Bethany Mangum-Oles 
Assistant Director: Riley Scifo  
Costume Consultant: Jeremy Floyd  
Voice and Speech Coach: Stanton Davis   
Acting Coach: Kay Martinovich 
Music Coordination: Sophia Dimond, Cornelia Reed, Gabby Gozdecki 
Lighting Designer: Emily Christianson 
Lighting Assistant: Ross Wheeler 
Head Electrician: Chris Kurszewski 
Technical Coordinator: Bridget Kearbey  
Properties: Dave Doherty  
Movement and Intimacy Coordination: Bethany Mangum-Oles  
Fight Consultant: Stanton Davis, Tyler Page  
Dramaturg: Gabby Gozdecki   
Stage Manager: Jessica Ferreira 
Assistant Stage Manager: Gabriel Ford 

This show is approximately 2 hours 15 minutes and will have a 15-minute intermission. 

Elizabeth, Queen of England – Cornelia Reed
Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots – Julia Isabella Prieto
Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester – Tyler Page
George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury – Sophia Dimond
William Cecil, Lord Burleigh, Lord High Treasurer – Hardy Louihis
Sir William Davison, Secretary of State – David JC Alvarado
Sir Amias Paulet, Keeper of Mary – Phoebe Aston
Sir Edward Mortimer, Paulet’s nephew – Paul James Lang
Count L’Aubespine, the French Ambassador – Skylee Pierce
Sir Andrew Melvil, Mary’s House Steward – Phoebe Aston
Hannah Kennedy, Mary’s Nurse – Gabby Gozdecki
Margaret Curl, Mary’s Attendant – Delaney Langan

I fell in love with this play when I first read it. I knew I wanted to work on it in some way; not only for the fantastic roles for womxn but because of the parallels in our current reality. One thing I didn’t expect from the play was the peace I felt from the queens standing in their convictions. The strength and bravery it takes to stand in them fully and unapologetically is enormous. May we all search for that.

Putting this production together with this team has been nothing short of a dream come true. Truly wishing you a wonderful night in the theatre.

Having Mary Stuart as my last official NIU production before graduation has been so special. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity. Everyone has been so gracious and patient, and I’ve learned so much from everyone in the process. This show has become so special to me and watching it unfold has been an ethereal and magical experience. I want to thank the cast and anyone else working on the show, you all have been an absolute pleasure and dream to work with. I’d also like to give a very special thank you to Bethany, I’ve learned so much seeing your creative process and seeing how you work and I’m so thankful and blessed to have worked alongside you. This is such a special and absolutely magical show and I’m so excited to finally share this production with all of you, I hope you love it as much as I do. Thank you all so very much!

From German Nationalism to Eco-feminism—Historical Context on Mary Stuart 

By Gabby Gozdecki

The text of German playwright, poet, and philosopher, Friedrich Schiller’s Mary Stuart (1800) is deeply connected to the earth. Both Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I are protecting their respective lands, both literally and metaphorically from men.  Schiller places the play’s climax in a garden where Mary sees the outside for the first time in many years. The character’s language revolves around the contrast of the natural and material world, as the plot revolves around masculine versus feminine power. Bethany Mangum-Oles’ production leans into the idea of eco-feminism.  Eco-feminism seeks to break down constructs such as hierarchical thinking and oppositional definitions that justify masculine acts of violence and domination over both nature and women (Bove). Throughout the play, male advisors try to dominate Queen Elizabeth I’s feminine rule and encourage her to marry for the good of England, but she refuses. Men attempt to rescue Queen Mary, so they can wed her and annex England. Mangum-Oles’ production does not concern itself with historically accurate Elizabethan dress or props. Instead, natural materials and a mostly empty stage help tell the story. Mangum-Oles found freedom in her interpretation because Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I were not Schiller’s contemporaries either and the play is full of characters and events that did not exist in history.

Mary Stuart is closer to a historical drama on Netflix than a trip to the museum. The play’s setting in Elizabethan England is removed by almost three hundred years from Schiller’s Germany. Because of the time elapsed between the actual historical events and the writing of his play, Schiller easily adapted the legendary story of these women to fit his romantic retelling. The meeting of the queens at Fotheringay Castle is perhaps the most infamous of his fabrications. Mary and Elizabeth I exchanged letters but never met in real life (Hunter). Another notable departure from history is the character of Mortimer, the eccentric secret Catholic created by Schiller. Hannah Kennedy, Mary’s trusted friend and nurse in the play, is a combination of several of Mary Queen of Scots’ ladies. Schiller also presents Mary as a much younger queen when she reaches her fate than she was historically. In reality, Mary was around forty years old when she was executed, but Schiller’s Mary is in her twenties (Mary). He also creates a love triangle between Mary, Elizabeth I, and the Earl of Leicester. Traditionally, scholars use Schiller’s moments of artistic license as a clue into his intended staging of the play.

Schiller was known as a German patriot, writing the poem that accompanies Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” (Green). Some scholars believe that this attitude of German nationalism led him to write Mary Stuart (Lyons). Many productions lean into the Elizabethan context to highlight Schiller’s German allegory. In this traditional interpretation, Schiller’s women are vehicles to discuss the duality of the German population. Mary Stuart represents the passion of the German people, and Elizabeth I represents their steadfast duty to their country. Mary is characterized by her individual morality, while Elizabeth is more concerned about the well-being of her nation.  This production does not follow Schiller’s original 17th-century German context for Mary Stuart. It seeks to modernize his story and invite audiences to experience a new visceral interpretation focused on the queen’s connections to their respective lands and people.

Works Cited

Bove, Tristan. “Ecofeminism: Where Gender and Climate Change Intersect.” Earth.Org, 1 Nov. 2021, earth.org/ecofeminism/. Accessed 16 Sept. 2024.

Green, Aaron. “The History, Lyrics, and Significance of Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy.’” LiveAbout, 25 July 2024, www.liveabout.com/beethovens-ode-to-joy-lyrics-history-724410. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.

Hunter, Ryan. “The Relationship of Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots in Letters – Part One • the Crown Chronicles.” The Crown Chronicles, 13 Nov. 2015, thecrownchronicles.co.uk/history/history-posts/rivalry-letters-elizabeth-mary-queen-scots/. Accessed 16 Sept. 2024.

Lyons, Donald. “Schiller & Other Exhumations.” The New Criterion, 1 May 1992, newcriterion.com/article/schiller-other-exhumations/. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.

“Mary, Queen of Scots (r.1542-1567).” The Royal Family, www.royal.uk/mary-queen-scots-r1542-1567. Accessed 8 Sept. 2024.

Cornelia Reed (Elizabeth, Queen of England)

Cornelia Reed is a third year M.F.A. acting candidate. You may have seen her on the NIU stage as Elizabeth in Witch, Peter Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, or as Fiona in In a Word. She graduated with a B.A. from Northwestern College in 2020, double majoring in theatre and marketing. She also holds a Diploma in Classic Acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Cornelia has worked professionally across the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and London. Before coming to NIU, she toured with Taproot Theatre Company, a regional theatre in Seattle. Stage credits include: The Last Five Years (Cathy), Next to Normal (Diana), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Rosaline), The Changeling (Beatrice), Shrek: The Musical (Fiona), Noises Off (Belinda), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Siobhan). Film/commercial credits include: The Alternative, Washington State Department of Health commercial, Real Northwestern. Thanks to my family and my husband Harry for all the continual love and support. Instagram: @iamunicornelia 

David JC Alvarado (Sir William Davison)

David JC Alvarado is a third-year B.F.A. acting candidate from Elgin, Illinois. He was last seen as Walter in NIU’s production of Booked and Blessed or BUST!  directed by Frankie DiCiaccio. He hopes you enjoy the result of the cast and crew’s hard work (especially with the dialects!). He’d also like to thank his friends and family for their unwavering support. Enjoy the show! Instagram: @Damniitdavid 

Delaney Langan (Margaret Curl)

Delaney Langan is a second-year B.F.A. actor from Crete, Illinois. She’s very excited to be a part of her first show here at NIU! Some other performances she’s been a part of include Clue and Guys and Dolls.

She wants to thank all her family and friends for their tremendous amount of support and she hopes you enjoy the show!

Gabby Gozdecki (Hannah Kennedy)

Gabby Gozdecki is a fourth-year B.F.A. acting student. Her recent roles at NIU include The Singer in Bertolt Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle translated and directed by Alexander Gelman, Bella and Eleanor in Big Love by Charles Mee, and Joan in Melancholy Play by Sarah Ruhl, both directed by Bethany Mangum-Oles. She is honored to end her NIU acting journey with such a special play directed by Bethany Mangum-Oles. Gabby has spent the past two summers at the National Theater Institute. First, she participated in the Theatermakers Summer Intensive, and then she helped run the program as a fellow! She would like to thank everyone who has supported her on this incredible journey. She couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you!

Hardy Louihis (Lord Burleigh)

Hardy Louihis is a third-year M.F.A. acting candidate at Northern Illinois University. Hardy received his Bachelor of Arts in theatre from the Metropolitan State University of Denver. He was in the NIU production of In A Word (Guy), directed by Dr. Kay Martinovich, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oberon), directed by Melanie Keller, and Witch (Scratch), directed by Kendra Holton. He is so happy and grateful to have the opportunity to work with the ensemble and crew of Mary Stuart. He is thankful to have the support and love of his family and friends.

Julia Isabella Prieto (Mary, Queen of Scots)

Julia Isabella Prieto is a third-year M.F.A. acting candidate from Fresno, California. She obtained a B.A. in theatre arts from California State University, Fresno and was recently seen in NIU’s Booked and Blessed…or BUST directed by Frankie DiCiaccio last spring! Some memorable credits include The Thanksgiving Play, Lydia, and The Rocky Horror Show. Her mom is in the audience, and she couldn’t be more grateful to have her support. Te quiero mucho mami.

Paul James Lang (Mortimer)

Paul James Lang is a third-year M.F.A. acting candidate, originally from New England and now happy to call the Midwest home. He received his B.F.A. in musical theater from The Boston Conservatory. Some of Paul’s favorite credits include Cuddy in Jen Silverman’s Witch, Mikhail in The Caucasian Chalk Circle, and Giuliano in Big Love at NIU, as well as Horst in Bent, Sir Andrew in Twelfth Night, the Envoy in The Balcony, and several different characters in TheaterWorksUSA’s touring production of Junie B. Jones. He is thrilled to be returning to the NIU stage with this beautiful play and cast.  Thank you so much to Bethany and our brilliant team behind the scenes, as well as my family for all of their love and support.

Phoebe Aston (Paulet/Melvil)

Phoebe Aston previously playrf in The Caucasian Chalk Circle, and Booked and Blessed… or BUST!, this is their third production at NIU. They are so excited to be working with Bethany as a director. This has been an amazing experience, and I hope you love the show!

Skylee Pierce (Count L’Aubespine)

Skylee Pierce is a third-year B.F.A. acting candidate here at NIU. Her previous credits here include last spring’s Booked and Blessed…or BUST! as Trudy and last fall’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in which she played Hippolyta and First Fairy. Other previous roles include Mayzie La’Bird (Seussical), Marcy Park (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and many more. She would like to thank her family and friends for their endless support, her boyfriend for his never-ending love, her cohort and professors for helping her grow, and the cast and crew of Mary Stuart for their hard work. A special thank you to Bethany Mangum-Oles for giving her the opportunity to be challenged as Count L’Aubespine and to bring him to life. She hopes you all enjoy this dark journey back in time!

Sophia Dimond (Earl of Shrewsbury)

Sophia Dimond is a third-year B.F.A. acting major here at Northern Illinois University and is so excited to be a part of her third production on the NIU stage. She has previously been in A Midsummer Night’s Dream as Snug the Joiner and played various roles in last semester’s production of Anxious People. Sophia would like to thank her friends and family for all of their continuous support and is so grateful for the rest of the cast, crew, directors, and everyone who has helped throughout this process. She has had such a wonderful time working on all aspects of this show, and hopes you enjoy NIU’s production of Friedrich Schiller’s Mary Stuart!

Tyler Page (Lord Leicester)

Tyler Page is thrilled to be returning to the NIU stage for his final project role in this production of Mary Stuart. In the midst of his third and final year of his M.F.A. acting training, Tyler holds a B.F.A. in acting from the Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University. You may have seen Tyler on the NIU stage as Bottom in (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Constantine in (Big Love), and Brig in (Booked and Blessed…OR BUST!). Some of Tyler’s professional credits include Feste in (Twelfth Night), Bernard in (Death of a Salesman), as well as Hugh Whitbread in (Mrs. Dalloway) at the Rogue Theatre in Tucson, Arizona. Some of Tyler’s other credits include Demetrius (Titus Andronicus) for which he was nominated for an Irene Ryan Acting Award, Martin Heller (Angels in America: Millennium Approaches), Richard Greatham (Hayfever), Josh (If / Then), Judas (Godspell), Walter Gifford (The Farnsworth Invention), among others. Tyler would like to thank Bethany for being able to start and end his NIU career with her as well as the entire team for this wonderful journey. He would also like to thank his family for coming and supporting his dream. For more on Tyler, you can visit Tylerpageactor.com and follow him on Instagram @heyyy_tpage.

Bethany Mangum-Oles (Director) holds an M.F.A. in acting from Northern Illinois University and a B.F.A. in acting from California State University, Fullerton. Bethany is a Certified Intimacy Captain and is also trauma-informed yoga and yoga nidra certified. She has made her artistic home at NIU as performance area faculty where she teaches all levels in the Meisner-based acting sequence and all levels of both voice and movement tracks, as well as directs in the official production season. Some favorite directing credits for the School include Mary Stuart, Melancholy Play, Twelfth Night, Big Love, Bird in the Hand, Our Town, and A Song for Coretta. Recently Bethany was named artistic director at Kane Repertory Theatre where she oversees the daily workings of the company, season selection, and casting. She also works as rotating voice and movement faculty at the renowned Gately-Poole Acting Conservatory. Chicago acting credits include projects with The Organic Theater Company, MUSE Theatre Collective, Along the Way Productions, The Outer Loop Theatre Experience, Unnecessary Nowledge, and Kane Repertory Theatre. Favorite acting roles include Masha in Three Sisters, Lady Capulet in BCC: Romeo and Juliet, and Viola in the US premiere of Out of the Blue. Internationally, Bethany has studied at the Moscow Art Theatre School in Moscow, Russia, and performed and facilitated workshops at the Adana International Theatre Festival in Adana, Turkey.  bethanymangum.com

Riley Scifo (Assistant Director), is a senior B.A. theatre studies student hoping to direct as well as start her own theater company after graduation. Riley also has worked on a few local shows in Chicago at her former elementary school. This is her third show as ‘AD’ here in the SOTD. She’s had an amazing time working on this show, she is incredibly grateful for this amazing opportunity. 

Jessica Ferreira (Stage Manager), received a B.F.A. from NIU in 2022. Her previous projects at NIU include Everybody (ASM), Twelfth Night (ASM), The Language Archive (SM), She Kills Monsters (SM), and Anxious People (SM). This is Jessica’s second time being asked to come back to NIU and she’s thrilled to join Bethany Mangum-Oles again to work on this show! To her family and friends who give so much support in her pursuit of theatre Jessie gives all her thanks.  

Gabriel Ford (Assistant Stage Manager) is a sophomore B.F.A design and technology student here at NIU. They are brand new to the world of live theatre, with no experience prior to joining NIU. This is the second play they have ever worked on, and they are delighted to be here. 

Scenery

Scenic Coordinator – Sahin Sahinoglu
Scene Shop Supervisor – Adam Rager
Scene Shop Graduate Employees – Emery Foster, Bridget Kearbey
Scene Shop Undergraduate Employees – David Mortenson, Mike Kozel, Sasha Norman, Jade Doherty
Student Technicians – THEA 295 Students
Run Crew – Teresa Dingman

Costumes

Costume Design Advisor – Jeremy W. Floyd
Costume Director – Lori Hartenhoff
Costume Shop Supervisor – Elizabeth Galba
Costume Shop Graduate Employees – Ski Sciaraffa, Kylee Galarneau
Costume Shop Employees – Leni, Alyssa Altadonna, Natalie Shank, Lexi Foelker, Emily Christianson
Costume Shop 395 Students
Student Technicians – THEA 210, 235, & 295 Students
Costume Crew – THEA 210 Students

Lighting

Lighting Design Advisor – Brandon Wardell
Resident Head Electrician – Chris Kurszewski
Lighting Shop Graduate Assistants – Ross Wheeler, Bridget Kearby
Lighting Shop Employees – Logan Bryant, Conall Doherty, Kateri Pfeiffer
Student Electricians – THEA 210, 241, 295, & 395 Students
Light Board Operator – Reece Deidrick
Sound Board Operator – Jamarre Porter

Properties

Properties Director – Dave Doherty
Properties Graduate Assistants – Alicia Margerum, Ski Sciaraffa
Properties Shop Employees – Elizabeth Nowak, Sasha Norman, David Mortenson
Properties Shop 295/395 Students – Danisha Gilmore, Blake Jablonski, Sonya Dunn, Nina Kasman

Production Management

Technical Direction Advisor – Tracy Nunnally
Production Assistants – Kev Kollmann, Paul Lang
House Management Supervisor – Cornelia Reed

Special Thanks

Roxanna Conner, Rich Grund, Production Selection Committee, Sasha Gelman, Kay Martinovich, Stanton Davis, Dave Doherty, Chris K., Gibson Cima, Tracy Nunnally, Riley Scifo, Jessie Ferreira, Mike Ferreira, Gabriel Ford, Jeremy Floyd, the acting company, and Jason, Kathy, Bennett and Georgia Oles.

Richard Arnold (Emeritus)
S. Alan Chelser (Emeritus)
Judith Chitwood (Emerita)
Gibson Cima
Roxanna Conner
Stanton Davis
David Doherty
Lila H. Dole (Emerita)
Jasmine Eleazar
Jeremy W. Floyd
Paula Frasz (Emerita)
Elizabeth Galba
Kent Gallagher (Emeritus)
Kathryn Gately (Emerita)
Alexander Gelman
Richard Grund
Hannah Hammel
Lori Hartenhoff
Jennifer Ingle-Grund
Paul Kassel
Chris Kurszewski
Paige Larkowski
Marc Macaranas
Bethany Mangum-Oles
Lorri Marshall
Kay Martinovich
Terrence McClellan (Emeritus)
Angela A. Miller
Randall Newsom (Emeritus)
Tracy Nunnally
Richard Poole (Emeritus)
Adam Rager
Patricia Ridge (Emerita)
Deborah Robertson (Emerita)
Michel Rodriguez Cintra
Sahin Sahinoglu
Stephanie Sailer
Robert Schneider (Emeritus)
Sarita Smith Childs
Brandon Wardell