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Performances
The King of Navarre and his two best friends are huge nerds, and they make a pact to spend three years studying together while ignoring worldly pursuits. Unfortunately, the King is so excited to launch his own little academy that he forgets that the Princess of France and her ladies are about to arrive on an important visit of state. Scrambling to balance providing appropriate hospitality while keeping to their scholarly vows, the King and his friends rapidly find themselves falling in love. With the dubious help of the rest of the King's household (including an overly dramatic Spaniard, a sassy swain, and a galaxy-brained schoolmaster), the lords attempt to woo the ladies before some unexpected news brings everything tumbling down. You won’t want to miss this new adaptation of the silliest, frothiest, and punniest of Shakespeare’s comedies.
Performers
Nancy Homan
Guest Star
Nancy Homan (she/her) has been involved with local theater for quite a few years. She's been on stage, back stage, in zoom, and even one time in the orchestra pit! Shakespeare has been a long time favorite. She's carried a spear in Bard in the Quad's Romeo & Juliet; worn a donkey's head in Shakespeare's Long Lost First Play, and swept the lobster in Comedy of Errors. Her first foray into directing was the Majesticpiece Theater's Zoom production of Romeo & Juliet in Nov, 2020. She served as the AD for the incredible War of the Roses at the Majestic last year and now gets to be a part of this hilarious show. What's not to love?
Laurie Mason
Laurie Mason (she/her) lived most of her 60+ years under the misapprehension that Shakespeare is tedious. Her wake-up came in 2022, when she was offered the role of Richard, Duke of York, in Rachel Kohler's Wars of the Roses, a director-penned adaptation of the Henry VI plays. Mason looks forward to bringing Kohler's adaptation of Love's Labour's Lost to stages and grassy fields around the mid-Willamette Valley this summer, and awaits with pleasurable anticipation what Merely Players, LLC, will produce next season.
Founding Company Member
2023 Season
Jeff Miller
Guest Star
Jeff Miller (he/him) has previously appeared as Commadeira in The Concealed Fancies and as Flip Benham in Roe, both at the Majestic Theater in Corvallis. In his day job, he writes and oversees media strategy for technology companies. Jeff enjoys baking bread, bicycling, hiking and driving to Seattle where his daughter is a student at the University of Washington.
Arlee Olson
Founding Company Member
Arlee Olson (she/her) moved to Corvallis after teaching drama, English, and social studies at international schools in Hong Kong, Manila, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco (with an odd but rewarding detour into fifth grade math in Germany.) While on a four-year break in Reedsport Oregon, she discovered a beautiful theater being used only for school assemblies and fly-fishing conventions, and helped found the community theatre, Rising Tide Live, where she both directed and performed. After joining Merely Players, Arlee realizes she has been looking all her life for a group of friends who are passionate about exploring Shakespeare’s scripts and bringing them to life in the most fun possible way.
Sarika Rao
Guest Star
Sarika (she/her) finds herself entangled, willingly of course, with another Corvallis Shakespeare production. She was previously seen in The Blaming of the Shrew at the Unitarian Universalist Church, and The Wars of the Roses at the Majestic Theater. When not acting onstage, Sarika does makeup and costume work for local productions and has recently taken up fencing for fun. Our humble company of players hope you thoroughly enjoy this season’s show!
