Ubu Rex by Alfred Jarry

Cast (in alphabetical order) 

Max Bernsohn
Max Bernsohn is a local actor and recent graduate of The Actor’s Conservatory (TAC). He’s recently appeared in Blood Wedding (Shaking The Tree), Hamlet (TAC/Portland Shakes) and God’s Favorite (PassinArts). He’ll be appearing next in A Streetcar Named Desire and Salome (Imago Theatre). He’s very excited to be participating in the world of Ubu, some of the most unique, bizarre, brilliant, stupid, and timeless sets of works the theatre has to offer. Alfred Jarry was a crazy person and a genius and more people should know about him and have opinions about him, for better or worse.

Yoonie Cho
Yoonie is delighted to be back at Shaking the Tree. Last year around this time, she played one of the wool spinners in Blood Wedding in this space. Yoonie’s recent Portland stage roles were Lady Montague in Anonymous Theatre Company’s Romeo and Juliet and Gertrude in Portland Shakespeare Project and The Actors Conservatory co-production of Hamlet. Yoonie was also an assistant director and assistant stage manager for Passin’ Arts production of God’s Favorite. Yoonie is a graduate of the Actor’s Conservatory two year training program. She wants to thank her husband Charles and daughter Jinju for supporting her acting pursuits, and putting up with her odd theatre schedule.

Liz Hayden
Liz Hayden moved to Portland years ago & worked with Shaking The Tree, before becoming a company member of Hand2Mouth Theatre company for 19 years. After departing H2M in 2021, she is always excited for new projects!  Liz has a B.A. from SOU, and an M.F.A in performance from NIU.  After graduate school, Liz taught at The Piero Dusa acting conservatory in Santa Monica for 2 years, and decided to move home!...Well not far from home:)  She grew up in Eugene. Liz has performed for Shaking the Tree, Profile Theatre, Mount Hood Rep, Northwest Children’s Theater, & H2M.  Currently she is a member of a new collaboration/company called Slumber Party.  They performed their piece at the Risk/Reward festival in 2023, and are still in the development of creating the full show! ​

Erin Leddy 
​Erin Leddy​ has been making original theatre in Portland since 2002. Erin was a company member and performer with Hand2Mouth for 19 years, where she participated in the creation of over 20 shows. Her solo performance ​My Mind Is Like An Open Meadow​ won 5 Portland Drammy Awards in 2011 (including Outstanding Production). She is currently making work in a long-term collaboration called Slumber Party which explores the ritual of the Slumber Party as a site of play, mystery, friendship and resilience. The relationships she has formed and deepened through devised theatre have carried her heart and soul for the past two decades. Erin is a collaborator by nature and loves to play with her friends, her cats, her husband and her beloved daughter Billie.

Orlando Reyes Cabrera
Orlando’s previous works include Shopping and Fucking (2024; produced and directed by Annabel Cantor ), Blood Wedding (2023 @ Shaking the Tree), Trade (2023 @ 21ten through Corrib), Titus Andronicus (2022 Portland Playhouse). Orlando le quiere dar las gracias a todas las personas que trabajaron en este proyecto. Al cazo que no los encuentre, buenas noches y que disfruten el show. Al agua patos!

Maesie Speer
Some nations are so 
Weak, all they have are weapons,
All they do, use them.

​Faisal Mohyuddin
April 7, 2024

Roo Welsh
Roo is a member of the teaching faculty at PETE’s Institute for Contemporary Performance. Alongside Acting and teaching, he is a life-long student of self and a devoted Dad and husband. Earlier this Summer, Roo was seen in PETE’s production of A Seagull at Portland Center Stage where he previously worked with Rebecca Lingafelter as a part of the ensemble of I Think of You. Roo also appeared in PETE's production of The Americans in 2023. He can also be seen in Chris Gonzalez's short film, Wren Lavelle. Thank you Samantha for the opportunity to be a part of this reading. A most special thank you goes out to Dallas & Farina for all your love and support!

Rocco Weyer
Rocco Weyer is thrilled to spice up an otherwise uneventful and unimportant election by joining Ubu America. Hailing from Spain and Argentina, Rocco is an actor, photographer, and musician in Portland. A Lewis and Clark alumni, he has photographed numerous plays and dance festivals, made a documentary on theater during the pandemic, written an original play, acted in a couple films and in a few more plays. Previous roles include Sailor in Adopt a Sailor (21ten Theatre), Sean in Spear (Corrib Theater), the Bridegroom in Blood Wedding (Shaking the Tree), Joaco in (de)composition (Independent), Art in This is my Something, the Tyrant in Passion Play, Elder Jay in The Christians, and Trigorin in Stupid F***ing Bird (Lewis & Clark College). www.roccoweyer.com

Ken Yoshikawa (Member of Actors' Equity)
Ken Yoshikawa (he/him) is a poet, actor, and playwright from Portland, Oregon. Ken is a resident artist at The Historic Alberta House and an alumnus of PETE’s ICP program. Recent performance credits include a seagull (PETE), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (PCS), and We Who Are About to Die (ICP). His plays have appeared onstage at Corrib, Shaking the Tree. His full length poetry book Monster Colored Glasses, published with Lightship Press, is available to purchase at yoshikawaken.com. In his free time he enjoys anime, trees, going for walks, hanging with friends, and working as an astrologer.

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Creative Team

Samantha Van Der Merwe (Director)
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Samantha Van Der Merwe is the founding Artistic Director of Shaking the Tree Theatre. Founded in 2003, Shaking the Tree Theatre is known for melding the boundaries of theatre and visual art by presenting thrilling and unconventional theatrical experiences. 
Recent directing projects include: The Brother and the Bird (Alissa Nutting/Brothers Grimm), Blood Wedding (Federico García Lorca), Forbidden Fruit (various), Fucking A (Suzan-Lori Parks) Chick Fight (Devised/words by Sara Jean Accuardi), Family (Celine Song), REFUGE (Art Installation/Devised), BAKKHAI (Euripides/Anne Carson), Escaped Alone (Caryl Churchill). 

Emily Hogan (Stage Manager)
EMILY HOGAN is a middle child and a double-Sagittarius. A transplant from Lompoc, CA, Emily studied theater at the University of Portland, focusing on dramaturgy and performance. Emily has performed with Shaking the Tree, Portland Revels, Hand2Mouth, and Milagro. Primarily, Emily works as a stage manager, managing Forbidden Fruit, Fucking A, MODELMINORITY, Chick Fight, and serving as ASM for Family at Shaking the Tree. Emily has also been a dramaturg on numerous productions, such as In A Different Reality She’s Clawing At The Walls (Shaking the Tree), i defy you, stars (Do It For Mead), and The Killing Fields (Orphic). Emily was also able to serve as a teaching artist for Hand2Mouth and Milagro, and is a current Hand2Mouth Company Member. 

Nate Raphael (Tecnical Director)
Nate Raphael is the Technical Director at Shaking the Tree. Recent shows he built with Shaking
the Tree include, The Brother and the Bird, We Wrote This With You in Mind, and Blood
Wedding. If he is not building sets, you can find him building furniture and coaching tennis
among other things in his free time. Education: BA in Fine Art and Sociology, Whitman College