William Shakespeare (Playwright), 1564–1616, was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. During his career he wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and other verses. His body of plays consists of the tragedies Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Timon of Athens, Titus Andronicus, and Troilus and Cressida; the comedies All’s Well That Ends Well, As You Like It, The Comedy of Errors, Love’s Labor’s Lost, Measure for Measure, The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and The Two Noble Kinsmen; the romances Cymbeline, Pericles, The Tempest, and The Winter’s Tale; and the histories Henry IV Parts I and II, Henry V, Henry VI Parts I, II, and III, Henry VIII, King John, Richard II, and Richard III. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

John Lee Beatty (Scenic Design) has designed the Globe productions of King Richard II, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Love’s Labor’s Lost, Cornelia, Dancing in the Dark, Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!,and Redwood Curtain. His 110 Broadway credits include Sweat, Disgraced, The Nance, After Midnight, Good People, Venus in Fur, Other Desert Cities, Times Stands Still, A View From the Bridge, The Royal Family, The Color Purple, Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Rabbit Hole, Doubt, Chicago, Proof, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, A Delicate Balance, The Heiress, The Sisters Rosensweig, The Most Happy Fella, Burn This, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Talley’s Folly, Fifth of July,and Crimes of the Heart. His Off Broadway credits include The Whipping Man, Sylvia, The Substance of Fire, Lips Together, Teeth Apart, A Life in the Theatre, 38 seasons at Manhattan Theatre Club and Circle Repertory Company, 21 seasons at City Center Encores!, film, opera, television, and circus. Mr. Beatty is the recipient of Tony, Obie, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards, and he is a member of the Theatre Hall of Fame. He is a graduate of Brown University and Yale School of Drama.

Stephen Strawbridge (Lighting Design) previously designed The Old Globe’s Hamlet, King Richard II, Double Indemnity, Othello, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. He has designed over 200 productions on and Off Broadway and at most major regional theatre and opera companies across the U.S. Internationally his work has been seen in Bergen, Copenhagen, The Hague, Hong Kong, Linz, Lisbon, Munich, Naples, Sao Paulo, Stratford-upon-Avon (Royal Shakespeare Company), Stockholm, Vienna, and Wroclaw. His recent credits include Flyin’ West (Westport Country Playhouse), The White Card (American Repertory Theater), Native Son (Yale Repertory Theatre), Turn Me Loose with Joe Morton (Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Westside Theatre), and Athol Fugard’s “Master Harold”...and the Boys (Signature Theatre Company; Drama Desk Award nomination). His credits for dance include Pilobolus, Alison Chase/Performance, and others. Mr. Strawbridge has received American Theatre Wing, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, Connecticut Critics Circle, Dallas–Fort Worth Theater Critics Forum, Drama Desk, Helen Hayes, Henry Hewes Design, and Lucille Lortel Awards and nominations. He is Co-Chair of the Design Department at Yale School of Drama and a Resident Lighting Designer at Yale Repertory Theatre.

Stephen Flaherty (Composer, “Sigh No More”) last worked with The Old Globe on the world premiere of In Your Arms. He is currently represented on Broadway by Anastasia and Once on This Island (2018 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical). His additional Broadway credits include Ragtime, Rocky, Seussical, Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life (also at the Globe), and Neil Simon’s Proposals (incidental music). He has also written four musicals at Lincoln Center Theater: The Glorious Ones, Dessa Rose, A Man of No Importance, and My Favorite Year. His other theatre credits include Little Dancer (The Kennedy Center), Lucky Stiff, and Loving Repeating. For his work in the theatre he has received the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Joseph Jefferson, and Olivier Awards and has been nominated for the Grammy Award three times. In 2015 he was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame. His film work includes Anastasia (two Academy Award and two Golden Globe Award nominations), After the Storm, and Lucky Stiff. Mr. Flaherty is also well known for his 34-year collaboration with lyricist/librettist Lynn Ahrens, but he is happy to be collaborating with William Shakespeare tonight. AhrensAndFlaherty.com.

Tara Rubin Casting/Laura Schutzel, CSA (Casting) has cast the Globe’s The Tempest, Guys and Dolls, Othello, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Dog and Pony, A Room with a View, and others. Their select Broadway credits include King Kong (upcoming), The Band’s Visit, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Prince of Broadway, Bandstand, Indecent, Sunset Boulevard, Miss Saigon, Dear Evan Hansen, A Bronx Tale The Musical, Cats, Falsettos, Disaster!, School of Rock, Gigi, Bullets Over Broadway, Aladdin, Les Misérables, The Heiress, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Billy Elliot: The Musical, Shrek The Musical, Young Frankenstein, Mary Poppins, Spamalot, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Producers, Mamma Mia!, Jersey Boys, and The Phantom of the Opera. Their Off Broadway credits include The Band’s Visit, Here Lies Love,and Love, Loss, and What I Wore. They have also cast regionally for Yale Repertory Theatre, Bucks County Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre.