Shakespeare’s Comic Tangle of Promises and Pursuits Plays Outdoors Throughout Shelby County and Indoors on TSC’s Tabor Stage
September 25 – October 18
Our Free Shout-Out Shakespeare Series returns for its tenth season this fall, featuring the pastoral comedy Love’s Labor’s Lost at eleven different outdoor venues throughout the Shelby County area for free September 25 – October 18. The production also plays two indoor performances on our Tabor Stage for half-price admission on Sunday, September 27 and Friday, October 2.
William Shakespeare’s feast of language with a surprise ending is edited to run 90 minutes without intermission in the Series, which launches our 19th season in Memphis.
Love’s Labor’s Lost is generously sponsored by Evans Petree PC, with the National Endowment for the Arts, Tennessee Arts Commission, The Shakespeare Fund of Theater League of Kansas City, and an ArtsFirst grant from First Horizon Foundation.
The Free Shout-Out Shakespeare Series spans four weeks, opening on September 25 outdoors on the lake at Bartlett Performing Arts Center. Other venues include Collierville Town Square’s Train Depot, Davies Manor in Bartlett, Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Elmwood Cemetery, Overton Park Shell, Overton Square’s Chimes Square Amphitheatre, Raleigh Library (lakeside), Reverie in LaGrange, St. George’s Church in Germantown, and Wiseacre Brewery’s Broad Avenue location.
All outdoor performances are free, with the exception of Elmwood Cemetery, and open to the public. Elmwood Cemetery tickets can be purchased through the Cemetery here. For free performances, no tickets or reservations are required: first-come/first-seated. Patrons are encouraged to bring their families, a picnic, and chairs or blankets for outdoor performances. The indoor Tabor Stage performances require reservations through our Box Office online here or by calling (901) 759-0604.
Directed by TSC Associate Artistic Producer Stephanie Shine, the production features the Series’ largest-ever cast: a 14-actor ensemble that includes TSC veterans Marquis Dijon Archuleta (Marcade), Andrew Christenson (Dull), Lauren Hester Gunn (Holofernes/Forester), Stuart Heyman (Sir Nathaniel), Taylor Slonaker (Costard), and Cheleen Sugar (Princess of France), and TSC newcomers Austin Atencio (Longaville), James Cardwell (Berowne), Ethan Courter (Dumaine), Detalion Dixon (King of Navarre), Anna Hefner (Katherine/Jaquenetta), Andy McCain (Don Armado), Madison Prentiss (Rosaline), and Iz Walsh (Maria/Moth). The design team includes Jeremy Allen Fisher (scenic and lighting) and Allison White (costumes). Nico Meisner is the Production Stage Manager.
In Love’s Labor’s Lost, four determined men discover that love is no match for a scholarly vow. The King of Navarre and his companions swear to devote themselves to study and avoid the company of women for three years, only to have their resolve tested when the Princess of France and her ladies arrive. As the men fall in love, their vows give way to secret letters, poetic declarations, and schemes; and the women delight in turning their lofty words back upon them. Their plans unfold as the antics of the heartsick Spanish knight Don Armado and his quick-witted page Moth, the irreverent clown Costard, and the zealous scholar Holofernes throw the festivities delightfully off course. But just as the lovers expect their romantic pursuits to end in celebration, unexpected news arrives to challenge both the festivities and notions of love.
“Love’s Labor’s Lost is a celebration of language and love in many forms,” says Shine. “It is Shakespeare’s only play without an antagonist. The foibles of life, time, and their own actions challenge the characters. The delight and joy for the audience is in sharing the journey to true friendship and truer love. I think we discover that these labors are not ‘lost’ at all, but will ripen and mature, leading to a happy ending we get to imagine. To top it off, it is very, very funny!”
Performance Schedule:
Bartlett Performing Arts Center (lakeside)
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 at 7:00 pm
Collierville Town Square’s Train Depot
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 at 7:00 pm
TSC’s Tabor Stage (paid)
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 at 3:00 pm
TSC’s Tabor Stage (paid)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 at 7:00 pm
Elmwood Cemetery (paid; through Elmwood)
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3 at 6:00 pm
Dixon Gallery and Gardens
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4 at 3:00 pm
Wiseacre Brewery, 2783 Broad Avenue
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8 at 7:00 pm
St. George’s Church, 2425 S. Germantown Rd.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 at 7:00 pm
Raleigh Library, 3452 Austin Peay Hwy. (lakeside)
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10 at 3:00 pm
Overton Park Shell
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11 at 5:00 pm
Overton Square’s Chimes Sq. Amphitheatre
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16 at 7:00 pm
Reverie, 23660 TN-HWY 57, LaGrange
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17 at 5:00 pm
Hillwood at Davies Manor, 3570 Davieshire Drive, Bartlett
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18 at 4:00 pm
Artistic and Production Bios
Austin Atencio (Longaville) is a Texas native and holds a B.F.A. in Theatre with a concentration in Acting from the University of Houston. Austin has performed both in Houston and abroad, most recently performing in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with the Prague Shakespeare Company.
Marquis Dijon Archuleta (Marcade) TSC: Friar Lawrence/Tybalt/Peter in Romeo and Juliet, Hortensio in The Taming of the Shrew, Ensemble in Classical Comedies & Cocktails Reading Series, Don Pedro/Watch in Much Ado About Nothing, title role in Macbeth, Caesar in the Free Shout-Out Shakespeare Series production of Julius Caesar, Laertes in Hamlet, and Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night; Sweeney in Cutler Bros. Theater’s production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Marquis is also a Master Teacher in TSC’s Romeo & Juliet Project.
James Cardwell (Berowne) is a recent graduate from the University of Houston with a B.F.A. in Acting. Recent credits: As You Like It (Oliver), Henry V (Bardolph), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Egeus), Romeo and Juliet (Lord Montague), All My Sons (Joe Keller), Leopoldstadt (Fritz/Otto Floge), Richard III (Buckingham), Big Love (Constantine), Julius Caesar (Casca), and Romeo and Juliet (Mercutio/Friar Lawrence/Lady Capulet).
Andrew Christenson (Dull/Boyet; Asst. Stage Manager) TSC: Much Ado About Nothing (Asst. Stage Manager), Romeo and Juliet (Sampson/Paris), Twelfth Night (Fabian/Valentine; Asst. Stage Manager), Macbeth (Asst. Stage Manager), The Comedy of Errors (Asst. Stage Manager/messenger). Other: Escanaba in Da Moonlight, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Little Women, The Seagull, Miracle on 34th Street, Annie Get Your Gun. Stage Management: Emerge 360, Silent Sky, Murder Ballad, Emerge Student Dance Concert. Andrew is a Memphian and a recent University of Memphis graduate, earning a B.F.A. in Theatre with a concentration in Performance. Andrew was a member of TSC’s 2024-25 Classical Theatre Apprentice Program.
Ethan Courter (Dumaine) is a Dobbins Conservatory graduate with a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre. Dobbins Conservatory credits include The Laramie Project (various roles), Twelfth Night (Sebastian), Into the Woods (Mysterious Man/Narrator u/s), She Kills Monsters (Chuck), and Yeast Nation (Ensemble, Jan the Elder u/s). Other: Guys and Dolls (Rusty Charlie), Seussical (Mr. Mayor), and Murder Ballad (Michael).
Detalion Dixon (King of Navarre) is a new Memphis resident from Mississippi, making his TSC debut. Recent credits: Claudius in Hamlet in the Catskill Mountains and Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing in South Dakota. Other credits: Julius Caesar (Brutus), Twelfth Night (Duke Orsino), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oberon), and Macbeth (Macbeth). Detalion holds an M.F.A. in Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Jeremy Allen Fisher (Production Manager; Scenic and Lighting Designer) has been with Tennessee Shakespeare Company since 2013, designing 30+ productions. An 18-year veteran in the entertainment business with multiple degrees and certifications, Jeremy is a member of Local USA 829 United Scenic Artists with experience in all aspects of lighting. Founding his design firm in 2019, he has worked on projects of all sizes across the country. He is the Resident Lighting Designer for Opera Memphis and Youngblood Studio. He recently redesigned Ballet Memphis’ annual production of Nutcracker and completed several major public art installations at St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, and Oregon State University. Since moving to Memphis in 2011, Jeremy has completed 200+ lighting designs in the city, been nominated for 12 Ostrander Awards with four wins, and in 2017 was awarded the TAC Individual Artist Award for his work in Lighting Design.
Anna Hefner (Katherine/Jaquenetta) is originally from Paris, TN, and holds a B.F.A. in Theatre with a concentration in Musical Theatre from the University of Memphis. Some of her favorite roles include Annie Cannon in Silent Sky and Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods.
Lauren Hester Gunn (Holofernes/Forester) TSC: Grumio in The Taming of the Shrew, Sherlock Holmes in Christmas Gems, Ensemble in Classical Comedies & Cocktails Reading Series, Much Ado About Nothing, Saint Joan, The Grace of Grace: Shining a Light through Shakespeare’s Broken Villains, Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Tempest, Cyrano de Bergerac, Macbeth, Henry VI, Romeo and Juliet, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, and Ada and the Engine. Southern Arena Theatre: Boeing Boeing, I Hate Hamlet. New Stage Theatre: Constellations, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Crimes of the Heart, A Christmas Carol, Cat in the Hat. Fish Tale Group Theatre: Voice of Freedom Summer. Lauren is delighted and honored to continue serving military Veterans at the Memphis V.A. Medical Center with TSC’s Feast of Crispian-South program. She is a member and associate instructor with Dueling Arts International. Education: University of Southern Mississippi (M.F.A.).
Stuart Heyman (Sir Nathaniel) TSC: The Taming of the Shrew, 2026(Baptista), Ensemble in Classical Comedies & Cocktails Reading Series, Much Ado About Nothing (Leonato), The Comedy of Errors (Balthasar/Officer), The Tempest (Gonzalo), Cyrano de Bergerac (Ragueneau), As You Like It (Adam), The Comedy of Errors (Duke Solinus), All’s Well That Ends Well (Lefew), The Taming of the Shrew, 2014 (Baptista), Othello (Brabantio), As You Like It (Corin). Theatre Memphis: Dracula (Van Helsing). Circuit Playhouse: Peter and the Starcatcher (Alf) and Tom Sawyer (Doc Robinson). Desoto Family Theatre: My Fair Lady (Henry Higgins) and Oliver! (Fagin). Germantown Community Theatre: Man of La Mancha (Cervantes/Quixote). New Moon Theatre: The Homecoming (Teddy). Stuart is a founding member of TSC.
Andy McCain (Don Armado) Regional credits: The Play That Goes Wrong (Max), The Producers (Leo Bloom), Spamalot (Sir Robin), Peter and the Starcatcher (Black Stache), Straight White Men (Jake – BroadwayWorld Regional Theatre Award for Best Supporting Performer), The 39 Steps (Clown 1 & Clown 2), A Christmas Carol (Scrooge), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Nick Bottom), Macbeth (Porter), Next to Normal (Dr. Fine/Dr. Madden), and Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey II Puppeteer). Andy is a graduate of Catawba College with a B.A. in Theatre Arts (Performance) and completed the Acting Conservatory at Terry Schreiber Studio in New York City.
Micki McCormick (Asst. Technical Director) TSC: technical director for Shout-Out productions of Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, The Comedy of Errors, and The Tempest;and sound engineer for The Grace of Grace: Shining a Light Through Shakespeare’s Broken Villains and A Streetcar Named Desire. Design credits: Assistant for Opera Memphis’s La Bohème and La Calisto;Electrician for Opera Memphis’ The Rising and the Falling and the University of Memphis’ Rocky Horror Picture Show. Ostrander winner (2022) for the University of Memphis’ production of A Bright Room Called Day for Excellence in Sound Design.
Nico Meisner (Production Stage Manager) is originally from Southern Indiana with degrees from Ball State University in Stage Management and Women’s Studies. They have called over 30 shows with the Indianapolis Ballet — from student recitals to The Nutcracker.
Melanie Mulder (Properties Designer) TSC credits: Twelfth Night, Saint Joan, Hamlet, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Importance of Being Earnest, Ada and the Engine, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Melanie has served as Props Designer on productions for the Hattiloo Theatre, Nashville Shakespeare Festival, Seaside Music Theatre (FL), Vineyard Theatre, Pearl Theatre, New School for Drama and Signature Theatre (all NYC), Williamstown Theatre Festival (MA), Lake George Opera (NY), and Northern Stage (VT). She also worked with Propstar (NYC), which designs, makes, and finds props for Broadway shows. Melanie is a native Memphian and received her B.F.A. in Theatre from the University of Memphis.
Madison Alicia Prentiss (Rosaline) is a Texas native who recently earned her B.F.A. in Acting from the University of Houston. Some of her credits include The Tempest (Miranda), The Comedy of Errors (Luciana), As You Like It (Celia), and Henry V (Katherine/Boy) with the Houston Shakespeare Festival; All My Sons (Ann Deever), The Wolves (#2), and Stupid F****g Bird (Nina) at the University of Houston.
Taylor Slonaker (Costard) TSC: Romeo and Juliet (Sampson/Lady Capulet/Mercutio/Paris), The Taming of the Shrew (Widow/Pedant), Ensemble in Christmas Gems and Classical Comedies & Cocktails Reading Series, Much Ado About Nothing (Dogberry/Balthasar). Taylor is an actor, director, and educator. She trained at Shakespeare & Company (Lenox, MA) and the Circle in the Square Theatre (New York, NY). Favorite roles include Midsummer Night’s Dream with The Rooted Voyageurs (Lysander/Mustardseed/Flute), Julius Caesar at Elsewhere Shakespeare (Brutus), and Circle Mirror Transformation at Ghent Playhouse (Lauren). Other credits: A Christmas Carol, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest. Taylor was a member of TSC’s 2025-26 Classical Theatre Apprentice Program.
Stephanie Shine+ (Director) in 17 seasons with TSC, her directorial credits include Christmas Gems: A Child’s Christmas in Wales and The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, Much Ado About Nothing, as well as Twelfth Night,Hamlet, The Importance of Being Earnest, Emily Dickinson: I Dwell in Possibility, which she co-created with Denice Hicks, King Henry VI: The Wars of the Roses, Macbeth, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, Henry V, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar, It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, Southern Yuletide, Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits, Shake(s), Rattle, and Roll, Shakespeare Said It, Lend Me Thy Sword, 12 productions of Romeo and Juliet, and 16 Literary Salons. On stage at TSC, she played the Abbess in The Comedy of Errors, Countess in All’s Well That Ends Well, the female roles in Unto the Breach, and Gertrude in Hamlet. Prior to joining TSC, she was Artistic Director of Seattle Shakespeare Company, a position she enjoyed for 13 years. Other directorial credits include King Lear and As You Like It for Houston Shakespeare Festival, The Taming of the Shrew and The Comedy of Errors for Colorado Shakespeare Festival, the award-winning one-woman internationally-touring Marilyn Monroe Biopic, Marilyn: Forever Blonde, and several new works for Seattle’s Book-It Repertory Theatre. Her production of I am of Ireland (which she also conceived and adapted) opened Book-It’s 25th Anniversary Season in 2014. As an actor, she has performed with the Oregon Shakespearean Festival, NYC’s Theatre for a New Audience, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Alley Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, ACT, The Empty Space, and Seattle Children’s Theatre, among others. Roles include Juliet, Rosalind, Lady Macbeth, Beatrice, Regan, Feste, Kate, Bianca, Dionyza, the Princess of France, Hero, Perdita, and the Chorus in Henry V. The Germantown Arts Alliance honored her with its 2016 Distinguished Arts and Humanities Medal for Performing Arts. Education: graduate of the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts; B.F.A. in Acting from the University of Washington’s Professional Actor Training Program; M.F.A. in Directing from the University of Memphis.
Cheleen Sugar (Princess of France) hails from San Antonio, TX, by way of her hometown: Natchez, MS. She holds a B.A. and M.M. in Vocal Performance from Tougaloo College and the University of Mississippi, respectively. TSC: Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), Hamlet (Ophelia), Macbeth (Lady Macbeth). Other: Phantasmagoria (Mary Shelley), The Container (Asha), It’s a Wonderful Life (Mary Stewart), Selene and the Dreameater (Selene). Cheleen was a member of TSC’s inaugural 2023-24 Classical Theatre Apprentice Program.
Iz Walsh (Maria/Moth) isoriginally from Eleva, Wisconsin. Iz is a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre. St. Croix Festival Theatre: Shrek: The Musical (Pinocchio), The Three Musketeers (Constance). Wisconsin Shakespeare Festival: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Peaseblossom), Romeo and Juliet (Balthasar). UWSP: Picasso At The Lapin Agile (Germaine), The Secret Garden (Mrs. Winthrop), Eleven Weeks of Nuclear Summer (Roz).
Allison White (Costume Designer) has been the resident costume designer and costume shop manager at TSC for the last five seasons. TSC design credits include Much Ado About Nothing, Christmas Gems, The Taming of the Shrew, Saint Joan, The Importance of Being Earnest, Cyrano de Bergerac, Ada and the Engine, Macbeth, King Henry VI: The Wars of the Roses. Her other design credits include I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (Germantown Community Theatre); The Mousetrap, Blithe Spirit, You Can’t Take It With You (Theatre Memphis); Pippin, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Day is Long to End (University of Florida); Caroline, or Change (Cape Fear Regional Theatre); The Secret World of Og (Sarasota Youth Opera); Smokey Joe’s Café, All My Sons, The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Theatre Raleigh). Allison holds an M.F.A. in Costume Design from the University of Florida.
+ Member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Inc., an independent national labor union.
Box Office Information for Ticketed Tabor Stage Performances and Outdoor Performances
Half-price tickets for Love’s Labor’s Lost indoors on our Tabor Stage are $22 (Students $10/Seniors $15).
Tabor Stage tickets may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office at (901) 759-0604; open Tuesday-Friday from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, and one hour prior to curtain. TSC is located at 7950 Trinity Road, Memphis, TN 38018-6297. No refunds/exchanges. The house opens 30 minutes prior to curtain. Credit Card charges require a $2.00 per-ticket fee. Free Tabor Stage parking and covered drop-off at the front door are available at TSC.
The one performance at Elmwood Cemetery will charge a modest admission price through the Cemetery’s website here.
All other performances are outdoors, free to attend, and no reservations or purchases are required. Seating outdoors is first-come/first-seated. Please bring your own chairs.
The cast and schedule are subject to change with notice.
Season 19 Sponsors
TSC’s generous sponsors of its season, productions, and Education and Outreach Program include ARTSmemphis, Tennessee Arts Commission, James R. Humphreys, Evans Petree PC, Pat and Ernest Kelly, J. Walker Sims and the Sims Family Charitable Trust, Nancy R. Copp, Anne and Mike Keeney, Independent Bank, National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Midwest, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Pete Pranica, First Horizon Foundation through an ArtsFirst grant, AutoZone, the Dunbar Abston Fund for Sustainable Excellence, the Barbara B. Apperson Angel Fund, and the Jack Jones Children’s Literacy Fund. TSC’s season is funded under a Grant Contract with the State of Tennessee.
