Jesse Mattes (Oliver) is exhilarated to be apart of As you Like It. Jesse is currently an English major at VCU entering his third year of school. He is an avid member of the Conciliation Project, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to open open and honest dialogue between people through the active and challenging works of art, such as he was last seen perform it, Global Sexxxism: Unwrapped and Yellow Fever: the internment. He would like to thank his parents and teachers for their support as well as the various relationships with people he has experienced over the years. He would also like to thank the people of this production for their amazing insight and especially the audience here tonight.
Foster Solomon (Jacques and Charles the Wrestler) After four years in Los Angeles, Foster is happy to be back in Richmond to play Charles the Wrestler and Jacques in As You Like It. Previous Richmond credits include Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, Prospero in The Tempest, and Hamlet in Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (Richmond Shakespeare); Lincoln in Top Dog/Under Dog and William in Lobby Hero (TheatreGym); and directing To Kill a Mockingbird at Barksdale Theatre. All love to his beautiful wife, Susan and his boys, Trey and Jordan.
Jerome Weiss (Adam) received a BFA in Dance from the Juilliard School, then toured Europe and North America with Netherlands Dance Theater, Harkness Ballet of NYC, and San Francisco Ballet. He moved to Richmond in 1989 to teach for Richmond Ballet. He was certified to teach Pilates in 1997, had his own Pilates studio for 12 years, and now is back performing character roles and teaching at Richmond Ballet. He feels like a silent movie actor making the transition to “talkies.” His very first speaking role was as Percy in Richmond Shakespeare’s “Elizabeth Rex” earlier this year.
Trevor Kimball (Duke Senior) began his stage career wearing tights at age 12 (explains a lot), playing Hamlet. He went on to roles in various onscreen and stage productions on both coasts. Favorites include Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew, Cable in South Pacific, Gollum in The Hobbit, Peck in How I Learned to Drive, and Dromio of Syracuse in Comedy of Errors. He is most proud however of his role as husband to Melanie and dad to Grace.
Tony Sanchez (Amiens) is a recent graduate of the BFA Theatre Performance program at VCU. He is pleased to make his first post-university appearance with such an innovative project. He was last seen in the Ensemble of Grapes of Wrath at the Barksdale Theatre, and as the Host of VCU's late night variety show No Shame. His primary concentration has been on Mask and devised theatre, and he plans to pursue projects both on the Eastern Shore of the US, and abroad. As always he has his parents, younger sister, and loved ones to thank for the unwavering support.
