Directors
Jennifer Hughes (Quince)
Director
Jennifer is passionate about the arts, education, people, and community! Jen is entering her 15th year of teaching at Saint Joseph Catholic High School in Ogden, Utah. She has been training, teaching, and directing high school students for the past 22 years in Utah, Idaho, and Southern California, where she is originally from. Jen is a professional singer, actress, dancer, choreographer, and director of theatre. She is a graduate of Weber State University with a BA in Musical Theatre. Jen is looking forward to earning her MFA, Directing Emphasis, next year from the University of Idaho . She is married to Douglas Hughes. Between them they have 8 children and 9 grandchildren (adding 2 more in December), which makes for an adventurous life. She is deeply grateful for the work of NEXT Ensemble in our community and to be included in this incredible project!
Gabriel Gordon
Orchestra Conductor
Gabriel Gordon, violinist, conductor, composer, and arranger, has been performing professionally for over 35 years. As a violinist, Gabriel studied with Jonathan Strasser, Laura Hamilton, Rafail Sobelevsky, Eugene Drucker and Jascha Brodsky.
Gabriel studied with some of the great luminaries of conducting including Kenneth Kiesler, Gustav Meier, Harold Farberman, David Gilbert, and Jonathan Strasser. He made his professional conducting debut in 1998, and has since enjoyed a varied career conducting professional and youth orchestras across the United States, Australia, and Europe. Mr. Gordon has conducted the Santa Fe Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, Chatter, a Chamber Ensemble, the All-State Orchestra in Oklahoma City, and at Santa Fe Opera.
In October of 2001, Gabriel produced and conducted “The Concert for Humanity” in reaction to the events of 9/11. The performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony raised $30,000 for the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.
Performers Information
CAREY CAMPBELL
(Egeus/Narrator)
What interests me most about music is its connection with human beings. In all of my work, I seek to explore and understand how people create, make sense of, and use music in their lives. I’m fascinated by all music and all people, which pretty much means I’ll never run out of things to do.
I teach classes in both popular and classical music history at Weber State University; to me, history is not a series of unchanging facts about dead people and old things — rather, it is a parade of stories about people and their music, which are kept very much alive when we strive to find connections between our own humanity and theirs.
I am Professor of Music at Weber State University and Artistic Advisor and Host for NEXT Ensemble. You can find out more about me and my compositions at careycampbell.info.
CAMERON GARNER
(Lysander, Oberon, and Bottom)
Cameron has been an actor in Utah for over 25 years, appearing at Weber State University, the Ziegfeld, Centerpoint Legacy Theatre, Rodgers Memorial, Midvale Main Street Theatre, and Hale Centre Theatre, in more than 70 productions. He has also been a theatre educator at Taylorsville High School since 2012, beginning his tenth year of teaching on Monday! Some of Cameron’s favorite productions include The Light in the Piazza, Matilda, Company, Lucky Stiff, The Musical of Musicals: the Musical!, and many more. He’s quite excited to tackle these iconic Shakespeare characters! Enjoy the performance
OLLIE CHIEPPA
(Puck, Hermia, and Snout)
Ollie is thrilled to be in their first production with Next Ensemble as Puck, Hermia, and Snout. After two semesters of online productions in the acting program at Utah State, they are ecstatic to perform live again. Ollie has recently been involved in two readings at Utah State. Including, The Book of Will as Ed Knight/Issac Jaggard and Ada and the Engine, as Lord Byron. With a background in tumbling, Ollie is thrilled to be able to play with movement in this production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
CARSON MAESTAS
(Titania, Helena, and Snug)
Carson is very excited to be a part of this interesting project! Recently Carson has been seen as Celia in March Tale (Pioneer Theatre Company’s Play-by-Play series), Tim in Monty Python’s Spamalot (The Grand), Dr. Pinch in The Comedy of Errors (The Grand). Other credits include: The Importance of Being Earnest, Good Kids, The Children’s Hour, and Romeo and Juliet (University of Utah). Carson is a graduate of the University of Utah’s Actor Training Program.
CHRISTIAN MAESTAS
(Demetrius, Faerie, and Flute)
Christian Maestas has enjoyed being a part of this process. Most recently Christian has been in The Importance of Being Earnest as Algernon, and in the Salt Lake Fringe Festival in The Place of No Darkness. He would like to thank Next Ensemble and Jennifer Hughes for inviting him to participate in the joy of performance. Christian is a graduate of the University of Utah’s Actor Training Program.
Singers and Orchestra
SINGERS AND FAIRIES
Emily Nelson (Mustardseed)
Mandi Barrus (Peaseblossom)
ShaRee Larsen (Moth)
Michelle Dean (Cobweb)
ORCHESTRA
| VIOLIN I VIOLIN II VIOLA CELLO BASS FLUTE OBOE | CLARINET BASSOON FRENCH HORN TRUMPET TROMBONE TUBA PERCUSSION
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Stage Manager - Elsa Wandrey
Sound & Lighting - Daniel Pack & Mathew Mitchell
Costumes - Hannah Andersen