Festival Company

Jan Powell

Artistic Director
Richard III and CAMBIO
Jan Powell is the new Artistic Director for the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, and as such is responsible for all onstage and backstage aspects of our productions. In preparing for the 2008 season, she has brought in a new team of designers, directors, and technical staff, and traveled the U.S. to cast our company of actors, each of whom will make their debut LTSF performance this summer. Jan has relocated to Lake Tahoe from Portland, Oregon, with over 25 years of professional experience and a primary focus on directing Shakespeare. Jan was the founding Artistic Director for Portland's Tygres Heart Shakespeare Company, and has directed a great many Shakespeare plays, including the entire canon of histories. In addition, she has directed numerous other theatrical productions across the U.S., ranging from original works to opera. She has served as president of the Shakespeare Theatre Association of America, and remains active in the STAA's international conversation on producing Shakespeare. Her goals for the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival include bringing in new national and international talent, fostering local talent, developing new resources and building strong regional collaborations.

Michael Walling

Guest Artistic Director
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Michael Walling is the Festival’s guest director for our 2008 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Michael is the Artistic Director of Border Crossings theatre in London, England and has directed numerous theatre productions across four continents, winning awards for Two Gentlemen of Verona in the US and Paul & Virginie in Mauritius. Michael directed the English National Opera's acclaimed productions of Wagner's Ring at the Coliseum and Barbican theatres. He was Associate Director to Peter Sellars on Nixon in China, and to Phyllida Lloyd on The Handmaid's Tale (Canada).