A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
William Shakespeare
July 2026
CAST & CREW
Producer: Michael Muldoon
Producer, Director, Titania, Hippolyta: Melinda O’Brien
Bottom (Pyramus), Assistant Director, Choreographer: Ari Mack
Stage Manager: Emmy Schwartz
Stage Manager: Nan Weiss
Oberon, Theseus: Eric Novak
Puck: Nick Nazario
Demetrius: Rob Troiano
Helena: Taryn Comizio
Hermia : Mari Gordon
Lysander: Peter Moriarty
Peter Quince: Jess Reed
Francis Flute (Thisbe): Scott Faubel
Robin Starveling (Moonshine), Moth, Philostrate: Elizabeth Mialaret
Tom Snout (Wall), Mustardseed: Will Royston
Snug (Lion), Fairy, Peaceblossom: Kevin Arthur
Egeus, Cobweb: Leslie Messina
WHO’S WHO IN THE CAST & CREW
Kevin Arthur (Snug/Lion/Fairy/Peaceblossom ) was most recently seen as Howard Wagner in the Harrison Players’ production of Death of a Salesman. Other favorite roles include Dawkins in The Shawshank Redemption for Actors Conservatory Theatre, Von Strack in Amadeus for The Manor Club Theatre, Officer Brody in Arsenic and Old Lace for Curtain Call, Clown 2 in The 39 Steps for The Armonk Players, Horton in Seussical for Bedford Community Theatre, Eddie in Lost in Yonkers for The Life Mosaic, Professor Richard Pierson in War of the Worlds for Chill Bucket Productions and Kevin in Stage Kiss, also for the Harrison Players. As a playwright, his one-act, Death Comes To Flushing was performed at New Deal Creative Arts Center’s 10 x 10 Festival. In his spare time, Kevin and his wife are avid equestrians.
Taryn Comizio (Helena) is excited to be performing in her first show with M&M Performing Arts! She most recently appeared in the Songs From the Heart cabaret at the Green Room 42; other credits include Gallathea (Diana) with the Baltimore Shakespeare Factory, Stage Kiss (Laurie) with the Harrison Players, and performances with the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy tour in Long Island and Rochester. Offstage, she can be found hanging out with her dog, subjecting innocent bystanders to facts about Formula 1, and hoarding strange books.
Scott Faubel (Francis Flute/Thisbe) has performed with M&M/Red Monkey at Lyndhurst in two of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, and in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (Revised). He’s been on the boards for 50 years, starting in junior college with Michael Weller’s Moonchildren. Scott is currently a member of Westchester Collaborative Theater in Ossining, where he’s studied with Susan Ward and performed in a variety of one-act compilations (that’s where he met our Puck). He recently traveled to the TANYS festival in Rome, NY, and the ESTA festival in Maryland with the GoJo Clan’s production of A Family Affair by Albi Gorn. Other recent roles include Beverly Weston in August, Osage County with the Axial Theatre Co., Maury Goldin in Hello, I Must Be Going and Mr. Hanratty in The Minutes; both with GoJo. His greatest theatrical delight, however, is seeing his children and grandchildren perform. Since retiring from the newspaper game, and when not on stage, Scott enjoys playing pickleball and delving into genealogy.
Mari Gordon (Hermia) is a recent graduate of Montclair State University with a BA in Theater Studies and a Minor in Musical Theater. Her recent credits include Juror 11 in Twelve Angry Jurors and Hero in Much Ado About Nothing with Montclair Players. Recently Mari has been working with Anywhere Theater Company to provide costuming and theater education to children in lower Westchester and she has been a cast member of A Novel Princess Party for the last two years. Mari is so excited to be a part of this production and to play her dear Hermia again. Enjoy the show!
Ari Mack (Assistant Director/Choreographer/Bottom/Pyramus) is an actor, dance and fight choreographer, and writer. He served as choreographer for the Ramapo High School Players in Spring Valley, NY, from 2014 to 2021, after a 16-year affiliation with the group. He has also choreographed for the Cultural Arts Theatre at Rockland Community College as well as the Rockland Shakespeare Company (2016–2024.) Ari is an Advanced Actor Combatant, certified in eight weapons by the Society of American Fight Directors, and has provided combat choreography for numerous companies throughout the Rockland and Westchester area. He is passionate about storytelling in many forms, including poetry, playwriting, and podcasting. Instagram: @ari_mack027
Leslie Messina (Egeus/Cobweb) is thrilled to make her debut with M&M Performing Arts Company. She has performed in many productions in Westchester and Connecticut for many years. A graduate of SUNY Purchase, she attended HB Studio and continues studying with Lyle Kessler’s Masterclass in NYC. Some of her credits include: King Lear, Alibi, Sister Act, The Heiress, The Night of January 16th, Lovers and Other Strangers, August:Osage County, Inherit the Wind, The Women, West Side Story, Sugar and The Boyfriend along with many Murder Mystery evenings. She would like to thank her family and friends for their undying support and her late husband Phil who passed away this past March. I know you are looking down on me with pride. I love and miss you Phil.
Elizabeth Mialaret (Robin Starveling, Moonshine, Moth, Philostrate) is pleased to return to Lyndhurst. Recent productions have included Mrs. Jennings in Sense and Sensibility, Ethel Savage in The Curious Savage, and Violet Venable in Suddenly Last Summer. Notable roles include Violet Bradman in Blithe Spirits, Lillian Troy in I Hate Hamlet, Katherine Brandt in 33 Variations, Kent in King Lear, Gertrude in Hamlet, the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, and Sister Aloysius in Doubt. She also appeared as Mrs. Hudson in the long running Sherlock Holmes series. Elizabeth also works as a voice actor. ElizabethMialaret.com
Peter Moriarty (Lysander) is loving his first show with M&M Performing Arts! Usually found in musicals, Peter has recently been seen as Thomas Jefferson in 1776, Warner in Legally Blonde and Thomas Jefferson (again) in 1776. He recently played Cominius in Coriolanus and has been starving for more Shakespeare and has found it at Lyndhurst. He is excited for this wonderful retelling of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and would like to thank his family, Woods Comma Elle, and the unbelievably welcoming and supporting cast and crew of M&M Performing Arts! His acting pursuits can be found @petermoriarty99 on Instagram!
Michael Muldoon (Producer) has appeared at the Lyndhurst Mansion for the last decade in Mr. Dickens Tells a Christmas Carol. Recent acting: Othello, An Ideal Husband, Brook Street Mysteries, Private Lives, Tartuffe, The Price, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, I Hate Hamlet, The 39 Steps, and Hamlet. Recent directing: Tartuffe, An Ideal Husband, Blithe Spirit, Private Lives, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). Regional theater includes: NJ, PA, KY, GA, CT and upstate NY. NYC acting: The Living Theater and Theater for the New City. TV: One Life to Live, All My Children, As the World Turns, Saturday Night Live and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (recurring). Film: The Haymaker, Natale a New York. A member of the Board of Directors for YCP TheaterWorks he is the Executive Vice President for M&M Performing Arts and lives in Yorktown Heights with Melinda and two dreamy cats: Oberon and Titania.
Nick Nazario (Puck) is a New York-based performer with a passion to realize the stories yet to be told. They hold an AS in Performing Arts from Westchester Community College and are always seeking to expand their education. Recently, Nick closed with Anywhere Theater’s production of Twelfth Night (Sir Andrew). Prior credits include Sherlock Holmes in Sleepy Hollow (Watson), Fiddler on the Roof (Motel), 25APCSB (Chip), Beauty & the Beast (Lefou), Marjorie Prime (Walter), and Othello (Cassio). Nick enjoys smelling the flowers when not causing mischief, and lives in Peekskill with 2 black cats. Follow on FB/IG: @nicknazario._
Eric Novak (Theseus/Oberon) Among his past roles are Simon Stimson in Our Town, Antoine in The Baker’s Wife (both at Ridgefield Theatre Barn, CT), Mephistopheles in Faust (Black Orchid Theatre Group, NYC), and Lavatch in All’s Well That Ends Well (Muscoot Farm, Katonah). He played Puck in the previous Lyndhurst production of Midsummer Night’s Dream, and is glad to be back after that abbreviated, early 2020 run. He is also a singer-songwriter, and can be seen popping up at open mics in the area or playing bass in sparklegrunge band Lucky Witch and the Righteous Ghost.
Melinda O’Brien (Producer/Director/Titania/Hippolyta) is a founder of M&M Performing Arts Company. She directed Othello, The 39 Steps, Travels with My Aunt, Barrymore, I Hate Hamlet, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), Private Lives and The Mousetrap in the Grand Picture Gallery of Lyndhurst. She also directed the M&M/Red Monkey productions of Sherlock Holmes adventures: The Blue Carbuncle, The Speckled Band, A Scandal in Bohemia, The Dying Detective, The Musgrave Ritual, The Dancing Men, The Red-Headed League, The Final Problem and The Book Street Mysteries at Bartow-Pell and/or Lyndhurst. Some favorite acting credits include: Hamlet, God of Carnage, Agnes of God, Dancing at Lughnasa, Lost in Yonkers, The Importance of Being Earnest, An Ideal Husband, Dinner with Friends, Crimes of the Heart, Blithe Spirit, Private Lives, Tartuffe, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Price and, of course, Mrs. Wiggins, in Mr. Dickens Tells a Christmas Carol. She lives with her partner-in-everything-husband, Michael Muldoon, and two delightful cats: Titania and Oberon.
Jess Reed (Peter Quince) is a performer, artist, and director based in Westchester, NY. Select roles: Hercule Poirot (Alibi), Algernon Moncrieff (The Importance of Being Earnest), B/Therapist (After the Flood), Holofernes (Love’s Labor’s Lost), Dr. Livesey (Treasure Island), Percy Talbot (The Spitfire Grill), Isabelle Grossman (Crossing Delancey). Directing credits: Lizzie Borden: Life After Death, Radium Girls, Sense & Sensibility, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Peter and the Starcatcher, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Elephant Man. Jess offers one-on-one acting lessons locally and online. They can be found at jess-reed.com.
William Royston (Tom Snout/Wall/Mustardseed) has worked in theater his whole life on a wide variety of shows and educational programs and is one of the creators of the Music Hall Academy and Anywhere Theatre Company. Recent acting credits include- Othello (Roderigo), Persephone (Zeus, Sisyphus), Twelfth Night (Sir Toby Belch), Sibs (George) and A Great Hero (Mozart). He loves photography, playing games, hearing new stories, and his family and friends!
Rob Troiano (Demetrius) is delighted to return to the Lyndhurst stage for this production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream; having previously appeared here as Cassio in Othello. Other stage credits include Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility, Inspector and Ralph Paton in Alibi, Alan in TRIBECA GRILLing with HTM Players, and reprising that role at the TANYS Festival in Rome, NY. He also portrayed The Grinch at the Lumina Light Experience at Harvest Moon. Beyond the stage, Robert starred in the award-winning short film Spotless, played the lead in the YouTube short Mr. Tramer, and has contributed voice work to multiple creative projects. As a content creator, he has built a community of more than 250,000 followers on TikTok through comedic impressions and original sketch comedy. Find him on TikTok at @_robonthecob. Robert is grateful to the cast and crew, and especially thanks his parents, Kathryn and Richard, for their endless love, encouragement, unwavering support, and belief in him every step of the way. He hopes you enjoy the show and thanks you for supporting live theatre today.
Emmy Schwartz and Nan Weiss (Stage Managers) have been involved with local theater for many years. They have worked on and off the stage in various capacities and venues. They are presently board members of YCPTW and M&M Performing Arts Company. Stage Managing here at Lyndhurst is their Dream job no matter what the season.