William Shakespeare was a renowned English poet, playwright, and actor born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. His birthday is most commonly celebrated on 23 April (see When was Shakespeare born), which is also believed to be the date he died in 1616. Shakespeare was a prolific writer during the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages of British theatre (sometimes called the English Renaissance or the Early Modern Period). Shakespeare’s plays are perhaps his most enduring legacy, but they are not the only things he wrote. Shakespeare’s poems also remain popular to this day.

Alumnus of St. Edward’s University (B.F.A., Acting/Directing) in Austin Texas, Nick continues to balance his professional teaching career with his acting career. Nick was last seen in Our Town (the Stage Manager), To Kill A Mockingbird (Atticus Finch), Equus (Martin Dysart), and the world premiere of Born on a Sunday (August Strindberg) written by T.J. Walsh. He worked as a stagehand on the shows Annie Get Your Gun, Carousel, and Cinderella, for Casa Mañana, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for the Scott Theater, and the Broadway touring show The Phantom of the Opera at Bass Hall. Nick would like to thank the administration and faculty of Eaton High School for their continued support, to Courtney McDonald for all of the hard work put into this production, to the parents of the entire company of Othello and, most importantly, to his loving wife and five kids for all of their love and support.

Mrs. McDonald is excited to have worked with the cast and crew of Othello. This is her ninth year in the Fine Arts department at NISD and her third year as the Assistant Director of Theatre at Eaton School. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where she studied Speech & Communications. She would like to thank the entire cast and crew for all of the work they have put into Othello. She would also like to thank the EHS administrators, Mike Blankenship and Nick Kougias for their mentorship, and her husband, Terrell, for his love and support.