Oberon Theatre Ensemble

A - B . . . Company and Cast Members 2008

Claire Anderson

Fleance, Macbeth
CLAIRE ANDERSON is 12 years old. She dreams of a future as a playwright; for now, she is happy to be playing Fleance. She dances at the Astoria Dance Centre and takes voice and piano. She wants to thank Dad and Mom for driving her everywhere, her brothers Sam and Henry for putting up with her, Tony and Maureen from ADC, and Grace Pettijohn, her voice teacher. She is a 7th grader at the Renaissance Charter School in Jackson Heights.

Philip Atlakson

DIRECTOR, Macbeth
PHILLIP ATLAKSON has written for Paramount Pictures, Robert Redford, and 20th Century Fox Studios. He wrote and directed the award-winning independent feature, Not This Part of the World, and two short films, which have played numerous film festivals as well as cable channels. Phil recently directed his newest play, A Buddhist HIistory of the United States, at Boise State University, and a production of his one-act, Charlotte's Web We Weave in Seattle. He has directed several of his own plays in New York, including The Ascetic, Leapfrog Through Time and Space, and The Rehearsal. The New York Times called Leapfrog “… a form of emotional Darwinism, in all its ferocity. Well played by Atlakson.”

Phil has appeared in several independent feature films, and numerous roles for the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, and Boise Contemporary Theatre. He is the recipient of the Stanley Drama Prize, The Kennedy Center Medallion, The Nell Shipman Award for Excellence in Filmmaking, the Long Island Film Festival Best Feature Award, and numerous grants, fellowships, and residencies. Phil heads the Dramatic Writing Program at Boise State University, and has been a member of the Writers Guild of America – West, since 1997.

Ryan Bartruff

Fight Choreographer, Macbeth
RYAN BARTRUFF has been choreographing violence in and around New York City for several years. He received his initial stage combat training at New York University while earning his BFA. He is a member of the Society of American Fight Directors and the United Stuntman’s Association. Some past credits as fight choreographer include; Avalon (FHB Productions, Spotlight On Award winner), Othello (Firebird Productions), Second Hand Smoke (Triad Arts Ensemble), Comedy of Errors (Curious Frog Theater Co.) Hamlet 2050 and Romeo and Juliet (Queens Shakespeare Inc.), and West Side Story. Check out his current projects at www.massbattle.com

Brianne Berkson

Laurel, Gina, Nurse Ghost on Fire
BRIANNE BERKSON is thrilled to be embraced by the Oberon Ensemble family. A native New Yorker, Brianne recently finished a show with Stamford Center for the Arts and a NYC Off Broadway production, Absolute Clarity. She just wrapped three films and is excited to be starting work on a new web-series In the Now. A proud member of AEA, SAG, and AFTRA, Brianne would like to thank her family and friends, her beams of light, love and support.

Gabe Bettio - Associate Member

Ross, Macbeth
Having recently moved to NYC from Toronto, Canada, GABE BETTIO is excited to be making his OTE debut playing Ross in Macbeth. Last year, Gabe made his U.S. theatrical debut in My Heart In A Suitcase, a Holocaust story that toured for ArtsPower National Touring Company. That was followed by a workshop production of The Seagull at HB Studio, in which he played Medviedenko. North of the border, Gabe's favourite stage roles include Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire, Anibal in Jose Rivera’s Cloud Tectonics and both Theo and Vincent van Gogh in the one-man show, Vincent, written by Leonard Nimoy. Gabe has also written for his own theatre company, Role of the Dice Productions. On the small screen, Gabe played the hero in an episode of the disaster series, Mayday, for the Discovery Channel, and appeared with Ted Danson in Knights of the South Bronx. He has also been active in the independent film scene.

Walter Brandes - Core Member

Literary Manager, Grant Writer
See his bio on Executive Committee page

Sarah B.Brown

Set Design, Ghost on Fire

Mac Brydon - Associate Member

Banquo / Siward, Macbeth
For Oberon: Merry Wives of Windsor, Murder at Twickenham Vicarage, King Lear, Moonchildren, The Physicists, and The Miser. Waldo! Check out 'Mac's First Time' on www.youtube.com. Training: The Warsaw Academy of Drama in Poland, The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland, New York Stage and Film at Vassar College, Carnegie Mellon University, and ongoing studying with Harold Guskin in Manhattan.