Staff

James has directed more than 250 productions from New York to England and regionally across America, including over two-thirds of Shakespeare’s canon, numerous musicals and many new works. Among his Shakespeare directing credits are the Pearl Theatre Company in New York, New York Public Libraries, Richmond Shakespeare, Illinois Shakespeare, Virginia Shakespeare Festival, and MaineStage Shakespeare. James holds a BFA from Ithaca College and a MFA in Directing from the University of California at Davis.

For SSC, James directed the FREE Shakespeare in the Park mainstage production for four consecutive years: Macbeth (2019), Twelfth Night (2021), Much Ado About Nothing (2022), and Antony & Cleopatra (2023).

Phil was born and raised in London, and attended The Italia Conti Drama School, making his West End debut at the tender age of eleven, flying around the stage as John Darling in “Peter Pan” at the Scala Theatre, and he was cast again in the same role the following year! He also appeared on television in A Play for Today for the BBC and in minor roles in films and television, but his true love always has been live theatre.

He has worked in Theatre in Education, in the UK, for Freshwater and Konflux Theatre companies. He was also the Head of the Education Dept. for the Theatre Royal in Bury St. Edmunds. He is working to instill a love of Shakespeare to the children and young adults in Tallahassee through frequent in-school workshops and as Co-Director of The Bardlings.

Phil has appeared in such diverse roles as Sir Thomas More in a Man for All Seasons and R.P. McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Other roles include leads in A Chorus of Disapproval, Separate Tables, The Real Inspector Hound and The Typist. He has also directed various productions including The Donahue Sisters, Humble Boy, and for the Theatre Royal Youth Company, Maria Marten and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He appeared as Oberon/Theseus in Southern Shakespeare’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2014.

Devon Glover is a teacher, poet, rapper, from Brooklyn, New York. He performs Shakespeare's Sonnets in a dynamic way through Hip-Hop in schools, universities and theaters to young audiences nationally and abroad. As The Sonnet Man, Devon has appeared on The Today Show, MSNBC, BBC, NPR, and Shakespeare Festivals throughout the world. The release of his debut video Hip-Hop Hamlet was selected for the Shakespeare Short Film Festival in Stratford-upon-Avon. In April 2016, Devon went on a SonnetMarathon tour through the US, UK, and Morocco—where he rapped all 154 of Shakespeare's sonnets in succession on April 24th. Devon also performs with the California troupe, Salty Shakespeare, where he wrote musical pieces and played Clarence & Tyrell in Richard III. In May 2017, Devon took on the role of Touchstone in As You Like It. For more information, visit www.SonnetMan.com.

Kelby Siddons (she/her) is an arts marketer, manager, creator, and educator currently earning her MFA in Theatre Management at FSU.

She directed and acted in contemporary and Shakespearean plays for northeast Florida theatres such as All Beaches Experimental Theatre, the 5 & Dime, and Players by the Sea. She also wrote and staged many original works in the region, from a site-specific, ambulatory murder mystery for the Matheson Museum in Gainesville to an immersive dinner theatre piece at MOCA Jacksonville.

During her time as an undergraduate at Northwestern University, she served as the artistic director of Purple Crayon Players, which was awarded the American Alliance for Theatre and Education award for Best New TYA company and is still hosting the annual new works festival, PLAYground, that she started.

Robin Jackson is a Tallahassee native who grew up involved in the Southern Shakespeare Company as a child and many other local theatre productions. For the past six years she has performed with Artspot: Educational Theatre, an international touring company bringing English educational children’s theatre to over fifteen countries. As well as performing, Robin led and developed “Teaching Through Theatre” workshops for teachers and students around the world. She holds an AS in Musical Theatre from Florida School of the Arts as well as a BFA in Musical Theatre from University of Central Florida. Currently, along with her work with SSC, Robin teaches at Grassroots Free School, directs Miccosukee Land Co-op Drama Camp, and has partnered recently with SAIL High School Drama Club on various productions. Robin feels strongly about the importance of theatre education and is thrilled and honored to be back in Tallahassee to share her experience and love with her hometown.

Laura W. Johnson is a professional stage and film actor, director, producer, and fierce supporter of the arts. Laura has passionately supported the Southern Shakespeare Company since its birth in 2014.

She has previously served on the Board of Directors for the Irish Repertory Theater and served on the Artistic Advisory Committee of Theatre Tallahassee.

In her stage career, spanning over two decades, she has performed with numerous regional and local theater companies including Theatre Tallahassee (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Much Ado About Nothing, Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, Bug, Lend Me a Tenor, and Black Coffee), Monticello Opera House, Southern Shakespeare Company (Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing), Thomasville Entertainment Foundation (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and the New American Shakespearean Tavern (The Changeling, Doctor Faustus). One of the most profound experiences of her career was performing on the Ruby Diamond Concert Hall stage as part of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra’s Requiem of Resistance, sharing the story of Verdi’s Requiem at Terezin concentration camp through narration.

Laura is highly visible in both television and commercial programming, including her work as the on-air host for the Multistate POWERBALL draw.