Hickory – Jill Roberts, Mark Alton Rose, and Kurt Sigmon join the cast of Shakespeare in Love as Queen Elizabeth I and two members of her court, Lord Wessex and Lord Tilney. The show opens Mar 6 and runs through Mar 22 in the Jeffers Theatre.

Lord Wessex is betrothed to Viola de Lesseps, who becomes Young Will Shakespeare’s muse. Queen Elizabeth I was the monarch of England at the time, and Edmund Tilney is the Master of Revels in London.

Rose has lived in the Hickory area for 30+ years and is an actor/voice actor. He has been in many national and regional TV commercials, as well as several movies. Rose has won four Kay Awards from HCT, and recently was seen as Don in American Buffalo and Sam in Mamma Mia. When asked what he likes about his role, Rose said, “He’s so pompous and arrogant!”

Roberts has lived in the Hickory area her whole life, where she works as a Phlebotomist. She is a two-time Kay Award winner and has been in many HCT productions, such as Hamlet, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, RENT, Mamma Mia, and The Hobbit. When asked what she loves about Hickory Community Theatre, Roberts said, “The feeling of family and acceptance.” She also was in the Air Force for two years.

Sigmon has also been in the Hickory area for about 50 years, and is making his HCT debut. He’s done a variety of shows at the Green Room, such as Bright Star, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Sweeney Todd. Sigmon is a math teacher who writes song parodies to help teach math concepts. When asked what he loves about his role, Sigmon said, “He is a stickler for rules and order. I can be that way at times.”

Performances of Shakespeare in Love are Fridays and Saturdays (Mar 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, & 21) at 8:00pm, Thursdays (Mar 12 & 19) at 7:30pm and Sundays (Mar 8, 15, & 22) at 2:30pm.

Tickets for Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are $20 for adults and $18 for seniors. Thursday night tickets are $16 for all adults and $10 for students. Call the box office at 828-328-2283 or visit hickorytheatre.org to purchase tickets or get more information.

The Hickory Community Theatre is a funded affiliate of the United Arts Council of Catawba County. A Cleaner World, Paramount Automotive, the City of Hickory and Sunbelt Xpress are the sponsors of the 2019-2020 Season. Shakespeare in Love is being produced by Commscope, Shurtape and the Friends of the Theatre.

PHOTO: Kurt Sigmon, Jill Roberts, and Mark Alton Rose play Tilney, Queen Elizabeth I, and Lord Wessex in Shakespeare in Love. Photo by Lauren Albers.