Heather Ostberg Johnson is honored to be working with OpenStage again. She also serves as Associate Artistic Director for the Company and wears many hats as a theatre maker and movement artist in Colorado. She is a director, improv comedian, writer, performer, teacher, clown, and dancer. Last season, Heather directed Pride & Prejudice and performed in 39 Steps with OpenStage, receiving a Henry Award for her role as Clown 2. Outside of OpenStage, she can be found performing with The Comedy Brewers, The Band of Toughs (Denver), and The Story Bakers. Heather’s passion for movement, devising, and physical theatre has led her to train with SITI Company, Frantic Assembly, Michael Chekhov Acting Studio, Double Edge Theatre, Giovanni Fusetti, and Pandemonium Studio. She is grateful for her vast circle of supportive friends and family who help her keep all the plates spinning with two young kids, loudest shoutout to Reed Johnson!

JACOB OFFEN has played many roles at OpenStage Theatre & Company – actor, staff member, board member, and now director and Producing Artistic Director. Misery marks his directorial debut at OpenStage. Jacob taught Acting at the University of Houston during his tenure as an MFA candidate, and recently at the University of Northern Colorado. He designed a comprehensive curriculum rooted in Stanislavsky, Hagen, Meisner, Roy Heart and Cecily Berry, and coached actors in scene work/audition preparation. Further, Jacob has created acting, voice, and Shakespearean text workshops at the Texas Shakespeare Festival, Houston Shakespeare Festival, and for acting students of all ages. While he served as the Company Development Administrator (2011 – 2015), he produced and directed entertainment for OST&C’s spring fundraisers (Casino Royal: The Sting, Viva Las Vegas, Oceans 11, le Cirque Rouge!). He is thrilled to put his years of experience as a performer and teaching artist to work for Misery and for many future productions to come!

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language. Born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, he authored 39 plays, 154 sonnets, and countless poems that continue to shape theatre and literature worldwide. His works span comedy, tragedy, and history, with beloved titles including Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Macbeth. A shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later the King’s Men, Shakespeare’s plays were performed at London’s famed Globe Theatre. His keen insight into human nature and enduring influence on storytelling have secured his place as a cornerstone of Western drama. He died in 1616, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire audiences, artists, and scholars more than 400 years later.