Company Spotlight: Isabel Smith-Bernstein and Gail Wolfenden-Steib
Name: Isabel Smith-Bernstein
Position: Dramaturg
Have you ever worked at the Festival before?
This is my first year and I’m excited to be here!
Where’s your home base?
Washington DC
What’s your education/training background?
I hold a bachelor’s in Humanities and Arts in history and dramaturgy from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).
What brought you to your field and what keeps you doing your craft?
I found dramaturgy as a freshman at CMU–I went there thinking I would become a lawyer– and transferred as soon as I figured out what a dramaturg was. Dramaturgy is a way for me to work with Shakespeare and the classics in a living, breathing way.
I love dramaturgy, you get to work in four time periods simultaneously: when the play was written, when the play is set, when the director sets the play, and when the play is being performed. Providing context for the cast and crew and facilitating “aha!” moments never gets old.
Everytime you work on a production, it’s like working on something completely new. That’s what keeps me coming back to dramaturgy and especially Shakespeare–there’s always something new to discover.
How will you spend your time off while here?
Hiking!
What does the Festival Experience mean to you?
As of right now, it means getting to work on three amazing and different shows at once. The Festival Experience enables me to meet and work with all kinds of talented and creative people.
If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
I wish I didn’t have to sleep. Think of how much I could get done!
If you had a time machine, where would you like to visit?
Maybe cliche, but Shakespeare’s England. That way I could see the plays performed with their original practices and hopefully discover a few lost ones.
Name: Gail Wolfenden-Steib
Position: Costume Painter/Dyer
Have you ever worked at the Festival before? If so, for how many years and in what roles/capacity?
Yes-19 summers costume painter dyer and 4 Falls-once as painter dyer, one year craft supervisor and two years crafts technician.
Where’s your home base?
Tempe, AZ
What’s your education/training background?
MFA Stenography with a costume focus, BS clothing and textiles at Arizona State University.
What brought you to your field and what keeps you doing your craft?
Creative element, freelance work, and stimulating environment.
How will you spend your time off while here?
Hiking, retail therapy, designing a show for Childsplay, and making belly dance costumes.
What does the Festival Experience mean to you?
A chance to see old friends and make new ones. Learn some new skills, be inspired creatively.
Do you have a favorite memory of working in the Adams Theatre?
This is my first season to work in the Adams Theatre, so I’m building my memories. I’m excited that I get to be a part of The Taming of the Shrew, with Fred Adams directing in the Adams Theatre’s final season.
If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
Figure out how to defy gravity so I could wear the costume without a bra.
If you had a time machine, where would you like to visit?
Victorian India
