News From the Festival
Festival Feature: Meet Volunteers Bev and Jim Mudd
By Liz Armstrong
Bev and Jim Mudd have been attending plays at the Utah Shakespeare Festival for 40 years, starting in 1983. The couple fell so in love with theatre that when they retired, they decided to move across state lines to become dedicated volunteers for the Festival.
“I think we are professional volunteers,” Bev said. “We are busier now than with any job we’ve ever had.”
The couple retired 11 years ago and moved from Carson City, Nevada to Cedar City to dedicate their lives to volunteering at the Festival.
“We’ve always loved theatre and see plays all over the world together,” Bev said.
Valiant Volunteers
Before Bev retired, she was a high school English teacher who taught Shakespeare to her students. Although her husband didn’t have a career that correlated directly with theatre, he also had a passion for Shakespeare.
“I was just a computer geek with an interest in Shakespeare,” Jim said.
This season, the couple have worked as ushers in the Randall L. Jones Theatre and Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre.
“We want to keep busy and stay moving, but we’re doing the things we want to do, not the things we have to do,” Jim said.
They stay busy indeed. In addition to volunteering at the Festival, the couple volunteers for the Cedar City Hospital, InterMountain Performing Arts Conservatory, Southern Utah University athletics, and more.
This year, Jim even helped decorate for the fall season on Cedar City’s Main Street and drove the train during the Cedar City Railroad Centennial Celebration.
Bev and Jim are also on the Board of the Utah Shakespeare Festival Guild. The Guild is a non-profit organization, founded over 60 years ago by the late Barbara Adams, wife of late Festival founder Fred C. Adams. The Guild serves, supports, and promotes the Festival through membership, volunteering, and fundraising activities.
Supporting Shakespeare
The couple supports the Festival in any way they can, including volunteering to help at Bard’s Birthday Bash and the annual Shakespeare Competition.
The largest of its kind in North America, the competition hosts around 3,000 students who compete on Southern Utah University’s campus. This is the Mudds’ fourth year volunteering, and their support helps the mission of the Shakespeare Competition: to help participants grow and learn in the world of theatre and “cultivate the art of theatre, dance and music.”
As a retired educator, it’s extremely important to Bev that the Festival supports schools and students.
“There is nothing more powerful than seeing young people excited about something,” Bev said.
For Jim, the competition is imperative in bringing “new blood into theatre.”
But their support of the arts goes beyond just the Festival. As parents, the couple passed down their love of theatre to their daughter, who went to school for technical theatre design. Now, using her degree, she designs for Disney, hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, and more.
“We started taking her to plays when she was young. She was about eight or nine years old when she saw Richard III starring Patrick Page,” Jim said. “That performance was 3 hours and 40 minutes, and she was awake and into the play the whole time.”
Creative Crafting
Bev is Chairman of the Crafts Committee for the Guild, which means she spends hours creating masks, hair pieces, bags, and more to sell at the Randall L. Jones gift shop.
The costume and props department gives us things that would be thrown away, such as scraps of material,” Bev said. “We repurpose the materials and [sell things], and all the money comes back to the Festival.”
These pieces turn into valuable collector’s items, as patrons can purchase tangible items made from the same material they see onstage.
Leftover props, such as the maps from King Lear and meat pies from Sweeney Todd are also sold to interested patrons.
Ultimately, the couple has become an invaluable resource to the Festival and have poured countless hours of their own time into the organization.
“When they need us, they call us,” Bev said. “We are reliable and we show up, because that’s what we like to do.”
For those interested in joining the Guild, please visit bard.org/guild.
Festival Announces Results From 2023 Shakespeare Competition
Cedar City, UT – This past weekend, the 47th annual Shakespeare Competition, hosted by the Utah Shakespeare Festival and Southern Utah University, gave out dozens of awards and scholarships to drama, dance and music students.
The competition is the largest scholastic Shakespeare competition in North America, and this year, 105 schools attended from Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, and Wisconsin.
From October 5 to 7, students competed before numerous adjudicators on the Festival’s stages and on SUU’s campus. Judges consisted of arts professionals with strong literary and performance backgrounds, including company members from the 2023 season at the Festival.
The competition recognizes and educates students between second and twelfth grade in four areas: acting, dance/choreography, music, and technical theatre. At the conclusion of the competition selected students received plaques and scholarships to study with professionals at Southern Utah University and the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
The competition was divided into six divisions: Buckingham (large public high schools), Oxford (midsize public high schools), Cambridge (small public high schools), Westminster (private, charter, & parochial schools), Stratford (junior high and middle schools) and Essex (schools or groups which are not members of state high school associations).
Associate Education Director Stewart Shelley encouraged teachers to bring their students to the competition because it is “an incredible opportunity for students to get professional feedback from our company members and professional judges to improve their own performance.”
ACTING COMPETITION
For the acting portion of the competition, students compete in monologues, duo/trio scenes, and ensembles. Monologue competitors presented for the judges a two to four-minute monologue from a Shakespeare play or sonnet. In the duo/trio scenes competition, two or three actors presented a three to five-minute scene from a Shakespeare play or sonnet. In the ensemble competition, a group of students from a school presented a six to ten-minute Shakespearean scene.
In addition, first, second, and third place overall sweepstake prizes were awarded to the school in each division with the most total points from all categories.
Also, several scholarships were presented in the acting competition:
The first place winners in the duo/trio scene and monologue categories are awarded scholarships to either Southern Utah University or the Utah Shakespeare Festival summer classes, depending on the grade of the student.
Ray Jones Award: Given to seniors, this award is a $1,000 scholarship to Southern Utah University.
Barbara Barrett Award: Given to juniors and under, this award is a $500 scholarship to the Festival’s summer acting intensive Actor Training, or a tuition scholarship to Shakespeare for Junior Actor Training.
Larry Lott Acting Award: In conjunction with the ensemble competition, judges annually recognize the best actor in an ensemble scene in each division. The recipient of this award received a trophy for his or her accomplishments and, if a senior, a $1,000 scholarship to SUU.
ACTING COMPETITION WINNERS
BUCKINGHAM DIVISION
Sweepstakes First Place: Lehi High School
Sweepstakes Second Place: Skyridge High School
Sweepstakes Third Place: American Fork High School
Ensemble First Place: Lehi High School
Ensemble Second Place: Bingham High School
Ensemble Third Place: American Fork High School
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Elizabeth Archer and Abigail Archer (Lehi High School)
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Tyler Wilkinson, Alexander Colqui, Talmage Howlett (Lehi High School)
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Micah Wixom, Elizabeth Birkner, Danielle Whisamore (Riverton High School)
Monologue First Place: Mia Schoebinger (Skyridge High School)
Monologue Second Place: Kylie Priday (Westlake High School)
Monologue Third Place: Savannah Carrasco (Skyridge High School)
Ray Jones Award: Mia Schoebinger (Skyridge High School), Elizabeth Archer and Abigail Archer (Lehi High School)
Larry Lott Acting Award: Beckham Westenskow (Layton High School)
OXFORD DIVISION
Sweepstakes First Place: Hillcrest High School
Sweepstakes Second Place: Brighton High School
Sweepstakes Third Place: Corner Canyon High School
Ensemble First Place: Corner Canyon High School
Ensemble Second Place: Hillcrest High School
Ensemble Third Place: Brighton High School
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Nayantara Nair, Ellie Spilker, and Riley Thompson (Hillcrest High School)
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Jaycey Bennion and Addi Scarborough (Alta High School)
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Toby Holloway and Adriel Carroll (Salem Hills High School)
Monologue First Place: Gabe Williams (Hillcrest High School)
Monologue Second Place: Anna Fetzer (Hillcrest High School)
Monologue Third Place: Grace Brown (Brighton High School)
Ray Jones Award: Gabe Williams and Nayantara Nair (Hillcrest High School)
Barbara Barrett Award: Ellie Spilker and Riley Thompson (Hillcrest High School)
Larry Lott Acting Award: Jaxton Brenner (Brighton High School)
CAMBRIDGE DIVISION
Sweepstakes First Place: Orem High School
Sweepstakes Second Place: Canyon View High School
Sweepstakes Third Place: North Sanpete High School
Ensemble First Place: Canyon View High School
Ensemble Second Place: North Sanpete High School
Ensemble Third Place: Provo High School
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Eli Zemp, Abigail Goodey (Orem High School)
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Lin Anderson, JosLynn Anderson (North Sanpete High School)
Duo/Trio Third Place: Jarrett Pangan, Gavin McClelland, Levi Hokansen (Canyon View High School)
Monologue First Place: Amelia Brown (Orem High School)
Monologue Second Place: Parker Bettinson (Jordan High School)
Monologue Third Place: Eliza Barkdull (Orem High School)
Ray Jones Award: Ameila Brown, Eli Zemp, and Abigail Goodey (Orem High School)
Larry Lott Acting Award: Daxton Gibbs (Bear River High School)
WESTMINSTER DIVISION
Sweepstakes First Place: Liahona Preparatory Academy - High School
Sweepstakes Second Place: Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts
Sweepstakes Third Place: DaVinci Academy - Senior High
Ensemble First Place: Liahona Preparatory Academy - High School
Ensemble Second Place: Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts
Ensemble Third Place: Karl G Maeser Preparatory Academy - High School
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Carter Little, Jayden Long, Ian Hadfield (Liahona Preparatory Academy - High School)
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Ziggy Watene, Scarlet Boss (Rockwell Charter High School)
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Kavin Begg, Claire Tally, Cross Townsend (Intermountain Christian School)
Monologue First Place: Amara Davis (Liahona Preparatory Academy - High School)
Monologue Second Place: Quinlan LaMarche (DaVinci Academy - Senior High)
Monologue Third Place: Chandler Shulman (Bishop Gorman High School)
Ray Jones Award: Jayden Long (Liahona Preparatory Academy - High School)
Barbara Barrett Award: Amara Davis, Carter Little, and Ian Hadfield (Liahona Preparatory Academy - High School)
Larry Lott Acting Award: Kjersti Long (Liahona Preparatory Academy - High School)
STRATFORD DIVISION
Sweepstakes First Place: Karl G Maeser Preparatory Academy - Middle School
Sweepstakes Second Place: Liahona Preparatory - Middle School
Sweepstakes Third Place: Vista Heights Middle School
Ensemble First Place: Karl G Maeser Preparatory Academy - Middle School
Ensemble Second Place: Liahona Preparatory Academy - Middle School
Ensemble Third Place: Frontier Middle School
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Charlotte Heinrich, Ander Davis, Ally Rees (Liahona Preparatory Academy - Middle School)
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Coco Tullis, Aiden Parkinson (Karl G Maeser Preparatory Academy - Middle School) Duo Trio Scenes Third Place: Clarie Mecham, Samantha Smith (Karl G Maeser Preparatory Academy - Middle School)
Monologue First Place: Kaelyn Perez (Viewpoint Middle School)
Monologue Second Place: Katira Davis (Liahona Preparatory Academy - Middle School)
Monologue Third Place: Connor McClellan (Lake Mountain Middle School)
Barbara Barrett Award: Kaelyn Perez (Viewpoint Middle); Charlotte Heinrich, Ander Davis, and Ally Rees (Liahona Preparatory Academy - Middle School)
Larry Lott Acting Award: Katira Davis (Liahona Preparatory Academy - Middle School)
ESSEX DIVISION
Sweepstakes First Place: First Stage Young Company
Sweepstakes Second Place: Utah COPA
Sweepstakes Third Place: Rocky Mountain Shakespeare Company
Ensemble First Place: Youth Theatre - University of Utah
Ensemble Second Place: First Stage Young Company
Ensemble Third Place: Rocky Mountain Shakespeare Company
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Gwendolyn Harper, Cecily Nutter (Utah COPA)
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: John Eash-Scott, Josephine Van Slyke (First Stage Young Company)
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Ryan Bennett, Max Larson, Elena Marking (First Stage Young Company)
Monologue First Place: Silver Anderson (First Stage Young Company)
Monologue Second Place: Alice Rivera (First Stage Young Company)
Monologue Third Place: Kellen Hunnicutt (Youth Theatre - University of Utah)
Barbara Barrett Award: Silver Anderson (First Stage Young Company), Gwendolyn Harper and Cecily Nutter (Utah COPA)
Larry Lott Award: Kellen Hunnicutt (Youth Theatre - University of Utah)
DANCE/CHOREOGRAPHY COMPETITION
For the dance portion, students were able to compete in duo/trio or ensemble groups. In the duo/trio competition, two or three dancers presented a three to six-minute interpretation of a Shakespeare play or sonnet. In the ensemble competition, a group of dancers from a school interpreted a three to six-minute Shakespeare play or sonnet.
DANCE/CHOREOGRAPHY WINNERS
BUCKINGHAM DIVISION
Ensemble First Place: Westlake High School
Ensemble Second Place: Skyridge High School
Ensemble Third Place: Riverton High School
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Lone Peak High School
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place (tie): Pleasant Grove High School and Riverton High School
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Granger High School
OXFORD DIVISION
Ensemble First Place: Wasatch High School
Ensemble Second Place: Corner Canyon High School
Ensemble Third Place: Hunter High School
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Hunter High School
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Crimson Cliffs High School
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Brighton High School
CAMBRIDGE DIVISION
Ensemble First Place: Orem High School
Ensemble Second Place: Desert Hills High School
Ensemble Third Place: Canyon View High School
Duo/Trio First Place: Canyon View High School
Duo/Trio Second Place: Provo High School
Duo/Trio Third Place: Desert Hills High School
WESTMINSTER DIVISION
Ensemble First Place: Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts
Ensemble Second Place: Bishop Gorman High School
Ensemble Third Place: Juan Diego Catholic High School
Duo/Trio First Place: Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts
Duo/Trio Second Place: Karl G Maeser Preparatory Academy - High School
Duo/Trio Third Place: Liahona Preparatory Academy - High School
STRATFORD DIVISION
Ensemble First Place: Vista School
Ensemble Second Place: Lake Mountain Middle School
Ensemble Third Place: Crimson Cliffs Middle School
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Mountain Ridge Jr. High School
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Frontier Middle School
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Viewpoint Middle School
ESSEX DIVISION
Ensemble First Place: Saint Contemporary Ballet
Ensemble Second Place: Youth Leadership Academy
Ensemble Third Place: Youth Theatre - University of Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Saint Contemporary Ballet
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Webb Dance Academy
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Canyon View Center for the Performing Arts
MUSIC COMPETITION
The music competition encouraged students to explore and develop a relationship with the music of the Renaissance (music prior to 1650). Students were encouraged to utilize creative combinations of instruments; however, no instrumentation was required. The competition was split into four divisions: Troubadour (one to five participants), Minstrel (six to ten participants), Canzonetta (six to 16 participants), and Madrigal (17 plus participants). Choral pieces could be up to ten minutes in length.
MUSIC WINNERS
TROUBADOUR
First Place: Pleasant Grove High School
Second Place: Corner Canyon High School
Third Place: Bishop Gorman High School
MINSTREL
First Place: Jordan High School
Second Place: Pleasant Grove High School
Third Place: Corner Canyon High School
CANZONETTA
First Place: Pleasant Grove High School
Second Place: Herriman High School
Third Place: Skyridge High School
MADRIGAL
First Place: Pleasant Grove High School
Second Place: Herriman High School
Third Place: Jordan High School
SWEEPSTAKES
First Place: Pleasant Grove High School
Second Place: Jordan High School
Third Place: Herriman High School
TECHNICAL THEATRE COMPETITION
The final competition was in the technical theatre area for students who work behind-the-scenes creating sound, lighting, props, scenery, and costumes. In the portfolio area, students were given the chance to have their technical and/or design portfolios evaluated by professionals in technical theatre. Technical theatre students were able to compete in Tech Olympics, with winners named in costumes, lighting, make-up, props, rigging, set construction, sound, and stage management. Overall school winners were also named. The best portfolio and runners-up were also recognized.
TECH OLYMPICS––INDIVIDUAL WINNERS
Costumes: Maeryn Lloyd (Westlake High School)
Lighting: Fischer Coleman (Hillcrest High School)
Make-up: Elsie Slabbert (Hillcrest High School)
Props: Mikkel Jones (Kanab High School)
Rigging: Cameron Sorensen (Hillcrest High School)
Set Construction: Peter Windsor (Timpview High School)
Sound: Abby Spangler (Syracuse Arts Academy)
Stage Management: Tyler Strong (Hillcrest High School)
TECH OLYMPICS––OVERALL WINNERS
First Place (Gold Drill): Hillcrest High School
Second Place (Silver Spotlight): Orem High School
Third Place (Bronze Boot): Riverton High School
TECH PORTFOLIO WINNERS
Overall Winner: Megan Oliphant (Mountain Ridge High School)
Runners-up: Fischer Coleman and Wesley Arbon (Hillcrest High School)
For more information on the Shakespeare Competition, visit competition.bard.org.
Every Brilliant Thing to Tour Again in 2024
Offered free by the Utah Shakespeare Festival to every public district high school in the state of Utah, the play Every Brilliant Thing will tour once again. In 2019 and 2023, the play swept the state with the “intention of cultivating the use of proactive, life-affirming communication when you or those you love are confronted with depression.”
Director of Development and Communications Donn Jersey said Every Brilliant Thing is one of the most critical pieces of work the Festival has ever produced.
“Every Brilliant Thing demonstrates why no darkness lasts forever; even then, there are stars,” Jersey said. “It reminds us of things hiding in plain sight that make life worth living that we don’t see when we are suffering.”
Starting this January, the show will tour across the state of Utah to bring the heartwarming and comforting message to secondary school students.
“This show is so relevant, and it’s this relevancy that heightens the importance,” Associate Education Director Stewart Shelley said. “This show opens up dialogue in a very positive manner and is a door that students who are experiencing anxiety, depression, or suicide ideation, can walk through to get the resources that they need.”
The one-person play tells the story of someone who learns that their mother is in the hospital after her first attempt to take her own life. The narrator then begins a list of every brilliant thing in the world worth living for: “ice cream, water fights, staying up past your bedtime and being allowed to watch TV, the color yellow, things with stripes.”
Filled with humor and inventiveness, the plot explores hope and depression, change and uncertainty, relationships, risk, guilt, and forgiveness.
2023 Greenshow Director Britannia Howe will be directing the tour. The traveling company will consist of Tour Manager Jordan Simmons, Stage Manager Kathryn Whilden, and two actors.
Executive Managing Director Michael Bahr noted that the first touring productions cured hearts, amplified voices, and literally saved lives.
“We will be canvassing and performing across the state, bringing messages of hope and serving as partners to Utah schools,” Bahr said. “This production has been instrumental in cultivating consequential conversations about suicide and depression with students and their families.”
Simmons noted that the project has five goals, the first being to create an active dialogue between all stakeholders about emotional and mental well-being in regards to depression and suicide.
“I hope students learn that they’re not weird, they’re not alone, that things get better, and that life goes on,” Simmons said. “We want every student to know that when they need help there is help available.”
As another goal, the team hopes to increase awareness in Utah schools of mental health resources available for students and to find applicable ways to use these resources. The other goals are to provide an artistic experience that enables young people to see things from a new and positive perspective, provide opportunities for students to both practice and participate in a number of skills related to Utah Core standards, and to inspire people to see the beauty in life.
For Simmons, the show hits close to home, and why he is eager for as many students as possible to see Every Brilliant Thing.
“Having experienced suicide ideation periodically in my own life, it wasn’t until I was an adult that I’ve been able to openly address it,” Simmons said. “I wish I would have experienced something like this when I was a teenager that would have allowed me to get help.”
Funded by the Utah State Legislature, the production is free to any secondary education school in Utah that is interested. The tour will begin January 2024 and will run through the end of March 2024. If you would like Every Brilliant Thing to come to your school or community, please complete this form: Tour Request Form.
For more information on the play, visit bard.org/brillianttour.
For questions, contact Simmons at brillianttour@bard.org.
Festival Feature: Meet Props Artisan Nick Bartleson
For those that don’t know, almost everything that touches the stage is made in-house. Because of this, Properties Director Ben Hohman and his team have their work cut out for them every season, and they never cease to impress.
This year, Nicolas Bartleson tackled props projects alongside Hohman and other props artisans. The new Props Artisan shared his experience this season with the Festival.
Bartleson double majored at Ohio University in production design and technology, as well as stage management. He had been involved in theatre since high school, but stumbled upon his college program unintentionally.
“Someone suggested I look at [props], and I discovered that I really loved it,” Bartleson said. “From then on, I stayed focused on props throughout college and did stage management in between.”
Bartleson found his connection to the Festival through Kelly Kreutsberg. He worked with the former Festival Props Manager in the off-season, and Kreutsberg later recommended him to the Festival.
Although Bartleson has a variety of experience working at different theaters, working with Texas Shakespeare Festival to Glimmerglass Opera, it was his very first season at the Festival, working from May to July this summer.
“I had a really positive experience,” Bartleson said. “The community was fun to be a part of, but on top of that, the quality of theatre production is really good.”
The Properties Department worked on all of the shows for the 2023 season, and so Bartleson found himself jumping around from prop to prop, project to project, play to play.
“My big projects were working on the canopy bed in Romeo and Juliet, as well as the grandfather clock and the chaise lounge in The Play That Goes Wrong,” Bartleson said.
He also completed smaller projects, like working on The Mechanicals cart in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
“My favorite props to work on were the wheellock carbine pistols in Timon of Athens,” Bartleson said.
Although these props are only in the show for under a minute, Bartleson enjoyed the project because it fit more in his “personal wheelhouse of hand props.”
Ultimately, Bartleson returns to props again and again because of the variety the work brings.
“You never know what you’re going to get. I don’t think I’ve ever built the same prop twice,” Bartleson said.
The props artisan noted that he could be working on a seven foot clock one day from The Play That Goes Wrong, and bank statements from A Raisin in the Sun the next.
“I like the unpredictability of it,” Bartleson said. “You get to practice and work within all trades but become a master of none, more or less.”
To see the props that Bartleson and his team worked tirelessly on, don’t miss out on the four remaining plays of the season.
Purchase tickets to Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical, The Play That Goes Wrong, Timon of Athens, and Coriolanus at bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.
Three Actors' Journey from The Shakespeare Competition to Festival Stages
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is hosting its 47th annual Shakespeare Competition on October 5-7.
Students between third to twelfth grade from across the country will compete in acting, dance, music, technical, and theatre competitions for the opportunity to earn scholarships and work alongside theatre, dance, and music professionals.
In an effort to inspire students and cultivate the art of theatre, dance, and music, the Shakespeare Competition has been impacting students since 1977.
“I was so inspired meeting young performers my age from across the country who all shared a love of language and rhetoric,” Actor Allie Babich said of her time at the competition. “It was incredible, inspiring, and I’m so honored to be working here now, and to get to witness the next generation of outstanding young people.”
For some, like Babich, the Shakespeare Competition proved to be the start of a lifelong theatre career. The Festival excitedly visited with actors from the 2023 season that once were participants themselves.
Allie Babich
This season, Allie Babich was cast as Emma Woodhouse in Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical, and Balthasar in Romeo and Juliet. She was also an understudy for Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet. Other roles she has performed at the Festival include Ensign Nellie Forbush in South Pacific (2015) and Ela Delahay in Charlie’s Aunt (2015).
But years before lighting up Festival stages, Allie had her first brush with the Bard as a teenager.
At 17, Babich competed in the Shakespeare Competition.
“I was assigned Paulina’s ‘what studied torments, tyrant’ monologue,’ [from The Winter’s Tale]” Babich said. “A nice, gentle entry point to the dramatic classical monologue, no?”
Babich found strength in Paulina as she explored “a powerful woman who had something to say and the right words to say it.”
“It was the first time I understood how we use language to try to change other people,” Babich reflected. “And Shakespeare always finds the right words for you to use to get what your character needs most.”
Babich said she not only took this lesson with her through plays she’s worked on, but in life.
At the Shakespeare Competition, Babich recalls rehearsing a group scene from Romeo and Juliet in a parking lot outside of their hotel.
“I remember thinking, ‘This is it––I want to do this forever,’” Babich said. “And I do now! And I get to do it here.”
The 17-year-old didn’t know it at the time, but years later, Babich would perform on Festival stages in the 2023 production of Romeo and Juliet, the very play she and her group performed in at the Shakespeare Competition years before.
Rhett Guter
Guter shared that the Shakespeare Competition was his introduction to Shakespeare, Southern Utah University, and the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
“It has played a major role in the person and artist I am today,” Guter said.
His words could not ring truer. From that brief weekend spent at the Shakespeare Competition, Guter ended up becoming the first student to graduate from the bachelor of fine arts–musical theatre program at Southern Utah University. He also received a bachelor of science in dance.
Just like Babich, Guter went on to pursue a career in theatre. As well as performing in over twenty Festival productions, the actor is also a magician and prolific choreographer.
This season, Guter can be seen on Festival stages as Mr. George Knightly in Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical and Chris in The Play That Goes Wrong.
Marco Antonio Vega
Marco Antonio Vega was Snout in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Paris in Romeo and Juliet this 2023 season. He was also an understudy for Theseus/Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Mercutio/Apothecary in Romeo and Juliet.
Rewind to Vega as a high school student at the Shakespeare Competition, when he first saw professional theatre.
“I didn’t even want to go to college, but I won a scholarship to SUU here at the competition,” Vega said. “The rest is history!”
Like Guter, Vega is a Southern Utah University alumnus, but his life might have been very different if he had not attended the Shakespeare Competition.
“It was a very significant reason I became an actor,” Vega said.
For Vega, the value the competition provides is unmeasurable.
“Not so competitive in nature; people come to share space, listen to one another speak and activate poetry, and awe in the artistry,” Vega said. “These skills are more valuable now than ever before, and truly priceless.”
It’s not too late to see these actors on Festival stages. To purchase tickets before the season closes October 7, visit bard.org or call 800-PLAYTIX.
The Shakespeare Competition’s Astounding Impact on the Community
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is excited to host its 47th annual Shakespeare Competition on October 5-7, 2023.
The largest of its kind in the country, the Shakespeare Competition began in 1977 and now hosts schools from around the country. Each year, approximately 3,000 students ranging from third to twelfth grade travel to Cedar City to compete on Southern Utah University’s campus.
The mission of the competition is to “cultivate the art of theatre, dance, and music by providing active observation of peer and professional performance, educational creations based on Shakespeare’s works, and personal evaluation by working professionals.”
Not only does the competition give participants the opportunity to grow and learn in the world of theatre, but it has an extremely positive impact on the local community—both educationally and economically.
The Educational Impact
The Shakespeare Competition is meant to inspire, educate, and encourage young people interested in the worlds of theatre and Shakespeare, but its impact can also be seen in a more indirect way on Southern Utah University’s campus.
SUU Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre Lisa Quoresimo said the Shakespeare Competition’s impact manifests on campus by bringing an inspiring environment of energy and hope.
“The sight of thousands of joyous high school students filling every spare room and scrap of lawn as they rehearse their monologues and scenes in everything from traditional Elizabethan costumes to full-Jedi Knight regalia gives us all hope for the future of theatre,” Quoresimo said.
Many of those assisting in the competition were once participants themselves—direct proof of the mark the Shakespeare Competition has had on those involved.
“Many of our SUU students were once participants, and they love the feeling of giving back as they volunteer to help the next generation of theatre fans to find their way,” Quoresimo said.
Many theatre fans have, in fact, not only found their way, but forged a successful career path in the world of theatre.
The Festival’s current Associate Education Director Stewart Shelley was once a Shakespeare Competition contestant himself. As a former teacher, he went on to spend 20 years bringing his own students to the competition. In his current position at the Festival, Shelley plays a vital role in planning and managing the Shakespeare Competition, giving students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of Shakespeare as he once did.
“Participating in the Shakespeare Competition as a student changed the course of my life,” Shelley said. “The camaraderie we built as a team made life-long friendships. However, the greatest impact was the spark for me to become a theatre educator.”
Shelley wanted to ensure that as many students as possible would be able to experience the same magic of the Shakespeare Competition that he did.
“Coaching a team was very different from competing as a student, and now my current capacity being an administrator of the competition is again a very different experience,” Shelley said. “However, the goal remains the same.”
According to Shelley, the goal is cultivate a love of performing, an opportunity to “speak the speech,” and experience a marvelous weekend with thousands of other students who are equally passionate about their craft.
In addition to staff that has been a part of the competition, many of the acting company that performs each summer has a personal connection as well. Rhett Guter, Allie Babich, and Marco Antonio Vega were also once Shakespeare Competition participants—now shining stars on Festival stages throughout the 2023 season. To learn more about their stories, click here.
The Economic Impact
Maria Twitchell, Executive Director of Visit Cedar City • Brian Head noted that the Shakespeare Competition continues to be one of the top events that generates considerable economic impact on Iron County.
“Last year, participants spent $572,000 on local lodging alone, occupying 91 percent of our city’s hotel rooms,” Twitchell said. “Lodging expenses aside, we estimate each participant/chaperone spends about $42 per day within our community on food, snacks, fuel and supplies, which equates to approximately $504,000 in spending in our local businesses.”
Overall, the Utah Shakespeare Festival Competition equates to over $1 million dollars in economic impact on Cedar City over a single weekend.
For more information on the Shakespeare Competition, click here. To learn more about the Festival educational opportunities, visit bard.org/education.
10 Things to Know About This Year’s Anes Theatre Productions at the Utah Shakespeare Festival
10 Things to Know About This Year’s Anes Shows at the Utah Shakespeare Festival
Don’t miss out on two rarely-performed Shakespeare plays––Timon of Athens and Coriolanus, both closing in a few weeks on October 7.
We invite you to come and believe in the power of theatre in our intimate Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre. It’s a must-have experience! Here are ten things you should know about these two shows before you come:
- Lisa Peterson made her directorial debut at the Festival this season. She is a two-time OBIE Award-winner and her most recent production, Good Night, Oscar starring Sean Hayes who received a Tony Award for his performance, is currently on Broadway.
- Actor Elijah Alexander, known for his roles as Atticus Aemilius in seasons two and three of The Chosen TV series, is in both Anes productions as Timon in Timon of Athens and Tullus Aufidius/Roman Citizen in Coriolanus.
- This is the first time that both shows in the Anes have both been works of Shakespeare.
- Scholars consider Coriolanus unusual for Shakespeare’s works, as it follows a single narrative line. Still, Director Lisa Peterson considers the play to be one of Shakespeare’s most powerful.
- Although Coriolanus enjoyed military success as a legendary Roman hero, his temperament was not suitable as a leader, which resulted in his downfall. This brings up an interesting theme that Peterson plays on in her production, asking the question: “what does it take to step up and lead?”
- This season’s production is only the third time the Festival has produced Coriolanus in its sixty-two year history, with previous productions being in 1977 and 2007.
- Peterson made the artistic decision for Coriolanus to be produced in a modern setting this year at the Festival.
- Timon of Athens, will, however, be set in the time of its creation––around 1607. Patrons can expect traditional ruffs and pumpkin pants.
- The last––and only––time the Festival has produced Timon of Athens was 30 years ago!
- Shakespeare wasn’t the only playwright for Timon of Athens. It is theorized that Thomas Middleton also worked on the play. Director Lisa Peterson loves that Shakespeare collaborated with the younger writer and found new ways to tell stories.
For more information or to purchase tickets for the 2023 and 2024 season, visit bard.org or call 800-PLAYTIX.
Q&A with Director Lisa Peterson on Timon of Athens and Coriolanus
Director Lisa Peterson made her directorial debut at the Festival this season, directing not one, but two plays. Both staged in the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theater, Peterson took on the “giant brain tease,” as she called it, of directing Timon of Athens and Coriolanus in repertory.
Peterson is a two-time Obie Award-winner for her productions of An Iliad and Light Shining in Buckinghamshire. Recent credits include Shipwrecked, Motherhood Outloud, and The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek. Shakespeare productions include Antony and Cleopatra at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Hamlet at Oregon Shakespeare Theatre, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Hartford Stage.
She has also directed at the Mark Taper Forum (where she was Resident Director for ten years), La Jolla Playhouse (where she was Associate Director for three years), and Guthrie Theatre, to name a few. Peterson is also a member of Ensemble Studio Theater and on the executive board of Stage Director and Choreographers Union.
The Festival had the chance to visit with Peterson about her experience directing these two plays.
The Festival: What should our patrons know to help them understand the plays better?
Peterson: The first and most important thing is that these two plays speak to each other. The idea of doing these two plays in repertory is what captured my imagination from the beginning. I’m hoping that people will see both plays, so [that they see] there are themes between the two plays that are very much aligned with each other.
In a way, it’s the same story told twice. Even though they’re set in very different worlds— Timon is a rich patron and it’s about money, and Coriolanus is about war, look first to see how it’s the same story, and then look for the differences.
The Festival: Are there any special “Easter eggs” you have implemented into the plays as a director?
Peterson: At the end of Timon of Athens, there’s the suggestion of a coming war, and to me, the fun order in which to see the plays is first Timon, and then Coriolanus.
They are a couple of props that are used in both shows. This was so both patrons seeing the shows would notice and to emphasize the similarities between the two plays.
The Festival: What do you hope audience members walk away with from these productions?
Peterson: First, to be newly appreciative of the range of Shakespeare’s writing talent. Timon is experimental and quite funny, but it feels quite modern. It’s kind of like a farce meets existential poem. Then, when you get to Coriolanus, you say, “Wow, he could really write drama.”
[I hope patrons] have appreciation of the actors and what magic acting is— how people can transform in front of us, and represent humanity in front of us. And lastly, to think about how hard it is to be a good leader after seeing Timon of Athens and Coriolanus, as I think it’s [really about] the responsibilities of citizenship and what makes a good member of society, as well as how it goes wrong when it goes wrong.
The Festival: Why should our patrons see Timon of Athens and Coriolanus?
Peterson: I think they should come see both plays to do a deep dive into this part of Shakespeare’s career, when he was quite well-known. He’d written Romeo and Juliet, but hadn’t written King Lear. It’s interesting to me because you’re diving into a year and a half of Shakespeare’s writing life. I don’t know if anyone ever has been able to see these two plays back to back— it’s highly unusual.
And, I’m proud of the work the actors are doing. It’s smart and funny and offbeat and honest, in a way that Shakespeare isn’t always. Both plays feel very modern, though they were written 500 years ago.
The Festival: What were the challenges of directing this play?
Peterson: These plays are for people who like to challenge themselves and like an intellectual puzzle, and who are excited about a kind of radial theatricality. This is what drew me to working on both plays.
I’ve done about a dozen Shakespeare plays, including Hamlet, but Coriolanus is one of the hardest I’ve ever directed. It’s dense, and it’s about hard things, such as betrayal. But it feels as if we excavated it. It feels like we went at a mountain with a pick and a shovel and got out on the other side of it so others can go up and see the view.
The Festival: How long have you been directing? Why do you continue to direct?
Peterson: I’ve been directing plays for 30 years now. I started when I was very little in the acting world. When I was in high school, my friends and I started a theatre company. I went to Yale as an undergraduate, and it was in college that I discovered that my gift might actually be as a director and not an actor.
I fell into the new play world in New York, but at the same time wanted to keep my hand in directing classics. I don’t want to get categorized as one kind of director, so it’s been important for me to keep my hand in new plays, classics, and musicals. After [so many] years, I still love rehearsing. I love being in a room with a bunch of smart actors, figuring out how to tell a story.
But I still love going to theatre. You can sit in a room with strangers and listen to a story and have a reaction at the same time. It’s just so . . . human.
For more information on Peterson, visit playwrightshorizon.org.
To purchase tickets to Timon of Athens and Coriolanus, visit bard.org or call 800-PLAYTIX.
Behind-the-Scenes: How The Play That Goes Wrong Went Right
By Liz Armstrong
Director Geoffrey Kent said that The Play That Goes Wrong is one of the funniest comedies written in the past 10 years. As an accessible, family-friendly play that will have your sides hurting from laughter, it’s a must-see this season.
But for those involved, this play was extremely challenging to pull off. Because it is so technically complex and physically demanding, we chatted with Kent and Properties Director Ben Hohman to find out how they made The Play That Goes Wrong. . . go right.
Without giving too much away, we’ll let you in on part of the behind-the-scenes process.
“We have a hard time talking about The Play That Goes Wrong, because the premise of the play is given in the title, but we don’t want to give spoilers,” Kent warned.
However, he and Hohman shared some fun facts that won’t interfere with the element of the surprises the play brings.
Starting Early
Kent noted that something that made the process run smoothly was starting on the show as early as possible.
“We knew we had to get ahead of it. We had our first design meeting in August of 2022,” Kent said. “[The Festival] was still producing Clue, and we had already designed the set and costumes.”
Several decisions were made very early, such as prioritizing and spending extra time on actor safety.
“We spent lots of extra time before our typical ‘tech’ period working with the actors, design team, director, and stage management, both in the rehearsal room and on set to work through the more complicated technical elements,” Hohman said. “[This way], we had time to adjust and improve the items and action to keep storytelling front and center while also ensuring actor and crew safety.”
As Kent mentioned, set design was planned out before the 2022 season at the Festival had even closed.
“We decided early on to not employ any motors, solenoids, or other electronics to pull off the tricks, so everything is manually controlled by crew people backstage,” Hohman noted.
In the long run, this decision was made because of the goal of consistency. But, because of this decision, the research and development that went into the creation of all the scenery, props, costumes, and effects was much more intense.
Sound Effects
“We do a lot of extensive impact, with sound effects using slapsticks offstage,” Kent said.
The problem was, that once they were on set, they discovered they could no longer hear the sound effects, and those operating the slapsticks couldn’t see what was happening in the play.
“To solve this problem, we drilled small holes in the set, where the sound effect actors can look through to see what’s going on,” Kent said.
The Props
Kent calls the chaise lounge in the show a “diva prop” because it takes up more time and attention than other aspects of the set.
“The chaise gets thrown around, fallen on, hidden behind, tripped over, climbed upon, and more. This means that it had to be light and strong, and still look like a period piece,” Kent said.
So the props department engineered it with this in mind; but in rehearsal, the actors kept breaking it. Eventually, the chaise was perfected.
“The chaise is built out of aluminum and is capable of doing much more than it [would normally] do,” Kent said.
Hohman said that through the rehearsal process, many items held up better than expected, while others required the making of several duplicates to get through the run of the show.
“Almost everything in the show we have multiple copies of, because of the abuse the set goes through in the play,” Kent said. “Everything had to be designed to go through 80 performances.”
To prioritize actor safety, some alterations to the set were made, one of which was the rug in the center of the stage.
“The rug is padded, because so many actors fall down on it, so we had to give them a little bit of protection to make it safe for them,” Kent said.
The Challenges
There’s something to be said about producing a play where everything goes wrong, but making sure that behind-the-scenes, everything else is going right.
“The show is frustrating to me because it makes it look like all the technical staff don’t know how to do their jobs, though making it look that way is really difficult to pull off,” Hohman said candidly.
Hohman said that The Play That Goes Wrong is one of the most challenging he’s encountered in over 30 years at the Festival.
“Everything needs to be designed to look like it was done by a community theater, which is a bit lower level of detail than we are used to creating,” Hohman said. “But it also needs to hold up to major abuse for months.”
Producing the show in repertory, nearly 80 times throughout the season, brought a whole new set of obstacles.
“Most people who do this show attach the set to their theater to help with the physics on the set, but our set is on casters and has to roll into storage [because our shows rotate in repertory],” Hohman said. “So the amount of work the scenery department had to do to figure out the stresses on the set and to counteract that was pretty extraordinary.”
Ultimately, the show is something that all involved are extremely proud of.
“I do appreciate that the audience doesn’t know what is supposed to (scripted) go wrong, and what on any given day does (mistake) go wrong,” Hohman said. “That is due to a remarkable cast and crew who keeps the story moving, as well as a great amount of preparation and planning from every department for a year.”
Hohman noted that this was followed by an amazing rehearsal period and a willing design team.
“[We were able to] pull together a show that is funny, charming, unexpected, and delightful, while also at times terrifying for theater people to watch,” Hohman said.
With just three weeks left to see the show, don’t wait to purchase tickets. Visit bard.org or call the ticket office at 800-PLAYTIX to get yours.
Q&A with Director Geoffrey Kent on The Play That Goes Wrong
Geoffrey Kent directed this season’s production of The Play That Goes Wrong. This is Kent’s fourth season at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, with three seasons under his belt as an actor and fight director.
Kent first appeared at the Festival in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Complete) (2009). He returned as Oliver in As You Like It (2017), Billy Bones in Treasure Island (2017), and the Prince of Arragon in The Merchant of Venice (2018). He has also worked at DCPA Broadway, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, and Arvada Center. Kent received a Henry Award for Excellence in Fight Direction. His teaching credits include University of Northern Colorado, University of Denver, and Asolo Conservatory.
This is the first time The Play That Goes Wrong has ever been produced in a repertory theatre, which is a big deal. This means that the play alternates alongside other productions. This is a difficult task, as the play is extremely physically demanding on the set, actors, and staff involved.
The Festival had the chance to visit with Kent about the exciting and challenging experience of directing such a difficult––and ridiculously fun––show.
The Festival: The Play That Goes Wrong is such a comical and fun play. Why should our patrons see it?
Kent: It’s one of the funniest plays written in the last 10 years, and you never want to pass up an opportunity to see a great comedy. Quite frankly, great comedies are harder to find than great tragedies.
And, it requires no prior knowledge to understand it, you can just show up and have a good time. It’s completely accessible and perfect for families. You can bring your kids and they’ll laugh alongside you.
The Festival: As playgoers, what should we watch for that would help us enjoy it even more?
Kent: The tricks can kind of upstage the story, if the audience is waiting for the next thing to go wrong versus how the characters are surviving. It will be [most interesting] for the audience to watch how our actors as the characters in the play do their best to keep the story alive and running—when what they should probably be doing is stopping.
The Festival: Are there any special “Easter eggs” you have implemented into the play as a director?
Kent: The portrait of the dog on the wall is of my dog that I lost in March to an accident. His name is Monty, and I sent a photo of him to our scenic designer Jason Lajka and he designed the portrait. It always brings a smile to my face when I see it.
Later, when the dog character is missing, as written in the script, Max is supposed to come running out with an invisible dog on a leash, but our Costume Designer Lauren T. Roark and Actor Jim Poulos together came up with this idea of, “What if he takes this big raccoon coat that he wears and rips apart and uses that as a solution to the problem?” We created a lot of humor with that, that a lot of other productions don’t have.
The Festival: What do you hope audience members walk away with from this production?
Kent: I hope their sides hurt from laughing. I hope that they have faith in the theatrical process. The motto we’ve built theatre around is “the show must go on,” and when it’s all over [these characters] have made it to the end of the play.
There’s something to be said about watching this team overcome hundreds of obstacles and still manage to get to the last line of the play, and I hope that the audience members feel proud and satisfied that they did that.
The Festival: What were the largests challenges of directing this play?
Kent: Physical safety. In a show that is this physically demanding, we were constantly asking ourselves, “Can we do this 80 times?” It is the most technically complex show I have ever directed. Every single page required specific choreography for safety or comedy.
The Festival: Why did you enjoy directing this show?
Kent: It felt like a dare. What draws me to theatre are plays that feel like they’re challenging you to stage it and try and pull this off. What excited me about this play was the challenge of creating a physical story this complicated that could be done safely all the way through October.
Also, I am drawn to laughter because it engenders empathy. Once someone makes you laugh, you care about them. [The actors] are all so funny, and so you care about them, and when everything goes wrong, you continue to care about them and go on that journey with them.
The Festival: How long have you been directing? Why do you continue to direct?
Kent: I’ve been directing for about 15 years. What drew me to directing was fight direction, because as a fight director, I had to interact with not just the actors and directors, but props, costumes, and more. Eventually that made me want a wider lens, because I was pushing at the boundaries as a fight director. I wanted to be the orchestrator of a complete story instead of simply part of one.
To purchase tickets to The Play That Goes Wrong this season, visit bard.org or call 800-PLAYTIX.
For more information on Kent, visit his website at geoffreykent.com or on Instagram @geoffreykent.