Q&A with the Director of Thurgood

This is Delicia Turner Sonnenberg’s directorial debut at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, where she will be directing the final show of the 2022 season: Thurgood. She has directed at numerous other theatres, including MOXIE Theatre (co-founder, former artistic director), The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville, TheatreSquared, Cygnet Theatre, San Diego REP, New Village Arts, Diversionary Theatre, Moòlelo Performing Arts, and Playwrights Project. Her list of awards includes the NAACP Theatre Award, the Women’s International Center Living Legacy Award, the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Director of the Year, and more. 

The Utah Shakespeare Festival: As playgoers, what should we watch for in this play that would help us enjoy/understand it better? 

Director Delicia Turner Sonnenberg: Almost all Americans know the name Thurgood Marshall and maybe something about his Brown v Board of Education case or that he was a Supreme Court justice. This play offers insight into the man and not just the hero.

The Festival: What statement/realization/feeling do you hope audience members leave with after seeing the play? 

Turner: I hope people leave really believing that one person can indeed make a difference. And they might be that one person. 

The Festival: Why should people come see this play? 

Turner: People should see the play because it is smart and funny. Derek is a wonderful actor, and the audience will be blown away by him. I think people will be surprised by some details of Thurgood Marshall’s life and warmed by his sense of humor. Also, people should see it because it is such an essential American story and therefore a part of all of our stories.

The Festival: What challenges do you expect to come with directing this play? 

Turner: The biggest challenge is creating a full evening with just one actor on stage. 

The Festival: Why are you excited to direct this play? 

Turner: I’m excited for audiences to discover more about Thurgood Marshall—not just his successes but his failures as well. I’m excited to work with Derek as well as this tremendous team of designers and artisans.

The Festival: How long have you been directing plays? Why are you a director?

Turner: I’ve been directing for more than twenty-five years, and I’m excited to direct my first play with the Festival. As a director I really believe that theatre can make change big and small. It can change lives, it can change perceptions. It can create entertainment as well as empathy.

Ten Interesting Facts about Thurgood

By Liz Armstrong 

The one-man play, Thurgood, is a theatrical depiction of the life of Thurgood Marshall, the country’s first African American Supreme Court justice. Playing September 14 to October 8 at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, it tells the story of a lawyer and civil rights activist who spent his life advocating for justice for all Americans. Interim Artistic Director Derek Charles Livingston will play Marshall in the production, but before you attend, here are some things you will find interesting. 

1—The justice’s first name was was actually Thoroughgood, but in second grade, he got tired of writing his full name and shortened it to Thurgood. 

2—Marshall was an exceptional lawyer, arguing thirty-two cases before the Supreme Court. Out of these cases, he prevailed in twenty-nine, giving him a success rate of over 90 percent. Becoming an attorney started at the dinner table as a child, where his father disputed most topics his son brought up. 

3—He is most known for his pioneering of civil rights battles, but he also took on debates regarding police brutality, women’s rights, and the death penalty. His mother was a teacher, and so he also fought for equal pay for African-American teachers.

4—Marshall’s notable work—including the Brown v. Board of Education case—wasn’t the only thing memorable about him. He had a big personality too and was known to drink bourbon and tell stories full of lies with President Lyndon Johnson. 

5—Thurgood was the first play that George Stevens Jr. wrote and directed, and it was nominated for a Tony award. To learn more about the playwright, visit https://www.bard.org/study-guides/about-the-playwright-thurgood/.

6—Marshall went to Lincoln University, where he originally planned to study dentistry. Instead, he graduated with a degree in literature and philosophy. He went on to study law at Howard University, where he graduated top of his class. 

7—His first pick for law school was the University of Maryland, but he did not apply because of its segregation policy. Marshall’s “first big civil rights victory as an attorney, Murray v. Pearson, was against this very school,” according to legacy.com. This win resulted in equal education for generations to come. 

8—In 1967, Marshall became the first African American to become a Supreme Court justice. When Marshall retired in 1991, Clarence Thomas replaced him and became the second. 

9—Marshall received the United State’s highest civilian honor—the Presidential Medal of Freedom a few months after his death. It was posthumously awarded in 1994 by President Bill Clinton. 

10—In 2008, Thurgood premiered on Broadway at the Booth Theatre. In 2011, in celebration of Black History month, a screening of the film was hosted by the White House. This filmed version starred Laurence Fishburne. 

To purchase tickets to Thurgood or any other plays at the Festival, visit bard.org or call 800-PLAYTIX.

Military Appreciation Days, 2022

The Utah Shakespeare Festival will once again be celebrating our Armed Forces with free tickets for military personnel to selected performances from September 5 to 10. The Festival appreciates the sacrifices of those who serve and recognizes their dedication and commitment to this country. 

The offer is for anyone with a military ID or DD214 form, active or veteran, and includes four tickets per ID total to the following: The Sound of Music, Clue, and Trouble in Mind in the Randall L. Jones Theatre and Sweeney Todd, Much Ado about Nothing, and King Lear in the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. The four tickets can be divided between two or more shows, or all four can be to one show. Tickets are not available in the premier seating section.

Military personnel are invited to reserve tickets by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting the ticket office near the Anes Studio Theatre. Space is limited for this special offer, so call soon to reserve your seats.  

“I’m honored to be the son of a proud Vietnam veteran,” said Donn Jersey, director of development and communication, “and once again the Utah Shakespeare Festival wants to extend a warm welcome and humble thank you to all of those that made sacrifices to our country and every one of us.”

Regular tickets for the Festival’s 2022 season are still on sale. Shows are All’s Well That Ends Well, Sweeney Todd, King Lear, The Sound of Music, Trouble in Mind, Clue, The Tempest, and Thurgood. For specific days and times and to purchase tickets, visit www.bard.org or call 1-800-PLAYTIX.

Recognizing Our Volunteers: Maridon Nielsen

By Liz Armstrong

Yes, the actors and other artists are extremely important to the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s productions, and the plays would not happen without them. But behind-the-scenes are many volunteers that (without recognition), quietly and faithfully do their job, year after year. 

One of these volunteers is Cedar City native Maridon Nielsen, who has been volunteering as an usher for thirty-one years. 

Nielsen’s good friend worked at the box office, and so Nielsen decided to get involved. “I like literature, and I wanted to learn more about Shakespeare, and this was a good chance to do that,” Nielsen said. 

The usher continues to volunteer because she likes to be involved and enjoys the opportunity it gives her to meet and interact with new people. “All kinds of people from different parts of the country [come to the shows], and they’re fun to talk to,” Nielsen said. “There’s been some special people in my life that come to the shows that I haven’t seen in a long time.”

She also enjoys patrons that bring tours to the shows every year, as well as those from television stations that come to critique the shows.

Nielsen has attended countless shows, but her favorite was the 2006 production of Hamlet, starring Brian Vaughn. “I really like the professional actors, their acting is outstanding. I enjoy the professional atmosphere, costumes, and [set design] very much.” 

Nielsen also said that she greatly enjoyed working with the Festival founder, the late Fred C. Adams, as he was a great friend of hers. 

“It’s very nice to see how well people are treated at the Festival when they come in, and I think they’re very appreciative of that,” Nielsen said. 

Nielsen is one of these ushers that makes the experience special for patrons, and the time she dedicates to the Festival is simply invaluable. 

Other longtime Festival volunteers include Jeanie and Roland Squire, who have been the area representatives for forty years now. Their four sons, Chandler, Landon, Shane, and Trevor are also now area representatives with their wives.

Marty Larkin and Sheila Johnson are two other usher supervisors who have been volunteering for over thirty years. 

Without these volunteers, as well as many others, the Festival simply would not function. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your hard work and dedication!

Festival Pianist for Twenty Years

By Liz Armstrong 

The talented Doreen Woolley has been playing the piano in the lobby of the Randall L. Jones Theatre for twenty years now. She adds to the Festival experience by playing pleasant “lobby music” in the background before the shows.

“I love seeing and interacting with the patrons and seeing how they respond to music,” Woolley said. “Music is the great equalizer, and it just kind of brings everyone together.” 

Woolley and her late husband retired to Cedar City in 2001 and began ushering at the Festival together. She learned that Scott Phillipis, former executive director, was looking for someone to play lobby music. “I improvised, I think I played something from Les Misérables. And I got about eight bars in and he said, ‘Nevermind how many days a week can you do this?’” Woolley laughed. 

Ever since, Woolley has been invaluable to the Festival, not only because of her expertise tickling the ivories, but because of her dedication. Although there are several Festival pianists, Woolley plays the most at eight shows a week. 

Woolley and Festival patrons shared a beautiful experience together several weeks ago, when a woman asked her to play “Edelweiss” from The Sound of Music. Per Scott Phillips suggestion years ago, Woolley avoids playing music that the Festival has onstage during the season, but the patron was adamant that she play the tune. So, Woolley began playing. 

“She said it was too high for her husband to sing, so I played it at a lower key and he sang,” Woolley said. “And then she announced to the whole lobby that everyone should sing.” Soon, the lobby was filled with singing patrons as more and more began to join in, pulling up lyrics on their phones if they didn’t know the tune. 

Woolley said this isn’t a rare occurrence, noting that she’s never played a show that she can remember that someone hasn’t come through the lobby singing. 

“It’s important for Festival patrons, and that’s why I do it,” Woolley said. 

But it’s important to Woolley too, as playing the piano at the Festival has become her “lifeline” since her husband passed away in 2013. “I’m really grateful to have this that I can go to and get lots of socialization,” Woolley said. 

The virtuoso, however, said that before she came to the Festival, she hadn’t been actively involved in music for many years, besides playing accompaniment and at church. 

Her musical journey really began as a college student when Woolley was hired to play for the Virginia Tanner Children’s Dance Theatre to improvise whatever movement was being performed. She put her husband through medical school and the rest of her own schooling doing this. 

Woolley is a University of Utah alumna, but her education didn’t stop there. She received a master’s degree in counseling from Ball State University before going on to earn a PhD from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Woolley was lecturing and active in the academic setting before she and her husband retired. 

It’s hard to imagine what the Festival was like before Woolley’s piano music, but it just wouldn’t be the same without her. So next time you go to a show, stop by the Randall L. Jones lobby and take a second to surround yourself with Woolley’s music, it’ll be sure to amplify and enhance your experience.

Projections Add to the Magic

By Liz Armstrong

To add to the magic of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the Utah Shakespeare Festival has implemented a little extra to the set design this season, utilizing projections onstage to help illustrate Shakespeare’s last and most imaginative romance. This is not the first time the Festival has used projections, but this production certainly uses them more than any other in the past.

Director Cameron Knight explained his decision to use projections in the play, noting that the addition helps create the magic and add clarity to the storytelling. “We use them as an additional character to aid in the audience’s experience and understanding of the story,” Knight said. 

One patron from Salt Lake City said that his experience of The Tempest did just that when paired with Prospero’s monologue at the start of the show, helping to transition him into the story. 

Knight said that the use of projections, which were designed by Yee Eun Nam, also helped with cutting and shortening the script. By showing elements visually that would usually be spoken, the projections help keep audience members engaged and interested. Lightning storms, enchanted forests, mystical silhouettes, Ariel casting spells, and even Miranda and Ferdinand playing chess are all projected onstage while the actors continue to tell the story traditionally. 

“This play is so magical already,” Knight said. “Using projections helped elevate that magical realm.” 

In addition to deciding to use projections, Knight’s other artistic decisions made this play into what it is: an escape from reality into a world of magic, fairies, and adventure. 

“The score and composition by Lindsey Jones, really leaning in to the ’90s rock, grunge, and R&B created an amazing setting for the world,” Knight said, “along with Jaymi Smith’s amazing lighting, Yee Eun Nam’s projections, and Raquel Adorno’s beautiful costume design.” The combination of technology, music, and acting layer on top of one another, resulting in a play experience that patrons have never before seen at the Festival.

To see The Tempest and to be immersed in an evening of pure magic, visit bard.org/plays or call 800-PLAYTIX to purchase tickets.

Presenting Sensory-Friendly Performances

In an effort to serve those with autism spectrum disorders, sensory sensitivities, or other similar disabilities, the Utah Shakespeare Festival recently announced it will present sensory-friendly performances of two of its most popular shows.

The Tempest, Shakespeare’s most magical romance, will be featured September 10 at 2 p.m. in the Anes Studio Theatre. The Sound of Music, the beloved family musical, will be September 17 at 2 p.m in the Randall L. Jones Theatre.

During these special performances, patrons will be able to enjoy the show together with family and friends in a welcoming, inclusive, and relaxed space. Tickets are half-price, with some additional education and group discounts available. More information about the plays is available online at www.bard.org, but tickets must be ordered by calling the Ticket Office at 800-PLAYTIX.

“Theatre rules will be relaxed for these performances. Patrons can freely respond to the shows in their own way and without judgment,” said Interim Education Director Stewart Shelley. “This is our third time undertaking these types of performances, and our patrons enjoyed it so much that we are continuing the tradition again this year.”

These changes include the following:

• House lights will be left on slightly so patrons may see to easily move around. Some patrons may want to stand or walk a bit.
• Playgoers may engage in self-expression, singing and clapping along—or talking or making other noises to themselves.
• Playgoers will have the freedom to take breaks during the performance; they will be welcome to come and go as needed. The Randall Theatre cry rooms will be available to all patrons.
• Playgoers may bring a fidget toy or other calming object.
• Playgoers may look at phones and tablets or wear headphones during the performance.

“Modifications will be environmental, not artistic, so that patrons can enjoy the same artistic product seen during other performances,” said Shelley. “However, we may decide to lower or dim any strobe lights or sudden, loud noises that could startle patrons.”

Children must be four years of age or older in order to attend this performance.

Michael Doherty: Making People Laugh

By Liz Armstrong

Actor Michael Doherty has been making audience members fall off their seats with laughter even before he began acting professionally in 2008. In third grade, Doherty acted in Pinocchio at his school; calling it his “actor origin story,” it was at this young age that Doherty discovered he could use acting to bring humor to those around him. 

“I was an odd little boy and when I did my callback in front of my peers it was the first time I heard people laughing at me in a way that I was in control of,” Doherty said. “It felt like everything that made me weird and different was utilized as a kind of superhero—I could make people feel things.”

Although Doherty participated in community theatre in middle and high school, it wasn’t until several intensive summer programs that he discovered that acting was something he could take incredibly seriously. 

“I applied to be a musical theatre major at a few colleges, got into almost none of them and was going to pivot again when I got into the University of Arts in Philadelphia and learned about regional theatre,” Doherty recalled. 

In his junior year of college, Doherty began working at Philadelphia theatres, living there for fifteen years while also traveling all over the country to act. “I was able to learn on the job and hone my skills by people taking a chance on me in a smaller community,” Doherty said.

Returning for his fifth season this year, Doherty first came to the Utah Shakespeare Festival in 2015, playing three comedic roles: Lord Fancourt Babberley in Charley’s Aunt, Tranio in The Taming of the Shrew, and Speed in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Since then he has played such roles as Charlie Baker in The Foreigner, the Narrator in Every Brilliant Thing, The Joneses in The Comedy of Terrors, and Dromio of Syracuse in The Comedy of Terrors. 

This season he is delighting Festival patrons as Mr. Green in Clue, Lavatch in All’s Well That Ends Well, and Jonas Fogg in Sweeney Todd.

“Mr. Green is giving me the most exploration in the realm of [physical comedy],” Doherty said. “I feel like it is such an amazing form of expression that doesn’t require me to be a technically proficient dancer but will still let me totally explore my fullest range of motion in order to tell the story.”

Doherty noted that this role in Clue is some of the most fun he’s ever had onstage. “It’s going to go down as one of my favorite shows I’ve ever done for sure,” Doherty said.

His role as Lavatch in All’s Well That Ends Well is fun, but a challenge. Lavatch has been known as Shakespeare’s most “expendable and lascivious” clown. “I love a Shakespearean clown—I love the marriage of physical comedy and language,” Doherty said. 

In regards to Sweeney Todd, Doherty said that it may contain his most favorite musical score ever written, so “it’s been exciting to experience and listen and sing through each night.”

A heartwarming and talented actor, Doherty is perhaps most known for bringing physical comedy to the stage. A patron of the Festival laughingly recalled Doherty in The Foreigner, when he “melted off a chair.” This season, one of his most comedic feats is dodging, in slow motion, the falling chandelier in Clue. 

“When I come to the Festival, there is always some physical bit I end up doing in the shows that I’ve never attempted before,” Doherty said. “Last season I had to do a suitcase trick where I did half a split while grabbing the suitcase with my teeth.”

The trick to successfully executing physical comedy for Doherty is remembering to be safe and build those physical moments in a way that is repeatable. “Like so much of acting, it is an imperfectible exercise,” Doherty said. “It’ll never be right every time, but you try and get as close as you can which taps you into that in-the-moment kind of theatre.”

Perhaps most important, though, is being honest with audience members. Doherty explained that there is a huge difference in trying to be funny and authentically executing that humor by continually raising the stakes. “That line is interesting to ride. [I was told once] to stack the deck for yourself.” Doherty said. “That’s stuck with me the most . . . just knowing those marks you have to hit . . . but then letting all of that go and executing that in a way that feels very grounded and authentic and true to your natural emotion.” 

Doherty explained that as an actor, if he can raise the stakes high enough, if the emotions and the fear and the sweat becomes real enough, “it becomes funny, regardless of the circumstances—like if people are dying all around you in Clue.” 

Comedy has always been important to Doherty because of what it brings to the stage. “As soon as you start to add that sense of play and mischief into the equation, that’s what makes theatre magical and brings it to the next level,” Doherty said. 

To see Doherty’s talent onstage and to enjoy his humor, purchase tickets at bard.org/plays or call 800-PLAYTIX.

People in Our Neighborhood: Maria Twitchell

By Liz Armstrong 

This article is the second in a series people in the Festival neighborhood. Some will be new patrons of the Festival, and some like Maria Twitchell are life-long fans. We hope you enjoy getting to know our neighbors.

Maria Twitchell, executive director of Visit Cedar City • Brian Head, has been a Festival fan since childhood. She grew up in Cedar City, a block away from Festival grounds, and has been buying tickets to the plays for over thirty years. 

“I tell people all the time that in the summertime as kids we would walk up to the Shakespeare Festival so we would watch The Greenshow,” Twitchell recalled. “It gave us something to look forward to.” She also admitted that as young children, they would often try and sneak in to watch plays—until they got caught. 

Twitchell said that the Festival was a major part of her formative years, giving her a perspective she may not have otherwise had in the small town of Cedar City. 

“As a kid, it was an eye-opening experience,” Twitchell said. “We were able to see things from a different light and grow up with different people around us.”

Twitchell marvels at the success the Festival has experienced in her lifetime. “For a town of 28,000, it’s amazing that we can put on world-class theatre,” Twitchell said. “When you look at the demographic, it shouldn’t work at all. But it does, and once you’ve experienced it, it makes perfect sense.” 

Twitchell has worked for Visit Cedar City • Brian Head, Iron County’s tourism bureau, for over twenty-eight years, and has been the director since 2005. Because of her career, Twitchell works closely with the Festival. This has resulted in a connection with the Festival both in her personal and work life. 

“In regards to my job, the Festival is important because it’s an economic driver. We rely a lot on their success,” Twitchell said. “The Festival has always been a great partner, always open to ideas and working together, so we love working with them.” 

Recalling some of her favorite plays, Twitchell noted that she loves all of the productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as The Spitfire Grill and the 2014 production of The Comedy of Errors. 

Twitchell holds a special place in her heart for the Festival because of the larger point of view it gave her as a child, and so she greatly admires the education tour held annually, which brings theatre to rural communities throughout the west. 

“The community and the Festival are really ingrained together,” Twitchell said. 

Go to visitcedarcity.com to stay up to date on local news and events, and join Twitchell in purchasing tickets for this season at bard.org/plays or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.

Actor Relates to Struggles in Trouble in Mind

By Liz Armstrong 

NOTE: The original version of this article had the timeline and ages in the sixth paragraph incorrect. They are now corrected, and we apologize for the error.

Yvette Monique Clark, who is playing the lead role of Wiletta Mayer in the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s Trouble in Mind, sees parallels between Wiletta’s struggles in the play and her own challenges she has faced as a black performer in a predominantly white industry. 

This role is close to Clark’s heart because she sees herself in Wiletta. “I relate to the struggles she goes through in the play,” Clark said. “It’s very taxing on my emotions, because I’m so close to it in that respect.”

Clark discovered the play a few years ago. As she was reading, she realized that her and Wiletta’s lives paralleled in a “modern-sense.” “Like Wiletta, I’ve had people try to pigeon-hole me into different roles, . . . and I’ve fought that throughout my career.”

Clark’s goal as the lead is to make Wiletta as “human as possible,” and to do playwright Alice Childress’s work justice. “I hope someone will point to me and say, ‘I have a cousin like that, I have an aunt like that,’” Clark said. “I want to make her as relatable as possible, because if she’s relatable, [the audience] will listen to what she has to say.”

Clark’s acting journey started for her at a young age. “As a child I was an award-winning storyteller,” Clark said. “I knew I loved being onstage.”

Her career changed direction a bit when she made the decision to pursue singing. “When I was thirty-three and my son was about nine-years old, I decided I wanted to start singing. My background is in musical theatre, but as it progressed, I branched off into doing other things,” Clark said. 

Clark’s “branching off” saw success, and she worked for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Gateway Playhouse, Capitol Repertory Theatre, New Harmony Theatre, and internationally with Living Arts Inc. and African Globe Theatreworks, as well as many others. 

Additionally, she has acted for the big screen, landing roles in the wildly popular show Orange Is the New Black, as well as Seasons of Love and Stealing Martin Lane to name a few. 

“This is my first time at the Festival,” Clark said. “This past year I was at the Denver Center for Performing Arts, the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre, and the Depot Theatre.”

This is an exciting season for Clark not only because it’s her first season at the Festival, but because the role of the Countess of Rossillion in All’s Well That Ends Well is her first Shakespeare role, and the role of Wiletta in Trouble in Mind is her first time being a lead. 

Although the play premiered sixty-five years ago, it is only now that it is having its moment in the spotlight. “I wish [Childress] could see this happening now,” Clark said. “It’s great that people are getting to see this story, and maybe one day it won’t be relevant anymore. But that’s not what we can say right now.”

Ultimately, Clark hopes that the audience recognizes and sees humanity in the play. “As a human community, we forget that other people’s situations are different from ours because it’s not our reality,” Clark said. “I’m hoping this gives them a window into what happens to people of color in all walks of life, in all situations.”