News From the Festival
Students Receive Awards at 40th Annual Shakespeare Competition
This weekend the 40th 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 the country, and this was a record-breaking year with over 3,000 students from 106 schools in six states.
From October 6 through 8 students competed before numerous adjudicators on the Festival’s stages and at several other venues on the SUU campus. Judges consisted of arts professionals with strong literary and performance backgrounds. The judges came to Cedar City from across the country, including New York and Los Angeles, and not only judged the competition, but provided critiques of performances and gave feedback to the young artists. Judges also offered numerous workshops on topics such as stage combat, improvisation, movement, modern dance techniques, and choral performance.
“There really is nothing like the Shakespeare Competition,” said Michael Bahr, education director for the Festival. “For forty years the competition has provided young people an outlet to share their passion and excitement for the arts, while also cultivating the future generation of arts professionals.”
Providing wonderful opportunities, the competition recognizes and educates students in four areas: acting, dance/choreography, music, and technical theatre. At the conclusion of the competition selected students received trophies and scholarships to study with professionals at Southern Utah University and the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
As part of the total experience, students were able to attend the Festival’s productions of The Cocoanuts, The Odd Couple Murder for Two, and Julius Caesar, as well as an SUU production of Twelfth Night.
The competition was divided into six divisions: Buckingham (for schools with enrollment of 2,001 or more), Oxford (enrollment of 1,701 to 2,000), Cambridge (enrollment of 801 to 1,700), Westminster (enrollment of 800 or fewer), Stratford (junior high and middle schools of any size) and Essex (schools or groups which are not members of state high school associations).
Acting Competition
For the acting portion of the competition, students were able to compete in monlogues, 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 $1000 scholarship to Southern Utah University.
Barbara Barrett Award: Given to juniors and under, this award is a $500 scholarship tothe Festival’s summer acting intensive Actor Training, or a tuition scholarship to Shakespeare for Junior Actors.
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 WINNERS
Buckingham Division
Sweepstakes First Place: Skyridge High School; Lehi, Utah
Sweepstakes Second Place (tie): Hillcrest High School; Midvale, Utah; and Pleasant Grove High School; Pleasant Grove, Utah
Ensemble First Place: American Fork High School; American Fork, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Tuacahn High School; Ivins, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: Hillcrest High School; Midvale, Utah
Ray Jones/ Barbara Barrett Award and Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Connor Bate, Zack Elzey, and Oakley Thacker; Lone Peak High School; Highland, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Nathanael Abbott and Faith Johnson; Hillcrest High School; Midvale, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Steven Hooley, Lindsey Kenner, and Madison Parker; Hillcrest High School; Midvale, Utah
Ray Jones Award and Monologue First Place: Braden Pittard; Skyridge High School; Lehi, Utah
Monologue Second Place: Kyle Hollingshaus; Orem High School; Orem, Utah
Monologue Third Place: Benjamin Schulzke; Pleasant Grove High School; Pleasant Grove, Utah
Larry Lott Acting Award: Ashlee Brouwer; American Fork High School; American Fork, Utah
Oxford Division
Sweepstakes First Place: Corner Canyon High School; Draper, Utah
Sweepstakes Second Place: Lehi High School; Lehi, Utah
Sweepstakes Third Place: Sandy High School; Orem, Utah
Ensemble First Place: Corner Canyon High School; Draper, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Lehi High School; Lehi, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: Northridge High School; Layton, Utah
Ray Jones Award and Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Jaci Hulse and Marguerite Morgan; Maple Mountain High School; Spanish Fork, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Stoney Grayer and Justin Vass; Corner Canyon High School; Draper, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Bailee Miner and Allie Petersen; Lehi High School; Lehi, Utah
***Ray Jones Award and Monologue First Place:***Isabella Giordano; Highland High School; Salt Lake City, Utah
Monologue Second Place: Rachel Shaw; Layton High School; Layton, Utah
Monologue Third Place: Mikela Marvin; Salem Hills High School; Salem, Utah
Larry Lott Acting Award: Isabella Giordano; Highland High School; Salt Lake City, Utah
Cambridge Division
Sweepstakes First Place (tie): Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts; Salt Lake City, Utah and Spanish Fork High School; Spanish Fork, Utah
Sweepstakes Third Place: Skyline High School; Salt Lake City, Utah
Ensemble First Place: Spanish Fork High School; Spanish Fork, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Skyline High School; Salt Lake City, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: Cedar High School; Cedar City, Utah
Barbara Barrett Award and Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Makayla Blair, Trey McEuen, and Sumner Schoell; Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts; Salt Lake City, Utah
Duo/Trio Second Place: Brynn Duncan and Thomas Moore; Juan Diego High School; Draper, Utah
Duo/Trio Third Place: Keldon Lopez, Shawn Stutz, and Landon Taylor; Mountain View High School; Orem, Utah
Ray Jones Award and Monologue First Place: Casey Josephson; Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts; Salt Lake City, Utah
Monologue Second Place: Amanda Gould; Spanish Fork High School; Spanish Fork, Utah
Monologue Third Place: Olivia Sham; Cedar City High School; Cedar City, Utah
Larry Lott Acting Award: Mekenzie Davies; Skyline High School; Salt Lake City, Utah
Westminster Division
Sweepstakes First Place: Liahona Senior Preparatory Academy; Pleasant Grove, Utah
Sweepstakes Second Place (tie): American International School of Utah; Murray, Utah; and Rockwell Charter High School; Eagle Mountain, Utah
Ensemble First Place: American International School of Utah; Murray, Utah;
Ensemble Second Place: Liahona Senior Preparatory Academy; Pleasant Grove, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: Western Christian High School; Upland, California
Ray Jones/ Barbara Barrett Award and Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Joleah Long, Anthony Madsen, and Lincoln Stone; Liahona Senior Preparatory Academy; Pleasant Grove, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place (tie): Jordan Bennion, Trev Davis, and Charlotte Meyers; Liahona Senior Preparatory Academy; Pleasant Grove, Utah; and Cornelia Li, Claudia Lin, and Daniel Zhu; American Leadership Academy; Spanish Fork, Utah
Barbara Barrett Award and Monologue First Place: Moriya Nelson; American International School of Utah; Spanish Fork, Utah
Monologue Second Place: Eva Perkins; San Juan High School; Blanding, Utah
Monologue Third Place: Rebekah Harrison; American Leadership Academy; Spanish Fork, Utah
Larry Lott Acting Award: Boston Smith; Providence Hall High School; Herriman, Utah
Stratford Division
Sweepstakes First Place: Liahona Junior Preparatory Academy; Lehi, Utah
Sweepstakes Second Place (tie): Diamond Fork Junior High School; Spanish Fork, Utah; and Karl G. Maesar Preparatory Academy; Lindon, Utah
Ensemble First Place: Diamond Fork Junior High School; Spanish Fork, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: DaVinci Academy Junior High School; Ogden, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: Spanish Fork Junior High School; Spanish Fork, Utah
Barbara Barrett Award and Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Elise Day, Barak Davis, Abigail Fadely; Liahona Junior Preparatory Academy; Lehi, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Katie Rowley and Aubrey Wilkinson; Liahona Junior Preparatory Academy; Lehi, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Becca Linford and Thomas Webb; Karl G. Maesar Preparatory Academy; Lindon, Utah
Barbara Barrett Award and Monologue First Place: Kip Conger; DaVinci Academy Junior High School; Ogden, Utah
Monologue Second Place: Lindsey Oliverson; Spanish Fork Junior High School; Spanish Fork, Utah
Monologue Third Place: Hawken Kerr; Liahona Junior Preparatory Academy; Lehi, Utah
Larry Lott Acting Award: Kip Conger; DaVinci Academy Junior High School; Ogden, Utah
Essex Division
Sweepstakes First Place: Logan Youth Shakespeare; Logan, Utah
Sweepstakes Second Place: First Stage Theatre Academy; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Sweepstakes Third Place: Youth Theatre-University of Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah
Ensemble First Place: Logan Youth Shakespeare; Logan, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Jean Massieu School of the Deaf; Salt Lake City, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: Youth Theatre-University of Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah
Ray Jones Award and Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Lawson Mitchell and Alexandra Salter; First Stage Theatre Academy; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Maddie Elledge, Isabella Ingham, and Christian Labertew; Youth Theatre-University of Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Rhett Carbine, Sarah Dalley, Bella Holladay, Emily Robertso, Sami Soloman-Kiebba, and Mary Weight; Jean Massieu School of the Deaf; Salt Lake City, Utah
Barbara Barrett Award and Monologue First Place: Clay Webb; Youth Theatre-University of Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah
Monologue Second Place: Merideth Perches; Lincoln Academy; Pleasant Grove, Utah
Monologue Third Place: Caleb Fralick; Utah Center of Performing Arts; Midvale, Utah
Larry Lott Acting Award: Sidney Salter; First Stage Theatre Academy; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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 four-minute Shakespeare play or sonnet.
DANCE WINNERS
The Dance Scholarships to Southern Utah University were awarded to Josie Price of Provo High School, Provo, Utah; and Megan Fuhriman of Salt Lake School of Performing Arts, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Buckingham Division
Ensemble First Place: Westlake High School; Saratoga Springs, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts; Ivins, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: Lone Peak High School; Highland, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Misha Sawyer, Cagen regeagle, and Caler Tregeagle; Orem High School; Orem, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Megan Daneals, Mariah Jones, and Tyree Newkirk; Westlake High School; Saratoga Springs, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Mikey Rowe, Kaylie Walker, and Heather Winkler; Riverton High School; Riverton, Utah
Oxford Division
Ensemble First Place: Provo High School; Provo, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Lehi High School; Lehi, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: Timpanogos High School; Orem, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Keslie Fuller, Jessica Holden, Josie Prince; Provo High School; Provo, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Mackenzie Heyland, Raynee Larking, and Lauren Thompson; Corner Canyon High School; Draper, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Alyana Bentley and Sierra Bryant; Taylorsville High School; Taylorsville, Utah
Cambridge Division
Ensemble First Place: Salt Lake School of Performing Arts; Salt Lake City, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Desert Hills High School; St. George, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: Canyon View High School; Cedar City, Utah
Duo/Trio First Place: Brianna Barrow and Sarah Hancock; Pine View High School; St. George, Utah
Duo/Trio Second Place: Isabelle Sampson, Karly Snow, and Kimball Wastlund; Desert Hills High School, St. George, Utah
Duo/Trio Third Place: Celine David and Emma Hansen; Salt Lake School of Performing Arts; Salt Lake City, Utah
Westminster Division
Ensemble First Place: Rockwell Charter High School; Eagle Mountain, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: American International School of Utah; Murray, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: Western Christian High School; Upland, California
Duo/Trio First Place: Sophie Norvell, Katerina Winkler, and Annabelle Zimmer; DaVinci Academy Senior High School; Ogden, Utah
Duo/Trio Second Place: Rhain Boulter, Harley Kettle, and Cassandra Nelson; Rockwell Charter High School; Eagle Mountain, Utah
Duo/Trio Third Place: Ephraim Maxwell and Jessica Mohammad; American International School of Utah; Murray, Utah
Stratford Division
Ensemble First Place: Vista Heights Middle School; Saratoga Springs, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Timberline Middle School; Alpine, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: Spanish Fork Junior High School; Spanish Fork, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Samantha Cecil, Georgia Johnson, Katelyn Lawson; Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy; Lindon, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Paige Burtenshaw, Aimsley Call, and Emma Martin; Spanish Fork Junior High School; Spanish Fork, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Jessie Carter, Brynn Lee, and Eden Seely; Timberline Middle School; Alpine, Utah
Essex Division
Ensemble First Place: Youth Theatre-University of Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Walden School of Liberal Arts; Provo, Utah
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. For the music competition, students were able to compete in Madrigals and Minstrels. Madrigals (a minimum of five people) presented six- to ten-minutes of Renaissance music. Minstrels (one to four people) presented three- to seven-minutes of Renaissance music.
MUSIC WINNERS
Madrigal Competition
First Place: Pleasant Grove High School; Pleasant Grove, Utah
Second Place: Tuacahn High School; Ivins, Utah
Third Place: Salt Lake International School of Utah; Murray, Utah
Minstrel Competition
First Place: DaVinci Academy Senior High School; Ogden, Utah
Second Place: Western Christian High School; Upland, California
Third Place: Juan Diego High School; Draper, Utah
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 rigging, props, lighting, audio, costumes, set construction, stage management, and hair and makeup. Overall school winners were also named. The best portfolio per division was also honored, and the best overall portfolio was awarded a $1,000 scholarship to SUU.
TECH OLYMPICS WINNERS
Fastest Overall Times
Rigging First Place: Brylan Madsen; Copper Hills High School; West Jordan, Utah
Props First Place: Elizabeth Perkins; Pleasant Grove High School; Pleasant Grove, Utah
Lighting First Place: TJ Bettolo; Davis High School; Kaysville, Utah
Audio First Place: Anna Driggs; American Fork High School; American Fork, Utah
Costumes First Place: Seth Webb; Bingham High School; Bingham, Utah
Set Construction First Place: Andrew Robinson; Pleasant Grove High School; Pleasant Grove, Utah
Stage Management First Place: Dylan Kime; Highland High School; Salt Lake City, Utah
Hair and Makeup First Place: McKenna Thompson; Mountain View High School; Orem, Utah
OVERALL SCHOOL WINNERS
First Place: Pleasant Grove High School; Pleasant Grove, Utah
Second Place: Riverton High School; Riverton, Utah
Third Place: Spanish Fork High School; Spanish Fork, Utah
PORTFOLIO WINNERS
Overall Winner: Hannah Andersen; Corner Canyon High School; Draper, Utah
Buckingham Division
Portfolio First Place: Ryleigh Thorne; Davis High School; Layton, Utah
Oxford Division
Portfolio First Place: Hannah Andersen; Corner Canyon High School; Draper, Utah
Westminster Division
Portfolio First Place: Avery Ogle; DaVinci Academy Senior High School; Ogden, Utah
The Art of Blood in Julius Caesar
Completed blood “squeakers” ready for use.
Wigmaster Jillian Floyd prepares blood “squeakers” for Julius Caesar.
By Brooke Vlasich
Betrayal. Politics. Power. These are thematic elements that come to mind when one thinks of Julius Caesar, but in the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s recent production in the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre there’s something else that’s essential to the play: blood. When Julius Caesar is stabbed, it’s not something to be taken lightly, and neither is the stage blood that covers him. This week, we take an exclusive look at stage blood and the careful planning behind it, with help from Costume Designer Rachel Laritz, Wigmaster Jillian Floyd, and Wardrobe Supervisor Alexandra Hagman.
Wigmaster Jillian Floyd prepares blood “squeakers” for Julius Caesar.
Selecting the type of stage blood and packets to hold it (and then release it correctly) might seem like an easy choice, but Floyd says the process is actually quite complicated. When testing stage blood mixtures, theatre artists must take several factors into consideration, including the effect lighting designs have on the color of the stage blood, the possibility of the blood mixture staining actors’ skin, the difficulty of removing the blood from costumes, and potential allergies actors may have to the elements used to make stage blood. Even temperature and altitude can be factors that affect the consistency and thickness of stage blood. The stage blood chosen for Julius Caesar contains a base from the Ben Nye Company, and was chosen for its vibrant color. It’s also water-soluble, it is, however, not edible.
Typically, plastic bags are used to create packets to hold then release the blood, but in the Festival production, Floyd uses plastic containers known as squeakers. Each squeaker needs to contain the same amount of blood. They are not completely filled, thus allowing air pressure to burst the packet when it is squeezed by an actor. Each squeaker is covered with a small piece of plastic that is held in place with a small, clear hairband. Once the squeakers are prepared, they are placed in costumes and given to actors for the scene of Julius Caesar’s assassination.
Removing the blood from costumes is a top priority after intermission, and laundry is washed immediately. Togas and shirts are put in regular wash cycles, while pants are hand washed or spot cleaned. To ensure bloodstains aren’t set in clothing from dryer heat, everything is line dried.
It’s clear to see that orchestrating stage blood is nearly as complicated as the relationship between Julius Caesar and Brutus. Every decision is a complex one and requires being attentive to numerous possible consequences. If you’re planning a Halloween costume this year with fake blood or have tickets to see Julius Caesar, Rachel, Jillian, and Alexandra’s behind-the-scenes experience might help you see blood in a new light.
Festival Adds Performances to Sold Out Murder for Two
John Wascavage (left) as The Suspects and Paul Helm as Marcus Moscowicz.
The Utah Shakespeare Festival’s production of Murder for Two has become such a hit that almost all performances for the rest of the season are sold out. So, to accommodate the many guests who still want to see the show, the Festival is adding two additional performances.
The extra performances will be October 17 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre.
The hilarious musical murder mystery Murder for Two has been showing since August 4, with every show sold out or nearly so. “We are thrilled that the show has been so popular with our guests,” said Joshua Stavros, media and public relations manager. “And we are excited to be able to add these performances so others can see this amazing two-man masterpiece.”
The Salt Lake Tribune said the show is “clever, fast-moving and entertaining.” The Utah Theatre Bloggers Association added that it is a “perfectly lovely surprise.” And The Spectrum said the play “will have you laughing so hard that tears stream down your face."
Everyone is a suspect in this two-person hilarious musical murder mystery with a twist: One actor (Paul Helm) plays Marcus Moscowicz, a police officer and would-be detective who investigates the crime. The other (John Wascavage) plays all the suspects. And they both accompany themselves on the piano! This zany blend of classic musical comedy and madcap mystery is a highly theatrical duet loaded with killer laughs.
Both actors are new to the Festival this year. In addition to their work in Murder for Two, they both appear in The Cocoanuts: Wascavage is playing Robert Jamison (Zeppo), and Helm is the associate music director and a member of the band.
Written by Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair, Murder for Two is directed by Brad Carroll, who has directed numerous Festival plays, including South Pacific, The Comedy of Errors, Les Misérables, H.M.S. Pinafore, and Lend Me a Tenor: The Musical, which he also co-wrote.
Tickets for Murder for Two and for other currently playing shows, Julius Caesar, The Cocoanuts, and The Odd Couple, are all available on the Festival website at bard.org or through the Ticket Office at 1-800-PLAYTIX.
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is part of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts at Southern Utah University, which also includes the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA).
Long-Time Festival Volunteer and Friend Passes Away
CEDAR CITY, UT — The Utah Shakespeare Festival staff, artists, guests, and volunteers are saddened by the passing of Anne Judd on September 11.
Anne has been a supporter of the Festival for many years in many capacities, most noticeably as volunteer coordinator since 1989. She was also very involved in the New American Playwrights Project, as a wise and steady voice in selecting plays for the program.
“We are deeply saddened to share the passing of Anne Judd, our friend and volunteer coordinator,” said Joshua Stavros, media and public relations manager. “She worked tirelessly for many years to make sure our volunteers and guests had a wonderful experience here at the Festival. Her twinkling smile, quick wit, and concern for all around her have left an indelible impression on our hearts. She will be deeply missed.”
“Anne was one of those rare people who you feel fortunate to have known and rubbed shoulders with,” added R. Scott Phillips, executive director. “She was a quiet force of balance, sagacity, and intellect in everything she did. I will miss her both professionally and personally.”
Thank you for your many years, Anne. Or, as the Bard simply stated, “Farewell, Hostess” (Henry V, 2.3.59).
Festival To Open Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple
CEDAR CITY, UT — Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar have become synonymous with dysfunctional roommates. The characters, first created by Neil Simon in 1965 as a Broadway play, have since been adapted for films, several television series, and a cornucopia of skits and jokes. Now, the Utah Shakespeare Festival is bringing them to its stage, featuring two of Utah’s most beloved actors.
Festival Artistic Directors David Ivers and Brian Vaughn will portray the greatly-at-odds roommates beginning September 14—with the two of them alternating between the roles of sloppy and careless Oscar Madison and fastidious neat freak Felix Ungar. Not only will these two alternate between the two lead roles, but in approximately one-third of the performances, the audience will decide at the top of the show who plays which character!
For dates and other details, and to order tickets, visit the Festival website at www.bard.org.
“Neil Simon is one of the greatest American playwrights, a great classical writer,” said Vaughn. “We thought it was a shame that we hadn’t produced one of his plays. And the more David and I thought about us playing the roles, and rotating between them, the more sure we were that now was the time, and this was the way to introduce Simon to our audiences.”
“It’s Neil Simon. That is the only reason we needed to produce this play. The writing is incredible, brilliant,” added Ivers. “The play is great for our audiences, for our mission; and it just so happens that Brian and I are at a place in our life where we’re right for the roles.”
Of course, there are many challenges in playing both lead roles in a very fast-moving comedy. “The biggest challenge has been memorizing it,” said Vaughn. “Simon’s writing is so specific. We must pay attention, even to the punctuation.”
Directing the play is J. R. Sullivan who has worked with Ivers and Vaughn in the past at the Festival, directing them in Stones in His Pockets in both 2005 and 2012 and in Arsenic and Old Lace in 2001. He has also directed twenty-one other plays at the Festival, including Amadeus, Sense and Sensibility (which he also co-adapted), Gaslight, and King Lear.
“He is the perfect director for this play,” said Vaughn. “We have such a history with him, and he has such a great understanding of the time period and the form.”
The Odd Couple plays in the Randall L. Jones Theatre September 14 through October 22. It runs in repertory with the hilarious Marx Brothers comedy The Cocoanuts, the zany musical murder mystery Murder for Two, and Shakespeare’s political thriller Julius Caesar. For exact dates and times, visit the Festival website at www.bard.org.
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is part of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts at Southern Utah University, which also includes the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA).
Festival Guests Invited To Help the Less Fortunate
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Cedar City, UT – The Utah Shakespeare Festival is once again collecting food for the less fortunate in our community. The 13th annual Fall Food Drive will be September 13 to October 22, with a goal to raise as much food as possible for the Iron County Care and Share.
Local residents can participate by donating six items of nonperishable food per individual on the day of the performance directly to the Festival and receive a half-price ticket to any Tuesday through Thursday performance. Food donation barrels will be located in the lobby of the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre, near the ticket office.
“The support of our community is so critical to the success of the Utah Shakespeare Festival Fall Food Drive,” said Joshua Stavros, media and public relations manager. “Since 2003 the Festival has provided a program allowing generous and caring playgoers to see great theatre and support those less fortunate through our annual fall food drive. And over the years, our guests have demonstrated time and time again their generosity and support of those in need by supplying food as part of a ticket purchase.”
Residents of Iron, Washington, Kane, Garfield, Sevier, Piute, and Beaver counties in Utah are eligible for the discount, as well as guests from Lincoln County, Nevada. All residents should bring proof of residency and six nonperishable food items for each discounted ticket they wish to purchase. This offer is good Tuesday through Thursday on the day of the performance only. There is a limit of four discounted tickets per resident I.D.
Tickets for the Festival’s 2016 season, which continues October 22, are still on sale. The plays are The Odd Couple, The Cocoanuts, Julius Caesar, and Murder for Two.For more information and tickets visit www.bard.org or call 1-800-PLAYTIX.
The Iron County Care and Share was founded in 1984 by a group of local churches of different denominations to address the issue of hunger in our community. Working with partners in the community, neighboring counties, and in the state, the Iron County Care and Share is able to help homeless and low-income individuals and families work toward self-sufficiency. The Iron County Care and Share is located at 900 North 222 West Cedar City, Utah.
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is part of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts at Southern Utah University, which also includes the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA)
Festival Play Seminar Director To Retire
CEDAR CITY, UT — “Is that what Shakespeare meant? Is Henry V or Julius Caesar relevant today? And how about those Marx Brothers? Are they relevant too? Here, at the Festival Play Seminars, we get to debate such things in a live setting, in real time. Remarkable. Wonderful.”
Those are the words of Play Seminar Director Nancy Melich, reminiscing about what she has loved about the Play Seminars—reminiscing because she is retiring from this job she loves effective September 18—after thirteen years of discussion and interaction with Utah Shakespeare Festival guests.
“Nancy’s greatest gift is her ability to cultivate cultured conversations about the art on the stage,” said Festival Education Director Michael Bahr. “She has created a wonderful legacy of enlightened dialogue in the Seminar Grove.”
Melich has a long history with the Festival, even before she became the Play Seminar director. She first attended the Festival in 1972 with her parents, then began writing about the Festival as a reporter for the Salt Lake Tribune in 1977. In 1979, she began writing reviews.
“In those early years, I wrote my reviews on a typewriter in Scott Philllips’s office, after the performances concluded, usually around midnight,” she said. “I still remember walking across the courtyard, sometimes at 3 a.m., back to my room. In later years, I brought my own Smith Corona, then eventually a computer, and filed my stories daily from room 169 at the El Rey Motel.”
Then, in 2004, Executive Director Phillips and Founder Fred C. Adams visited her in Salt Lake City and asked if she would be interested in the job. “You can come for a year or for a lifetime,” Phillips told her.
“I never expected to stay for thirteen years,” she said. “but, oh, how glad I am to have been part of this life-affirming festival for more than a dozen years.”
“One of the many things I have learned here at the Festival . . . is that people are starved for conversation,” she added. “Not a faceless voice on the other end of a cell phone or an unidentified opinion purveyor on a website. But real people in real time. These seminars provide an opportunity to talk about ideas inspired by the plays, a chance to agree or disagree about a director’s choice, a playwright’s interpretation, an actor’s emotional and physical range.”
That’s what Shakespeare meant, and why Julius Caesar, Henry V, and the Marx Brothers are relevant today.
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is part of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts at Southern Utah University, which also includes the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA).
NOTE: If you would like to congratulation or thank Nancy, please do so below. We will make sure she gets all your comments.
Long-Time Festival Leader Announces Retirement
CEDAR CITY, UT — R. Scott Phillips, executive director of the Utah Shakespeare Festival, has announced his plan to retire at the end of the Festival’s 2016 season. He will continue with the Festival through March 1, 2017 to ensure a smooth and successful transition for his successor.
Phillips’ decision to retire will bring to a close a career spanning forty years of continuous service to the company and its patrons. He has served as executive director since 2007 and was previously the Festival’s managing director for 15 years, and prior to that, the marketing director for 13 years.
Phillips is a 1975 graduate of Southern Utah University and was the Festival’s first full-time employee.
“I feel blessed for the opportunity to spend my professional life with an organization I care deeply about,” he said.
“For over 40 years, Scott Phillips has been a guiding light and engine of the Utah Shakespeare Festival,” said Fred C. Adams, Festival founder. “He has literally dedicated his life to the Festival and held the year-round staff together against all kinds of adversities. No goal was too high, no job too menial—as was evidenced with the opening of the new Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts. He purchased trees, placed them in strategic spots, planted dozens of flower pots, ordered equipment, and trained additional staff to create an environment for our guests, all while he continued to seek additional funding to cover a hundred needed changes and niceties.”
Festival Artistic Directors David Ivers and Brian Vaughn also lauded Phillips’ dedication and leadership. Ivers said, “I join the Festival staff in celebrating the long legacy of R. Scott Phillips at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Scott has been instrumental in every growth period in the last four decades of the Festival. He has served admirably as the face and heart of this theatre for our audiences and in the theatre community.”
“Scott has been crucial to the Festival’s forward trajectory in the last decades,” added Vaughn. “He has made an immeasurable impact on the Festival that will be felt for generations to come.
I am personally indebted to him for bestowing his trust in me to join the leadership team. He will be greatly missed.”
Jeffery R. Nelson, chair of the Festival board of governors, said, “I will always be grateful to Scott Phillips for his many sacrifices on behalf of the Utah Shakespeare Festival. For 40 years, he has served with a sincere love for theater and dedication to this organization that is beyond compare.”
Nelson pointed out Phillips’ dedication to every facet of the organization: “He has continually obsessed over every detail to ensure that the shows, the grounds, and the overall Festival experience remain uniquely distinguished and consummately professional,” he said. “Scott will always be a legend at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and I am a better person for having had the chance to work and learn from him.”
“Scott Phillips has a dedication that is rare in the world today,” said Southern Utah University President Scott L Wyatt. “He has consistently worked well beyond the minimum—and did it year in and year out. The Utah Shakespeare Festival has reached the national and world prominence it enjoys in large measure because of his personal effort. I can’t thank him enough. And we all wish him the very best as he looks forward to the next chapter in his life.”
Under Phillips’ leadership, the Festival has grown from three shows per year and a budget of $329,000 to nine plays in repertory and a $7 million operating budget. The Festival attracts more than 100,000 visitors annually. The opening of the new $39 million Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts in July of this year was the capstone of his career. With this crowning achievement complete, Phillips said he felt it was the right time to step down and turn the reins over to someone else.
Phillips’ 40 years at the Utah Shakespeare Festival began in 1977, when he joined the Festival as its first full-time employee. During his tenure, Phillips held positions of director of marketing and public relations (1977-1990), managing director (1990-2006), interim Festival director (2006-2007), and executive director (2007-2017). In his early years at the Festival, Phillips’ primary responsibility was to increase the numbers of Festival attendees. Audience size grew from 19,000 to 113,000 per season during his time as director of marketing.
As executive director, Phillips has been responsible for articulating and implementing the Festival’s values, vision and mission, as well as protecting its artistic image. Phillips contributed to some of the most important milestones for the Utah Shakespeare Festival, including the 1989 construction of the Randall L. Jones Theatre, wherein he worked on all aspects from fundraising, to design, to construction; the naming of the Festival as the 2000 Tony Award-winner for Outstanding Regional Theatre; and the 2016 completion of the $39 million Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts, including the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre, Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre, Greenshow stage, seminar grove, and production spaces.
In addition to the positions held at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Phillips has served many other organizations in Utah, the mountain west region, and nationally. He was the co-founder (1991) and past president, (1998-99) of the Shakespeare Theatre Association; past president, Rocky Mountain Theatre Association; current theatre panelist, National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, D.C.; regional adjudicator, Rocky Mountain Theatre Association, American College Theatre Festival, and University Resident Theatre Association; theatre consultant for the Institute of Outdoor Drama, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; member, board of advisors, New West Theatre, Las Vegas, Nevada; board of directors, Utah Arts Council, Salt Lake City, Utah; charter board member, South West Arts Network; past board member, Cedar City Area Chamber of Commerce and Cedar City Arts Council; past chair of Cedar City Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee; and director of over 55 university and professional theatre productions, including the 1989 world premiere production of Nothing Like the Sun.
Phillips is a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Utah Theatre Association in 2001 and the Southern Utah University Outstanding Staff Member in 1990. He received his bachelor’s degree from Southern Utah University in 1975 and pursued graduate studies in theatre administration at Idaho State University.
Although he is impossible to replace, a nationwide search for Phillips’ successor will be conducted. A job announcement will be released later this month.
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is part of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts at Southern Utah University, which also includes the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA).
*Update March 1, 2017: Zachary Murray, the Festivals’s general manager since 2014, is serving as interim executive director until the position of executive director is filled. For more information on the open position, click here.
Final Week of The Greenshow To Feature Local Talent
The final week of The Greenshow at the Utah Shakespeare Festival will feature a new twist: local performing groups will take the stage September 5 through 10, replacing the regular Festival performers.
Pipers from the Southern Utah University Scarlet and Black Bagpipe Band will perform Monday and Thursday, September 5 and 8; local musical group Wilhelm will take the stage Tuesday and Friday, September 6 and 9; and area youth performers in the Festival Playmakers program will perform Wednesday and Saturday, September 7 and 10.
All performers begin at 7:10 p.m. at the Festival’s Ashton Family Greenshow Commons, and are free to the public.
“This is a great opportunity for our audiences to see the caliber of local entertainers we have,” said Joshua Stavros, Festival media and public relations manager and co-director of The Greenshow. “We hope that our guests, especially those in Iron County, will come out and enjoy the cool evenings and fantastic entertainment.”
Why We Value Arts Education
By Brooke Vlasich
Roderick Peeples (left), a Festival actor, teachers an acting class.
Advertising current plays, broadcasting daily events, and promoting fundraising opportunities may seem to be the main focus of any theatre company, but at the Utah Shakespeare Festival we also value education. For us, educating and inspiring future theatre artists and supporters is just as important as any marketing project and community event.
We’ve fostered this enthusiasm for theatre with classes in acting and technical theatre, as well as showing teachers games and exercises they can use in the classroom to help students understand Shakespeare.
This is part of what makes our classes stand out from other training programs. But what else contributes to this success? A few of our dedicated instructors told us what they think and shared their experience and passion for teaching theatre and Shakespeare:
Stewart Shelley, an instructor for the Festival’s Actor Training and Acting for Directors, has taught theatre in secondary schools for fourteen years and views our educational outreach programs as some of the best in the nation that expose students to great literature and performances.
He feels theatre education is an important part of a child’s life because it teaches skills like teamwork, tolerance, accountability, collaboration, and self-discovery. Shakespeare, Shelley said, is essential to an actor’s work since it involves key concepts including text analysis, voice and diction, and strong character development.
Andrew Hunsaker, another instructor for Actor Training and Acting for Directors, has worked for numerous Utah schools, including Tuacahn High School, Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts, and Pioneer High School for the Performing Arts and is currently the drama teacher for Spanish Fork High School.
He was previously an actor for the Festival for a few years and tells us his goal is to see the program inspire students to be confident in their skills and give them the tools to become the actors they aspire to be. When asked why he thinks Shakespeare is an important part of education, he responded, “Shakespeare gives so much confidence and knowledge and broadens the student’s spectrum of material. He is known for being the master of the human condition, and for us as teachers and students to understand how and why gives us a strong foundation for all of the theatre arts.”
Whether our instructors are in the classroom or a part of Festival activities ranging from current shows to the New American Playwrights Project, their commitment to theatre education is essential to the future of the arts. If you’re interested in learning more from our instructors about any aspect of theatre, visit our Camps/Classes page at http://www.bard.org/camps-classes for future classes and opportunities.