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The Comedy of Errors Preview

June 23, 2014 · 3 min read

Jonathon Smoots

Drew Shirley

Misha Fristensky

The Comedy of Errors

William Shakespeare

Directed by Brad Carroll

This week, we’re opening the Stage Door for The Comedy of Errors**,** a romp of disguise and mistaken identity. Today’s preview is the first look behind The Comedy of Errors’ stage door; check back each day this week on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest as we bring you director and actor interviews as well as podcasts, design renderings and more.

Principal Characters:

Solinus, duke of Ephesus, played by Jonathon Smoots: Functioning mainly as a sympathetic ear allowing Egeon’s story to be told, Solinus is a noble and compassionate duke, but one who also believes that law must be followed, thus prompting his condemnation of Egeon.

Egeon, played by Roderick Peeples: A merchant from Syracuse, Egeon is the father of twin boys (both named Antipholus) and the husband of Emilia. He is sentenced to death for venturing into the enemy city of Ephesus while looking for his lost son. In the end, however, he is reunited with his entire family.

Antipholus of Ephesus, played by Drew Shirley: The son of Solinus and Emilia and twin brother of Antipholus of Syracuse, this Antipholus, after being separated from his father and brother in a shipwreck, ends up in Ephesus where he has become an established citizen.

Antipholus of Syracuse, played by Chris Amos: The son of Solinus and Emilia and twin brother of Antipholus of Ephesus, this Antipholus ended up with his father after the shipwreck, but has recently set out looking for his lost twin, which eventually brings him to Ephesus.

Dromio of Ephesus, played by Misha Fristensky: The slave of Antipholus of Ephesus and twin of Dromio of Syracuse, this Dromio lives a melancholy life with his master in Ephesus.

Dromio of Syracuse, played by Aaron Galligan-Stierle: The slave of Antipholus of Syracuse and twin of Dromio of Ephesus, this Dromio is traveling with his master when the play begins.

Summary:

Antipholus and Dromio are bewildered. Every dusty road they turn down looks just like the last one, and every prospector and saloon girl seems to know more about them than they know about themselves. The more they try to unravel the lunatic events swirling around them, the more farcical their lives become. It’s double the laughter with two sets of twins and twice the fun when Shakespeare’s hysterical comedy is re-imagined in the California gold rush of 1849.

For more details (synopsis, podcasts, etc.) about this play, please visit http://www.bard.org/plays/comedy2014.html

The Comedy of Errors opens June 23 in preview and runs through August 30. You can buy tickets at www.bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.

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Roderick Peeples

Chris Amos

Aaron Galligan-Stierle

Into the Woods Misty Cotton (the Witch), Tina Scariano (Cinderella), Deanna Ott (Little Red Riding Hood)

June 19, 2014 · 3 min read

Rehearsal - Pfundstein (Baker’s Wife), Scariano (Cinderella)

Rehearsal - Ott (Little Red Riding Hood)

Our musical this summer season is Sondheim’s Into the Woods. Misty Cotton returns to the Festival as the Witch; we last saw her in Johnny Guitar. Tina Scariano plays Cinderella; she played Cosette in Les Mis. And Deanna Ott is here for her third season, playing Little Red Riding Hood.

Tell us your thoughts about this play.

Deanna: While the show is fun and recognizable, especially the first act, the deeper meanings of the show resonate with you differently at different times in your life.

Misty: That’s the beauty of the show. I’ve seen it a few times. Every time you see it or perform it, different things resonate. It’s about life. People know these fairytale characters, and these stories are written in very black and white. They’re written that way because children’s brains can’t see grays and they are meant to teach lessons. But as you get older, many factors come in and I think the second act is more of the reality – the grays. It becomes much more complicated.

Rehearsal - Pfundstein (Baker’s Wife), Scariano (Cinderella)

Tina: I love the song “Children Will Listen” because we all reference our parents in it. There’s always that person in our life that we looked up to or listened to and then in the second act it’s the harsh reality of realizing they were wrong, they were human, they erred. Your parents are people. It’s this awful/wonderful realization – you now have to decide for yourself.

Rehearsal - Ott (Little Red Riding Hood)

Can you describe this show from a musical perspective?

Misty: Some people have a hard time with Sondheim: “I can’t go out humming the songs”. That’s not true in this show because there are some very beautiful songs like “No One is Alone.” He’s putting dialog to music. But there are moments when it’s melodic.

Tina: Once you get it down, Sondheim makes your job really easy. Once you learn it, he puts the clues in the music, the inflections are all there.

Rehearsal - Cotton (The Witch)

Deanna: It’s like Shakespeare – in Iambic – you have to be very careful to make sure the important words have the right inflection. When you sing a line, it’s exactly the way you might speak it. It has the same inflection as if speaking. The tune of it gives you more of a subtext than the actual lyrics would.

How do you feel about being part of the Festival?

Misty: I feel so lucky to be here. If you’re a young artist – they have mentors, they have REACH programs, special classes. It’s really something special. I call this one of the best kept secrets.

Deanna: I have loved every moment that I’ve spent here. The company is always fantastic. The creative process – the time we take is very precious. Nothing is glossed over. We work through everything. I really appreciate that.

Tina: This place is like Disneyworld for actors. The best place on Earth. I love it. The caliber of human beings that are hired here is extraordinary. And then you find out they’re talented. I feel very nurtured here.

Into the Woods opens in preview on June 30 and runs through August 30. You can learn more about the play at http://www.bard.org/plays/woods2014.html. And you can purchase tickets online at www.bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.

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Into the Woods Preview

June 16, 2014 · 3 min read

James Sanders

Melinda Pfundstein

Misty Cotton

Into the Woods

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Book by James Lapine

Originally Directed on Broadway by James Lapine

Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick

Directed by Jeremy Mann

This week, we’re opening the Stage Door for Into the Woods, a musical which wonders “is there really a ‘happily ever after’?” Today’s preview is the first look behind Into the Woods’ stage door; check back each day this week on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest as we bring you director and actor interviews as well as podcasts, design renderings and more.

Principal Characters:

Cinderella, played by Tina Scariano: – Even though she lives with her father, wicked stepmother, and two cruel stepsisters, Cinderella is kind and good and her only wish is to go to the Prince’s festival (a.k.a. the ball), but once she does go and the Prince pursues her, she is uncertain about how to proceed.

Jack, played by James Sanders: Young, foolhardy, and desperate for a better life, Jack sells his cow for magic beans which lead him on a journey of growing up and learning to accept consequences.

Baker, played by Brian Vaughn: The “hero” of the story (although his actions are not always heroic), the Baker feels he must “fix” his and his wife’s inability to have children and initially tries to pursue his quest without her; but he soon realizes he is much better off with her by his side.

Baker’s Wife, played by Melinda Pfundstein: Badly wanting a child, the Baker’s Wife would go to any length to have one. When her husband sets off into the woods to seek the things that would enable them to remove their “curse” of infertility, her assertiveness and stubbornness eventually helps bring about a change between her and her husband.

Little Red Riding Hood, played by Deanna Ott: A sassy, spoiled girl, Little Red Riding Hood must journey from youth and innocence into adulthood and responsibility through an adventurous and scary path.

Witch, played by Misty Cotton: Originally portrayed as “the villain,” the witch’s story is much more complicated. She has an ulterior motive when she reveals she was the one who placed the curse of infertility on the Baker’s family.

Summary:

An uncertain Cinderella. A bloodthirsty Little Red Ridinghood. A wicked witch—who sings and dances? They’re all among the cockeyed characters of this fractured fairy tale. But in this modern musical, happiness-ever-after is not always what it seems: Actions have consequences, charming princes have flaws, and, well, killing a giant can make the giant’s wife very angry.

For more details (synopsis, podcasts, etc.) about this play, please visit http://www.bard.org/plays/woods2014.html

Into the Woods opens June 25 in preview and runs through August 30. You can buy tickets a twww.bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.

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Tina Scariano

Brian Vaughn

Deanna Ott

Henry IV, Part I Larry Bull (King Henry IV), Sam Ashdown (Prince Hal), Henry Woronicz (Falstaff)

June 12, 2014 · 3 min read

Woronicz as Falstaff, Ashdown as Prince Hal

This season, we continue the History Cycle with the third play in the cycle, Henry IV, Part I. These three actors have been hired with the commitment that they will continue their roles through Henry V. Larry Bull (Henry IV) is here for his fourth season. Last year, he played Bolingbroke/Henry IV in the fall production of Richard II. Sam Ashdown (Prince Hal) is new to the Festival. And Henry Woronicz (Falstaff) has been here many times, most recently last season as Prospero in The Tempest.

Bull as Henry IV

Talk about your characters in this play:

Larry: There’s little reflection on Bolingbroke’s part in Richard II about what he’s doing (usurping the throne). And you start to see that vessel crack in Henry IV, Part 1. There are batches of reflection, disdain, moodiness, jealousy, grief, self-doubt. The idea of counterfeit runs rampant through the play, and I think there’s a reason for that.

Henry: Shakespeare was really good at juxtaposing the public and the private – he used that effectively in his plays and this is a great example of it. There’s rebellion in the world and rebellion at home.

Larry: And it’s the ripple effect, the projection of the inward to the outward: turmoil in the soul where England is in turmoil. There’s doubt about my own place on the throne and a great need to make sure my son is up to the task. Otherwise the whole thing is a failure. And all the energy that was put into the reclamation of my lands, and the throne would be all for naught.

Sam: For Hal, when the play starts, his dad is powerfully absent. And he finds this old, fat, drunken knight, Sir John Falstaff. I think the play is about Hal searching out what he needs in different places. He is full of contradictions: who he is with Falstaff, who he is with his dad, and who he is on the battlefield.

Woronicz as Falstaff, Ashdown as Prince Hal

Talk about the long contract of playing these roles in multiple plays:

Henry: The larger artistic piece is the chance to do these roles in sequence over a period of time. That’s closer to being in Shakespeare’s company. It’s a great gift.

Larry: I think of it as a once in a lifetime opportunity. In the media these days we’re used to the long format i.e. Game of Thrones, Harry Potter. We want to see what happens to these people. It’s fun to see the same characters, these children turn into adults. I think it’s exciting for audiences as well. Those who have seen Richard II get to follow it all the way through Henry V and see the development of the characters.

Ashdown as Prince Hal

Sam: It’s exciting, it’s fun. Right now it’s about doing this play, because Hal doesn’t know what’s going to happen. There are so many questions. He’s riding a very uncertain wave through this play. The audience knows he’s going to be Henry V but he doesn’t.

How is this play relevant to today’s audiences?

Sam: It’s about fathers and sons and growing up. What kind of man do you want to be? It’s very personal as well as political.

Larry: It’s a magnificent portrayal of the human condition in all its messiness and and depth. Anything that takes you on that journey is worth paying attention to.

Henry IV, Part I opens in preview on June 23 and plays through August 30. You can purchase tickets online at www.bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX. You can learn more about the play a thttp://www.bard.org/plays/henry2014.html

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Photos by Karl Hugh

Cedar City Unplugged

June 10, 2014 · 1 min read

Cedar City Unplugged: Attend a Greenshow

Help your kids to go outside this summer and “Play Unplugged.”

Play Unplugged is all about encouraging kids to put down their electronics and get outside and play. This is done by creating symbiotic relationships between kids, parents and local businesses. These relationships create an incentive for all to participate as one motivates the other.

The Utah Shakespeare Festival is participating this year by encouraging kids to attend a free Greenshow in order to earn a Festival Brag Badge. The Greenshow starts at 7:10 p.m. every Monday through Saturday night. It is free for the whole family to enjoy.

When a child attends The Greenshow, he or she can then pick can be up a Brag Badge at the Guest Services Booth near the Adams Shakespearean Theatre during the time of the Greenshow performance. Please post a picture of yourself attending the Greenshow on the Utah Shakespeare Festival Facebook page.

Henry IV, Part 1 Preview

June 9, 2014 · 3 min read

Larry Bull

Steve Wojtas

Henry IV, Part 1

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Brian Vaughn

This week, we’re opening the Stage Door for Henry IV, Part 1, the third play in the Festival History Cycle. Today’s preview is the first look behind Henry IV’sstage door; check back each day this week on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest as we bring you director and actor interviews as well as podcasts, design renderings and more.

Principal Characters:

King Henry IV, played by Larry Bull:

Father of Prince Henry and Prince John and grandson of King Edward III, Henry (as dramatized in Shakespeare’s Richard II) had returned from banishment to claim the rights of inheritance denied him by his cousin, King Richard II. He led a revolt against the king, forced Richard to abdicate, and became the first of the Lancastrian rulers of England. He is referred to occasionally as Bolingbroke, from the place of his birth, and is continually insecure in his position because of the manner in which he attained the kingship.

Henry, Prince of Wales, played by Samuel Ashdown:

Son of King Henry, Prince Hal, as he is usually called in this play, is a carefree, boisterous youth who is many times at odds with his father. However, by the end of the play, he has shown his true mettle as a soldier and leader and is hinting at his abilities as a future king.

Henry Percy, nicknamed “Hotspur”, played by Steve Wojtas:

Son of Henry Percy and nephew of Thomas Percy, Hotspur emerges as the impetuous leader of the northern rebels. He is courageous and hot blooded, as well as a complete foil to Prince Hal.

Sir John Falstaff, played by Henry Woronicz:

Knight of the realm, enormously fat and white-bearded, and one of Shakespeare’s most popular comic characters, Falstaff is the carefree companion of Prince Hal.

Summary:

Civil war still smolders around Henry IV’s new kingdom. However, the heir to his father’s throne, Prince Hal, ignores the gathering storm clouds and parties wildly with his debauched friends, including the hilarious rogue, Sir John Falstaff. Ultimately, the prince must choose between the revelry of his bar buddies and the bravery of a soldier and king—because his choice will shape the future of a nation.

For more details (synopsis, podcasts, etc.) about this play, please visit http://www.bard.org/plays/henry2014.html Henry IV, Part 1 opens June 23 in preview and runs through August 29. You can buy tickets at www.bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.

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Samuel Ashdown

Henry Woronciz

Cassandra Bissell (Elinor) and Eva Balistrieri (Marianne) in Sense and Sensibility

June 5, 2014 · 3 min read

Mattfeld as Edward Ferrars, Bissell as Elinor Dashwood. Photo by Karl Hugh

Eva Balistrieri

Costume Designs by Holly Payne

Cassandra Bissell, new to the Festival, calls Chicago home. She graduated from the University of Chicago and has performed at numerous theatres including the Chicago Shakespeare Festival and Great Lakes Theatre.

Eva Balistrieri, also new to the Festival, grew up in Wisconsin, graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Parkside, and has performed at Milwaukee Rep and the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. They’re both excited to be here, performing in a world-premiere.

We recently chatted with them about their characters and the Jane Austen era.

Talk with us about this play and the period:

Cassie: Sense and Sensibility is an adaptation of the Jane Austen novel. It’s set, like all of her novels, in the Regency Period. It is a time in which class and status were very well defined in English society. And although everything is stratified, you are beginning to see some movement between the classes so things like marriage for love begin to occur. That’s great fodder for this play.

Tell us a bit about your characters

Eva: I (Marianne) represent the “sensibility” – Joe Hanreddy, co-author & director, put it great – he said it’s a story about the balance between the head and the heart. Elinor comes at things with a much more realistic point of view where I go with my gut impulses.

I personally fall in love quickly and I’m caught up in the romance. I believe in a union of souls, and I believe there is one person for you. That’s the way Marianne goes through life. The important thing about this story is that it’s not that sense is more important than sensibility – it’s really a balance between those two things.

Cassie: During the course of the story, we see how the sisters evolve. There are pros and cons to each approach, and in this play you get to see them both find their way to a middle ground.

Describe working on a world premiere and the process of translating the book to the stage.

C: It’s a learning process for us. There’s a difference between reading something in solitude and what you need to do to make something translate to a performance.

E: In the book, they move from location to location. In the play you have to get to all those locations and find a way to do it. The way that Joe and Jim have adapted it, the scenes dissolve into each other. It ends up being very fluid and you’re still moving from place to place and meeting all the people you need to meet.

C: It’s very much an ensemble piece. We need the whole cast – they move the furniture and make the transitions. It’s highly choreographed. It’s quite a process.

Why does this story resonate with today’s audiences?

C: It’s not unlike Shakespeare in that the fundamentals of what Jane Austen is writing of in terms of human emotions – love, loss and trust and forgiveness – these are all things that are human.

Sense and Sensibility opens in preview on June 24 and plays through August 29. You can purchase tickets online at www.bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.

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Cassandra Bissell

Costume Designs by Holly Payne

Mattfeld as Edward Ferrars, Bissell as Elinor Dashwood. Photo by Karl Hugh

American Theatre Loses an Iconic Figure

June 3, 2014 · 3 min read

American Theatre Loses an Iconic Figure

Doug Cook and Fred Adams

Cedar City, UT – It is with deep sadness that the Utah Shakespeare Festival shares the news that producing artistic director emeritus Douglas N. Cook passed away on May 31 in San Diego, California due to an aggressive stomach cancer. He was a driving force for excellence at the Festival, dedicating over 37 years nurturing and caring for the individual artists and technicians as well as the Festival as a whole.

Cook was a longtime leader, visionary and friend. “He will be sorely missed; we have lost a giant,” said Fred C. Adams, Festival founder.

Cook joined the Festival in 1964. He was teaching drama at the University of California at Riverside when he learned about a new Shakespearean theatre in Cedar City, Utah and he became intrigued. Cook was especially adept at designing scenery for Shakespeare productions and under his guidance, the props department blossomed and the sets better reflected the periods that designers were trying to represent.

As a talented and enthusiastic scenic designer, he instantly began to shape the artistic dream and creative integrity of the young company. His influence since can be charted using the titles he has capably worn: scenic designer, design director, associate producer, and producing artistic director.

With the continued growth of the Festival, Cook quickly became more and more integral to its day-to-day operations and its larger vision for the future. In 1970, he supplied the initial research and sketches for a long dreamed-about permanent theatre. These sketches would ultimately evolve into the world renowned Adams Memorial Shakespearean Theatre. The dedication of this remarkable building in 1977 was a highlight in the long list of Cook’s contributions, only to be equaled by his sensitive oversight of the design and construction of the Randall L. Jones Theatre in 1989.

Cook’s achievements in, and contributions to, the world of theatre have been many and varied. He has been president of or served on the board of every major theatrical association in the United States. He was the co-founder (with Sidney Berger) of the Shakespeare Theatre Association. An abundance of awards and accolades have accompanied these affiliations, but Cook, ever humble, was always quick to equally note the accomplishments of others.

“When Doug joined the Festival family it was the beginning of a remarkable team,” said Adams. “His design and technical theatre skills added that necessary element that brought the Festival into a Tony Award-winning organization. It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye.”

Executive Director R. Scott Phillips commented, “Doug was a friend to all. He was always available with a listening ear or for a quiet conversation. He was a mentor to me personally and always stressed the importance of dignity and civility in our profession. I will miss him deeply.”

Doug Cook is survived by his wife Joan and their son Stephen. Stephen is married to Kristen and they have two children, Tully and Jasper.

Details regarding the funeral are pending.

Sense and Sensibility Preview

June 2, 2014 · 2 min read

Eva Ballistrieri

Grant Goodman

Sense and Sensibility

By Jane Austen

Adapted for the Stage by Joseph Hanreddy and J. R. Sullivan

Directed by Joseph Hanreddy

This week, we’re opening the Stage Door for Sense and Sensibility, a world premiere adaptation based on the Jane Austen novel that asks “Is passion ever rational?” Today’s preview is the first look behind Sense and Sensibility’s stage door; check back each day this week on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest as we bring you director and actor interviews as well as podcasts, design renderings and more.

Principal Characters:

Elinor Dashwood, played by Cassandra Bissell: Nineteen-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dashwood and John’s half-sister, Elinor Dashwood is practical and composed. She falls in love with Edward Ferrars but does not open up about her feelings for him except to Marianne; thus, she quietly suffers because of misunderstandings between them.

Marianne Dashwood, played by Eva Balistrieri: Seventeen-year-old sister of Elinor and half-sister of John Dashwood, Marianne Dashwood is spontaneous, romantic, and emotional.

Edward Ferrars, played by Quinn Mattfeld: Edward Ferrars is private, sensible, and kind. He is drawn to a quiet life, though he is caught under his mother’s rule. He and Elinor are immediately attracted to each other, but other obligations initially prevent them from being together.

Colonel Brandon, played by Grant Goodman: Retired officer and bachelor, Colonel Brandon becomes enamored of Marianne Dashwood. He is honorable and kind towards the Dashwoods.

John Willoughby, played by Samuel Ashdown: Charming but untrustworthy neighbor of Sir John’s, John Willoughby seems to be as impassioned with Marianne as she is with him, but he leaves her suddenly and offers no explanation to his departure.

Summary:

Full of repressed passion and soaring emotions, this world-premiere adaptation of Jane Austen’s romantic novel was commissioned especially for Festival audiences. It tells the touching and comic story of the Dashwood sisters who are both looking for true love, but in very different ways. Elinor is all about using her rational head, while Marianne invariably follows her compassionate heart—and both their stories have just the right mix of Austen’s humor, romance, and happy endings.

For more details (synopsis, podcasts, etc.) about this play, please visit http://www.bard.org/plays/sense2014.html Sense and Sensibility opens June 24 in preview and runs through August 29. You can buy tickets at www.bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.

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