Join us for the Company Meeting

The staff of the Utah Shakespeare Festival goes from 35 to nearly 300 in a matter of days. It takes a small village to produce a show, let alone 6 plus a Greenshow in only 6 short weeks. But as everyone gathers in Cedar City, the day we all look forward to is the official kickoff to the season, the opening company meeting. 

A play wouldn’t be complete without its audience, so we want to invite all of you to join us on Wednesday, May 8th at 11am (MDT) to our live Twitter Welcome Meeting. Be a part of the “Ellis Island Day” commotion and enjoy the warm embrace of Fred Adams, Scott Phillips, David Ivers and Brian Vaughn.

We also have an exciting announcement regarding our 2014 season that you won’t want to miss!

 Log on to your Twitter account and follow the Festival - @UtahShakespeare.

Use the designated hashtags to follow the live event…

#usf2013

#ellisislandday

#utahshakespeare

#usf2014

Our moderator will live tweet during the meeting with comments and photos.

Not sure how Twitter works? Check out this site for all your Twitter questions… https://support.twitter.com.

We look forward to you joining us!

Help the Guild Celebrate 50 Years of Service

50 years ago, Barbara Adams (wife of founder Fred C. Adams) and other Cedar City residents founded The Utah Shakespeare Guild, whose goal is to serve, support and promote the Festival. If you’ve ever attended a Curtain Call Luncheon or Christmas in July, you’ve seen this dedicated group of volunteers at work. Each year, they donate the proceeds of their hard work to the Festival. For 2012, they donated $19,000, and for 2013 they hope to raise even more.

To make that happen and to celebrate their 50th anniversary, they are sponsoring some special events to enhance your Festival experience.

First, there will be two “Showbiz Sundays Under the Stars.” In the garden of the lovely Iron Gate Inn, you can enjoy an intimate evening showcasing the vocal talents of Festival actors, sip wines from the IG Winery (or sparkling cider) and nibble on local artisan cheeses and chocolates. What a great way to spend a warm summer evening! Space is extremely limited, so be sure to buy your tickets soon for July 21 or August 25. The evening begins at 8pm. Tickets are $42 and are advance sale only.

Spelbring, Guter, Robinson, Jacoby at Curtain Call Lunch

Second is “Glimpse of the Past: A Variety Revue and Banquet.” On August 10, at 4:30 pm, you can enjoy a Silent Auction, a plated banquet dinner, and a variety revue with performers showing us the hit shows and songs from each decade of the Festival. The 4:30 time was selected so you can attend between the matinee and evening performance. Tickets (advance purchase only) are $55 individually or $400 for a table of eight. Venue is the Great Hall in the Hunter Conference Center, just west of the Adams theatre.

Curtain Call Luncheons continue this year. Each luncheon features four Festival actors in an interactive panel discussion about their roles, experiences at the Festival and beyond. Dates are July 5, 12, 19, 26 and August 2 at the SUU Alumni House. Tickets are $17.50 in advance and $20 at the door.

Christmas in July, an arts and craft faire will be July 26 and 27 on the lawn of the Randall L. Jones Theatre. It’s a great opportunity to get some Christmas gifts and avoid the December stress.

We hope you enhance your Festival experience by participating in these events. The money you pay helps the Guild with their mission and the proceeds will go back to the Festival. Tickets can be purchased online at www.bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX. You can learn more about the Guild at http://www.bard.org/about/guild.html.

Happy Birthday Shakespeare!

2012 Bard’s Birthday Bash

The Bard’s Birthday Bash is a two-day celebration on April 25 and 26 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the grounds surrounding the Adam’s Shakespearean Theatre. The bash is an exciting and enthusiastic way of exposing kids to the Bard’s works through their own performances, as well as by observing the efforts of other students. Students will participate in period activities such as jousting and maypole games, as well as enjoying cake with Queen Elizabeth I.

Bahr and kids 2012

“We’ll have around 1,800 kids here from Cedar City, St. George and other southern Utah communities,” said Festival Education Director, Michael Bahr. “We’d probably have many more, but elementary school kids aren’t generally allowed to travel from greater distances.”

Like the many other education outreach programs, the Bard’s Birthday Bash has proven to be more popular and successful than anyone imagined.

2012 Bard’s Birthday Bash

“When we began this birthday idea, our goal was to get local elementary school students acquainted with Shakespeare through their own performance of his words,” said Bahr. “That way, they find that Shakespeare is a lot easier to understand than they thought. We soon learned that not all kids wanted to perform. So, now we are inviting both performing, as well as observing groups. They have cake with Queen Elizabeth, dance the maypole, learn some fun theatre games, and, interestingly enough, a lot of the past observers have decided to come back the next time around as performers.”

You can see other celebrations for Shakespeare’s birthday at www.happybirthdayshakespeare.com.

You can learn more about the Utah Shakespeare Festival and see our calendar for 2013 at www.bard.org.

“Gershwin’s Broadway” Insights

Dahlin

The Guild of the Utah Shakespeare Festival, in celebration of 50 years of service and support to the Festival, is presenting an original musical revue, “Gershwin’s Broadway,” on April 19 and 20 in the Randall L. Jones Theatre.

The revue was written by Fred C. Adams, the Festival’s founder, and directed by R. Scott Phillips, the Festival’s executive director, with musical direction by Brad Carroll. It promises to be an evening of song and dance paying tribute to the life work of George Gershwin, one of America’s true national treasures.

We were able to interview Adams and Nicole Sterling (one of the cast members) to gain some insights into the evening.

Pfundstein, Dahlin, Sterling

Can you give me some background for this performance?

Sterling: This year the Guild of the Utah Shakespeare Festival is celebrating its 50th anniversary of service and support for the Utah Shakespeare Festival. They have a number of special 50th anniversary events and the “Gershwin’s Broadway” Concert will be the first. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Festival at the end of the year.

Describe the evening:

Adams: With individualized narrations and musical numbers we trace the story of George Gershwin’s short life. He died at 39 from a brain tumor. And yet he’s considered the father of American music.

We start with the delivery of a piano to his family who finally have enough money to buy a second hand piano to give their older son, Ira. Ira didn’t take to the music, but the younger George, 12 years old, did.

The first number is a Jerome Kern number (They’ll Never Believe Me) because that was the number that George Gershwin as a 14 year old with his buddy Richard Rodgers sat in the upper balcony and heard for the first time. And the irony is, it’s the first time a song was dialog. It was integrated into the story. It shattered these 2 young boys; it changed their whole way of thinking.

And this talented group of six, three men (Alex Allred, Trent Dahlin and Rhett Guter) and three women (Melinda Pfundstein, Jennie Smith and Nicole Sterling), take us on this journey through WWI, the jazz age, the depression and finally the birth of movies with Fred Astaire.

The evening will be an elegant celebration, capturing the essence of Gershwin’s time, with proceeds benefiting the Guild and ultimately the Festival. Performances are April 19 and 20 at 7:30 pm in the Randall L. Jones Theatre. Ticket prices range from $18 to $50 and can be purchased online at www.bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX. You can learn more at http://www.bard.org/news/releases/gershwin.html#.UWiOwxnR2wE

Playmaker's The Wizard of Oz Cast

This week, the Festival’s Playmakers opens The Wizard of Oz. We caught some of the cast right before their first dress rehearsal.

Duncan as Professor Marvel

Bailey Duncan is in 5th grade at Three Peaks Elementary. Last summer, he played Dill in the Festival’s production of To Kill a Mockingbird. He plays Professor Marvel and the Wizard of Oz.

Allen, Espinoza, Kraus and Denhalter

Tell me about Wizard of Oz

I’m the big and great guy. My character relates to Professor Marvel in Kansas who Dorothy would like to go along with because he’s a gypsy and travels around and she’s running away. He doesn’t want her to come along, but he doesn’t say that. He says “sure but I have to check with my crystal first” and tricks her into thinking that Auntie Em is sick and could possibly die and that’s what makes Dorothy want to go home.

What’s the hardest part?

Probably the words. The Wizard speaks a lot of Latin, but I can usually figure it out.

How have you developed as an actor since last year?

Allen and Ensemble

I think I’ve gotten a lot bigger voice and gotten a lot better with people.

Nick Denhalter plays the Tin Man. He’s in the 9th grade at Cedar High. Last summer, he was in the Festival’s production of To Kill a Mockingbird, playing Jem.

What’s the hardest part of this role?

Staying real stiff - the physicality. I have to lock my knees to make sure I don’t move. My English teacher told me how The Wizard of Oz compared to the job industry of the time. With the farming industry a lot of them were uneducated, so the scarecrow not having a brain, the metal industry/Tin Man - greedy - not having heart, the Lion was about politicians - cowards. She showed me how it connected, which really helped.

How does this compare to last summer in Mockingbird?

Since then my diction has gotten a lot better. At the beginning of the summer season I got lessons from David Ivers because I was fading and not getting the words across with my accent. It really helped me and he was so great. I’m in debate now, which also helps.

Lauren Allen plays Dorothy. She’s in 8th grade at Cedar Middle School. Last summer she was in the Festival’s production of The Merry Wives of Windsor and she played Amaryllis in The Music Man in 2011.

Tell us about Dorothy

It’s my first lead role. I love the play and I love how we’ve done it. It’s different from previous shows. We can’t just take the movie because it’s iconic. We did our own thing and it’s worked.

What’s the hardest thing about this role?

The character - She’s not a “character,” she’s a real person. She’s closely related to my personality. So it’s hard to differentiate her from me - what she would do versus what I would do. I have to be careful about that.

A scene from The Wizard of Oz

What do you do outside of school and acting?

I take dance, theater, voice, and piano. I love performing - it will always be a part of what I do. It might not be the only thing I do. It can be anywhere - singing in church or performing in a play. And this summer, I’m playing Jane Banks in Mary Poppins at Tuachan.

You can see this imaginative production, featuring over 70 local children April 10, 11, 12, 13, 15 at 7:30 pm in the Randall L. Jones Theatre. Tickets can be purchased at www.bard.org or by calling 435-586-7878. You can learn more at http://www.bard.org/news/releases/wizardofoz.html

John Maclay (Director, Romeo and Juliet)

Pereyra (Juliet) & Klopatek (Romeo)

John Maclay directed the current Shakespeare-in-the-Schools Touring Production of Romeo and Juliet.

Where did you grow up? Where do you currently live?

I grew up in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. I currently live with my wife and kids in Lake Zurich, IL ( a Chicago suburb) though I work predominantly in Wisconsin. I drive a lot.

Have you ever been involved with Romeo and Juliet before? If yes, how many times and in what functions/roles?

Yes and 6 or 7?  Director (twice prior and one upcoming), producer, assistant director, fight choreographer (twice prior and one upcoming), Mercutio, Gregory, Peter, Friar John, understudy for Capulet and Friar Laurence.

Fight Scene - Romeo & Juliet

What are you looking forward to the most about this tour; why did you want to become involved?

Pereyra (Juliet) & Klopatek (Romeo)

I think that the first experience with Shakespeare is potentially the most important. If an audience member’s experience is inspiring and affecting, that person will be a fan for life. If the first experience is negative, it is difficult to get that person to give Shakespeare a second chance. This informs a great responsibility for all of us who contribute to the tour.

Have you ever done a similar tour like this before? Tell us about it.

Yes. The Chicago Shakespeare Theater tour in 2000 as an actor. We did about 90 performances throughout Illinois. Much like this tour we played every type of space- from gorgeous cathedrals of art to “cafetoriums.” You learn to preserve the truth of the story in all manner of architecture. It truly is tremendous training for an actor. But it isn’t for the timid. It is incredibly demanding work and fortunately this tour has exceptional actors who are built to thrive in these ever changing environments.

What do you hope to contribute or give to young audiences during this tour?

The reaffirmation that violence is futile, pointless and always perpetuates more violence. That Shakespeare is incredible, truthful and not in any way beyond them. That greatness can be achieved with the spoken word in greater and more profound measure than it can with a football. And I write this as someone who unapologetically played a lot of football.

Why do you think art in general is important?

There are a hundred reasons that art is important. Most important to me is that the performing arts, and theatre specifically, require that you adopt another’s point of view. As a theatre artist you have to adopt that point of view without judgment. This develops understanding and empathy.

The theatre also offers experiences that of course entertain or educate an audience member or allow an audience to identify with a character or escape from their troubles for a couple of hours.

But perhaps more important is the theatre’s ability to bring communities together and to change people’s minds. A wise mentor of mine once said that the only ways to really change someone’s mind are to give them a book, have a long one on one conversation with them, or take them to a play.

Participating in the arts teaches collaboration, leadership, creative thinking, and discipline while developing empathy and emotional intelligence. What other subject can claim that?

This production of Romeo and Juliet will be touring through April 24. You can find the schedule at http://www.bard.org/education/tourschedule.html.

Photos by Karl Hugh, copyright 2013 Utah Shakespeare Festival

Elyse Edelman- Guest Blogger

New to the Educational Tour, here is Elyse Edelman playing Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet.

Where did you grow up? Where do you currently live?

I grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and lived there until I moved to Minneapolis to study at the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program. Since graduating, I’ve hopped around from Minneapolis to Iowa City, Milwaukee, Chicago, and now Cedar City!

Have you ever been involved with Romeo and Julietbefore?

I have never been in a production  before, but I have been in love with the play since I first studied it in the 8th grade. I was very lucky to have an English teacher who was incredibly innovative, engaging, and believed that Shakespeare could delight young people.

What are you looking forward to the most about this tour?

Edelman (left) as Benvolio, Klopatek as Romeo and Powell as Mercutio in USF’s  touring production of  Romeo and Juliet.

I love the idea of going into schools and bringing Shakespeare to students who have never experienced him before. I love being part of a company who uniformly adores Shakespeare, but all for unique individual reasons. As a Midwestern girl, I’m excited to travel the great American west and see new places.

What do you hope to contribute or give to young audiences during this tour?

A scene from USF’s touring production of Romeo and Juliet.

The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is the tragedy of youth: its impulsiveness, its substantial immunity to the wisdom and the prejudice of age. The play is incredibly relevant to young people. However, young people are too often introduced to Shakespeare in a scary classroom setting where they succumb to believing Shakespeare is obscure and beyond their understanding; Shakespeare is not meant to only be read. I am honored to be part of something with the potential of turning young people on to Shakespeare. 

What are you hoping to personally learn or achieve?

I am charged about the prospect of playing for a wide range of venues and audiences…from intimate to large, and from small community high school to big city general public. We won’t necessarily understand the space until we actually arrive; this requires learning and adaptability even though the piece remains the same. 

What are some of your favorite hobbies?

I LOVE playing board games and hosting “game nights.”  My favorite games are Apples to Apples, Taboo, Scattergories, and Clue. I play the guitar and harmonica and want to pick up the ukulele while we’re on tour. I listen to a lot of folk music such as Cat Stevens, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell.

Why do you think art in general is important?

Growing up, theater taught me more about living than any school lesson did. It gave me the curiosity to comprehend what was beyond my immediate world. It gave me confidence to stand on my convictions and articulate my values. I believe that performance art can teach the importance of compassion in a world where “bullying” exists on all sorts of levels. Art in general is a forum for expression, exploration, and understanding. The arts are languages, which connect a world fractured by racial, cultural, social, and economic barriers.

To learn more or see if the Tour is coming to your city, visit this page on our website-http://bard.org/education/tour.html

All photos by Karl Hugh, copy right Utah Shakespeare Festival

2013 Casting Round 2

Ott, Guter The Music Man 2011

Pereya

Robinson

Casting for the 2013 season at the Utah Shakespeare Festival is nearly complete. The casting process is an exciting, but complicated endeavor because roughly 60 performers will be hired in order to fill hundreds of roles in eight plays and the nightly Greenshow. After months of auditions and contract negotiations, Artistic Directors David Ivers and Brian Vaughn are confident that these actors represent some of the strongest talent in the industry.

Appearing on the Festival stages this year will be a number of audience favorites from past years, including Matt Zambrano, Rhett Guter, Martin Kildare, Melisa Pereya, Michael Harding, Betsy Mugavero, Max Robinson, and Matt Mueller. A complete casting list is available at www.bard.org.

If audiences enjoyed seeing the Festival debut performance of Matt Zambrano last season in Scapin or The Merry Wives of Windsor, then they will love him as Ted in Peter and the Starcatcher and Don Armado, the fantastical Spaniard in Love’s Labour’s Lost.

“I’m incredibly excited to be back in Cedar City this summer,” said Zambrano. After leaving Utah last summer Zambrano performed Santaland Diaries and Romeo and Julietat the Denver Center Theatre Company. He’s currently working in New York with a youth writing advocacy group, but says, “I can’t wait to get back out to Utah.”

Rhett Guter is a southern Utah native and “is thrilled to be returning home to the Festival.” This season he will play the unforgettable Boy who never grows up in Peter and the Starcatcher. He’ll also be seen dancing and singing in Anything Goes. Guter said, “I’m not sure if I’m more excited about the people I’m working with or the shows I’m working on.”

He last performed at the Festival in 2011 as Tommy in The Music Man and Flute in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In the past year he was on a European tour with West Side Story and played Tommy again in The Music Man with the Paramount Theatre in Chicago.

Martin Kildare will take on the thought-provoking Juror #8 in Twelve Angry Men and the power hungry Antonio in The Tempest. Kildare returned to the Festival last year as the wise and loving father, Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird and Leicester in Mary Stuart. In previous years at the Festival he has been in Othello, Harvey, *Hamlet,*The Imaginary Invalid, and The Glass Menagerie.

After her heart wrenching performance as Lavinia in Titus Andronicus and her hilarious Zerbinette in *Scapin,*Melisa Pereya’s versatility will shine this season as she tackles all three Shakespearean plays; Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Tempest and King John.

“The acting company is truly exceptional, and I can’t wait to start playing alongside some of the finest classical actors in the country,” said Pereya. “I feel very blessed to be playing such diverse and exciting roles this season.” Since last summer, Pereya spent time at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and played the lead role of Juliet in the Festival’s Shakespeare-in-the-School’s Educational Tour, Romeo and Juliet. 

Michael Harding, associate professor of theatre at Dixie State College, will play the honest but slow-minded Juror #6 in Twelve Angry Men, Sebastian in The Tempest and Duke of Austria in King John.

Harding has performed numerous roles during his tenure with the Festival and was in all three outdoor shows last season. He’s worked at other theatre companies that include, Intiman Theatre, Virginia Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Children’s Theatre, and Pioneer Theatre Company.

Betsy Mugavero is appearing this year as the brave, young heroin Molly in Peter and the Starcatcher and as Jaquenetta, the country wench, in Love’s Labour’s Lost. “I am thrilled to be back in Cedar City working on two stunning pieces of theatre with incredible artists and friends at the Utah Shakespeare Festival,” said Mugavero.

Mugavero was last seen during the 50th anniversary season as Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Poppy Norton-Taylor in Noises Off!. Over the past year she’s worked with many artists in theatres and cities from Boise, Idaho to New York City.

Last year if audiences enjoyed Max Robinson as Thenardier, the sleazy thief in Les Miserables and racist Bob Ewell in To Kill A Mockingbird  then they will love to see him as the second-rate gangster, Moonface Martin in Anything Goes and the hot-tempered Juror #3 in Twelve Angry Men.

“There is such a warmth and welcoming spirit at the Festival, and it comes from the audience members who make that journey to the high desert and share the group experience of storytelling,” said Robinson. “They bring an anticipation, a sincere joy. After spending three seasons here, I’ve felt this exhilaration in the theatres, the Festival grounds, and on the streets of Cedar City. It is truly infectious, and I’ve caught the Festival bug again.” 

Matt Mueller is returning to the Festival to play Berowne in Love’s Labour’s Lost and Mrs. Bumbrake, the proper English governess, in Peter and the Starcatcher. “I am thrilled to be coming back to the Festival for the 2013 season,” said Mueller. 

Mueller spent some time in Berkeley, California last summer, but has mostly been working with the Chicago Shakespeare Festival. In 2011 Mueller was Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet and Richmond in Richard III.

Tickets are now on sale for the 2013 season at www.bard.org and 1-800-PLAYTIX (800-752-9849). The season runs from June 24 to October 19. 

Play photos by Karl Hugh, Copyright Utah Shakespeare Festival

Zambrano in Scapin2012

Kildare

Mugavero

Smithey, Sudia, Charles, Mueller, Mugavero Midsummer, 2011

Thomas Novak- Guest Blogger

Thomas Novak (Capulet)

Thomas Novak plays Lord Capulet in our tour production of Romeo and Juliet.

Where did you grow up? Where do you currently live?

I grew up in Long Grove, IL located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. I still currently live there.

Pereyra (Juliet) and  Novak (Capulet)

Have you ever been involved with Romeo and Juliet before?

I have never been involved in Romeo and Juliet before. I read the play back in high school. In college, I studied Shakespeare and worked on scene work from various plays. Lord Capulet is actually my first role in a Shakespeare play.

What are you looking forward to the most about this tour; why did you want to become involved?

Zientek (left) as Nurse, Pereyra as Juliet, Novak as Capulet, and Telford as Lady Capulet

Being on the road is great so far. There are any reasons why I wanted to be involved. One is to be in a Shakespeare play. Another is the teaching aspect; theatre that drives education is important to me. One of the ways we get people to go to the theater when they’re older is by taking them to a show when they’re younger…especially with Shakespeare. It needs to be a positive experience or they will never go again or, perhaps, dread going. The last reason why I wanted to be involved with this tour is because performing and traveling sounded like a thrilling adventure. I love to travel and act, and it sounded like the best job ever.  

What do you hope to contribute or give to young audiences during this tour?

The overall thing that I hope to give to a young audience is that Shakespeare is fun and really relatable, even though it is over 400 years old. Another thing is that Shakespeare was meant to be seen and heard, and so many people forget that. Although it is very scholarly, it isn’t purely academic. It’s also a lot of fun.   

What are some of your favorite hobbies?

I love to dance and sing. When I have nothing to do I usually try to do something creative like paint, draw, build something, write a play, or read a play.

To learn more or see if the Tour is coming to your city, visit this page on our website-  http://bard.org/education/tour.html

Stones in His Pockets Goes to Chicago

Vaughn & Ivers 2012

Festival artistic directors and actors David Ivers and Brian Vaughn are taking Stones in His Pockets by Marie Jones to the Northlight Theatre in Chicago, Illinois this March. Directed by J. R. Sullivan, the show first appeared at the Festival in 2005 and was restaged due to popular demand in the fall of 2012. In association with the Northlight Theatre, this production will run from March 8 to April 14 with the original cast and director.

“We are thrilled to be bringing a production from Cedar City to Chicago, where we hope to increase the national profile of the Festival,” said Ivers. This is the first step in a larger initiative of sharing productions with other regional theatres. Northlight artistic direct BJ Jones, who has also directed at the Festival, has helped facilitate the new venture.

“One of the greatest pleasures in my job is the opportunity to bring old friends and colleagues to Chicago. Northlight veteran director J. R. Sullivan, with whom I worked first in 1976, returns to direct Stones in His Pockets with Brian Vaughn and David Ivers—two versatile actors who will play 15 roles in a play that is both hilarious and heartbreaking,” said Jones. “David and Brian are the artistic directors of the Utah Shakespeare Festival and J. R. is the artistic director of the Pearl Theatre in New York. With all this artistic firepower on display I am sure you will be as delighted as I am to welcome them to Northlight.”

Stones in His Pockets tells of a small Irish village where a couple of locals hope to hit it big when hired as extras for an epic American movie filming in their scenic County Kerry. Two actors portray a colorful cast of dozens in this rollicking tale that pits harsh reality against Hollywood endings.

Director J. R. Sullivan talked about the main theme: the struggle for identity: “Jake and Charlie wrestle to find their own identities, in being confident in who they are.” As the underdogs, they represent the rural Irish culture and the search to find distinction and importance in the modern world. “What are the costs of the influence of modernization on the culture and on the individual?” Sullivan said.

Coincidentally, Stones in His Pockets is written by Irish playwright Marie Jones and is set in Ireland—and there is a large Irish population in Chicago. “It will also be great fun to be there over St. Patrick’s Day,” said Vaughn.

For performance information, visit www.northlight.org