Announcing the Cast of The Greenshow

Raven Flynn

Sophia Guerrero

Peter Reid Lambert

Kat Lee

Connor Padilla

Trey Plutnicki

Olivia Rylan Sham

André Spathelf-Sanders

Four new faces and four faces familiar to Utah Shakespeare Festival audiences will make up the 2021 cast of the popular pre-play entertainment, The *Greenshow.*The free and fun show opens on June 21 and plays Mondays to Saturdays through September 11, starting at 7:10.

“The Greenshow will return with many familiar faces from last year, and it will be a beautiful reunion to be in the rehearsal hall with them again in addition to some new blood!” said director Britannia Howe. “These actors are some of the hardest working artists in the business. Not only do they dance, act, and sing their faces off every night in The Greenshow, but then they have fifteen minutes to run to change costumes and perform in the mainstage shows. They are hardworking, talented to boot, and such team players.”

These talented and hard-working artists are:

Raven Flynn (also in the ensemble of Ragtime) appears at the Festival courtesy of the Southern Utah University Fellowship Program. This is her first time at the Festival, but she has appeared as Ariel in Footloose at the Playmill Theatre in West Yellowstone and in Seven Brides for Seven Brother and Tarzan at Playmill Theatre. She graduated from SUU with a BFA in theatre arts this spring.

Sophia Guerrero (also in the ensemble of The Pirates of Penzance) is celebrating her first year working at the Festival this summer. She has played Jane in Tarzan at the Hale Center Theatre in Sandy, Utah and Miss Dorothy in Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Hale Centre Theatre in Orem, Utah. She has also appeared at Brigham Young University where she was the senior finalist for the BYU Outstanding Theatre Award.

Peter Reid Lambert (also in the ensemble of both The Pirates of Penzance and Ragtime) is working at the Festival for his first time. He has appeared off-Broadway as Thomas Briggs in An Enchanted April and originated the role of Johnny in Beulah Land. He has also played Freddy Benson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Davey in Newsies, Ernst in Cabaret, Eric Liddle in Chariots of First, and more.

Kat Lee (also in the ensemble of Ragtime) appeared at the Festival as the Narrator in the Every Brilliant Thing very successful educational tour. She has also played Lorrell Robinson in Dreamgirls at Short North Stage and Sophie Sheridan in Mamma Mia! and The Witch in Big Fish at Otterbein University. She received her BFA in musical theatre from Otterbein University in 2019.

Connor Padilla (also playing various roles in Pericles and The Pirates of Penzance) appeared at the Festival in 2019 as Gad in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Featured Performer in The Greenshow. He has worked at a number of regional theatres including Taffety Punk Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., Annapolis Shakespeare Theatre, Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Orlando Repertory Theatre, Winter Garden Theatre, and Theater Lab.

Trey Plutnicki (also in the ensembles of both Ragtime and The Pirates of Penzance) was at the Festival in the ensemble of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Featured Performer in The Greenshow in 2019 and Mercutio/Friar Laurence in the education tour of Romeo and Juliet in 2020. He has also played at other theatres as Ensemble in All Is Calm, Ali Hakim in Oklahoma!, and Woodstock in Snoopy! The Musical.

Olivia Rylan Sham (also in the ensemble of Ragtime) is working at the Festival for the first time. She is appearing courtesy of the Southern Utah University Fellowship Program. She has performed at the Simonfest Theatre Company as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors and Nora in Brighton Beach Memoirs, as well as various roles at Southern Utah University and Patricia in The Last Yankee at Universitatea Babes Bolyai in Cluj, Romania.

André Spathelf-Sanders (also in the ensembles of both The Pirates of Penzance and Ragtime) is celebrating his third year at the Festival and as a Featured Performer in The Greenshow. He has also played in the ensemble of Big River and as Asher and the Butler in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He has choreographed and danced for other theatres, including Otterbein University where he received a BFA in musical theatre and dance.

The Festival’s 2021 season is June 21 to October 9. Plays will be Pericles, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting www.bard.org.

Announcing the Cast of The Comedy of Errors

Michael Doherty

Mauricio Miranda

Andrew Plinio

Marco Antonio Vega

Three faces familiar to audiences and one actor making his debut at the Utah Shakespeare Festival will lead the celebration in this season’s 1970s Greek island-themed version of The Comedy of Errors which takes the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre stage beginning June 23.

“I am very excited to be working with Festival favorite Michael Doherty again after our collaborations on The Foreigner and Every Brilliant Thing at the Festival,” said director Vincent J. Cardinal. “It’s a terrific cast of Festival veterans and newcomers who are ready to have great fun sharing one of Shakespeare’s silliest plays.”

Doherty will be playing Dromio of Syracuse, one fourth of two sets of zany twins. Andrew Plinio will play his twin brother, Dromio of Ephesus; and Mauricio Miranda and Marco Vega will play the other set of twins, Antipholus of Syracuse and Antipholus of Ephesus.

Michael Doherty (Dromio of Syracuse) first appeared at the Festival in 2015 as Lord Fancourt Babberley in Charley’s Aunt, Speed in The Two Gentlemen of Verono, and Tranio in The Taming of the Shrew and in 2018 as Charlie Baker in The Foreigner and Tom Sawyer in Big River. However, he is probably most remembered for his performance as the Narrator in the one-man show Every Brilliant Thing in 2019. He has also appeared off-Broadway in Dublin by Lamplight and in various regional theatres across the country. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Mauricio Miranda (Antipholus of Syracuse) appeared at the Festival in 2019 as Curio in Twelfth Night and numerous roles in The Book of Will, including Ralph Crane. He has also played John Proctor in The Crucible and Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath at Connecticut Rep and various roles at New Frontiers International, Indiana Rep, Kansas City Rep, and Phoenix Theatre. He is an Equity Membership Candidate.

Andrew Plinio (Dromio of Ephesus) is new to the Festival this year, but he has worked at numerous other theatres including playing the role of Patrick in The Radio City Christmas Spectacular and appearances as Oliver in As You Like It and Sebastian in Twelfth Night at the London Academy of Music and Performing Arts and several roles at the University of Michigan. He also appeared on television as Billy in HBO’s The Young Pope.

Marco Antonio Vega (Antipholus of Ephesus) has appeared in numerous roles at the Festival the past few years including Marco/Puck in William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (Abridged), Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bardolph in Henry V and Henry IV Part Two, Hugh Oatcake in Much Ado about Nothing, and Lord of Burgundy in King Lear. He is also the recipient of the Festival’s Michael and Jan Finlayson Acting Award.

Fourteen other actors will join these four to inhabit a madcap Greek island paradise, ala Mamma Mia! They are:

·      Finley Caciola as Citizen, Servant, Guard, and Pinch Acolyte

·      Lena Conatser as Luce and Messenger

·      Trent Dahlin as Balthazar and Merchant

·      Jovan Davis as Jailer, Office, and Executioner

·      Kristina C. Harding as Courtesan

·      Michael A. Harding as Egeon

·      Alex Keiper as Luciana

·      Howard Leder as Duke Solinus

·      Desirée Mee Jung as Adriana

·      Nathan Myers as Citizen, Servant, Guard, and Pinch Acolyte

·      Aidan O’Reilly as Angelo

·      Sarah Shippobotham as Abbess and Emilia

·      Jeremy Thompson as Dr. Pinch and Merchant

The Festival’s 2021 season is June 21 to October 9. Plays will be Pericles, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting www.bard.org.

Announcing the Cast of Richard III

Aidan O’Reilly

Desirée Mee Jung

Melinda Pfundstein

Sarah Shippobotham

Sarah Suzuki

“I am beyond excited for this cast to be among the first to bring live theatre back! This is a great group of artists I have known of and admired for many years,” said director Cameron Knight as the casting for the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s production of Richard III was announced. “I am honored and excited to collaborate with them, audiences are going to deeply enjoy this group!”

This murderous and dark play will include nearly twenty actors, but those playing the roles of Richard and the four major women are of particular interest: Aidan O’Reilly as Richard (the murderous duke, then king); Desirée Mee Jung as Queen Elizabeth, Melinda Pfundstein as Margaret, and Sarah Shippobotham as the Duchess of York (three noble women who strongly condemn Richard); and Sarah Suzuki as Lady Anne (whom Richard makes a widow then woos her to be his bride).

The actors arrived at the Festival and started rehearsals May 10; the play will take the stage June 22.

Taking on the title role of the manipulative Richard will be a newcomer to the Festival, Aidan O’Reilly, who was trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and appears here as part of a collaboration between RADA and the Festival. He has appeared in numerous theatres across the country and abroad, including American Shakespeare Center, Avalon Players, Marin Shakespeare Company, City Lights Theatre Company, and Prague Shakespeare Company. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Also new to the Festival this year is Desirée Mee Jung who will be playing Elizabeth, queen to King Edward IV. Mee Jung has appeared at various other theatres, such as Alley Theatre, South Coast Rep, A Noise Within, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Antaeus Theatre Company, Curious Theatre Company, LA Theatreworks, and The 6th Act. She is also a member of both the Screen Actors Guild and Actors’ Equity Association.

Long-time Festival favorite Melinda Pfundstein will be returning to the Festival to play Margaret, widow of King Henry VI and mother of the murdered Prince Edward. Pfundstein has appeared in nearly forty roles at the Festival since 1996, including Kate in The Taming of the Shrew, Olivia in Twelfth Night, Fantine in Les Misérables, and Miss Jane Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. She also directed The Book of Will (2019) and The Merchant of Venice (2018). She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Sarah Shippobotham returns to the Festival after playing Eleanor and other roles in The Conclusion of Henry VI: Parts Two and Three in 2019. This year she will take on the role of Duchess of York, the mother of Richard. A full professor at the University of Utah, Shippobotham has worked as an actress and voice and dialect coach in numerous theatres. She is a member of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association and the National Alliance of Acting Teachers.

Sarah Suzuki makes her debut at the Festival as Lady Anne. She has appeared at the American Shakespeare Center, 5th Floor Theater Company, Dixon Place, Target Margin Theatre Company, and many others. Film work includes The Surprise Party, The Elucidation of Dr. Park, Neighborly Love, and Teeth Bait.

Other actors in Richard III are:

·      Ezekiel Andrew as Sir Robert Brakenbury and Sir James Blunt

·      Finley Caciola as Prince of York

·      Cordell Cole as Marquess of Dorset, Earl of Richmond

·      Danforth Comins as Sir James Tyrrel

·      Jovan Davis as Sir William Catesby

·      Todd Denning as Lord Hastings

·      Aaron-Galligan-Stierle as Duke of Clarence and Bishop of Ely

·      Mauricio Miranda as Cardinal Bourchier and Sir Richard Ratcliffe

·      Chris Mixon as Lord Stanley

·      Perry Ojeda as King Edward IV and Lord Mayor of London

·      Jeffrey Scott Salsbury as Officer, Messenger, and Priest

·      Jessica Sannar as Prince Edward

·      René Thornton Jr. as Duke of Buckingham

·      Marco Antonio Vega as Officer, Citizen, Murderer, and Messenger

The Festival’s 2021 season is June 21 to October 9. Plays will be Pericles, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting www.bard.org.

Announcing the Cast of Pericles

Danforth Comins

Desirée Mee Jung

Sarah Suzuki

René Thornton Jr.

A tale of adventure, intrigue, and miracles, William Shakespeare’s Pericles, which takes the stage June 21 at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, has a little of everything—including a talented pool of actors to guide us through this exciting story. The Festival recently announced the casting, including the actors who will be playing the four main characters in the play: Danforth Comins as Pericles, Desirée Mee Jung as Thaisa, Sarah Suzuki as Marina, and René Thornton Jr. as Gower.

The actors arrive at the Festival and start rehearsals May 10, and Pericles director Kent Thompson is ready to get to work. “I’m very excited that we have cast such a talented and experienced cast, including the remarkable Danforth Comins as Pericles,” he said. “I cannot wait to begin rehearsals.”

As mentioned, taking on the title role of the play will beDanforth Comins who has appeared several times at the Festival over the past twenty years, most recently in the title role in Hamlet in 2012. In previous years he played roles in Macbeth; The Spitfire Grill; Ah, Wilderness!; Julius Caesar; and several others. He has also appeared off-Broadway in Throne of Blood at BAM and in other theatres across the country, including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Yale Rep, Berkeley Rep, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. He is a member of both the Screen Actors Guild and Actors’ Equity Association.

New to the Festival this year is Desirée Mee Jung who will be playing Pericles’s long-suffering and noble wife, Thaisa. Mee Jung has appeared at various other theatres, such as Alley Theatre, South Coast Rep, A Noise Within, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Antaeus Theatre Company, Curious Theatre Company, LA Theatreworks, and The 6th Act. She is also a member of both the Screen Actors Guild and Actors’ Equity Association.

Sarah Suzuki, also new to the Festival this year, will be taking on the role of Marina, Pericles and Thaisa’s beautiful and virtuous daughter. She has appeared at the American Shakespeare Center, 5th Floor Theater Company, Dixon Place, Target Margin Theatre Company, and many others. Film work includes The Surprise Party, The Elucidation of Dr. Park, Neighborly Love, and Teeth Bait.

Playing the role of Gower, the narrator of the play, is René Thornton Jr. who has become a favorite at the Festival in recent years. In 2019 he appeared here as Orsino in Twelfth Night and Henry Condell in The Book of Will. Previous to that he has played roles in Cymbeline and As You Like It (2002), Damn Yankees and Troilus and Cressida (1999), and Romeo and Juliet and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1998). He is a resident company member with The Rep in Delaware and has appeared at such theatres as American Shakespeare Center, the Oregon Shakespeare Theatre, and San Diego Rep. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Other actors in Pericles are:

·      Cordell Cole as Thaliard, Lysimachus, and other roles

·      Trent Dahlin as Servant, Pirate, and Ensemble

·      Jovan Davis as Pirate, Lord, and Ensemble

·      Todd Denning as Antiochus, Bolt, and Marshall

·      Kristina C. Harding as Dionyza and Diana

·      Michael A. Harding as Cleon and Ensemble

·      Mauricio Miranda as Soldier, Lord, Knight, and Ensemble

·      Chris Mixon as Simonides, Pander, and Philemon

·      Perry Ojeda as Helicanus, Poor Man, and Ensemble

·      Aidan O’Reilly as Cerimon and Fisherman

·      Connor Padilla as Lord, Servant, and Ensemble

·      Sarah Shippobotham as Lychordia, Bawd, Priestess, and Ensemble

·      Marco Antonio Vega as Leonine, Lord, and Ensemble.

The Festival’s 2021 season is June 21 to October 9. Plays will be Pericles, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting www.bard.org.

Festival Reaches Agreement with Actors Union

The Utah Shakespeare Festival recently finalized an agreement with Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States, which sets up COVID-19 health and safety protocols for actors, artists, and audience members and opens the door for the Festival to finalize the hiring of actors and stage managers for the 2021 season.

“This puts a feather in our cap and the wind in our sails as we move forward building the 2021 season,” said Artistic Director Brian Vaughn. “I’m thrilled we have finally reached an agreement with Actors’ Equity and look forward to our full company gathering in a few short days.”

Executive Producer Frank Mack agreed: “This is the last step in ensuring that we have an absolutely great 2021 season. We start rehearsals on May 10 for what I expect to be one of the best seasons at the Festival ever. It’s our 60th anniversary, the season is dedicated to our founder, Fred C. Adams, and it marks a return to producing after missing the 2020 season.”

The goal of the agreement is to provide a safe and healthy working and performing environment not just for actors but for all artist, technicians, and audience members. Both organizations agree that goal has been reached.

“The staff of the Utah Shakespeare Festival has been working with the staff at Actors’ Equity Association for two months to find a way that we can create the work on our stages in a way that actors, artisans, technicians, and audiences all stay safe,” said General Manager Kami Terry Paul. “We now have that plan and will begin implementing it immediately.”

The plan is based on the entire Festival company being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and regularly tested. In addition, work and performance areas will be sanitized regularly and all company members will be required to wear masks at all times except when performing on stage.

For audience members, this means that theatres, seats, and high-traffic areas will also be sanitized regularly. Also, all patrons must wear a mask at all times in the theatre and other performance and seminar spaces (including at The Greenshow). This is in line with the Equity contract and a Utah Department of Health requirement of masks for any group of fifty or more. Because people can’t eat or drink without removing their masks, concessions (including water) will not be sold or allowed in the theatres. 

Up-to-date health and safety information is available at bard.org/health-and-safety. Playgoers should check the site often as they prepare for their visit to Cedar City.

All testing for the Festival company will be provided by Nomi Health. “Nomi Health is proud to partner with the Utah Shakespeare Festival to bring the arts back to life in Utah,” said Mark Newman, founder and CEO of Nomi Health. “Our COVID solutions were born in our home state of Utah, and since then, we’ve deployed millions of tests and hundreds of thousands of vaccines across the country. We’re thrilled to support the Utah Shakespeare Festival in its return to the stage, supporting them with a customized COVID testing solution to help ensure safety as their employees and talent return to work and as Utahns can once again enjoy the arts.”

 Of course, all of this is required to keep our actors on the stage and allow our audiences into the theatres again. “Each and every one of our talented artisans is eager to get back to work while safely continuing to create powerful and moving drama for Utah audiences,” said Vaughn. “After an incredibly bleak year, I look forward to a resurgence of unity, positivity and possibility as we celebrate sixty years at The Utah Shakespeare Festival."

“Our patrons have been so supportive, already buying lots of tickets for the coming season; and I could not be more joyful in anticipating welcoming our guests back to the Festival after a too-long absence,” concluded Mack.

The Festival’s 2021 season is June 21 to October 9. Plays will be Pericles, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting www.bard.org.

For inquiries regarding this news, email jersey@bard.org.

Q&A with Intimate Apparel Director Tasia A. Jones

Tasia A. Jones is making her Utah Shakespeare Festival debut this season, directingIntimate Apparel.She is a professional director, actor, and theatre educator hailing from Boston. Her directing credits includeIntimate Apparelat Northlight Theatre,Small Mouth Soundsat TheatreWorks,Voyeurs de VenusandWhiteat Northwestern University,For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enufat Boston University,Hidden Faces of Courage at On with Living and Learning,Oleanaat Can’t Wait Productions, the world premiere ofMargaret in Search of Herselfat ARRT/New African Company, and many others.

The Utah Shakespeare Festival: Let’s start with a general question. What is Intimate Apparel about; what are its important themes?

Tasia A. Jones: Intimate Apparel is about a woman who is determined to realize her dreams for love and success. Her determination inspires those she comes in contact with to consider their own dreams for success and happiness and the obstacles in their way. 

**The Festival:**Intimate Apparel takes place in several intimate and personal locations. How will you create these spaces in a way that characters and action can move seamlessly and quickly between them?

**Jones:**Our scenic designer [Stephen C. Jones] has created a space that has anchoring elements for each character but allows our protagonist, Esther, to be the focal point at the center. This scenic structure combined with light shifts allows Esther to move seamlessly from one location to another with very little actual movement necessary. 

The Festival: The play is set in 1905 Manhattan, yet it somehow resonates for us in 2021 and in various locations around the world. Why do you suppose that is so?

Jones: The themes in this play are universal. We all have dreams. We all yearn for love and acceptance. The play is also an ode to our ancestors, the everyday people who came before us and dared to dream. Their dreams opened pathways for those of us trying to make our way in the world today. This is especially true for immigrants and Black Americans. The reverberations of our ancestors lives are felt today. 

The Festival: In your early director’s notes, you write about “getting a glimpse into the extraordinary lives of ordinary people.” What makes the lives of Esther and others extraordinary?

Jones: What seems ordinary is extraordinary in this play. The characters in this play all have things working against them that are beyond their control. Being a woman, an immigrant, or a person of color in 1905 Manhattan came with challenges. As a Black woman Esther has to work twice as hard to get half as far, and despite the obstacles in front of her she has created a thriving business as a seamstress creating beautiful garments and is working towards her other goals. The play is also about artistry and craftsmanship. Several characters exhibit extraordinary artistry that often goes without notice or praise. 

The Festival: In many ways, all the dreams of the play’s characters have been lost by the end of the play. Yet you say that “Esther still has hopes for her dreams” and “if we still have hope, we have the ability to find the positive.” Would you elaborate on that a bit? Is this a hopeful play, and can it help us be more hopeful in our lives?

Jones: I definitely think there is hope in this play. Esther has not lost her dreams by play’s end; they have just shifted. I find it really inspiring to watch her accept her circumstances and pivot with renewed energy and hope towards a future that will be something other than what she imagined but no less vibrant. I think we could all learn from her tenacity and audacity to stay hopeful and positive against all odds, especially in our current world. 

**The Festival:**Intimate Apparel is also a play that deals with inequality in gender, race, and social status. Do you think plays like this can help us understand these differences and in today’s world solve some of these pervasive issues?

Jones: I don’t know that the play can help us solve today’s issues with injustice and inequality, but it can certainly serve as a reminder that these issues have been pervasive in our society for centuries, and, hopefully, it can inspire a desire for change.  

The Festival: As playgoers, what should we watch for in this production that may help us enjoy it and/or understand it more?

The costume design in this production is so intricate and detailed. I think patrons will enjoy all of the beautiful garments and fabrics in the play. Understanding Esther’s artistry and appreciation for beauty helps us understand her choices. I was also especially excited by the photographs that the playwright refers to in the script. I think patrons will enjoy how we have interpreted those photographs and embraced the idea of looking back at the past. I encourage everyone watching the play to consider those that came before them. Lynn Nottage wrote this play with her ancestors in mind. I see my grandparents’ story in this play as well. I hope to acknowledge and honor those that paved the way for me with this production and I encourage the audience to do the same as they watch. 

Ten Facts You May Not Know about Intimate Apparel

A crazy quilt similar to the one which figures prominently in Intimate Apparel*.*

By Parker Bowring

Intimate Apparel is a powerful and heartfelt play that takes place against the backdrop of New York City at the turn of the century which we are sure you will enjoy. As you prepare to see the play, you may be interested in these ten facts about the play and its playwright:

1.     Playwright Lynn Nottage began thinking about this play after she found her great-grandmother’s passport photo and wanted to learn more about her and what it was like for her to live in early twentieth century New York City.

2.     Nottage placed a bed in each scene of the play. In an interview with The Guardian, she said: “I wanted to see the way in which it impacts interactions. Even if the bed isn’t used, even if no one sits on it, how does that change the sexual dynamic, the social intercourse?” (https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/may/28/lynn-nottage-intimate-apparel-interview)

3.     Along with being inspired by her great-grandmother, Nottage found inspiration from a photograph of a white satin corset embroidered with orange blossoms. She discovered it in a book that depicted the history of lingerie. 

4.     Nottage is the only woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice.

5.     Intimate Apparelhas won a number of prestigious awards, including the Outer Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play, the Steinberg New Play Award, and an Obie Award.

6.     Nottage has written over ten plays, as well as a number of essays that have appeared in various anthologies. 

7.     As with Intimate Apparel, most of Nottage’s plays carry themes of marginalized people and their stories. 

8.     The play was a co-commission and co-production between Center Stage in Baltimore, Maryland, and South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, California.

9.     The main character, Esther Mills, keeps her life savings in her crazy quilt. Crazy quilts such as hers became popular in the last years of the nineteenth century. They were intricately made from scraps of silk, wool, and velvet then heavily embroidered. 

10.  None of the four women in the play are New York City natives, each moved to New York with hopes of achieving their dreams. 

The History behind Intimate Apparel

Costume design by Raquel Adorno.

By Kathryn Neves

This season at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, we’ll get a chance to see Intimate Apparel—a much-acclaimed play by Lynn Nottage. Set around the same time as this season’s musical, Ragtime, Intimate Apparel is a moving story of a young African-American seamstress at the turn of the twentieth century. This young woman, Esther, navigates the world of 1905 New York in a time of great political upheaval and social change. To really understand Esther and her world, we need to understand the history behind the play.

Just nine years before the start of the play, the U.S. Supreme Court passed what is widely considered one of the worst decisions it ever made. The case of Plessy v. Ferguson essentially created a “separate but equal” policy. This made it completely legal for discrimination based on race. As an African American woman in New York City, this case has a profound effect on Esther, essentially codifying into law her status as a “second-class citizen” due to her race.

Another key event in the racial history of America happened in the years before the play: the race riots of 1900 in New York City. After a black man, Arthur Harris, killed a police officer, large crowds of white men mobbed and rioted, attacking many black people in the city as retaliation. Reports of police brutality abounded, and none of the attackers faced legal repercussions. At the time of the play, Esther is living in a city still affected by the racial divisions caused by the riots.

As part of her job as a seamstress, Esther creates undergarments for women of all social classes, including a prostitute. In 1902, a report called The Social Evil was published in New York City, as a way to combat prostitution. This issue was at the forefront of the public consciousness at the time of the play.

Perhaps most significant of all is the Niagara Movement, which began in the year the play takes place. A group of African-American activists, led by W. E. B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter, created a group dedicated to widespread change in regards to racial relations in the U.S. The Niagara Movement sought to effect change by refusing to accommodate or compromise with racist policies. The push for racial equality was well underway at the turn of the century, and in Intimate Apparel, we see Esther living and working in the middle of it.

Intimate Apparelis so moving because of the history behind it. In a time of great political and social upheaval, we get an intimate, personal look at the life of a woman affected by all of it. We see the effects of history, not just on a grand scale, but on an individual level. In Intimate Apparel, we see the humanity behind the history. In Intimate Apparel, Lynn Nottage has created a character made more real and relatable by the history behind her.

Fifteen Facts for the Bard’s Birthday

By Kathryn Neves

Happy Birthday, William Shakespeare! This year, Shakespeare turns 457 years old! To celebrate the Bard’s birthday, here are fifteen fun facts about the Swan of Stratford-upon-Avon.

1. Shakespeare died on his birthday (probably). William Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616. The vicar of the church where Shakespeare was buried wrote that “Shakespeare, Drayton, and Ben Jonson had a merry meeting and it seems drank too hard, for Shakespeare died of a fever there contracted.” An illustrious ending for the greatest playwright in the English language. It’s too bad he missed out on his birthday celebrations that day! (Assuming, of course, that he actually was born on April 23. Traditionally, babies were baptised three days after birth, and the church’s register lists his baptism date as April 26).

2. Shakespeare may have left a “signature” in the Bible. It’s possible that Shakespeare helped to translate the King James version of the Bible. After all, he was in the king’s service at the time. When the translation was completed in 1611, Shakespeare was forty-six years old. If you look at Psalm 46, you’ll find that the forty-sixth word from the beginning of the verse is “shake” and the forth-sixth word from the end (not counting the liturgical marking) is “spear.” Coincidence?

3. Speaking of signatures, Shakespeare spelled his own name differently nearly every time! He was clearly not a consistent speller. Almost every document with his name is spelled differently! From Willm Shakp, to Wm Shakspe, to William Shakspere, the Bard definitely didn’t care how he spelled his name. Ironically, he never spelled it the way we do today!

4. Shakespeare invented over 1,700  words. Sometimes he combined words, sometimes he changed them into verbs or nouns, and sometimes he just made them up. From “alligator” to “jaded” to “rant” to “bedroom,” Shakespeare is responsible for plenty of words that we use today.

5. Not just words—Shakespeare created some pretty quotable phrases too. Think “eating me out of house and home,” “it’s Greek to me,” “green-eyed monster,” and “in a pickle”!

6. Shakespeare wrote the second-most quoted body of work in the English language. He’s the most quotable of authors. You’ll find him just about everywhere. The number one spot goes to the Bible, incidentally.

7. Shakespeare may have been a secret Catholic. Catholicism was not exactly popular after the disastrous reign of Mary I (Bloody Mary), so if Shakespeare were a Catholic, he definitely hid that fact. He was possibly married in a Catholic ceremony rather than a Protestant one, and many modern scholars find evidence of his possible Catholicism in his works.

8. Shakespeare was an actor. He acted in the plays as well as writing them. In fact, you’ll find several roles in his plays that he wrote for himself— including the Ghost of Hamlet’s father in Hamlet, King Duncan in Macbeth, and possibly even King Henry in Henry IV.

9. Shakespeare was sponsored by King James I. The monarch loved Shakespeare’s work. He sponsored the Bard’s theatre company which changed its name from the Lord Chamberlain’s Men to the King’s Men. In fact, Shakespeare even wrote Macbeth for King James!

10. Shakespeare was pretty wealthy for his time. When most people think of geniuses, they think of unappreciated, starving artists. Not so with Shakespeare! He lived pretty well-off due to the success of his plays.

11. Not everyone was a fan of Shakespeare. He was panned sometimes by critics. Robert Greene called him an ‘upstart crow.’ Even so, audiences definitely loved him! A lot of his plays were even pirated.

12. Shakespeare wrote poetry during the plague. An outbreak of the plague in 1593 shut down the theatres for a few years (sound familiar?). During this time, Shakespeare seems to have focused on his poetry. He wrote quite a few sonnets during this time!

13. We’ll never see some of Shakespeare’s plays. A few of the Bard’s works have been lost over time. Cardenio is one, and Love’s Labour’s Won (the sequel to Love’s Labour’s Lost) is the most famous. We know he wrote them, but unfortunately we’ll never get to see them.

14. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre burned down. In 1613, a prop cannon misfired during a production of Henry VIII. It sent the very flammable wooden theatre up in flames. Luckily, it was rebuilt the next year.

**15. Shakespeare put a curse on his grave.**Graverobbing was a real problem in Shakespeare’s day. To prevent this, he had this poem inscribed on his gravestone: “Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare,/ To dig the dust enclosed here./ Blessed be the man that spares these stones,/ And cursed be he that moves my bones.” Too bad it wasn’t enough of a deterrent! In 2016, an analysis of his grave proved that Shakespeare’s skull has gone missing!

Third Annual "Make a Scene" Goes Virtual

The Utah Shakespeare Festival is inviting everyone to join in its popular spring fundraising event. The third annual “Make a Scene” festivities will be completely online this year, and registration will be free, with optional opportunities to donate to the Festival available during the event. It all begins on April 23 (Shakespeare’s birthday) at 7 p.m. To request your free login, email make-a-scene@bard.org.

The digital event will include magic, music, and hilarious scenes from The Comedy of Errors, featuring as various characters some the state’s best-known leaders of government, business, and the arts.

“This feel-good fundraiser is so much fun for the cast and Festival friends alike. It is a rare chance to see professional actors alongside the governor, lieutenant governor, and their spouses, as well as other media, business, and government leaders,” said Donn Jersey, development and communication director. “Watching them perform hilarious scenes from The Comedy of Errors will be pure joy. Thank you to our sponsors and supporters for making this evening successful.”

“I hope all of our patrons make time on April 23 at 7 p.m. to join us,” he continued. “To me, this feels like a prelude to our sixtieth anniversary season, which is going to be spectacular.”

Included among those scheduled to appear are Governor and First Lady Spencer J. and Abby Cox; Lt. Governor Diedre Henderson and her husband, Gabe; Senate Majority Leader Evan J. Vickers and numerous other members of the state legislature; Schvalla Rivera, former assistant to the president for diversity and inclusion at Southern Utah University; popular radio personality Doug Fabrizio; Nubia Peña, director of the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs; and television personalities Fred Grandy and Ted Lange, of Love Boat fame. They will be joined by professional actors from the Festival: Michael Doherty, Betsy Mugavero, Ezekiel Andrew, René Thornton Jr., Rhett Guter, and Richard Henry.

Other cast members are Utah Senators Jani Iwamoto, Michael K. McKell, Derek L. Kitchen, and Jerry W. Stevenson; Utah State Representatives Carol Speckman Moss, Christine F. Watkins and Bradley G. Last; Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes and his wife, Saysha; Festival Board Chair Bryan Watabe; and SUU President and First Lady Scott L and Kathy Wyatt. For more information on the cast, visit www.bard.org/make-a-scene.

The fun evening is directed by Vincent J. Cardinal, who directed The Foreigner and Every Brilliant Thing for the Festival in 2018 and 2019.

“Our goal is for the leaders in the state to join our patrons in taking a pause from a stressful year and have fun reading one of Shakespeare’s silliest and most delightful plays,” said Cardinal. “It’s a taste of what it will be like for us all to return to Cedar City this summer and laugh together in the same theatre.”

The Festival’s 2021 season is scheduled for June 21 to October 9. Plays will be Pericles, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime, Cymbeline, Intimate Apparel, and The Comedy of Terrors. Tickets are available by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting www.bard.org.