News From the Festival
Announcing the 2019 Directors
Melissa Rain Anderson
Vincent J. Cardinal
Brad Carroll
Kathleen F. Conlin
Britannia Howe
Melinda Pfundstein
Brian Vaughn
Sam White
Henry Woronicz
CEDAR CITY, Utah — Utah Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director Brian Vaughn recently announced a slate of nine highly creative, talented, and experienced directors for the Festival’s 2019 season. The directors come from home bases across the country and bring a wealth of diverse experience to next season, which is themed around the family.
“I have such profound admiration and respect for these directors,” said Vaughn in making the announcement. “They each bring a unique blend of insight, passion and commitment to the work that will electrify these plays with tremendous clarity and immediacy. I’m excited to have them here.”
The 2019 season directors are:
Melissa Rain Anderson is returning to the Festival to direct the tragedy of Macbeth after directing two musical comedies here in the past: The Cocoanuts in 2016 and Big River in 2018.She is a New York-based freelance director and most recently directed a sold out production of Hair at Geva Theater Center where she is an affiliate artist. Upcoming projects include The Wolves at Repertory Theater of St. Louis and A Christmas Carol at Denver Center Theater Company.
“I am thrilled to be returning to the Festival to direct Macbeth,” said Anderson. “I’m interested in examining how any one of us might be tempted by the suggestion of ultimate power and how far we are willing to go to get it. I hope to illuminate the psychological journey, the suspense/ thriller aspect, and most importantly the human tragedy.”
Vincent J. Cardinal, who directed the Festival’s hilarious and popular comedy The Foreigner in 2018,is returning in 2019 to lead Every Brilliant Thing. He is currently the Arthur and Martha Hearron endowed professor of musical theatre, chair of the department of musical theatre, and professor of music at the school of music, theatre, and dance at the University of Michigan. He also directs across the country, with productions of I’m Not Rappaport in Syracuse, New York, and Sweeney Todd in Ann Arbor, Michigan, scheduled for this winter.
“I am eager to return to the festival with the intimate, hopeful, and wonderfully witty Every Brilliant Thing,” said Cardinal. “It is a play that is not so much watched, but experienced as the entire audience joins together to celebrate and remember a million brilliant things through the telling of one man’s journey.”
Brad Carroll is returning this year to direct the family musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. This will be his thirteenth Festival play, including Man of La Mancha, Lend Me a Tenor: The Musical (which he also composed), H*.M.S. Pinafore, Les Miserables*, South Pacific, and 2018’s The Liar. He is currently resident artist at PCPA Theaterfest/Pacific Conservatory Theatre in Santa Maria, California, and has directed, composed, acted, and lectured from Los Angeles, to Phoenix, to Tokyo.
“As seemingly silly and hilarious as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat can be, at the heart of Webber and Rice’s play is a compelling human drama—a story of sibling rivalry, jealousy, betrayal, revenge and, ultimately, forgiveness,” said Carroll. “I find great joy in this piece—in the story, in the music, and in the delightful way it combines the two.”
Kathleen F. Conlin served for twenty-two seasons as the Festival associate artistic director and casting director, as well as directing numerous plays, including King Lear, The Boy Friend, The Lion in Winter, The Cherry Orchard, Born Yesterday, The Tempest, and Tuesdays with Morrie. She is returning to the Festival this year to direct Arthur Miller’s The Price. She is a much-honored director, theatre professional, and university administrator and professor. She was recently honored as the Roe Green Guest Director for Kent State University with a production of You Can’t Take It with You.
“I am pleased to return to the Festival for the 2019 season to direct one of Arthur Miller’s most emotionally vital plays, The Price,” she said. “The play is a dramatic tour de force burrowing into the secrets we come to believe and the grip of the past upon our present.”
Britannia Howe will be at the Festival for her second year in the row as writer and director of The Greenshow. She has directed the Festival’s Playmakers Junior production of We Are Monsters, as well as directing for the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, Innovative View theatre Company, Women of Will, Willow Wind Learning Center, Cabaret Theatre, and various other venues.
“I am thrilled to return to direct and write for the 2019 season,” she said. “The Greenshow is a presentation of laughter, story, song, and audience participation. Keeping with tradition there will be three different shows, each themed to a different country.”
Melinda Pfundstein will be directing this year’s The Book of Will, after her critically acclaimed production in 2018 of The Merchant of Venice. As an actor she has appeared in over forty roles at the Festival. Other directing credits include ReParable with Zion’s Youth at the Smith Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Festival Shakespeare-in-the-Schools touring production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and others. She is also the founding executive director of Statera Foundation, a national advocacy nonprofit serving women in theatre.
**“**I am thrilled to return to the Festival to direct The Book of Will on the Engelstad Theatre stage,” she said. “It is a story of the power and legacy of friendship, community, laughter, and language. This play inspires awareness of what great care must be taken to hold precious the things and people we value, and the constant threat of how very easily they might slip away.”
Brian Vaughn, artistic director, is well known to Festival audiences for his acting and directing here for more than twenty-five years. This year, he will be taking the helm of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Hamlet. Most recently, he directed Shakespeare in Love in 2017 and acted in the roles of Iago in Othello and The Poet in An Iliad in 2018. He has also acted and/or directed at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, Nevada Conservatory Theatre, and Northlight Theatre.
“Hamlet is always relevant,” said Vaughn. “I think there is no better play to produce now in this world, a play about the discovery of authenticity and truth in a quickly shifting, sometimes caustic world.”
Sam White, will be directing at the Festival for her first time this season, taking the reins of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. However, this is not her first connection with the Festival: a visit to here ten years ago was one of the sparks behind her founding the emerging classical theatre, Shakespeare in Detroit. Her work there and elsewhere has earned her recognition across the country, including the 2017 Paul Nicholson Arts Management Fellowship at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a feature article this past year in Forbes magazine, and Pepsi’s Making Black History Now Award in 2016.
“It’s an incredible gift to be able to come here and direct such a delightful play as Twelfth Night, which centers around a character, or characters, who fall in love and begin a new journey with their respective partners,” she said. “I feel like my story with the Festival has also been a true love story after finding this place that changed my life in 2008.”
Henry Woronicz will follow up his acclaimed direction of Henry VI Part One in 2018 with the rest of the story, The Conclusion of Henry VI: Parts One and Two, in 2019. He has also directed As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, Coriolanus, Titus Andronicus, and Richard II at the Festival. He appeared on Broadway with Denzel Washington in Julius Caesar and has directed and acted at such theatres as Actors Theatre of Louisville, American Conservatory Theatre, American Players Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and many others.
“I am very excited to be returning to the Festival to stage the Conclusion of Henry VI: Parts Two and Three,” he said. “These plays always present a terrific opportunity for a director to dig into some early, formative work of Shakespeare. I look forward to the work ahead of us all, and bringing these intriguing and fascinating plays to vibrant, theatrical life.”
“These directors are an amazing group of professional theatre artists and it is exciting to see them develop their ideas and concepts,” concluded Executive Producer Frank Mack. “And this is how we start producing great theatre.”
Tickets for the 2019 season are now on sale: visit the Festival website at bard.org, call 800-PLAYTIX, or visit the Ticket Office at the Beverley Center for the Arts.
It's a Wrap for a Successful Season
Curtain call of The Merry Wives of Windsor
It’s a wrap for the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2018 season, and Festival administrators are excited about the season’s success both artistically and financially. The season ended October 13 with the final performances of The Liar, An Iliad, The Foreigner, and Othello. The curtain closed on the other four shows—The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry VI Part One, and Big River—the first week of September.
Everybody at the Festival took a deep breath, celebrated for a moment, and then continued work on the 2019 season which is fast approaching. But before they moved on, Executive Producer Frank Mack and Artistic Director Brian Vaughn took a few minutes to review the highlights of 2019.
“It was a great season. Artistically, I loved every show,” said Mack. “Also, we finished the season with a balanced budget. That is a major accomplishment.”
“Artistically, this season was one of the most rewarding ever,” added Vaughn. “I’m proud of the work and I’m proud of the company. You won’t find better productions anywhere of any of these plays.”
“In a season that was filled with complex, challenging subject matter, the work was thoroughly engaging and artistically rewarding both for our company and for our audience,” he said. “Every play was strong, engaging, relevant, and full of powerful performances.”
For example, the musical Big River dealt with some difficult subjects in a sensitive and inspired way. “The relationship of Huck and Jim, as played by Ezekiel Andrew and Rob Riordan, was beautifully woven,” said Vaughn. “And I could say similar things about all our plays.”
Mack agreed: “It was an amazing ensemble of artists. It was really about all of the artists doing amazing work.”
In addition, this was the first full season of the Festival after major leadership changes. Mack, who joined the Festival toward the end of last summer’s season, was excited about the administrative changes that have taken place since then. Since last summer, the Festival has promoted Kami Terry Paul to the position of general manager and has hired Donn Jersey as director of development and Tyler Morgan as director of marketing and communications.
“I am gratified that we filled the staff positions and that we got through all this transition.” said Mack. “We have terrific people across the board who are helping make the organization’s success possible.”
Part of that success and one of the highlights this year for Mack was balancing the Festival’s budget for the first time in several years. “Bringing our expenses in line with our revenue and getting the budget to balance, while maintaining artistic excellence, is to me our biggest achievement,” he said. “Everybody on the staff and board came together to balance that equation, which was extraordinary.”
He also thanked Southern Utah University President Scott L Wyatt, the State of Utah, the Festival board of governors, and many long-time institutional donors who “didn’t waver in their support for us.”
So, what does this mean for the next season of the Festival, and for seasons beyond that? “We are looking forward to next year,” said Vaughn. “This year was a season where we explored with our audiences the ideas of tolerance. Next year we have chosen plays which will focus on the family. We want to see how we can come together as humanity. It will be a season about love, life, and belonging.”
“We always need to keep working and to keep our vision focused,” said Mack. “This year tells us we can do it, and reminds us that telling great stories in a great way is our main purpose, but that we do it better when we are financially responsible.”
He noted that the Festival is engaged in a long-range planning process and will be proposing a new mission statement, vision statement, and statement of values soon. “We are excited about the future. We want to continue to build upon our successes, overcome whatever issues may face us, and produce great theatre for our great audiences.”
Planning is well under way for 2019, and tickets for the season, themed around the family, are on sale at 800-PLAYTIX and online at bard.org. The season will run from June 27 to October 12. Plays are Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, and The Conclusion of Henry VI: Parts Two and Three, all by William Shakespeare. Also on the docket are the popular musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber; The Book of Will, a fanciful and fun telling by Lauren Gunderson of how Shakespeare’s plays were saved in print after his death; Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan MacMillan and Jonny Donahue, a funny and moving play which is a tribute to resilience, hope, and life; and Arthur Miller’s American classic The Price.
Food Drive Raises Over 3,600 Pounds
Utah Shakespeare Festival guests made life a little better for those in need this fall, by donating nearly two tons of food to the Iron County Care and Share. The food was donated as part of the Festival’s sixteenth annual Fall Food Drive from September 17 to October 13. Residents of southern Utah and eastern Nevada were able to donate six items of nonperishable food and receive a half-price ticket to a Festival production.
In total over 3,600 pounds of food was donated for the less fortunate in our community. Residents of Iron, Washington, Kane, Garfield, Sevier, Piute, and Beaver counties in Utah took part in the drive, as well as guests from Lincoln County, Nevada.
“We are humbled and grateful to our community members for their support of this effort,” said Tyler Morgan, marketing and communications director. “The Festival’s annual fall food drive started in 2003, and over the years our guests have consistently demonstrated their generosity and caring in support of those in need, and we couldn’t ask for a better community partner than the Iron County Care and Share.”
The Iron County Care and Share was founded in 1984 by a group of local churches of different denominations to address the issue of hunger in our community. Working with partners in the community, neighboring counties, and in the state, the Iron County Care and Share is able to help homeless and low-income individuals and families work toward self-sufficiency. The Iron County Care and Share is located at 900 North 222 West Cedar City, Utah.
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is part of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts at Southern Utah University, which also includes the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA).
Shakespeare Competition Crowns Winners
Cedar City, UT – This weekend the 42nd annual Shakespeare Competition, hosted by the Utah Shakespeare Festival and Southern Utah University, gave out dozens of awards and scholarships to drama, dance and music students. The competition is the largest scholastic Shakespeare competition in the country, and this was a record-breaking year with nearly 3,600 students from 123 schools in seven states and the U. S. Virgin Islands.
From September 27 to 29, students competed before numerous adjudicators on the Festival’s stages and at many other venues on the SUU campus. Judges consisted of arts professionals with strong literary and performance backgrounds. The judges came to Cedar City from across the country, including California, Maryland, Alabama, and New York, and not only judged the competition, but provided critiques of performances and gave feedback to the young artists. Judges also offered numerous workshops on topics such as stage combat, improvisation, movement, technical theatre, auditioning, ballet, modern dance techniques, and choral performance.
“There really is nothing like the Shakespeare Competition,” said Michael Bahr, education director for the Festival. “For over forty years the competition has provided young people an outlet to share their passion and excitement for the arts, while also cultivating the future generation of arts professionals.”
Providing wonderful opportunities, the competition recognizes and educates students in four areas: acting, dance/choreography, music, and technical theatre. At the conclusion of the competition selected students received trophies and scholarships to study with professionals at Southern Utah University and the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
As part of the total experience, students were able to attend the Festival’s productions of The Liar, Othello, The Foreigner and An Iliad, as well as an SUU production of Richard III.
The competition was divided into six divisions: Buckingham (large public high schools), Oxford (midsize public high schools), Cambridge (small public high schools), Westminster (charter schools), Stratford (junior high and middle schools) and Essex (schools or groups which are not members of state high school associations).
ACTING COMPETITION
For the acting portion of the competition, students were able to compete in monlogues, duo/trio scenes, and ensembles. Monologue competitors presented for the judges a two- to four-minute monologue from a Shakespeare play or sonnet. In the duo/trio scenes competition, two or three actors presented a three- to five-minute scene from a Shakespeare play or sonnet. In the ensemble competition, a group of students from a school presented a six- to ten-minute Shakespearean scene.
In addition, first, second, and third place overall sweepstake prizes were awarded to the school in each division with the most total points from all categories.
Also, several scholarships were presented in the acting competition:
The first place winners in the duo/trio scene and monologue categories are awarded scholarships to either Southern Utah University or the Utah Shakespeare Festival summer classes, depending on the grade of the student.
Ray Jones Award: Given to seniors, this award is a $1000 scholarship to Southern Utah University.
Barbara Barrett Award: Given to juniors and under, this award is a $500 scholarship to the Festival’s summer acting intensive Actor Training, or a tuition scholarship to Shakespeare for Junior Actor Training.
Larry Lott Acting Award: In conjunction with the ensemble competition, judges annually recognize the best actor in an ensemble scene in each division. The recipient of this award received a trophy for his or her accomplishments and, if a senior, a $1,000 scholarship to SUU.
Acting Competition Winners
Buckingham Division
Sweepstakes First Place (tie): American Fork High School, American Fork, Utah; and Salt Lake School of the Performing Arts, Salt Lake City, Utah
Sweepstakes Third Place (tie): Skyridge High School, Lehi, Utah; and Westlake High School, Saratoga Springs, Utah
Ensemble First Place: Bingham High School, South Jordan, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Skyridge High School, Lehi, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: American Fork High School, American Fork, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Zack Elzey (Ray Jones Award) and Abi Scoville (Ray Jones Award), Lone Peak High School, Highland, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Sammie Cook, Mekyja Jenkins, and Sumner Shoell, Salt Lake School of the Performing Arts, Salt Lake City, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Chelsea Ottley, Kartchner Perkins, and Kate Zander, Riverton High School, Riverton, Utah
Monologue First Place: Casey Keefe (Barbara Barrett Award), Salt Lake School of the Performing Arts, Salt Lake City, Utah
Monologue Second Place: Alice Ellsworth, Skyridge High School, Lehi, Utah
Monologue Third Place: Lora Smith, Skyridge High School, Lehi, Utah
Larry Lott Acting Award: Milo Marsden, Salt Lake School of the Performing Arts, Salt Lake City, Utah
Oxford Division
Sweepstakes First Place (tie): Corner Canyon High School, Draper, Utah, Hillcrest High School, Midvale, Utah, and Salem Hills High School, Salem, Utah
Ensemble First Place: Hillcrest High School, Midvale, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Lehi High School, Lehi, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: Corner Canyon High School, Draper, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place (tie): Kaleb Maher (Ray Jones Award) and Paige Richards (Barbara Barrett Award), Corner Canyon High School, Draper, Utah; and Katy Cox (Ray Jones Award) and David Mitchell (Ray Jones Award), Provo High School, Provo, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Ashley Horiuchi, Frankie Otis, and Oliver Smith, Hillcrest High School, Midvale, Utah
Monologue First Place: Gabriel Moyar (Barbara Barrett Award), Salem Hills High School, Salem, Utah
Monologue Second Place: Kami Loertscher, Hillcrest High School, Midvale, Utah
Monologue Third Place: Emma Butler, Salem Hills High School, Salem, Utah
Larry Lott Acting Award: Casey Black, Provo High School, Provo, Utah
Cambridge Division
Sweepstakes First Place: Liahona Senior Preparatory Academy, Pleasant Grove, Utah
Sweepstakes Second Place: Cedar City High School, Cedar City, Utah
Sweepstakes Third Place (tie): Canyon View High School, Cedar City, Utah; and Orem High School, Orem, Utah
Ensemble First Place: Cedar City High School, Cedar City, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Canyon View High School, Cedar City, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: Liahona Senior Preparatory Academy, Pleasant Grove, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Jose Briseno (Ray Jones Award) and Ashley Hansen (Ray Jones Award), Tuacahn High School
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Amelia Gatherum and Lincoln Paul, Canyon View High School, Cedar City, Utah
Duo/Trio Third Place: Spencer Evans, Gabriel Leavitt and Anthony Madsen, Liahona Senior Preparatory Academy, Pleasant Grove, Utah
Monologue First Place: Marlie Root (Ray Jones Award), Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts, Ivins, Utah
Monologue Second Place: Joseph Lee Sawyer, Orem High School, Orem, Utah
Monologue Third Place: Joleah Long, Liahona Senior Preparatory Academy, Pleasant Grove, Utah
Larry Lott Acting Award: Lincoln Paul, Canyon View High School, Cedar City, Utah
Westminster Division
Sweepstakes First Place: Rockwell Charter High School, Eagle Mountain, Utah
Sweepstakes Second Place: DaVinci Academy of Science and Arts, Ogden, Utah
Sweepstakes Third Place (tie): American International School of Utah, Murray, Utah; and Venture High School, Marriott-Slatersville, Utah
Ensemble First Place: Rockwell Carter High School, Eagle Mountain, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: DaVinci Academy of Science and Arts, Ogden, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: American Leadership Academy, Queen Creek, Arizona
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Emma Hailstone (Barbara Barrett Award), Alexia Muhlestin (Barbara Barrett Award), and Jashub Young (Ray Jones Award), Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy, Lindon, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Isaiah Anderson and Kathryn Hull, Rockwell Charter High School, Eagle Mountain, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Jake Meese and Kade Santiago, Rockwell Charter High School, Eagle Mountain, Utah
Monologue First Place: Bronwyn Kennington (Barbara Barrett Award), Karl G. Maesar Preparatory Academy, Lindon, Utah
Monologue Second Place: Caleb Farlick, American International School of Utah, Murray, Utah
Monologue Third Place: Moriya Nelson, American International School of Utah, Murray Utah
Larry Lott Acting Award: Samantha Lofgren, Rockwell Charter High School, Eagle Mountain, Utah
Stratford Division
Sweepstakes First Place (tie): Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy, Lindon, Utah; and American Fork Junior High School, American Fork, Utah
Sweepstakes Third Place (tie): DaVinci Academy of Science and Arts, Ogden, Utah; and Liahona Junior Preparatory Academy, Pleasant Grove, Utah
Ensemble First Place: Timberline Middle School, Alpine, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy, Lindon, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: American Fork Junior High School; American For, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Elizabeth Ashton (Barbara Barrett Award) and Hannah Evans (Barbara Barrett Award), Timberline Middle School, Alpine, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Viola Day, Leo Sanjinez, and Gregory Tullis, Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy, Lindon, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Samuel Karlinsey and Hannah Ziedner, American Fork Junior High School, American Fork, Utah
Monologue First Place: Ciara Johnson (Barbara Barrett Award), Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy, Lindon, Utah
Monologue Second Place: Garrett Taylor, DaVinci Academy of Science and Arts, Ogden, Utah
Monologue Third Place (tie): Harley Thomas, American Fork Junior High School, American Fork, Utah; and Lucy Josephson, Vista Heights Middle School, Ivins, Utah
Larry Lott Acting Award: Max Wright, Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy, Lindon, Utah
Essex Division
Sweepstakes First Place: First Stage Young Theatre Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Sweepstakes Second Place: Youth Theatre–University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Sweepstakes Third Place: Logan Youth Theatre Company, Logan, Utah
Ensemble First Place: Sweet Harmony Performing, Kaysville, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Youth Theatre–University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: First Stage Young Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Sylvie Arnold (Ray Jones Award), Chantae Miller (Ray Jones Award), and Jonathon Neustifter (Ray Jones Award), First Stage Young Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Mary Jensik and Bradley Nowacek, First Stage Young Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Connor Macintosh and Olivia Warner, Youth Theatre–University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Monologue First Place: Clay Webb (Ray Jones Award), Youth Theatre University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Monologue Second Place: Claire Zempel, First Stage Young Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Monologue Third Place: Lily Groll, Logan Youth Shakespeare, Logan, Utah
Larry Lott Acting Award: Ashley Nord, First Stage Young Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
DANCE/CHOREOGRAPHY COMPETITION
For the dance portion, students were able to compete in duo/trio or ensemble groups. In the duo/trio competition, two or three dancers presented a three- to six-minute interpretation of a Shakespeare play or sonnet. In the ensemble competition, a group of dancers from a school interpreted a three- to four-minute Shakespeare play or sonnet.
Dance/Choreography Winners
The dance scholarships to Southern Utah University were awarded to Anika Grimes, Corner Canyon High School, Draper, Utah; and Darcie Miles, Timpanogos High School, Orem, Utah.
Buckingham Division
Ensemble First Place: Skyridge High School, Lehi, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Westlake High School, Saratoga Springs, Utah
Ensemble Third Place (tie): Lone Peak High School, Highland, Utah; and Salt Lake School of the Performing Arts, Salt Lake City, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes First Place: Lily Hammons and Tanner Robertson, Westlake High School, Saratoga Springs, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Nathan Ahlstrom and Morgan Wellman, Lone Peak High School, Highland, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Jayden Herman, Luis Ortiz, and Edwin Perez, Granger High School, West Valley, Utah
Oxford Division
Ensemble First Place: Corner Canyon High School, Draper, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Provo High School, Provo, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: Lehi High School, Lehi, Utah
**Duo/Trio Scenes First Place:**Sydnee Frazier, Bree Schwendiman, and Sarah Sullivan, Desert Hills High School, St. George, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: KC Bell, Kayla Farrimond, and Cameron Sheppard, Kearns High School, Kearns, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Anika Grimes, Hannah Mohr, and Britney Sullivan, Corner Canyon High School, Draper, Utah
Cambridge Division
Ensemble First Place: Canyon View High School, Cedar City, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Hurricane High School, Hurricane, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts, Ivins, Utah
Duo/Trio First Place: Caler Tregeagle and Mercedes Waite, Orem High School, Orem, Utah
Duo/Trio Second Place: Anna Hammond and Anna Warren, Pacfica Christian High School, Newport Beach, California
Duo/Trio Third Place: Sydnee Sabaitis and Baylie Wright, Pine View High School, St. George, Utah
Westminster Division
Ensemble First Place: American International School of Utah, Murray, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Karl G. Maeser Prearatory Academy, Lindon, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: Venture High School, Marriott-Slatersville, Utah
Duo/Trio First Place: Jordan Gulledge and Cassidy Weirsdorf, Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy, Lindon, Utah
Duo/Trio Second Place: Moriya Nelson, Abbie Simpson, and Abirami Tharmarajah, American International School of Utah, Murray, Utah
Duo/Trio Third Place: Matthew Crosby and Rebecca Harper, Paradigm High School, South Jordan, Utah
Stratford Division
Ensemble First Place: Vista School of the Performing Arts, Ivins, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Vista Heights Middle School, Saratoga Springs, Utah
Ensemble Third Place: Willowcreek Middle School, Lehi, Utah
**Duo/Trio Scenes First Place:**Sydni Desmond, Sydney Johnson, and Kelsey Tippetts, Vista Heights Middle School, Saratoga Springs, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Second Place: Lyvia Day, Ambrie Kirkman, and Emma Lamb, Timberline Middle School, Alpine, Utah
Duo/Trio Scenes Third Place: Esther Dittmann, Isabella Sarria, and Kecia Terrell, Vista School of the Performing Arts, Ivins, Utah
Essex Division
Ensemble First Place: Canyon View Arts Center, Riverton, Utah
Ensemble Second Place: Youth Theatre–University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
**Duo/Trio Scenes First Place:**Maile Edwards, Ainsley Keppner, and Kirsten Whitefield, Canyon View Arts Center, Riverton, Utah
MUSIC COMPETITION
The music competition encouraged students to explore and develop a relationship with the music of the Renaissance (music prior to 1650). Students were encouraged to utilize creative combinations of instruments; however, no instrumentation was required. For the music competition, students were able to compete in Madrigals and Minstrels. Madrigals (a minimum of five people) presented six- to ten-minutes of Renaissance music. Minstrels (one to four people) presented three- to seven-minutes of Renaissance music. Schools in the music competition were divided into two divisions, according to size: large and small.
Music Winners
Large School Division
Madrigals First Place: Pleasant Grove High School, Pleasant Grove, Utah
Madrigals Second Place: Jordan High School, Sandy, Utah
Madrigals Third Place: Corner Canyon High School, Draper, Utah
**Minstrels First Place:**Venture High School, Marriott-Slaterville, Utah
Small School Division
Madrigals First Place: Paradigm High School, South Jordan, Utah
Madrigals Second Place: Salt Lake School of the Performing Arts, Salt Lake City, Utah
**Madrigals Third Place:**DaVinci Academy of Science and Arts, Ogden, Utah
Minstrels First Place: Payson High School, Payson, Utah
Minstrels Second Place: American International School of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Minstrels Third Place: Perry High School, Gilbert, Arizona
Honorable Mentions
Madrigals Honorable Mentions: Herriman High School, Herriman, Utah; and Pine View High School, St. George, Utah
Outstanding Performers
Minstrels Outstanding Performer: Jessica James Lewis, Davinci Academy of Science and Arts, Ogden, Utah
TECHNICAL THEATRE COMPETITION
The final competition was in the technical theatre area for students who work behind the scenes creating sound, lighting, props, scenery, and costumes. In the portfolio area, students were given the chance to have their technical and/or design portfolios evaluated by professionals in technical theatre. Technical theatre students were able to compete in Tech Olympics, with winners named in costumes, lighting, make-up, props, rigging, set construction, sound, and stage management. Overall school winners were also named. The best portfolio and runners-up were also recognized.
Tech Olympics Winners
Costumes: Ambe Kingdon, Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts, Salt Lake City, Utah
Lighting: River Sprague, Payson High School, Payson, Utah
Make-up: Aubree Hatch, Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts, Salt Lake City, Utah
Props: Shyler Naegle, Corner Canyon High School, Draper, Utah
Rigging: Kate Zander, Riverton High School, Riverton, Utah
Set Construction: Colton Lowther, Perry High School, Gilbert, Arizona
Sound: Tyler King, Brighton High School, Salt Lake City, Utah
Stage Management: Sage Jacobs, Riverton High School, Riverton, Utah
Overall School Winners
**First Place:**Hillcrest High School, Midvale, Utah
**Second Place:**Riverton High School, Riverton, Utah
Third Place: Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts, Salt Lake City, Utah
Tech Portfolio Winners
Overall Winner: Camryn Crowe, Corner Canyon High School, Draper, Utah
Runners-up: Skylar Graham, Del Sol Academy of the Performing Arts, Las Vegas, Nevada; and Rachel Love, Davinci Academy of Science and Art, Ogden, Utah
Remembering Charles L. Metten
Charles L. Metten
CEDAR CITY, Utah — It is with sorrow that Southern Utah University and the Utah Shakespeare Festival share the news that Dr. Charles L. Metten, founding dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts and long-time director, actor, and administrator at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, passed away on the morning of September 27 at the age of 91.
“Chuck inspired all of us with his humor, honesty, and genuine love for humanity,” said CPVA Dean Shauna Mendini. “He loved this school and the arts. Chuck will be dearly missed.”
As Verges in Much Ado about Nothing, 2003
Metten came to SUU in July 1998 to serve as the founding dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts until his retirement in 2004. He provided the leadership and advocacy needed to successfully launch the college. Under his watch, he organized and updated several bachelor degrees, started a new emphasis in graphic design, launched the MFA in Arts Administration program and moved many of the faculty and instructional functions of the college under one roof, at South Hall.
“We learned so much from Chuck,” said Festival Founder Fred C. Adams. “We learned devotion and dedication. We learned how important the human spirit was. We will definitely miss our good friend.”
As Stephano in The Tempest, 2007
Metten began his involvement with the Festival in 1966 when he directed Julius Caesar. He has since appeared as an actor at the Festival numerous times. In 2005, he began work at the Festival as the director of the Plays-in-Progress Program, nurturing new playwrights and their work through a program that has since evolved into what is now known as Words Cubed. Metten retired from the Festival in 2017.
Metten was born in Fort Bragg, California, on September 7, 1927. He studied Theater Arts at the University of California in Los Angeles where he earned his bachelor and master degrees. He went on to obtain a doctorate at the State University of Iowa in Speech and Dramatic Arts in 1960. He worked at Brigham Young University as the associate director of the Honors Program, chairman of the Department of Speech and Dramatic Arts, and chairman of the Department of Theatre and Cinematic Arts.
He received many awards in his life, including the Kennedy Center ACTF Lifetime Achievement Award and the National Arts and Humanities Award. He appeared on Touched by an Angel, Promised Land, and “Movies of the Week” television films. He was above all else the dearest friend.
During a celebration in August for the 20th Anniversary of the College of Performing and Visual Arts, Metten took the stage and told wonderful stories of his time at SUU and the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Of his time as the dean at SUU, he shared, “The College is a great part of sweet and important memories for me. I believe CPVA produces dedicated professional artists, scholars, and teachers who bring happiness and worth to those whose lives they have touched.”
Dr. Charles Metten made a lasting impact on the arts and culture of the region. He will be deeply missed.
Pierre Corneille — The French Bard
Betsy Mugavero (left) as Clarice and Katie Cunningham as Isabelle in The Liar
By Kathryn Neves
We’re coming to the end of the season here at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, but there’s still a couple more weeks to come and see The Liar! It’s a hilarious farce that you definitely don’t want to miss; with twins, mistaken identities, and hilarious misunderstandings, the play is almost Shakespearean! But The Liar isn’t a Shakespeare play— no, this is a Corneille.
Before seeing a play, it can be interesting to learn more about the playwright. Who was Pierre Corneille? What was his life like? What were his inspirations for writing such amazing plays? There are many interesting things to learn about Corneille and his play The Liar (or Le Menteur, as he would have called it).
The Liar is an absolutely hysterical comedy, which is why it may come as a surprise that Pierre Corneille was far more known for his tragedies than his comedies. A lot of writers have called him one of the fathers of the French tragedy! Corneille began his life in Rouen, France, as the son of a lawyer. As he grew up, he studied law. Corneille was in the legal profession for quite a few years and wrote in his spare time, almost as a hobby. And as luck would have it, he showed his first play, Mélite, to a group of traveling actors who fell in love with it. The play became a huge success in Paris, and Corneille started his career as a prominent playwright.
Right from the start, his plays were different, especially his comedies. He described his style as “une peinture de la conversation des honnêtes gens,” or “a painting of the conversation of the gentry.” His characters imitated the lofty language and mannerisms of fashionable Parisians, instead of the more lowbrow humor that was common in French farce at the time. And finally, in 1635, he wrote his first tragedy: Médée. The play’s success spurred him on to write more tragic plays.
As Corneille grew more popular, one powerful person in particular started to notice him: Cardinal Richelieu (the villain of last season’s The Three Musketeers, interestingly enough). Richelieu was putting together a program of sorts for writers, called Les Cinq Auteurs, or The Five Poets. With this group, Richelieu wanted to promote his own ideals and virtues through literature and drama. And because Corneille was becoming very successful, Richelieu hired him as part of this group. However, after only a short time, Corneille started to fight with Richelieu. He felt that the cardinal’s rules and restrictions for the group were stifling. Corneille couldn’t write his best work in the group, no matter how influential and powerful Richelieu was. So when his contract ran out, Corneille quit.
Right after leaving the group, Corneille published Le Cid (or The Lord). Most people today agree that this is his best play. It was very different from anything France had seen before; it broke all the rules— especially Richelieu’s rules. The play was extremely popular with audiences, but it sparked an enormous controversy that would come to be known as Querelle du Cid. Many critics, Cardinal Richelieu included, felt that the play was bad because it broke the rules. Among those rules were Aristotle’s classical unities of drama. In a nutshell, critics were upset because Corneille had broken the Unity of Time (the play should take place in twenty-four hours or less), the Unity of Place (it should have only one setting) and the Unity of Action (there should only be one problem or conflict). The heated debate went on for such a long time, and with such ferocity, that Corneille temporarily quit the theatre.
In the 1640s, Corneille finally decided that he could come back and write more plays. These were a little more traditional: clearly, he was affected by all of that criticism about Le Cid. He only wrote one comedy during this period: Le Menteur, or The Liar. These new plays were decently popular, and he did well for quite some time. He married and had several children, and in the early 1650s wrote another widely detested play: Pertharite. It was so unpopular with both audiences and critics that Corneille quit the theatre for a second time.
He came back to the theatre after several years and published Trois Discours Sur le Poème Dramatique (Three Discourses on Dramatic Poetry), which was essentially a defense of his writing style— especially when it came to the earlier controversy over Le Cid. He argued that the Aristotelian Unities had a lot of value, but if they were too strict, they would stifle progress and innovation.
Corneille went on to write a few more plays, but they were less and less successful— though, at this time, he did collaborate with Molière (the playwright of Scapin, produced here at the Festival in our 2012 season) to write Psyché. And in the mid 1670s, after another flop, he retired permanently from the theatre and died ten years later.
He was an influential writer from the very beginning of his career; later writers, most notably Voltaire, admired him greatly and cited him as an influence in their own writings. His legacy in the world of theatre can still be seen to this day. That is why, even in our own time, we see new, modern translations and adaptations— especially this season’s The Liar by the brilliant David Ives— that ring just as funny and true today as they did in 1644.
So now that you know a little bit about Pierre Corneille, be sure to see The Liar before it ends on October 13. You’ll find yourself laughing all the way through it— and you might find a new appreciation for classic French theatre along the way.
A Strange Servant and a Stranger Master
Katie Cunningham (left) as Isabelle and Brandon Burk as Cliton in The Liar
By Kathryn Neves
There are many types of relationships in Shakespeare— but if there’s one that really stops and makes you think, it’s the relationship between masters and their servants. From The Taming of the Shrew to King Lear to The Comedy of Errors, the ways that masters interact with their hired (or enslaved) help can reveal a lot about the play’s themes and even the characters themselves. This isn’t only true in Shakespeare; the master/servant relationship is a very important part of this season’s The Liar, by Pierre Corneille (with a new translation by David Ives). However, the master/servant dynamic is somehow very different in The Liar than in anything we’ve really seen in Shakespeare.
This sort of bond between employer and employee is very clearly defined in Shakespeare. In comedies, the servant is a witty buffoon. He’s almost a punching bag within the script; he’s the unfortunate character who serves as the butt of all the jokes. The master in these plays usually tolerates his servant, even though he might take part in all the ridicule. The master is almost always right, he is always intelligent, and he is usually very noble (to some extent); think Shrew’s Petruchio and his servant Grumio. Then take the tragedies: the master is often dignified, sober, and often very sad; the servant in this dynamic is usually there to both cheer up the master, and point out his flaws. Often, the servant can be wiser than the master. A good example of this is Lear and the Fool.
If we take a look at The Liar, it’s pretty obvious from the start who our master and servant are: Cliton, one of the main players, tells us outright that he’s a servant looking for employment. He has many of the traits of a literary servant: he is goofy, he’s witty, and he spends most of his time making blunt, honest observations about the world around him. Then we have Dorante, the master; he accepts Cliton’s suit and takes him as a servant. However, he seems almost reluctant in his role as the master— he accepts Cliton but has no intention of paying him, and he doesn’t seem to have a real need for Cliton in many ways. It’s right here that the master/servant dynamic begins to be subverted. There is less of a power imbalance between the two; Cliton and Dorante seem to be more friends and confidantes than employer and employee.
Cliton certainly seems to fit the role of the servant— but it takes two to make the master/servant relationship. And Dorante’s actions don’t fit the Shakespearean or traditional “master” model. Dorante is not honest or noble like most of Shakespeare’s masters; he is foolish, and he is a dirty-rotten-liar. Not only that, he knows it; he is aware of his faults and doesn’t care to try to change them. Now, you might argue that there are plenty of masters in Shakespeare’s canon like this. Going back to King Lear, it’s clear that the king is prideful, flawed, and unwilling to listen to advice. The difference in King Lear, though, is that Lear’s servant possesses many of the noble qualities that his master doesn’t; the Fool works hard to show Lear his own faults and fix them. The Liar’s Cliton, though, doesn’t do this at all. Quite the opposite, actually: throughout the play, Cliton tries to become more like his foolish master. There’s an entire scene where Cliton begs Dorante to teach him to lie. This is something you probably won’t find in your run-of-the-mill Shakespearean play.
In the end, The Liar shows us a master/servant relationship that is different, fresh, and exciting; it certainly makes for an extremely entertaining play. And after you watch the play, you might understand why the characters don’t fit well into that master/servant dynamic. Cliton and Dorante, though practically complete opposites of each other, have much more in common than meets the eye. So come and see The Liar here in Cedar City; it’s different from anything you’ve ever seen, and you definitely don’t want to miss it!
Pants on Fire
Betsy Mugavero (left) as Clarice and Katie Cunningham as Isabelle in The Liar
By Kathryn Neves
When we think of mistaken identities, identical twins, disguises, and all-around merriment, we may tend to think of William Shakespeare’s plays. But he wasn’t the only one to come up with gut-busting, confusing comedy. Starting September 14 at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, you’ll get the chance to see The Liar: a hilarious French play by Pierre Corneille, with a new translation by David Ives.
As the title might suggest, the play focuses on a character who never tells the truth. Dorante, a cocky and charming young man new to town, uses his lying and manipulation to get whatever he wants— especially women. So when he first meets Lucrece and Clarice, he lies to impress them—and he lies to everyone else. And, of course, some of the funniest scenes in theatre result. But there’s one question that sticks out. Why is The Liar so funny? What makes it so interesting to audiences, from Corneille’s time to now?
No matter where you stand or what you believe, you’ve been lied to. Everyone has! Lying and exaggeration are not new to our times. For as long as people have existed, we have relied on our bluffs and our fibs to get us through our daily lives. For most people (I hope), the lies are simple: “No, you don’t look fat in that shirt.” “Yes, I will do the dishes.” These little white lies don’t usually hurt anyone. These are the kind of lies that we are used to: harmless and small.
So it seems it would be hard to relate to Dorante in The Liar. I mean, all of his lies are complex, outrageous, and even downright silly. It’s amazing. How can Dorante lie like this? How can anyone? It’s not realistic. And yet we keep watching, for centuries now! And when you think about it, it makes sense. We might not be anything like Dorante. Most of us never get the chance to lie like that. Maybe The Liar is so popular because it’s a way for us to see what it’s like to be a dirty rotten liar, and we can cheer for someone we should probably despise.
After all, who hasn’t ever been tempted to invent something, just for the bragging rights? Or who hasn’t wanted to lie to get out of an unpleasant situation? Maybe none of us lie like Dorante, but we sometimes wish we could.
Yet in the end, lies don’t work. They don’t win. Dorante might get away with his lies for a little while in this play: it’s amazing and crazy, but, for a while, the other characters believe his fibs. Clarice and Lucrece fall for him, and his father Geronte comes to believe that he has a daughter-in-law and a grandchild on the way. But by the time the curtain drops, Dorante’s lies don’t get him anywhere. In the end, it’s telling the truth that gets him the girl of his dreams and earns his father’s trust.
So is The Liar a morality play? Is it just a lesson in telling the truth and toeing the line? Or is the play a way that we as an audience can live vicariously through Dorante—a way for us to see what it’s like to be that outrageous? Who can truly say? But either way, The Liar is a wildly entertaining show that’ll have you in stitches. And who knows? Maybe Dorante will give you a few tips on how to get away that little lie you just have to tell.
Reflecting on a Season of Seeing
Actor John Ahlin with the Festival statue of the character he has been playing all season.
By John Ahlin
This is the fourth and final in a series of blog posts written by the actor playing Sir John Falstaff in this season’s The Merry Wives of Windsor.
My most vivid summer memory was at Camp Idlewild, on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. A young me and 299 other campers marched in twilight to outside the rec hall where the camp director had propped a little black and white television on the porch railing; and we all watched, or rather heard, as the fuzzy reception was barely a picture, the live sounds of man landing on the Moon. I was enthralled as we trooped back to our cabins, but within moments the other boys were back horsing around, throwing mattresses, and other assorted adolescent antics. After lights out, I snuck down to the pitch dark lakeside to watch the moonrise. It was a perfect time and place to contemplate what humans had achieved.
All these years later I find Utah another perfect place. I sense all my summers here: the smell of a thunderstorm lingering in the pine thicket, the sound of crickets underscoring nighttime imaginings, a moon close enough to touch. Looking up at the wide vessel of the Universe, all the senses reach out dreamily. But in this place, summer was made for seeing.
Beholding wonder and connection in every direction, the scope of what can be seen is limitless. For starters, Utah has indescribable vistas—near mountains, no two alike; far mountains, vague and enticing; canyons, boldly hinting at wonders within; and wide welcoming valleys saying “come explore.”
Peeking out at the audience before a show, I marvel that so many people come to the Utah Shakespeare Festival. In my vast experience, these are the best audiences in the country. I see them waiting for the Shakespeare play to start, sitting at the edge of humankind’s potential. Shakespeare lets us peer back at the humans of his day, and, similarly, he showed the people back then the future—he showed them people for all time. We’re still us.
Looking into a car full of fun-loving senior Arizona ladies on their annual summer jaunt, who pulled over upon seeing me walking home after The Merry Wives of Windsor, only to gush how thankful they are this theatre exists, I tried to gush back my gratitude for them. But even Falstaff couldn’t out gush five fanatical Flagstaffians.
Gazing upon the wide universe of Falstaff is something I’ll never tire of. He’s the most hopeful Shakespeare character, I believe. His massive intelligence surely tells him the world can be a wintry dark place, but in all three of his plays his hope springs eternal, right up to his fall. But it is summer he seeks—warm, relaxed, full of gentleness and rest.
Seeing long-gone events is impossible, but if I could look through time, I’d search for that moment when John Heminges and Henry Condell, two of Shakespeare’s actors, thought to posthumously collect all of his plays into the famous First Folio. In their introduction to the book, they said they did it “only to keep the memory of so worthy a Friend and fellow alive as was our Shakespeare.” I wish I could see that insightful moment when they brilliantly saw to it to preserve “our Shakespeare.” I’ll bet it was summer.
An Iliad Q&A with Brian Vaughn
Brian Vaughn as The Poet in An Iliad
Utah Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director Brian Vaughn is playing the role of The Poet in this season’s largely one-person show, An Iliad*. We were recently able to have a question-and-answer session with him about the challenges and rewards of such a demanding role in such a powerful play.*
In An Iliad you take on many roles as The Poet. Which character that you portray is the most interesting to you?
Interestingly, I have an affinity for all of them. What is dynamic and interesting about the piece is that The Poet’s voice folds into all of them. So that is the one I identify with the most overall. Also, I think what’s fascinating about the piece is that Hector and Achilles both have these traits that are so human and admirable—and also questionable. I sort of bounce back and forth between them. And I think that’s the author’s intention, really, to see things to admire in two remarkably heroic men, who become foes and become the centerpiece for the war itself. They become the archetypes. So, it’s hard to pick just one, because both of them I feel are an amalgamation of one. These two figures embody all of us.
This is a very demanding role for you, physically, mentally, and emotionally. How do you prepare for this role? And how do you handle the enormous demands of the role?
It is really challenging. I try to get as much rest as I can. I look over my script before every performance. It’s the first time I’ve ever been in a show that’s just me out there, by myself; it’s a sort of roller coaster ride that I just get on and let it take me and you where it’s going to take us. That part of it has been both rewarding and ultimately challenging, because there’s no safety net. I’m kind of free falling at times. So I really try to just pace myself and try to get as much rest and stay as focused as I can. But it’s very rewarding ultimately. That’s what I love about the piece; even though it’s a huge endeavor, a monster, and a mountain to climb, it’s extremely rewarding.
Do you think this is an anti-war play?
Yes. I do. I think this play is about the dissection of rage, and how we, as human beings, have a choice to breathe through that rage, to not go down that path toward rage, to hopefully find serenity and peace and harmony and love. And if that means this is an anti-war play, then I would say yes, it’s an anti-war play. I think what is fascinating about Homer’s The Iliad is that this is a poem that has lasted for centuries, examining conflict and all the reasons we have conflict: pride, honor, jealousy, envy. . . . We, in a modern context, can relate to a poem that’s centuries old, that is just as resonant now as it was then. And at the center of that is our appetite for rage. If you can breathe through that, to find acceptance, listening, understanding, dialogue, and ultimately peace and harmony, then I would say, yes, this is an anti-war play.
This is an adaptation of Homer’s masterpiece, The Iliad. What about this adaptation is different, and what do the differences bring to the performance?
It’s interesting that it’s called An Iliad, versus The Iliad. A lot of people have asked me, are you just doing a recitation of the entire Iliad? And I was like, no way on earth would I do that! It would be so challenging. So daunting. What is great about An Iliad is that it really irises down to the central conflict, between the Trojans and the Greeks, and the two foes who are the centerpiece for that, who become the archetypes for each army; and that is Achilles and Hector. An Iliad takes that idea and puts it into a modern context, with a Poet as our central narrator through the course of the evening.
There is a timeless feeling to this production— it’s not just Greek and Trojan; it goes beyond that and references wars that have happened within the course of our lifetimes. What is the significance of that?
That, I think, is the purpose of it, to sort of pull the rug out from under the audience and say, “Look at this. Look at how this has endured over time. And look at the repercussions, and the loss that has become of it, which is essentially the loss of civilizations and of people and of mankind.”
We can see this conflict from both sides: the Poet helps us to understand both Achilles and Hector. Is there a “good guy” and “bad guy?” Who or what, if anything, is the real “villain” of this play?
The fascinating thing about the play is that you can admire both of the men, and they both are both honorable, and then they also both embody pride and jealousy, and that is human. Who are they? Are there things you like about each of them? Yes. Are there things you dislike about each of them? Yes. And that is what makes them ultimately human. I think the villain of the play is rage. Anger. One of my favorite moments in the entire show is when Priam goes to Achilles, and we see the actions of someone who is no longer embodying rage. It’s full of all the things that we as human beings need to be living by, which are love, and caring, and compassion, and understanding, and acceptance, and seeing both sides of the conflict and understanding the human being on the other side of that conflict, and showing love. And it’s so beautifully poetic to me, and so necessary in our world. That to me is the message of the whole thing. The Villain is Rage, and the Hero is Love.
The only other person on the stage with you is The Muse, a concept that was very important to ancient Greek writers, artists, and philosophers. Why is The Muse present, even in this very timeless retelling of the tale?
Well, The Muse is the inspiration, you know. The muse obviously is a goddess, too, which I love the idea of that, because it’s lasting and always present. It’s something that’s unattainable. But it is beauty personified. The Muse identifies with The Poet by taking this idea of literature and art and music, and capturing emotion and human condition. It helps the listener identify with what is being heard, in other ways that are going to capture other elements of their senses. And that is through song, and lyricism— where sometimes a word might not get to you, but a strand or a string of music will hit you to the core. How they work in harmony, I think, is really beautiful.
Why is it important for us to see this play now? What about its themes and concepts makes it important today as opposed to any other time?
I think it’s important for people to see it because it’s theatrical. It’s present. It’s about us. It’s about me, and you, and everybody else. I think some people might be afraid of it because they think it’s huge. The story is epic. But what’s really great about this piece is that it takes that epic story and puts it in your lap, and says, “How can you, as a playgoer, impact change in your own way of thinking, in your own life?” There’s a thread that runs through the course of this show: “Do you see? Do you see?” And I love that there’s a repetitive quality to it, because it allows you as an audience member to step back, and to ask your own self, “Do I see? Do I understand? Do I pause before I leap, when maybe the repercussions of leaping could hurt many people?” That, to me, is ultimately human, and worth reviewing and seeing. It gets to the foundation of what we do as theatre artists, which is storytelling. “Let me tell you a story to make you see yourself, and feel, and cry, and laugh, and reflect, and (hopefully) leave you with a little bit of impulse to impact change.”