News From the Festival
Celebrate the Bard's Birthday
When William Shakespeare’s birthday rolls around each year, you can bet there will be celebrations at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. This year, on April 23 and 24, the Festival will honor the Bard by celebrating his 454th birthday with local school children and the community through a variety of activities.
First, for elementary school students, the Festival will host the Bard’s Birthday Bash onsite at the Beverley Center for the Arts, 195 W. Center St, Cedar City. This year marks the 16th annual party where local elementary schools are invited to participate in an interactive experience centered around Shakespeare and theatre.
“The event was initially created as a chance for students to perform the Bard’s works on the Festival stages,” says Michael Bahr, Festival education director. “Over time, it has grown into a local tradition for Iron County schools; and because of its popularity, we had to expand it to two days to accommodate the number of schools wanting to be involved. It’s an incredible site to see so many come and play!”
Students in kindergarten through fifth grade perform scenes from Shakespeare’s works, observe other schools’ performances, learn and perform traditional dances, attend improvisation and text workshops, participate in jousting contests, and have birthday cake with Queen Elizabeth. They also have the opportunity to work with teaching artists prior to the event to prepare their scenes for the event.
“This annual tradition allows students to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday and be elevated through their own performances. This event brings hundreds of students to the Festival stages and grounds and reinforces the idea that Shakespeare’s plays are their plays, and these stages are their stages. All the World is their stage!” exclaimed Bahr.
As a tool to help future groups prepare for performances, the Festival is excited to announce the Shakespeare Scenes Database, an online resource of Shakespearean scenes for teachers and students. It contains hundreds of scenes which may be sorted by play, characters, and number of lines. Teachers and students are encouraged to use it to create their own Shakespeare performances. It can be found online at bard.org/shakespeare-scenes.
Next, another event associated with Shakespeare’s birthday is Renaissance Day, held at Cedar Middle School. This annual event provides a similar performance opportunity for intermediate students. They, too, get to enjoy cake with the Queen.
Finally, this year community members can also participate in the Bard’s birthday. On April 23, all are welcome to attend a special unveiling of the newest bronze statue in the Pedersen Shakespeare Character Garden at the Beverley Center, located just west of the outdoor Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. Cleopatra, by renowned sculptor Dennis Smith of Alpine Studio, will be added to the collection of bronze Shakespearean characters in the garden including Henry V, Falstaff, Hamlet, Juliet, and King Lear.
“We are thrilled Cleopatra will be joining the family,” says Fred C. Adams, Festival founder. “Dennis has captured a beautiful moment in Cleopatra’s story, and she will make a perfect addition to the Character Garden.”
A short program will begin at 1:30 p.m., followed by the unveiling at 2. Playmakers, the Festival’s youth theatre program, will provide entertainment. The donor for this new statue is Mountain West Small Business Finance, which has also underwritten the Festival’s Shakespeare-in-the-Schools Tour for over fifteen years.
The Festival is rapidly preparing for the 2018 season which runs June 28 through October 13. Plays are The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry VI Part One, The Merchant of Venice, The Foreigner, Big River, An Iliad, Othello, Pearl’s in the House, and The Liar. Tickets and information are available online at www.bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.
Announcing the Las Vegas Fundraising Gala
Artistic Director Brian Vaughn (left) and Founder Fred C. Adams
A scene from The Playmakers production of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
The Utah Shakespeare Festival will celebrate its friends in Las Vegas with its annual Fundraising Gala April 19 at Cili Restaurant. The evening will feature mouthwatering food, fun entertainment, and exciting Festival updates. Cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m., with dinner at 7.
Entertainment will be an eclectic mix of Festival talent: Artistic Director Brian Vaughn will present an intimate offering of scenes from An Iliad, a one-man show he will star in this summer at the Festival; Founder Fred C. Adams will appear as Lady Bracknell from The Importance of Being Earnest and present a snippet from that popular play; and the Festival’s young performing company, The Playmakers, will entertain with musical numbers from some of their recent productions.
“This will be a great opportunity to meet together with friends and fellow Festival enthusiasts, and to support the Festival and its educational programs,” said Donn Jersey, director of development and a native of Las Vegas. “I look forward to meeting many new people and renewing old acquaintances.”
Tickets for the gala are $200 per person, and tables of eight are available. Funds from the event will be used to fund Festival education programs such as Playmakers, the Shakespeare Competition for junior and senior high schools students, and the Shakespeare-in-the-Schools Tour. Reservations are required and can be made online at bard.org/lvgala or by calling 435-586-7880.
The Festival’s fifty-seventh season will run from June 28 to October 13. This year’s plays are Henry VI Part One, The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Othello, Big River, The Foreigner, An Iliad, The Liar, and Pearl’s in the House. For more information and tickets visit www.bard.org or call 1-800-PLAYTIX.
A Big River of Americana
By Kathryn Neves
This season Big River is the show that has everyone humming here at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. With its catchy bluegrass songs and fun familiar story, this musical is one of the most American performances you could ever see. After all, Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (the basis for the musical) has been taught in American high schools for well over a century. But it’s also been debated for just as long— ever since it was published in 1884, some parents, teachers, and moralists all over the United States have called for it to be banned. It is currently number fourteen on the list of Top 100 Banned Books. When someone says “censorship,” the knee-jerk reaction is to think of Huck Finn. So why bother to read the book at all? Why bother to watch the musical if some people seem to hate it so much?
The answer to that is simple. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic American novel— perhaps even the Great American Novel. There is nothing more true to the American spirit than the story of Huck Finn and his adventures on the mighty Mississippi.
At its simplest, Big River is about overcoming bad circumstances. It is about escaping, and it’s about becoming a better person. Throughout the story, we see both Huck and Jim escape from their horrible circumstances— Huck from an abusive household and Jim from slavery. We watch them learn how to navigate the enormous Mississippi River and then the world. We can see them grow and improve themselves, becoming better people and getting more out of life. And isn’t that the American Dream? To rise above your station and to succeed? It seems like the story should be embraced and lauded, not condemned!
However, the opponents of Twain’s story have a point. The book studies race and discrimination in a very complex way. Some argue that the book portrays racist stereotypes through Jim. Those who would ban the book hold up the racist attitudes of the characters— even Huck himself. They claim that the whole book is racist and has no place within our culture. But is that true? Shouldn’t we try to be as accurate as possible to the time period it was written in? To sugarcoat the treatment of slaves and African-Americans would be worse than including the racism— it would be denying that racism existed back then.
Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain’s real name) lived through the American Civil War. He saw the emancipation of the slaves and the rampant racism that grew ever larger afterward. He was a member of a society whose values were far different than ours— he lived in a world where racism was the norm. He was even considered forward-thinking for his time. We have to accept his story as what it is— a product of its time.
Even more important, though, is the message at its core. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a story about friendship overcoming everything else. Huck and Jim differ on many levels besides race. Their upbringing is different, their personalities and their ideologies clash, and their sense of moral rights and wrongs usually contradict each other. However, throughout the story, they overcome each of these differences and bond together as brothers in the human race. This message is more important now than ever. The country is divided along so many lines, and anger towards each other is rampant. To say that Big River and Huck Finn are not relevant any longer is just not true. It is a story that everyone should hear again; in some ways times today are not so different from Mark Twain’s time. Differences aren’t important, whether they are political or racial, big or small. The only thing that matters is friendship and humanity.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the story of America’s past, present, and future; and Big River tells it with such fun music, written by Roger Miller, that you can’t help but stomp your feet and clap your hands. It is definitely a must-see this season— after all, if Huck Finn is the Great American Novel, then perhaps we can say that Big River is the Great American Musical.
Three Eclectic Players Take New Leadership Roles
Donn Jersey, development director; Kami Paul, general manager; and Tyler Morgan, marketing and communications director.
A puppeteer with years of corporate marketing experience, a classically-trained pianist who most recently co-founded a high school to help teens with addiction problems earn their diplomas, and an MBA recipient who loves both spreadsheets and theatre—all three have recently taken on leadership roles at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Tyler Morgan is the new marketing and communications director; Donn Jersey, the development director; and Kami Terry Paul, the general manager.
All three have been long-time fans of the Festival, and their wide-ranging interests and experience will enable them to easily be part of the mix of leadership at the Festival and help it maintain its status as one of the premier professional theatre companies in the United States.
Tyler Morgan comes to the Festival as its new marketing and communications director after five years as senior marketing programs manager at Health Catalyst, a healthcare IT company in Salt Lake City, and six years as marketing consultant/team leader at Dun and Bradstreet. But, his first professional love is theatre, especially puppetry. He has an MBA in marketing intelligence and non-profit management from the University of Connecticut, as well as a master of arts degree in puppetry from the University of Connecticut and a bachelor of arts degree in theatre studies from the University of Utah.
“I am excited about this job for many reasons,” he said. “It is the culmination of my career path and experiences. I get to take the skills I have honed in the corporate world and apply them to the world I love, theatre.”
Donn Jersey, the Festival’s new development director, is the past publisher of digital platforms for the Greenspun Media Group (GMG) in Las Vegas, including LasVegasSun.com and VegasInc.com. He also published several magazines for GMG, including The Sunday, Health Care Quarterly, and VegasInc. In early 2016, after a decade in the news, he pointed his efforts to helping teenagers struggling with addiction, co-founding Mission High School, the first public recovery high school in the country. In the process, he spearheaded fundraising efforts to see this dream become a reality. He was a classically-trained pianist as a young man, then transitioned to jazz in his late teens. He still loves to play and compose music.
“I am incredibly excited to be a part of a theatre company that my family has attended and loved for thirty-five years,” he said. “It is special here; there is a good team that cares about people. It is a company of big hearts and big brains, a company of people who love their guests.”
Kami Terry Paul has worked at the Festival for sixteen years as marketing manager, marketing director, and marketing and communications director and was promoted to her new position of general manager in October. She grew up in Sandy, Utah and received her bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from Weber State University in 2001. She earned an MBA in 2007 from Southern Utah University.
“I am thrilled with this new opportunity and new role here at the Festival,” she said. “From attending my first Festival play in the Adams Theatre in 1994, to the sixteen seasons I have worked here, I love what the Festival is; and I am happy to be a part of its future as well.”
Paul and her family have lived in southern Utah for sixteen years, but Morgan and Jersey are both relocating here with their families. Also, both are moving here partly because of their parents. Morgan’s parents live in Cedar City and Jersey’s in Parowan. Both sets of parents were pro-active in encouraging and pointing out employment openings at the Festival.
“It was a bit of serendipity,” said Jersey, “but it was also like it was meant to be.”
“I’m really excited to become a part of this community,” added Morgan.
“The Festival was supremely fortunate to have attracted such great professionals for these critical leadership positions,” said Frank Mack, executive producer. “We were so lucky to be able to promote someone we knew was a consummate professional, Kami Paul, because she had been working here for sixteen years. We worked hard to find great people for the other senior staff positions of director of development and director of marketing and couldn’t be more pleased with the results.”
Of course, now that the three are settled into their new offices, their view is focusing of the future—and all three agree it is bright, promising, and challenging.
“The Festival has seen massive amounts of change in the past three years,” said Morgan, pointing to the new Beverley Center for the Arts which the Festival moved into just two years ago. “Change is difficult; it is hard. We’re at a period of coming out of that now. The game board is set, and now we get to move forward.”
“We have had a number of changes in recent years, and we are now firmly settled into new offices and theatres,” Paul added. “We are stronger and looking forward to an exciting, meaningful future.”
Perhaps Jersey summed it up best: “I see steady, healthy growth in the future for the Festival. There is so much opportunity; it’s a real exciting time to be working here. I am so grateful, so full of gratitude, that this has happened in my life.”
Tickets are now on sale for the Festival’s fifty-seventh season, which will run from June 28 to October 13. This year’s plays are Henry VI Part One, The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Othello, Big River, The Foreigner, An Iliad, and The Liar*.* For more information and tickets visit www.bard.org or call 1-800-PLAYTIX.
Announcing a Ninth Play for Our 2018 Season
The Utah Shakespeare Festival has announced the addition of an exciting ninth play to its 2018 season. An Iliad by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare will be performed from July 12 to August 22 and will feature Artistic Director Brian Vaughn as The Poet, the only character in this spellbinding play.
It will join the previously announced season of Henry VI Part One, The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Othello, Big River, The Foreigner, The Liar, and Pearl’s in the House.
“An Iliad is an exciting addition to the 2018 season,” said Frank Mack, executive producer. “This one-person show is a wonderful stage version of Homer’s classic tale, and it’s ideal for theatre goers who enjoy ancient stories told in inventive, theatrical ways.”
In this modern retelling, the Trojan War is over, and the Poet saw it all, including the unquenchable rage and endless battles, not just of this epic war, but of war through the ages. As he tells his tale in modern language, it at times threatens to overwhelm him; but he continues because he hopes, by shining a light on the history of man’s attraction to violence, destruction, and chaos, he can perhaps end it. “Every time I sing this song, I hope it’s the last time,” he says near the beginning of the play.
“For me, this will most likely be the most challenging thing I have ever done,” said Vaughn as he prepares for the role. “It’s a massive undertaking both in regard to the line load and the play’s overall emotional complexity. However, I am eager to dive into the work and hope Festival audiences will check it out. The story is worth retelling.”
An Iliad was originally developed as part of the New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspects Program, with its off-Broadway premiere produced by New York Theatre Workshop in 2012. It has since been produced a number of times around the country, but this will be the first production in the Intermountain West.
Reviewers have been effusive in their praise for An Iliad. Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune said “This is a formidably powerful piece of solo theater that evokes the rubble of history and of lessons mankind consistently fails to learn.”
Don Aucoin of the Boston Globe called it “a starkly powerful experience that leaves you with not just a sense of the horror and absurdity of war, but also . . . its inevitability.”
And, Charles McNulty of the Los Angeles Times concluded “An Iliad is unquestionably a victory of the theatrical imagination. . . . At the center of it all is one of the greatest stories ever told.”
“In a season that is filled with plays that examine marginalized individuals within our society, this play is an in depth look at the horrors of war and how the power of storytelling can capture the most epic tale in simple theatrical ways,” concluded Vaughn. “It blends both the classical with the contemporary and transports the epic poem into the hearts and minds of the viewer. I think our audiences are in for a real treat.”
Tickets are now on sale for the season, which will run from June 28 to October 13. For more information and tickets visit www.bard.org or call 1-800-PLAYTIX.
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is part of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts at Southern Utah University, which also includes the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA).
Educational Tour Hitting the Road
CEDAR CITY, UT– The Utah Shakespeare Festival is once again hitting the road with its Shakespeare-in-the-Schools touring production—this year performing the story of monsters and fairies, betrayal, revenge, and forgiveness, William Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
The tour will be performing 67 shows for over 120 schools and 25,000 students throughout the states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. The cast and crew will be on the road for fourteen weeks from January through April to bring this classic comedy to schools, community centers, and correctional facilities. Students will have the chance to watch the show and then participate in a post-show discussion and workshops in Stage Combat, Performing Shakespeare’s Text, Technical Theatre and Developing Character through Improvisation.
The Tempest will premiere on January 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Randall L. Jones Theatre. General admission tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the Festival ticket office at 800-PLAYTIX (800-752-9849) or online at www.bard.org. Tickets purchased ahead of time will be available at will call in the Randall L. Jones Theatre. On the night of the performance, only cash and checks will be accepted at the Randall Theatre door, whereas credit and debit cards will be accepted at the main ticket office next to the Anes Theatre. Admission is free for SUU students.
Christopher DuVal is returning to the Festival, this year as director of the touring production. He worked at the Festival as an actor in numerous roles in the 1990s and as the fight director in various shows from 2012 to 2015. He is currently the head of the Actor Training Program at the University Utah and has worked extensively in many theatres across the country, including eighteen years at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
There are some familiar faces this season who have worked at the Festival before. Trent Dahlin (Prospero) is a Cedar City native and has appeared at the Festival the past two years, most recently as Dennis in As You Like It and Abraham Grey/Musician in Treasure Island in 2017. He received his BFA in musical theatre from Southern Utah University. Josh Durfey (Ferdinand/Antonio) is a Salt Lake City-born actor who has performed at the Festival since 2014. He studied classical acting at SUU and has appeared at Pickleville Playhouse, the Neil Simon Festival, Hale Center Theatre, and more. Stefanie Resnick**,** originally from New York, appeared in the 2017 Festival tour of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as Hermia/Quince/Peaseblossom. She received her M.F.A. in performance from the University of Nevada–Las Vegas and has worked regionally and in New York City. Tony Sloan (Stephano/Sebastian) has worked in the Festival Ticket Office the past couple of years and received his B.S. degree in theatre and political science from SUU where he is currently a candidate for his M.A. in arts administration. Previous work includes The Laramie Project, Twelfth Night, and directing Really Really.
The other actors in the cast have brought their talents to The Tempest from many different theatres and productions across the country. Erica Alexandra Carvalho (Miranda/Boatswain) received her BFA in theatre from the University of Utah. She has acted for Pinnacle Acting Company, The Grand Theatre, Plan B Theatre, and Salt Lake Acting Company, and Pioneer Theatre Company. Ava Kostia (Ariel) is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with a B.A. in musical theatre. Most recently having played Laertes at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, she is also a certified Apprentice Teacher of Dueling Arts International. Christobal Iniguez Perez (Caliban/Gonzalo), a California native, received a B.F.A. in acting from Utah State University. He has previously worked with Pacific Conservatory Theater (PCPA), Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival, and Lyric Repertory Company.
The three crew members on the tour come from various backgrounds and experience. They work behind the scenes to make this Shakespeare-in-the-Schools production possible. Emma Horvath (Stage Manager) hails from the Chicago area and graduated from Northwestern University. She recently completed an internship with Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity and is returning to the Utah Shakespeare Festival after working on The Tavern last fall. Devery North is a Kansas City native and graduate of Stephens College. She worked previously with the Festival for the 2015 season and the 2016 and 2017 educational tours. She has also worked with the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival. Ryan Turpin (technical director) is a graduate of SUU and has worked at the Festival for a number of years, most recently as audio supervisor for the 2017 season.
In addition to support from the Shakespeare for a New Generation program which is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, this tour’s school performance partners are the Utah State Office of Education: Professional Outreach Programs in the Schools, Mountain West Small Business Finance, Ally Bank, and Southern Utah University.
For more information, visit www.bard.org/tour
Festival Announces Auditions for Expanded Playmakers Programs
CEDAR CITY, Utah — The Utah Shakespeare Festival recently announced an expansion to its popular Playmakers youth program, as well as auditions to enroll and perform.
The program trains youth in theatre techniques and performance etiquette and produces a musical for the youth to perform in. Traditionally, it has been one program for children up to eighteen years old. This year, however, Festival Education Director Michael Bahr is adding Playmakers Junior, for youth five years old and older who want to learn theatre fundamentals, including how to sing and dance with a live piano, rehearsal and performance etiquette, and how to work, share, give, and play with others. Culminating the experience will be public performances of the hilarious new musical We Are Monsters on March 23 and 24.
Britannia Howe is directing and teaching this program. She created a similar program for young performers in Ashland, Oregon, and is thrilled to provide this training for young artists here in Cedar City.
“For years we have wanted to provide Playmaker training for younger students,” said Bahr. “With this change, they will receive a foundation of theatre and performance fundamentals that will empower them throughout their lives.”
The traditional Playmakers program will continue for youth ages seven to eighteen. During the training, students will rehearse The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, an irresistible story of a fourteen-year-old boy growing up in the heartland of America, based on Mark Twain’s classic novel. The Playmakers will then perform the show for area schools on March 21, 22, and 23 and for the public on March 23 and 24.
Bahr will teach the class and direct the performance.
Auditions for both programs will be January 25 from 5 to 9 p.m. in the Frehner Rehearsal/Education Hall at the Festival. To sign up, visit www.bard.org/playmakers. If cast in the one of the programs, students will pay a $200 registration fee for Playmakers or $100 registration fee for Playmakers Junior. However, scholarships are readily available.
To help children prepare, the Festival is offering an audition workshop for anyone interested. It will be January 25 from 3 to 5 p.m. The workshop is optional, but can be very helpful.
For more information, call 435-865-8333 or visit the webpage at www.bard.org/playmakers.
Imagine, Re-Imagine, Refine, and Create
The Merry Wives of Windsor Scenery design by Apollo Mark Weaver
The Merry Wives of Windsor Costume design by Bill Black
The Merry Wives of Windsor Costume design by Bill Black
The Merry Wives of Windsor Costume design by Bill Black
The Merry Wives of Windsor Costume design by Bill Black
The Merchant of Venice Scenery design by Apollo Mark Weaver
The Merchant of Venice Costume design by Bill Black
The Merchant of Venice Costume design by Bill Black
The Merchant of Venice Costume design by Bill Black
The Merchant of Venice Costume design by Bill Black
Henry VI Part One Scenery design by Apollo Mark Weaver
Henry VI Part One Scenery design by Apollo Mark Weaver
Henry VI Part One Costume design by Lauren Roark
Henry VI Part One Costume design by Lauren Roark
Henry VI Part One Costume design by Lauren Roark
Big River Scenery design by Jason Lajka
Big River Scenery design by Jason Lajka
Big River Costume design by K. L. Alberts
Big River Costume design by K. L. Alberts
Big River Costume design by K. L. Alberts
The Foreigner Scenery design by Jason Lajka
The Foreigner Scenery design by Jason Lajka
The Foreigner Costume design by David Kay Mickelsen
The Foreigner Costume design by David Kay Mickelsen
The Foreigner Costume design by David Kay Mickelsen
The Liar Scenery design by Jason Lajka
The Liar Scenery design by Jason Lajka
The Liar Costume design by David Kay Mickelsen
The Liar Costume design by David Kay Mickelsen
The Liar Costume design by David Kay Mickelsen
Othello Scenery design by Tom Buderwitz
Othello Scenery design by Tom Buderwitz
Othello Costume design by Kyle Schellinger
Othello Costume design by Kyle Schelllinger
Othello Costume design by Kyle Schellinger
Pearl’s in the House Scenery design by Tom Buderwitz
Pearl’s in the House Scenery design by Tom Buderwitz
Some of the most creative theatre professionals in the country were in Cedar City recently to do what creative people do: imagine, re-imagine, refine, and create. The annual Utah Shakespeare Festival design meetings were the first chance for the directors, designers, and artisans hired for the 2018 season to meet face-to-face and work through what the season plays will look like this summer and fall.
The director of each play led the discussions with costume, scenery, lighting, and sound designers, as well as year-round Festival staff who will be tasked with taking these designs and ideas and building all the elements that make theatre magical.
“The purpose of our annual design meetings is to get an overall view of where each of the plays are in relation to their designs,” said Artistic Director Brian Vaughn. “They entail hearing the directors’ thoughts on their shows, viewing preliminary costume sketches, scenic designs, and detailed prop lists and providing each team the opportunity to talk through the play scene-by-scene to establish their various needs and visions.”
For instance, how do you take a play like Shakespeare’s Othello, which in the past has been produced on the Festival’s large outdoor stages, and perform it in the smaller Anes Studio Theatre? “I want it to be about the words and the actors,” said director Kate Buckley. “We will strip it down to the essentials in order for Shakespeare’s words to be powerful for the audience in this intimate space.”
Or, how do you breathe new life into a play like The Merchant of Venice, which has been produced at the Festival several times in the past and thousands of times across the world for four centuries and which contains references to anti-Semitism at best and blatant prejudice and racism at worst? According to director Melinda Pfundstein, the key is to openly discuss the consequences of how we treat each other, especially outsiders or those who are different from ourselves. Her vision of the production focuses on bonds of oath, religion, and love, with the highest bond being the internal compass where the true “quality of mercy” resides.
And there are hundreds of other questions: How do designers create the Mississippi River on the stage of the Randall L. Jones Theatre for Big River? How do they bring all the pageantry, war, and humanity of Henry VI Part One (a rarely produced play) to the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre’s famous “Wooden O?” How do the Festival artists create 1643 Paris on the stage in the fast-moving, fast talking The Liar? (Scenery design Jason Lajka has some interesting, farcical ideas.) Or, how . . . Well, you get the idea.
It was a whirlwind week, with ideas bubbling to the surface and scenery sketches, costume swatches, and clips of music and sound being passed back and forth in an amazing creative brew—tempered only a bit by the realities of budget, space, and time that all artists must deal with.
“Because we are working on eight productions at once, with multiple designers doubling up on shows, the meetings provided an in-depth look into each play and allowed the director and design teams to connect face-to-face prior to beginning rehearsal in May,” said Vaughn. “In the process, we must make sure each of the shows fall in-line with their proposed budgets. This takes an in-depth examination of overall material and labor costs, and provides a blueprint for building each production efficiently within our means.”
Yet, in the end, the creative passion that makes the Festival a world-class, Tony Award-winning theatre, always rose to the top. “We had a great round of meetings,” said Vaughn. “It’s a terrific group of people with great artistic ideas, and I think audiences are going to be totally engaged with the final product on our stages.”
Tickets are now on sale for the Festival’s fifty-seventh season, which will run from June 28 to October 20. This year’s plays are Henry VI Part One, The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Othello, Big River, The Foreigner, An Iliad, The Liar*.* For more information and tickets visit www.bard.org or call 1-800-PLAYTIX.
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is part of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts at Southern Utah University, which also includes the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA).
Long-Time Costume Director Expands His Role
Costume Director Jeffrey Lieder has been a familiar face at the Utah Shakespeare Festival for thirty-two years. In fact, beautiful costumes and Lieder have become almost synonymous at the Festival; but, surprisingly, his position at the Festival has always been seasonal. Now, beginning January 1, that has changed, and the connection between Lieder and the Festival has become even stronger with Lieder joining the Festival full-time staff in Cedar City.
“What began as a part-time, seasonal job has grown larger and larger each year,” said Lieder. “I am excited that now I can be involved with the Festival year-round and be even more closely connected with this great organization.”
Lieder was hired as a summer costume director in 1982 by then Associate Producing Director Douglas N. Cook. “I thought at first it was going to be a great job just for the summer, but I’ve been coming back every year since,” he said. “It has now become my artistic home.”
He has also taught at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for thirty-two years, and recently retired as a professor of theatre—and has made the move from Milwaukee to Cedar City.
His list of other credits is lengthy and varied. Lieder has designed costumes at Milwaukee Rep, FirstStage Milwaukee, Arizona Shakespeare, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Milwaukee Chamber Theatre. He was also a milliner for Michael Pink’s Peter Pan (PBS 2014), The Nutcracker at Milwaukee Ballet, American Repertory Ballet, Alberta (Canada) Ballet, Austin Ballet, and Pennsylvania Ballet, in addition to work at a host of other theatre companies, including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, and Grace Costumes, New York City.
Lieder is also an active member of United State Institute for Theatre Technology and the South Eastern Theatre Conference.
In his role as costume director, Lieder is responsible for recruiting and hiring over sixty staff and working with costume designers to realize their vision of the show. Any costume that is built, purchased, borrowed, or re-imagined from old stock goes through Lieder’s office. He is also responsible for the costume budget, purchasing, scheduling, and a host of other day-to-day duties to build the hundreds of costumes in the Festival shows every year.
Many things have changed in over three decades in the Festival costume shop. For instance, the staff has grown from about a dozen to over sixty, and the costume shop has been in four different locations.
Lieder is gratified and excited with this change in employment and location. “The quality of the work that we do is important,” he said. “It has an impact on the city and the region. I am eager to be participating in this organization full-time.”
Tickets are now on sale for the Festival’s fifty-seventh season, which will run from June 28 to October 20. This year’s plays are Henry VI Part One, The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Othello, Big River, The Foreigner, The Liar, and Pearl’s in the House. For more information and tickets visit www.bard.org or call 1-800-PLAYTIX.
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is part of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts at Southern Utah University, which also includes the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA).
Christmas in Shakespeare's Day
By Kathryn Neves
We may not know many things about Shakespeare, but most scholars assume that he knew how to have a good time! Will Shakespeare seems like the kind of man to turn any occasion into a party—especially Christmas.
In fact, the Yuletide season was the most exciting time of year for most of Elizabeth’s England. They celebrated Christmas for twelve days; from the December 25 to the Feast of Fools on January 6. Here at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, we have collected a number of Tudor Christmas traditions that you may want to use to make your own Shakespearean Christmas!
The Yule Log
One of the most popular traditions at Christmastime was the burning of the Yule log. “A large log would be selected in the forest on Christmas Eve, decorated with ribbons, dragged home and laid upon the hearth” (Ben Johnson, “A Tudor Christmas,” Historic UK). Then, the log would burn throughout all twelve days of Christmas. Making a yule log is easy; wrap and tie festive ribbon around a log of your choice, hot glue candles or cranberries or mistletoe as decoration, and you’ve got yourself your own traditional Yule log— to burn, or to use as a centerpiece.
The Kissing Bough
Today, we have the Christmas tradition of kissing a sweetheart underneath a sprig of mistletoe. This tradition actually dates back centuries; all the way to Elizabeth I, and even earlier. In Shakespeare’s time, one of the most popular Christmas decorations was called a kissing bough. This was essentially a wreath or a globe “woven from mistletoe, ash, hazel or willow, covered in evergreens . . . visitors would be embraced under the bough as a sign of goodwill” (James Hoare, “12 weird and wonderful Tudor Christmas traditions, from boy bishops to Plough Monday,” History Answers). If you want to make your own kissing bough, visit http://blog.english-heritage.org.uk/how-to-make-traditional-tudor-christmas-decorations/ .
Christmas Food
Everyone knows that the best part of Christmas is the food; this was no different in Shakespeare’s day. Feasts and suppers with family and loved ones were an important part of the Christmas holiday; from boar heads to pies to wassail, here are some of the best Elizabethan recipes to make this holiday season.
Elizabethan Mince Pies
Today when we think of mince pies, we think of sweet apples, raisins, and cinnamon. In Shakespeare’s day, though, the pies were full of mutton and beef and were a lot heartier than the pies we eat today. For a recipe, visit http://findingshakespeare.co.uk/a-shakespearean-christmas-with-traditional-minced-meat-pies.
Elizabethan Sweets
Sweet candies, or as the Tudors called them, “sweetmeats,” were an important part of an Elizabethan Christmas. The sweetness of the food was used as a show of wealth; the course of sweets “was created more as a feast for the eyes than for the taste buds. . . . Increased imports of sugar from the West and East Indies, as well as just Morocco and Barbary, ensured the English aristocracy soon developed a sweet tooth” (Marta Patiño, “An Elizabethan Christmas Feast: Sugar, Spice, and All Things Nice,” TimeTravelBritain.Com). Recipes for marchpane, gingerbread, and leach of almonds can be found at http://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/christmas/feast.shtml.
Elizabethan Wassail
Wassailing was an important part of the Shakespearean Christmas season. According to Ellen Castelow, “the lord of the manor would greet the assembled multitude with the toast waes hael, meaning ‘be well’ or ‘be in good health,’ to which his followers would reply drink hael, or ‘drink well’” (Ellen Castelow, “Wassailing,” Historic UK). Usually, the wassailers would serve the beverage in a large bowl and sing carols as they drank. A recipe for wassail can be found at http://blog.cleveland.com/pdextra/2009/12/elizabethan_yuletide_feaste_re.html.
One traditional wassailing carol goes as follows:
Wassail, wassail all over the town,
Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown,
Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree,
With the wassailing bowl we’ll drink to thee.
So here is to Cherry and to his right cheek
Pray God send our master a good piece of beef
And a good piece of beef that we may all see
With the wassailing bowl we’ll drink to thee.
To hear the full song, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfncJavzoB8.
Christmas Carols
Christmas carols were perhaps the most popular way to celebrate the Christmas season. Along with wassailing carols, people in Elizabethan England would sing Christmas carols to celebrate together and enjoy the festivities of the season. “It’s original meaning is . . . a dance with a song. . . . Carols flourished throughout Tudor times as a way to celebrate Christmas and to spread the story of the nativity” (Ben Johnson, “A Tudor Christmas”, Historic UK”).
Boar’s Head Carol
The Boar’s Head Carol was written sometime in the 1400s; it talks about a tradition of bringing in a boar’s head at the annual Yultetide feast. People sang it in Shakespeare’s day and even continue singing it today in some places.
The boar’s head in hand bear I,
Bedeck’d with bays and rosemary.
And I pray you, my masters, be merry
Quot estis in convivio.
Caput apri defero
Reddens laudes Domino.
The boar’s head, as I understand,
Is the rarest dish in all this land,
Which thus bedeck’d with a gay garland
Let us servire cantico.
Caput apri defero
Reddens laudes Domino.
Our steward hath provided this
In honour of the King of Bliss;
Which on this day to be served is
In Reginensi atrio.
Caput apri defero
Reddens laudes Domino.
The full song can be heard at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7adETaOYiQ.
Coventry Carol
The Coventry Carol is one of the earliest in the English language; though it is a sadder Christmas carol, people in Elizabethan England sang it in nativity plays starting in the sixteenth century; It’s one of the Elizabethan carols that we continue singing even today.
Lullay, lullay, my little tiny child.
By by, lullay, lullay.
Lullay, lullay, my little tiny child.
By by, lullay, lullay.
Oh, sisters two, how may we do
For to preserve this day?
This poor youngling of whom we do sing
By by, lullay, lullay.
Herod the King in his raging
Charged he hath this day
His men of might, in his own sight
All children young to slay.
Then woe is me, poor child, for thee,
And ever mourn and say
For thy parting, nor say nor sing,
By by, lullay, lullay.
Lullay, lullay, my little tiny child,
By by, lullay, lullay.
The song can be heard at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jIYyPOoEc8.
We hope you will try out some of these ideas, and then share your experiences via our Facebook or Twitter feeds. Happy Holidays!