The Glories of Playing Falstaff by John Ahlin

Chasing the Whale of a Man

Thank goodness for the petrified log, or I’d be the oldest thing in this picture.

BLOG # 1  Hello!

I begin this blog with a tribute to the granddaddy of electronic communications; the phone call.  These days a phone call is way down the list of ways to communicate, after text and blog and Twitter and Facebook and whatever else has been invented in the time it took me to type this sentence (I hear even emails are old fashioned now),  but once upon a time the phone call was it.  Mail, you know, the postman slogging through the sleet and dead of night thing, was how you got bills and letters (please refer to the history books to find out what a letter is), but to a years-ago young actor, pounding pavement in New York, the phone call presented infinite possibilities.  And you had to be by your phone, or have an answering service.  We didn’t realize we were inconvenienced by not having our phone in our back pocket.  Having the phone attached to the wall of our very immobile apartment building was just fine. The sardonic wit Dorothy Parker used to sneer upon hearing the phone ring; “What fresh Hell is this?”, but to an actor, the moments from the first ring until you answered was fantasy land.  “What career-changing for the better opportunity is this?”    Surely it’s the offer for a movie role long dreamed of, or some voice-over booking that will lead to riches, or an audition at a first class regional theater.  In those days phones just rang and didn’t display who or what was calling, so you truly did think big thoughts as you crossed the room, not knowing who was calling until they identified themselves.  And conversely if you were expecting a call about a callback, or an offer, a quiet phone was a ringing condemnation of your career.  Acting is the profession where you find out you didn’t get the job by silence…forever.  So an actor loves a phone call out of the blue.  And my fancy new Samsung Droid ringing (actually playing some tune called Meadow Sunrise), while sitting on a bench in St. Augustine, Florida, America’s oldest city, in mid-March of this year, filled me with that same “What fresh Heaven is this?” hope.  I was driving home from doing Shakespeare in Orlando, contemplating the fact that I was, at the moment unemployed for the entire rest of my life (ironically, an actor losing his job a lot means he’s working a lot) when it was Brian Vaughn, co-artistic director of the Utah Shakespeare Festival, calling with the opportunity to ascend the Shakespeare mountain again, this time in the heavenly state of Utah.  These are the phone calls that keep actors going.

My view of New York

I live 36 floors above the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City, so named because back over a century ago one particular block was so dangerous and hot that a rookie cop supposedly likened it to Hell, when a veteran cop corrected, saying it was hotter than Hell: it was Hell’s Kitchen.  It’s not so hellish anymore, but coming from there to Cedar City,Utah is what we used to call on the wrestling team a ‘reversal’.  I had been prepared for the heavenliness of Utah and the kindliness of Utahans (Utahns? Tahn Tahns?), having worked at the Pioneer Theater in Salt Lake City a year and a half ago; but, if possible, Cedar City is even more beautiful and the people even nicer.  Lovelier than Heaven, Cedar City is Heaven’s Back Porch.  And to be here for the first time, working on Shakespeare, with a company whose reputation I have long heard of, is, for this very veteran actor, a “pinch me” moment.

With all the breathtaking vistas of flying over the Rockies and the scenic drive from the diminutive St. George airport (where we arrived at Gate One), and the breathtaking thinness of the Cedar City fresh air, the thing that amazed me the most in my first days was to see how big and bustling the Utah Shakespeare Festival Company is.  I never cease marveling at how many people love to do Theatre, and how out of a group of hundreds I can never have met but one person (Brian Vaughn) and yet we all share the same passion and speak the same language.  I was immediately awash with the feeling of wanting to do my best, for the sake of this group, and help in any way I can.    

Hence this blog.  This first is just hello, so “hello”, but over the Summer I hope to share some of the insights and discoveries on being with the Festival and putting on the shows, from my point of view.  I work as a playwright as well as an actor, and the beauty part of playwriting is you are not shackled by grammar and sentence construction; you simply write as people speak.  Consequently, my prose here might be snaky, and my narrative meandering, but this is the benefit of living in the Blog Age.  You can post anything, whereas in the old days you had to get past editors and publishers, who insisted on higher quality.  So I hope not to abuse this freedom, and come up with something of modest interest.

Getting notes in rehearsal from Director Brian Vaughn

And foremost I hope to give some thoughts on playing what some might call Shakespeare’s greatest clown, Falstaff.  But I would disagree with that. Doesn’t Falstaff belong alongside Shakespeare’s greatest characters; Othello, Rosalind, Macbeth, Lear and Hamlet?  That is the question.  I hope to address that idea and also explore a mystery, that’s right a Shakespearean mystery involving Falstaff and Shakespeare, and what really happened way back then.  I may not find the answer but I want to play detective.  And by way of confession this will be my 11th Falstaff, but since there are 3 different plays in which he appears, I’ve mathematically only done each play three and a third  times, so I am not at the point of dragging out the same old tired performance.  On the contrary, playing Sir John Falstaff only gives me the glimpse of what a Universe this Globe of a Man is, spinning magnificently in the larger Universe of Shakespeare.  There is so much more and so much new to playing Falstaff, that, being here, now and exploring him anew, I can say I am as excited as any time in my long career.

Stay tuned for my next blog - # 2: Rehearsing.     

Playmakers Summer Shakespeare Open for Registration

Playmakers Summer Shakespeare Open for Registration

The thirteenth annual Playmakers Summer Shakespeare Program is now open for registration at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. This program is a wonderful opportunity for students to receive one-on-one training from theatre professionals and the Festival’s Education Director Michael Bahr.

The Playmakers Summer Shakespeare Program is for beginners and advanced students. Registration is open for youth 6-17 and is only $90. Classes run on weekdays from 1 to 3 p.m. from June 15 to 27.

Students can expect to learn Shakespearean scene work, songs and the essential building blocks for theatre performance. The workshop culminates in a performance of selected scenes and musical numbers handpicked based on individuals’ levels in the group. Included in the registration fee is a free ticket to see the Festival’s production of The Taming of the Shrew.

Playmakers was created by Bahr in 2002 as a way to extend the Festival’s educational offerings to the community year-round. Playmakers provides fundamental training in acting and performance skills. Teachers work with each student and adapt to their needs. Not only do students learn about theatre, but also about teamwork, problem solving and creative thinking.

Bahr commented, “Playmakers is designed to be diverse and flexible to the individual training needs for each student. It is accessible, affordable and we strive to achieve artistic excellence each summer.”

For more information or to register call (435) 865-8333 or email usfeducation@bard.org.

Utah Shakespeare Festival Mourns the Passing of Board Member and LDS Leader L. Tom Perry

Utah Shakespeare Festival Mourns the Passing of Board Member and LDS Leader L. Tom Perry

The Utah Shakespeare Festival joined last week with others around the world in mourning and paying tribute to L. Tom Perry, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and of the Festival’s honorary board of governors.

Elder Perry died on May 30 in Salt Lake City at the age of 92. He was recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer. His funeral was June 5 in the Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City.

Elder Perry was asked to serve on the Festival’s advisory board starting in 1989 and has served since then until his passing on Saturday. “He was always accessible to us when we needed advice or counsel,” reminisced Fred C. Adams, Festival founder and a friend to Elder Perry. “He represented us in so many different circles through his twenty five years.  We will sorely miss him. He brought such a calming energy to so many of our difficult decisions. “

Perry was the oldest member of the church’s top 15 leaders and was one of the four leaders to meet with President Barack Obama during his recent Utah trip. Perry was a staunch supporter of the arts in Utah and a tremendous advocate. It was an honor to have him serve so many years in the advisory board. 

Known for his affability and optimism, L. Tom Perry will be vastly missed at the Festival.

More on L. Tom Perry: http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/elder-l-tom-perry-dies-at-age-92

Festival Receives National Endowment for the Arts Grant

Utah Shakespeare Festival Receives National Endowment for the Arts Grant

CEDAR CITY, UT – In May the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)awarded 1,023 grants totaling $74,326,900 to nonprofit arts organizations in all 50 states plus five U.S. jurisdictions. From that, twelve Utah groups received over $1 million in funding with the Utah Shakespeare Festival receiving $35,000 for its production of William Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part Two as part of the larger History Cycle initiative.

NEA Chairman Jane Chu said, “The NEA is committed to advancing learning, fueling creativity, and celebrating the arts in cities and towns across the United States. Funding these new projects represents a significant investment in both local communities and our nation’s creative vitality.”

In an effort to explore and exemplify all of William Shakespeare’s works Complete the Canon was launched in 2011 by the Festival. Within the Complete the Canon project sits an additional undertaking to produce all of Shakespeare’s history plays in chronological order. Beginning with King John, the History Cycle will play out over the course of several seasons, concluding with Henry VIII. Currently three plays into the cycle, the 2015 offering will be Henry IV Part Two; a play produced only once within the Festival’s fifty-three year history.

“The generous support we received from the NEA makes such initiatives possible,” said Festival Artistic Director Brian Vaughn. “As we continue to bring the work of William Shakespeare to the forefront of the world’s ever expanding entertainment options, it is crucial that our commitment to classical theatre continues to be enriched by such important programs.”

The NEA grant will be used to support the production of Henry IV Part Two. This production is the second installment in the three-play trilogy that will be produced throughout a three-season period, using a select group artists and designers. The Festival has created elements of consistency within each production to further establish a common thread from one show to the next. Performances will be accompanied by discussion events produced by the theater’s education department.

“It is important to present Shakespeare’s theatrical chronicle of England and its kings in order,” said Vaughn. “It’s a big family drama that spans a long length of time. Telling the stories in order gives familiarity to audience members and helps people stay connected to these characters and their journeys. Presenting Shakespeare’s less frequently produced plays is the Festival’s purpose with this charge: to reveal to the audience the scope and power of these magnificent works, that currently sit on the periphery of public awareness.”

Henry IV Part 2 Actor Blog

Henry IV Part 2 – Larry Bull (King Henry IV) and Sam Ashdown (Prince Hal)

This season, we continue the History Cycle and the Complete-the-Canon Project with Henry IV, Part 2. The play begins shortly after the Battle of Shrewsbury (which was at the end of Part 1), with messengers coming from the battle. So there is a sense of immediacy from the end of Part 1.

Larry Bull, who played Bolingbroke in Richard II and Henry IV in Part 1, continues his role as King Henry IV. Sam Ashdown, whom we met in Part I, continues as Prince Hal. On a sunny day (finally!), we met them both to talk about their thoughts on Part 2 – how their characters have evolved.

We discussed the mood of this play versus Part 1.

Sam:       Part 2 starts with a weariness; I say “Before God, I am exceeding weary”. The king is much sicker than in Part 1. The country is decaying. Falstaff is having physical issues. There’s a sense of disease and decay in the country because of the prolonged civil war.

Larry:     There’s a lot of cheer that’s developed in Part 1 – lots of fun. This is the other side of that coin. If Part 1 is a night of drinking, Part 2 is the hangover.

When Henry IV became king, he had great expectations. By the time of this play, he’s worn down and sick. We asked if Henry thought it would be this hard when he became king.

Larry:     No, I think he expected a calmer world – he had so much support at the time and so much wealth and power through his family. It was the elusive nature of that legitimacy (as king) that has dogged him ever since the coronation. He’s always batting away rebellions. As far as the reign, I can’t imagine he perceived this much difficulty. He dies at 47.

How does the relationship between father and son evolve in this play?

Sam:       I think that I, Hal, know that I’m going to be king from the beginning. I believe I have it in me. But as it gets closer I stop fitting in the world I’ve been in and I still don’t fit in the world I’m going to. So Part 2 is a transition phase where I’m out of love of both of those worlds.

Larry:     There are fits and starts. In this play there’s much more reconciliation than there was in the last play. The last play was more about the immediacy of the rebellion and how Henry needed a unified front and the prince is a huge element of that. This play is more about the legitimacy of the crown and being able to pass that intact to Hal.

How about the relationship between Hal and Falstaff – how does that evolve?

Sam:       The sad truth is that there’s no room for Falstaff in this new life. In Part 2, my commitment turns from friends and even family to the people, my country, the citizens. There are too many lives on the line to have room for anything that’s not for them.

And why do you think Hal turns to the Lord Chief Justice after Henry dies?

Because he’s impartial and honest. Growing up, he sent me to jail. He certainly didn’t flatter me; I got no special treatment. He always upheld the law and looked after my father. As frustrating as that was as a young prince, it’s what I would want as a king.

Henry IV, Part 2 opens in preview on June 26 and plays through September 5.

You can learn more about the play, including complete cast, director’s notes and costume designs at http://www.bard.org/plays/2015/henry-iv-part-two

Tickets are available online at www.bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.

A Chat with Fred Adams

It’s been a rainy, cool spring in Cedar City, but our rehearsals are underway and construction for the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts is progressing. All in all, a perfect time to chat with Fred C. Adams, founder of the Festival and director of this year’s The Taming of the Shrew.

First, we asked Fred about his thoughts regarding the new theatre and how the guest experience will differ from the Adams.

I think I’m most excited about seeing how much is happening every day. It’s just thrilling to watch. Every day something else is added. By the first week of June, they’ll start the actual super structure of the theatre.

When in the new theatre, my hope is that our patrons won’t even notice it’s different.  The actual actor to audience relationship is almost identical. It’s still intimate and the sense of entrance/exits is the same. What will be different will be the comfort – the niceties of restrooms, and elevators. It will be a safer environment and totally ADA compliant. Everything will be on one side of the street so patrons can enjoy the Greenshow and then go to a performance without dodging cars.

You might have seen the recent article about the history of the Adams Theatre. We were curious about Fred’s favorite memory in that theatre and his thoughts about this last season.

Oh, I have so many. My favorite was the opening day in the Adams. In 1971, I was directing The Tempest and during our final dress rehearsal we were threading ourselves through scaffolding.  

This season, it’s a chance for me to direct one last time in that lovely building. The three closing nights will be quite emotional, especially the last night on September 5, as we dim those lights for the last time. We have quite a celebration planned for each of the last three nights.

This will be the fourth time that Fred has directed The Taming of the Shrew. We asked what we can expect from this production.

It’s set in Italy, during the high renaissance. It’s in Padua – country Italy, not court Italy. The sets are beautiful with peeling plaster, potted palms, walls covered in wisteria and bougainvillea. There’s original music, very Italian, created by our sound designer, Joe Payne.

This production is a love story. I’m hoping the audience will see it as two perfectly matched energetic emotional people who find their way together, to a perfect partnership.

We have to remember that there is a large age gap between Kate and Bianca. Their mother passed away during childbirth with Bianca and their father was left to raise them. The father put all of his attention on Bianca, the younger, more spoiled sister.

As Bianca grows into young womanhood she’s found out she can get anything she wants. As a result, Kate is shunted further and further back. Kate’s only outlet to get attention is striking out.

Petruchio has come to Padua from Verona, with only one intent. There are loads of “Biancas” in Verona. He’s looking for a soul mate, an emotional and psychological equal. And he finds her right off the bat in Kate. He recognizes it immediately. That’s important in this production. They both recognize immediately that there is finally a solution to their problem – each other.

You can learn more about this play, including cast, director interviews and designs, at http://www.bard.org/plays/2015/the-taming-of-the-shrew

You can learn more about the history of the Adams Theatre at http://www.bard.org/news/red-rocks-and-the-wooden-o

Performances begin on June 25 and run through September 5 for the Summer Season.

You can purchase tickets for the 2015 season at https://boxoffice.bard.org/TheatreManager/95/login&event=_&search=PB_PERF_FLAG%3C%3E%27E%27 or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.

Red Rocks and the Wooden O

Red Rocks and the Wooden O

By Ryan D. Paul

William Shakespeare, in the prologue to Henry V referred to the stage as an “unworthy scaffold.” In the early days of Elizabethan theatre, traveling troupes would erect crude scaffolds and place planks over them to create a quick stage. In 1962, with its inaugural performance of The Taming of the Shrew, the Utah Shakespeare Festival continued this tradition—rolling out construction materials and production equipment in the summer and taking them down at the close of the season. However, by 1969 the ravages of time and the elements were obvious. An increasing amount of money and effort was spent each year in repairing or replacing parts of the stage. After a decade of operation the Festival needed a permanent home. This new theatre, nestled within the red rocks of southern Utah and soon to be named the Adams Memorial Shakespearean Theatre, would launch the Festival into a new era of production and itself would be a character in every performance. The “unworthy scaffold” would become the “wooden O” for this young Shakespeare company.

Douglas N. Cook had joined the Festival in 1964. While teaching drama at the University of California at Riverside, he had heard of the new Shakespeare festival in Cedar City from his friend Michael Addison, and he became intrigued. Addison had worked as a director for the Festival in 1963 and recognized that Cook would be a strong addition to the creative team. Festival Founder Fred C. Adams welcomed Cook with open arms. Cook was especially adept at designing scenery for Shakespeare productions. Under Cook’s guidance, the props department blossomed, and the sets better reflected the periods that designers were trying to represent. At the conclusion of the 1969 season, Doug and his wife, Joan, decided to remain in Cedar City for a few more weeks while Doug applied his talent for design to work up some rough sketches for a new outdoor theatre space.

Cook had been doing research into the major elements of many Elizabethan theatres. While no blueprints of Shakespeare’s Globe existed, many other designs of similar spaces were available. During the company’s first ten years, Adams and the Festival production teams had experimented with various stage locations and had discovered the most desirable spot. With location settled, Cook was able to design the new theatre to fit within very specific dimensions.

Based upon his research, Cook knew that the new theatre would need to have three essential elements. First, it must have a thrust stage (this meant that the performance space would be surrounded on three sides by seats); second, it must have a gallery or multi-level seating; and, third, it must be open to the air. All of these designs were in every major Elizabethan theatre of Shakespeare’s day and would be necessary for the Festival’s new space. Cook and Adams understood that the space defines the play, that producing the works of Shakespeare in a space similar to that in which they would have originally been performed would assist in transporting the audience into another world. This theatre would become a character itself. Everything the Utah Shakespeare Festival had learned about producing the Bard would go into the design of the theatre.

With designs in hand, Adams now began the search for financial support. In an early proposal to the College of Southern Utah (now Southern Utah University), Adams argued that the new theatre could be used for a variety of purposes, including “band concerts, dance reviews, lectures, road show competitions, out-of-door movies, school assemblies, Easter sunrise services, pep rallies, astronomy classes, and commencement.” Although the college agreed with the need for a space like the one Adams proposed, they could not meet the financial needs of the project.

Adams, then turned to private funding sources. He achieved success when three generous donors, Dr. Obert C. and Grace Adams Tanner, Sadie Barnard, and Dean B. Eggertson agreed to fund the bulk of the project. Additionally, the theatre would now be dedicated to the parents of Mrs. Tanner, Thomas and Luella Adams, and be known as the Adams Memorial Shakespeare Theatre—lovingly referred to now as the Adams Theatre.

Under the direction of Max Anderson, an architect for the State of Utah building board, who worked on the project on a pro bono basis, the outdoor theatre began to take shape. The theatre would be constructed in phases, beginning with the tiring house and then the seating area. Technical and electrical planning also factored heavily into the design of the Adams Theatre. Cameron Harvey (later a producing director at the Festival) worked tirelessly to design a state-of-the-art lighting and sound system that would be unnoticeable to the audience but enhance the performance. The technical and physical design of the Adams Theatre would help establish it as one of the most talked about theatres in the country.

In 1977 the Adams Theatre was complete. The tiring house had been finished a few years earlier; and, despite being called upon to remove the construction scaffolding just forty-five minutes before the first performance, the actors loved the new stage. Utah Shakespeare Festival guests soon fell in love with the new space and validated its existence with sold out performances. In 1981, the British Broadcasting Company searched the world for a proper space to produce a series of theatre programs and found the Adams Theatre to be a perfect spot to focus on the Elizabethan period of world theatre. They added further acclaim by announcing “there’s not a theatre like this in England, Asia, or Europe.”

Tragedy nearly befell the Utah Shakespeare Festival when on February 25, 2000, fire consumed much of the light and sound booth and part of the roof of the Adams Theatre. The blaze was quickly contained and the damage was repaired by opening night in June. The theatre had escaped the fate of Shakespeare’s original Globe Theatre, which was completely destroyed by fire during a production of Henry VIII in 1613. Most recently, in 2011, the Adams Theatre hosted its first ever live broadcast. In partnership with BYUtv, the Utah Shakespeare Festival sent its production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream over the airwaves. This collaboration, which lead to an Emmy Award for BYUtv, further cemented the Festival and the Adams Theatre’s place in the popular culture of Utah.

Now, like a great battleship, the Adams Theatre is soon to be decommissioned. The mighty Wooden O has served its purpose in enriching, entertaining, and educating the lives of those who sat in her seats and witnessed her bounty. Like the stage before, the passage of time and changing technology have taken their toll. The new Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre is already rising and a new Wooden O will stand guard over the works of the Bard and serve as an anchor for the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s future.  The Engelstad  Shakespeare Theatre will provide an amazingly rich theatrical experience for Utah Shakespeare Festival audiences. While preserving the character and up close and personal style of the Adams Theatre, the Engelstad Theatre will be located closer to the Randall L. Jones Theatre, have additional restrooms (always a plus), and be ADA accessible.  This new theatre is the next step in further elevating the capacity of the Utah Shakespeare Festival to continually produce artistic, relevant, and meaningful productions of William Shakespeare’s work.

Hundreds of thousands of people have made the Adams Theatre part of their story and hundreds of thousands more will discover Shakespeare and themselves at the Engelstad Theatre.  If William Shakespeare is to be believed that “what’s past is prologue,” an amazing future it will be.

Affordable Option for Students

Utah Shakespeare Festival Provides Affordable Option for Students

In an effort to help students attend the Utah Shakespeare Festival at reduced prices, the Festival has announced the return of the Student Access Pass. This pass can be purchased for a one-time fee, and it gives the student the ability to attend as many Festival plays as he or she wants, at no additional cost.

The Student Access Pass is now on sale. It is $35 and allows one student unlimited access to Festival productions from June 25 through October 31, 2015. Students must present their student ID to purchase the Student Access Pass at the Festival Ticket Office. To redeem tickets, students can visit the Festival website at bard.org or go to the Ticket Office and show their student ID. Tickets are non-transferable.

“Students are on limited budgets, but full of passion for the Festival,” said Michael Bahr, education director. “These Student Access Passes offer an affordable option for students to enjoy our shows.”

Tickets are on sale for the Festival’s 54th season, which will run from June 25 to October 31, 2015. The eight-play season includes Shakespeare’s King Lear, The Taming of the Shrew, Henry IV Part Two and The Two Gentlemen of Verona.  The season will also include Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific, Charley’s Aunt by Brandon Thomas and Steven Dietz’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. For more information and tickets visit www.bard.org or call 1-800-PLAYTIX.

The Utah Shakespeare Festival is the professional theatre at Southern Utah University.

Celebrate Shakespeare’s Birthday

Celebrate Shakespeare’s Birthday with the Utah Shakespeare Festival

CEDAR CITY, UT— The Bard’s Birthday Bash, a chance for students to share their theatrical work and enjoy a birthday party for Williams Shakespeare, is scheduled for April 23 and 24 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the grounds surrounding the Adam’s Shakespearean Theatre.

Sponsored by the Utah Shakespeare Festival, the bash is an exciting and enthusiastic way of exposing kids to the Bard’s works through their own performances, as well as by observing the efforts of other students. Students will also participate in period activities such as jousting and maypole games, as well as enjoying cake with Queen Elizabeth I.

“We’ll have kids here from Cedar City, St. George and other southern Utah communities,” said Festival Education Director Michael Bahr. Like many of the other educational outreach programs, the Bard’s Birthday Bash has proven to be more popular and successful than anyone imagined.

“When we began this birthday idea we had 250 students participate, now we have over 1800 attend, and it keeps growing,” said Bahr. “Our goal is to get local elementary school students acquainted with Shakespeare through their own performance of his words. That way, they find that Shakespeare is a lot easier to understand than they thought.”

Even after 451 years, Shakespeare has a strong impact and influential role on people’s educational upbringing. Associate Education Director Josh Stavros expressed his views on the literary merit of the Bard by saying, “William Shakespeare’s work is considered and treated as the greatest literature in the English language. As soon as kids know it and experience it, the better learners they’ll become because Shakespeare’s works encompass every emotional experience human beings have.”

Shakespeare has permeated the Western culture, and around every corner is a reference to his incredible works. His intellectually rich stories and characters have influenced numerous books, movies and television shows. Even our everyday language has been shaped by the common phrases he originally coined*,* including dead as a doornail, a laughing stock, fair play, a wild goose chase, neither here nor there, just to name a few. For decades, Shakespeare has been the most frequently studied and performed playwright around the world.

“It’s our mission at the Festival to make sure everyone we encounter understands Shakespeare, and that starts from a very young age,” said Stavros. “We believe that when people grasp the power of his language that they’ll love it and become life long supporters.”

Shakespeare’s contemporary, Ben Jonson noted that, “He was not of an age, but for all time!” Four centuries later, Jonson’s words still ring true.

Discover a New Play

New American Playwrights Project at the Utah Shakespeare Festival

Cedar City, UT- The 23rd annual New American Playwrights Project (NAPP) will take the stage at the Utah Shakespeare Festival from August 7 to August 28. Three plays will be presented as staged readings in the Auditorium Theatre on selected dates. Chosen fromhundreds of plays submitted, this year’s lineup includes Affluence by Steve Peterson, Caesars Blood by Rich Rubin, and Closure by James McLindon.

Tickets are $10 each and are on sale now at 1-800-PLAYTIX and www.bard.org.

Audience members will have the unique opportunity to see a staged reading of these new pieces and take part in a discussion with the playwright, director and actors. These discussions are essential to the development of these plays and the playwright.

Tough times have hammered the once-wealthy Woodley clan in Affluence. Yet the week after Christmas, hope is restored. Grandmother is dying and will leave them a bundle. Only there’s a problem: Inheritance tax rates surge at the stroke of midnight, and the old gal isn’t gone yet. What does a desperate family do? And who else is at risk on the slippery slope of murder? It’s a dark comedy indeed, written by Chicago native Steven Peterson, a two-time winner of the Julie Harris Playwright Award and the Dorothy Silver Playwriting Competition. Directing Affluence is Frank Honts, and it plays August 7, 8 and 26.

The Civil War is raging in the play, Caesars Blood, and President Lincoln has just been re-elected. In New York, Julius Caesar is being performed, starring the famous Booth brothers—Edwin, Junius Brutus, and John Wilkes. John is a believer in the Confederate cause; his older brothers are supporters of the Union. Before and after the play, the three spar about politics and so much more. Caesars Blood by Rich Rubin is a play based, as the saying goes, on true events. Rubin’s plays have been produced throughout the United States and internationally in Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, and Mexico. Directed by Joshua Stavros, Caesars Blood plays August 14, 15 and 27.

As Brian lies dying, he is desperate to reconcile with his estranged children in Closure. His only hope is the somewhat askew, sweet, and profane Virgin Mary, who appears to him in a Percocet haze dispensing advice about children, salvation, and Hieronymus Bosch. Closure by James McLindon is a drama with comedy about the endgame of a dysfunctional life and a broken family trying desperately to mend itself before its last chance is gone forever. McLindon plays have been produced at theatres across the nation, including Samuel French Festival, Ashland New Plays Festival, Boston Playwrights Theatre and Arkansas Rep. Closure is directed by Drew Shirley and plays August 21, 22 and 28.

“It is an exciting week to have the playwrights in residence,” said Chuck Metten, director of NAPP. “We make a strong commitment to American theatre. Without new plays, theatre will disappear. Many of the plays that go through NAPP get produced at other theatres which creates more jobs in the industry.”

Playwright biographies and more information are available at http://www.bard.org/plays/napp2015.html.

Through the New American Playwrights Project, selected playwrights spend time at the Festival working on a new play with actors from the company, and then present it to an audience, followed by instructive discussion between the playwright, actors, and audience members.

The plays in this series are written for contemporary adult audiences and may occasionally contain themes and language not appropriate for children and that some may find offensive.