Welcome Aubree Rasmussen & Nano Taggart

2014 MFA Grads: Wicai, Heaps, Taggart, McDonald

Change is in the air at the Festival. Leaves are turning brilliant shades of red and orange, dirt is being turned for the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts all while we introduce two new faces to the Festival family. Help us welcome Aubree Rasmussen and Nano Taggart.

Aubree Rasmussen started in mid-September as the Guest Services Manager. She’s responsible for managing the ticket office, house management and the volunteers who serve as hosts in our theaters.

Aubree grew up in St. George, UT. She was a member of FFA (Future Farmers of America) where she specialized in gardening and plant identification. She moved to Cedar City to attend SUU (Southern Utah University) and graduated with a degree in Marketing. Her student job in Event Services evolved to a full-time position when she graduated.

Her parents and grandparents introduced her to the Festival and she’s always wanted work here. So when the Guest Services Manager position was posted, she applied and was hired.

When she’s not working, she loves to bake – her specialty is sugar cookies. She also loves to read young adult fiction and watch Netflix movies. Her favorite holiday is Halloween.

“I’m really excited to work for the Festival,“ said Aubree. “I have a great staff and I already love our patrons. I want to give people a good experience.”

Nathaniel (Nano) Taggart has been hired as the new Annual Fund Manager. In this role, he’ll work with Jyl Shuler (Development Director) on gala events and securing annual donations.

Nano’s relationship with the Festival began when he was a student at Dixie State in St. George, where he attended classes taught by Ace Pilkington, one of our Literary Seminar Directors. He transferred to Utah State where he graduated with a degree in English/Literary Studies. After a few years working outside of the arts, he returned to school at SUU and graduated last August with his MFA. While a student in the MFA program, Nano worked an assistantship in the Development Department, so we are thrilled to have him as a full-time member of the team.

He has a strong commitment to the arts. Five years ago, he was a founder of the Sugarhouse Review, a small press poetry publication. He writes poetry. And he serves on the board of the Cedar City Arts Council where is he is currently revamping their website.

“I love the Festival. Cedar City is an arts oasis in southern Utah and my wife Natalie and I are thrilled to be here. It’s an exciting time with the building of the Center – we’ll have an even greater convergence of the arts.”

Welcome Aubree & Nano!

Eric Weiman- Guest Blogger

Another new face at the Festival is Eric Weinman who plays Fabian in Twelfth Night and was in our summer production of The Comedy of Errors. 

Have you ever worked at the Festival before?

I have never worked for the Festival before, this is my Utah debut!

What brought you to Utah Shakespeare Festival?

I sent a tape to David Ivers and Brian Vaughn last October, and was lucky enough to get a call from David in early January. I have always been very drawn to the level of quality that Utah Shakespeare endows every production with; how rigorous the attention to the work is, and how accessible and exciting classical theatre is here. Its reputation is justly earned, as the perseverance toward excellence is pursued by every single department of the company, from the technical to the front of house. 

Quinn Mattfeld, Roderick Peeples and Eric Weiman in *Twelfth Night.*Photo by Karl Hugh.

What brought you to your field and what keeps you doing your craft?

Acting was something I naturally fell into. There was no “Ah-ha!” moment or revelation about wanting to pursue this craft; at a young age it just seemed as though it was the obvious course for me to follow. I was a tree in my junior high’s production of “Into The Woods Jr.” and everything continued from there. 

Where’s your home base?

My home is Minneapolis, land of Ten Thousand Lakes. And -30 degree wind-chill. 

What’s your education/training background?

Thus far I have received my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Minnesota/ Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program. I would love to go back to school, however and pursue a Master’s Degree. 

Who/What inspired you to pursue your dream of acting?

My parents, first and foremost, are the biggest supporters and inspirations for following acting. As a young person interested in theater, they have always been supportive and accepting of the path I wish to follow. I also cannot think of where I would be today without Jon Ferguson and Ken Washington, two teachers and mentors of mine in Minneapolis who took chances on me early in my life as an actor and taught me that acting is a craft, an art, and not just a hobby. 

What is your favorite musical/play/Shakespeare play?

My favorite plays are The Walworth Farce by Enda Walsh, and The Winter’s Tale by Shakespeare. 

What is your dream role?

My dream role, as of now, is Sean in The Walworth Farce. 

If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

If I were a superhero, I think I would want the ability to turn into different animals. That would work for any situation! If there was a battle, I could be a gorilla or tiger. If I had to hide, I could just turn into a mouse and run away. 

High School Shakespeare Competition

Over 3,000 students and 118 schools will participate in the 38th annual Shakespeare Competition hosted by the Utah Shakespeare Festival and Southern Utah University. From October 9 to 11 student thespians from across the Intermountain West will compete as actors, dancers, musicians, and theatre technicians before panels of theatre, dance and music professionals in the largest scholastic Shakespeare competition in the country.

“Since 1977 this event has shaped the cultural landscape of the Intermountain West,” said Michael Bahr, Festival education director. “Students have been exposed to dance, music and theatre through the universal stories of William Shakespeare. Once a student is touched by his works, they will never be the same. Our organization is proud to sponsor this monumental event.”

Competitors range from sixth grade to high school seniors. Each participating school is invited to prepare up to three monologues, two duo/trio scenes, and an ensemble scene, as well as an interpretive dance, minstrel and madrigal music, and several presentations in technical theatre. Performing on Festival stages and in many classrooms on the SUU campus, students are adjudicated by professionals in the field.

Every year high school students put together a dance piece, either a duet/trio or ensemble piece, based on Shakespeare’s text, sonnets or poems. The choreography can be in any style, however it must be concert or performance dance. Dancers are adjudicated based on the use of space, rhythmic and timing, dynamics, technical ability and originality of the piece.

Andra Thorne from Davis High talks more about why she brings her students to the Shakespeare Competition. “I go so students can see other students work, they learn more from other students than they ever will from me. Professionals in the industry also critique them, which is absolutely invaluable. Students can finally understand why Shakespeare is a ‘big deal’, they can feel it and if they can perform Shakespeare, they can perform anything.”

The Shakespeare Competition is dramatically increasing their online and social media presence this year in order to engage students and increase communication during the competition. Visit their Twitter feed at @UTShakesComp, Instagram at @shakespearecomp and their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/shakespearecomp to see updates and changes about the competition.

As part of the total experience, students are invited to attend the Festival’s fall productions of Twelfth Night, Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, and Boeing Boeing.

More information and an event schedule can be found online at www.bard.org/competition/index.html.

#utahshakes

Rick Peeples- Guest Blogger

Roderick Peeples, a favorite at the Festival, is playing Professor Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure. He’s also Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night and was Egeon in The Comedy of Errors this summer.

Have you ever worked at the Festival before? If so, for how many years and in what roles/capacity?

Trinculo in The Tempest, USF 2013.

This is my fifth season with USF. My first season was 2009, when I played Fluellen in Henry V, and except for the 2010 season, I’ve been here since. I’ve played roles ranging from Peter Quince in The Midsummer Night’s Dream to Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet, to Falstaff in Merry Wives of Windsor, to Juror #9 in Twelve Angry Men, and everything in between.

W****hat brought you to Utah Shakespeare Festival? What is it about the Festival that brings you back?

I’ve worked at a number of different festivals across the country, and USF is my favorite. It’s a combination of the people, the organization, the audiences, the climate and location.  It’s just one of the best places to work. Ever.

What brought you to your field and what keeps you doing your craft?

Roderick Peeples as Sir Toby Belch and Quinn Mattfeld as Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night.

Working in the theatre is the only thing that has constantly held my interest. Every other profession I’ve tried (and I’ve tried many - advertising, photography, computer programming among others) has ultimately left me bored and dismayed. Acting keeps me engaged and learning.

Where’s your home base?

Although I was raised in Texas, I’ve been based in Chicago for the past 25 years, and I consider it my home.

What’s your education/training background?

I received a BFA from the University of Texas at Austin in 1980. My mentor there was Michael J. Finlayson, who was one of the early major influences on the Utah Shakespeare Festival; an award named after him is still awarded annually to a promising young actor in the USF Company.

What are you looking forward to this season?

I’m looking forward to once more assaying the role of Sir Toby Belch in David Ivers’ production of Twelfth Night. I played Toby about ten years ago, and I’m trying very hard to get him right this time. Also very much looking forward to playing Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, this fall.

Who/What inspired you to pursue your dream of acting/designing?

I was mesmerized as a child by Sir Laurence Olivier’s film performances in Hamlet, Richard III, Boys from Brazil, etc. I was awestruck by his ability to transform himself from role to role. I’ve always wanted to follow in his footsteps.

How will you spend your time off while here?

I am an amateur astronomer, and Utah offers some great night skies for exploring. In Chicago, I’ve been a sky show host at the Adler Planetarium for many years. Since I’ve been coming to Utah, I’ve made a point of hosting live sky shows, where I try to point out some of the interesting things in the night sky. I hope to continue that tradition this year.

What is your favorite musical/play/Shakespeare play?

So hard to pick just one; Twelfth Night, As You Like It, The Tempest, and King Lear. For musicals, Sweeney Todd and Les Miserables are right up there. Death of a Salesman is probably my favorite single American play.

What is your dream role?

Willie Loman and King Lear.

If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

To be able to tell the story that would instantly dispel all fear and despair, displacing them with permanent inspiration and hope.

Anthony Simone- Guest Blogger

Meet Anthony Simone.

Anthony plays Valentine/Officer/Ensemble inTwelfth Nightand Policeman/Clergy in Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure**.** He was Pompey in Measure for Measurethis summer.

Anthony Simone (left) as Pompey and Henry Woronicz as Escalus *Measure for Measure.*Photo by Karl Hugh.

Have you ever worked at the Festival before?

This is my first time at the Festival, and I’m really excited to be apart of this wonderful season. USF has been on my theatre “bucket list” for some time. 

What brought you to your field and what keeps you doing your craft?

As a child, I often would get lost in my imagination spending hours as an astronaut trying to explore new parts of the universe or roaming through the pride lands as Simba the mighty King. So as you can imagine I jumped at every chance to perform both at school, as well as church plays.

But, in terms of why I keep doing my craft? I would say it’s because I love the challenge(s) that every show presents, as well as the things I constantly get to learn about myself and humanity as a whole.  

Where’s your home base?

I’m currently a vagabond as I just graduated from UCI with my MFA in Acting.  After, my contract with USF ends I plan on moving to NYC and starting the next chapter of my life.

What’s your education/training background?

Well I was originally a pre-med major back in undergrad.  But after meeting my mentors Margaret and Peter Larlham by fate one day, in the midst of my Sophomore year, I decided to try double majoring.  And after graduating I took a year off before I was accepted into UC Irvine’s MFA Acting program.  

How will you spend your time off while here?

In no particular order - hiking, Vegas, sleeping, continue editing my one man show and start working on my winter body!

What is your favorite musical/play/Shakespeare play?

A Winters Tale

What is your dream role?

So many . . . but today’s truth would be Simba in Lion King or Edmund in King Learor Levee in August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Back Bottom. 

If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

I’d want to be able to fly.  Or better yet stop time so I can finally catch up on all my Netflix videos and books I want to read.  

Singing For Supper: A Night of Music Benefiting the Iron County Care and Share

Singing For Supper: A Night of Music Benefitingthe Iron County Care and ShareA Fundraising Concert Located at the Iron Gate Inn

Cedar City, UT – On account of September being Hunger Action Month, Utah Shakespeare Festival actors, musicians and company members will be hosting a special, one-night only benefit concert with all proceeds being donated to the local food pantry, the Iron County Care and Share.

Singing for Supperwill take place on October 2, 2014 at 10:30 p.m. at the Iron Gate Inn. Suggested donation at the door is $10 or $7 with six canned food items. The Iron Gate Inn is located at 100 North 200 West in Cedar City.

This local fundraiser will showcase the musical talents of many actors from the Festival such as Melinda Pfundstein, Zack Powell, Bree Murphy and Anthony Simone, as well as musicians like Samuel Clein and Maggie Hollinbeck. The Festival hopes to raise awareness, food and monetary donations for our community members in need this fall.

“Millions of Americans are at risk of hunger, one in five of whom are children,” said event organizer Tanya Searle. “Iron County Care and Share provides food to an average of 800 families every month, helping parents and children achieve a more promising future and offering seniors a healthy and secure present. Every dollar donated at Singing for Supper will help the ICCS continue to provide these valuable services to the community.”

The ICCS assists individuals by providing a weekly pantry and an emergency shelter that offers hot meals, showers and rehabilitation assistance.  This season the pantry is in need of canned proteins (tuna, chili, stew, peanut butter, beans), as well as non-food items such as toiletries, diapers, feminine products and laundry detergent, all of which are also given out at the pantry and shelter.

Along with the Singing for Supper event, The Grind on Main Street is donating 10 percent of their proceeds to the ICCS from 1 to 7 p.m. on October 2.

Feeding America’s Hunger Action Month is a nationwide campaign mobilizing the public to take action on the issue of hunger. This campaign brings greater attention to the issue of hunger in America and promotes ways for individuals everywhere to get involved with the movement. To learn more, visit their website at feedingamerica.org.

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.

Melinda Pfundstein

Grant Goodman as Bernard in Boeing Boeing

Thomason, Goodman, Mattfeld, Geisslinger, 2014 Boeing Boeing

Geisslinger, Goodman, Mattfeld, 2014 Boeing Boeing

Our fall season kicks off this week with Boeing Boeing.

Grant Goodman plays Bernard, the 60s playboy with three fiancées. Grant is also playing Orsino in Twelfth Night and appeared in Sense and Sensibility this summer. We had a fun conversation outside the Hunter Conference Center, enjoying the sounds of demolition across the street as old buildings came down to make room for the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts.

Tell us about this play.

It’s a perfectly constructed, door slamming, bedroom farce. It’s a well-oiled machine. That’s the thing about farce. It’s not a deep psychological study by any stretch of imagination. It is like a Jenga puzzle. It’s so dependent on timing. The farce is like doing algebra – it has to be so precise. Timing is everything.

The play had a revival starting in 2008. It wasn’t popular when it first appeared in the 1960s. People didn’t want to hear about a Lothario bachelor with 3 fiancées. Now we can look back at it as a period piece and a piece of nostalgia. That’s what’s fun about it. It’s the swinging 60s with a bachelor pad – animal prints, wall paper, and velvet paintings. We’re having fun with the period and the stereotypes.

Sounds like it’s pretty physical.

Yes, it is. Our first read through, we sat around the table and we looked at each other thinking “this is terrible.” Then we stood up on our feet, got moving, and then it worked.

It’s very physical – Quinn (Mattfeld, who plays Robert) and I have the bruises to prove it, all over our bodies from lots of prat falls.

What about the characters?

It’s important that you have interesting relationships. Quinn and I are old school chums and he’s come to Paris to visit me. Chris (Moore, the director) has made us distinct: I’m the man about town and Quinn is the back woods guy from Wisconsin. There are fun accents in the show, but I’m the only one who doesn’t have an accent.

People in a comedy don’t know they’re in a comedy. You have to mine that.

Towne, Mattfeld, Griffen, Boeing Boeing 2014

What are your thoughts about the Festival?

I love it here! One of the reasons I’m happy to be here is the audiences and the ownership that the they have over the Festival. It’s nice to have smart audiences. I’ll be interested in the fall crowd and how they’re going to react.

I hope people enjoy the play – it’s a fun, fast romp!

You can visit http://www.bard.org/plays/boeing2014.html to learn more about the play.

Boeing, Boeing opens September 17 in preview and runs through October 18. You can buy tickets at www.bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.

Ways to Connect Online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/utahshakespeare, #utahshakes

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/utahshakespeare1

Pinterest:http://pinterest.com/utahshakes/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/utahshakespeare

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/UtahShakespeare

Follow @UtahShakespeare, #utahshakes

Photos by Karl Hugh. 

Boeing Boeing Preview

Grant Goodman

Tracie Thomason

Boeing Boeing

By Marc Camoletti

Translated by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans

Directed by Christopher L. Moore

As the Fall Season approaches, we’re once again opening the stage door to give you some behind the scenes peek at these new productions. Today’s preview is the first look at Boeing Boeing; check back each day this week on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest as we bring you company interviews, as well as podcasts and photos.

Principal Characters:

Bernard, played by Grant Goodman: An American playboy living in Paris, Bernard is happily engaged to three different women, none of whom know about the others.

Gloria, played by Sara Griffin: An American airline stewardess from New York City, Gloria is engaged to Bernard. She is a go-getter, sexy and works for TWA.

Gabriella, played by Tracie Thomason: An Italian airline stewardess, Gabriella is also engaged to Bernard. She is passionate and feisty and works for Alitalia.

Gretchen, played by Nell Geisslinger: A German airline stewardess, Gretchen is also engaged to Bernard. She is strong and beautiful and works for Lufthansa.

Summary:

Bernard is engaged to Gloria. And to Gabriella. And to Gretchen. The playboy bachelor is living the life, juggling the arrivals and departures of three gorgeous flight attendants. But his supersonic lifestyle goes into a tailspin when flight schedules change and all three ladies arrive at his apartment on the same evening. It is a bumpy, but hilarious ride in this farce, full of flirtatious hijinks, slamming doors, and utter confusion.

You can visit http://www.bard.org/plays/boeing2014.html to learn more about the play.

Boeing Boeing opens September 17 in preview and runs through October 18. You can buy tickets at www.bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.

Ways to Connect Online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/utahshakespeare, #utahshakes

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/utahshakespeare1

Pinterest:http://pinterest.com/utahshakes/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/utahshakespeare

Twitter:https://twitter.com/#!/UtahShakespeare

Follow @UtahShakespeare #utahshakes

Sara Griffin

Neil Geisslinger

J. Todd Adams (Sherlock Holmes) and Roderick Peeples (Professor Moriarty)

Vaughn as Watson & Adams as Holmes

The summer season is finished, temperatures are a bit cooler, and the leaves are just starting to turn. With fences lining the perimeter of what will become the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts, everyone is a buzz with excitement as buildings are being torn down to make way for new state of the art facilities.

Peeples as Moriarity in rehearsal

Adding to the excitement is the anticipation of our fall season. Along with Twelfth Night, we’ll open two new shows Boeing Boeing and Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure. We met with J. Todd Adams and Roderick Peeples outside the Hunter Conference Center to chat about the iconic Sherlock Holmes stories.

J. Todd was last here almost twenty years ago. He is excited to be back! Roderick first appeared here in 2009 and for this season, appeared in The**Comedy of Errors and is in Twelfth Night as well.

Tell us a bit about the play.

Roderick: The play (written in 1899 by Doyle and Gillette and adapted by Steven Deitz in 2006) is based on two stories: Scandal in Bohemia and The Final Problem.

Adams as Holmes

What are your thoughts about playing these characters?

J.Todd: When Holmes doesn’t have a problem to solve, he’s going crazy. He has these very addictive characteristics – chain smoking, shooting up cocaine (legal in those days). It’s interesting because it shows the mania that’s driving him. The quirks of his character and his nature are what help him be so great at solving the mysteries.

Roderick: It’s really fun for me. I don’t often get to play arch-villains. Moriarty is challenging because all you have to do is mention “Moriarty” and people go “oh…”. Everyone has an image of him.

Part of the challenge is trying to make him real: An actual human being with goals that are currently being thwarted by Holmes. Moriarty doesn’t want to be seen. He’s been successful by having this web of operatives that do his work for him. So no one ever deals with him directly. But Sherlock has gotten under his skin and caused so many problems that he’s forced to surface and deal with Sherlock directly. It becomes a personal thing.

J. Todd: I think Sherlock can’t help himself. He wants to face Moriarty and bring him down himself. They both realize they’ve met their match in each other. They both have a great deal of admiration for each other.

Roderick: It’s that passion on both sides that is their mutual undoing.

What are your thoughts about the Festival?

J. Todd: I came here when I was in high school. I’ve seen it grow. It seems busier now. I loved it when I was younger. It was a dream to get to work here. I’m thrilled to be back.

Roderick: I’ve done work at a lot of festivals around the country and you can really see why this one is king. I love it here. When I was in school at University of Texas, Austin, my mentor was Michael Finlayson, who directed many plays here in the early days. I asked him “Michael, what do you think the chances are of my getting work at the Festival?” He looked at me and said “One day Rick, one day.” It took many years, and I finally made it here in 2009.

You can learn more information about the play at http://www.bard.org/plays/sherlock2014.html 

Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure opens September 18 in preview and runs through October 18. You can buy tickets at www.bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.

Ways to Connect Online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/utahshakespeare, #utahshakes

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/utahshakespeare1

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/utahshakes/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/utahshakespeare

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/UtahShakespeare

Follow @UtahShakespeare

#utahshakes

Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure Preview

J. Todd Adams

Rick Peeples

Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure

Adapted by Steven Dietz

Based on the original 1899 play by William Gillette

and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Directed by James R. Sullivan

As the Fall Season approaches, we’re once again opening the stage door to give you some behind the scenes peek at these new productions. Today’s preview is the first look at Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure; check back each day this week on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest as we bring you company interviews, as well as podcasts and photos.

Principal Characters:

Sherlock Holmes, played by J. Todd Adams: A world-renowned and brilliant English detective, Sherlock Holmes believes he is coming to the end of this career and life—but is he?

Doctor Watson, played by Brian Vaughn: Holmes’s loyal friend and trusted companion, Doctor Watson always patiently tries to help his friend and always gets pulled into adventures whether he wishes to or not.

Professor Moriarty, played by Rick Peeples**:** The villain, a genius of crime, and Holmes’s archenemy, Professor Moriarty is just as brilliant intellectually and logically as Holmes, which is why he is such a perfect counterpart to him.

Irene Adler, played by Melinda Pfundstein: A famous opera star, Irene Adler soon catches the eye of Holmes. He is enamored by her, but meets his match, as she is fiery and not one to be bested by his cunning and intellect.

Summary:

Could this be Sherlock Holmes’ final case? Could the logical detective who has survived poison, pistols, and other predicaments actually be laid low by his love for a woman? The villainous Professor Moriarty thinks so. And, despite the best efforts of Holmes and Dr. Watson, Moriarty may just be right. “The game is afoot, Watson—and it is a dangerous one!”

You can learn more information about the play at http://www.bard.org/plays/sherlock2014.html Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure opens September 18 in preview and runs through October 18. You can buy tickets at www.bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.

Ways to Connect Online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/utahshakespeare, #utahshakes

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/utahshakespeare1

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/utahshakes/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/utahshakespeare

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/UtahShakespeare

Follow @UtahShakespeare #utahshakes

Brian Vaughn

Melinda Pfundstein