Playmakers Summer Shakespeare

Playmakers Summer Shakespeare Starts Soon

CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Education Department at the Utah Shakespeare Festival is excited to announce its twelfth annual Playmakers Summer Shakespeare Program.

The Playmakers Summer Shakespeare Program is for beginners and returning students. Registration is open for youth 6-17 and is only $90. Classes run on weekdays from 1 to 3 p.m. from June 16 to 28.

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 from the current season on June 28 on the Adams Shakespearean Theatre stage. Included in the registration fee is a free ticket to see the Festival’s production of The Comedy of Errors.

Playmakers was created by Education Director Michael Bahr in 2002 as a way to extend the Festival’s educational offerings to the community year-round. Playmakers is a great opportunity for students to learn not only about theatre, but also about team work, problem solving and creative thinking.

Bahr commented, “we have been thrilled with the successes of this program; hundreds of students have received their first acting experience through this program and have grown as actors and students.”

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

Meet our New General Manager

A New General Manager for the Utah Shakespeare Festival

Cedar City, UT – After an extensive search and interview process, the Utah Shakespeare Festival recently announced the hiring of Zachary Murray as its new general manager.

As General Manager, Murray will serve in a senior leadership role working with R. Scott Phillips, executive director, and David Ivers and Brian Vaughn, artistic directors, to support the goals, vision, and mission of the Festival. This is accomplished by overseeing all of the financial strategies and business operations. Murray will assist in protecting the artistic integrity of the Festival through long-term financial planning and stability.

“We spent a great deal of time and care in our general manager search as this will be a key position to the future of the Festival,” said Phillips. “I think Zachary will be a great addition to our company; he’s uniquely qualified because of his experience working in the financial arena and passion for the arts. Coming from an accounting background with Southern Utah University, in Cedar City, Zachary will be able to assist me in making financially viable choices for the growth and expansion of the Festival for years to come.”

Murray brings a wealth of knowledge and professional experience to the position. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southern Utah University, he continued to work in the field obtaining quality accounting practice. He then opened his own business and returned to SUU to obtain a duel master’s degree in business administration and accounting. After a few years away, SUU offered Murray a newly created position in the Student Services Division. He developed the position and became an asset to student services and the financial services areas. He was then presented with the opportunity to work directly for the controller’s office as the plant and auxiliary accountant where he prepared financial reports, helped with budget projections and provided support to multiple departments on campus. His time with SUU has given him a solid foundation in merging business with higher education practices. And now he plans to incorporate his expertise into supporting and enhancing the preforming arts.

“I am very excited at this new challenge in my career,” said Murray. “It’s important to work for an organization where you believe in the mission, and I think the Festival brings a lot of educational awareness and artistic value to the community, region and thousands of stakeholders. I’m looking forward to working with a team where together we can analyze and evaluate the information, which will then influence strategic long-range plans and organizational goals of the Festival. Accounting is the art of examining what an organization looks like financially and I can’t wait to provide timely, efficient and useful reports, policies and procedures that will help improve the financial health and longevity of the Festival.”

Flachmann Fellows

Flachmann Fellows Carry on the Legacy of Long-Time Festival Dramaturg

Cedar City, UT – Last August the Utah Shakespeare Festival lost long-time Festival dramaturg, author, and friend, Dr. Michael Flachmann. The passing was felt far and wide as he left behind a legacy of service and passion for education and the arts. Dr. Flachmann spent over 25 years with the Festival infusing productions with scholarship, context and vitality.

Dr. Flachmann taught Shakespeare at California State University, Bakersfield, during the academic year and then extended his expertise to the Utah Shakespeare Festival in the summer, consulting with directors as they worked to bring the visions for their productions to fruition. He dedicated his entire adult life to helping people of all ages appreciate the world of Shakespeare and of theatre in general.

In order to honor and pay respect to his remarkable work, friendship, and dedication Artistic Directors David Ivers and Brian Vaughn have established the Flachmann Fellows, an endowed program which will provide employment for one or two research scholars each season.

“Michael would be thrilled that the job he held with the Utah Shakespeare Festival for over 25 years has been turned into an educational program,” said Dr. Kim Flachmann, Michael’s wife. “There are very few training programs for dramaturgs, but now, thanks to the enterprising efforts of Brian and David, what brought Michael such joy has been redesigned so others can learn this very special trade.”

The inaugural candidates Dr. Sarah McCarroll and Frank Honts, will cover dramaturgical duties across five productions in the 2014 season. Initial funding for these dynamic fellows will be provided from within the Festival’s annual budget. The Fellows will receive a stipend, housing and a small supply budget to aide the work.

Dr. McCarroll is an Assistant Professor of Theatre at Georgia Southern University, where she teaches courses including Theatre History, Script Analysis, and Costume Design. In addition, she is a faculty member in the Center for Irish Research and Teaching. She holds a Ph.D. in Theatre History from Indiana University and an MFA in Costume Design from the University of Alabama. Her research interests combine these two fields via the examination of clothing and bodies on the 19th century English stage. Dr. McCarrol has been working with the Festival since 2003. She started as a stitcher and has since held a number of positions in the Festival Costume Shop over the past decade, including first hand and wardrobe supervisor. She is honored to be one of the inaugural Flachmann Fellows and delighted to explore a new role at the Festival.

Frank Honts is thrilled to be returning to the Festival for his second season and is honored to be an inaugural Flachmann Fellow. In 2011, Honts was the assistant director for the Festival’s productions of The Winter’s Tale and Dial “M” for Murder. For over three seasons, he was the production dramaturg for six shows at Forward Theater Company in Madison, Wisconsin, including In the Next Room, Good People, Going to St. Ives, and The Farnsworth Invention. Honts was also artistic associate at Forward Theater, where he helped to organize the company’s casting and play selection. Recent directing projects include Rep Lab (Milwaukee Rep’s short play festival), 9 Circles (Midwest premiere), Speech & Debate, Discovering Austen (world premiere), and staged readings of Uncivil Disobedience and Oatesland. He has also worked as an assistant director at Milwaukee Repertory Theater, California Shakespeare Theater, American Players Theatre, Madison Opera, and Forward Theater Company. Frank received his A.B. in history from Brown University.

“Each dramaturg will work in and out of the rehearsal hall to provide valuable research and insight into our seasonal productions,” said Ivers. “Please join us in welcoming Sarah and Frank to the Festival and to our larger community.”

“With this program, the Festival will now provide others the opportunity to learn how to be a dramaturg and play a role in the exciting mission of bringing words on a page to life for others to appreciate,” said Dr. Flachmann. “The Flachmann Fellows are a very special tribute to Michael and to everyone at the Festival who continues to work hard each year to offer the best lessons about life to their audiences.”

Announcing the 2015 Season!

The Utah Shakespeare Festival recently revealed its 2015 season, eight exciting and diverse comedies, musicals, tragedies, and histories running from June to October. Artistic Directors David Ivers and Brian Vaughn announced the season, which includes four Shakespeare classics, a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, a classic American farce, one of the world’s greatest suspense thrillers, and the story of the famous composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Tickets for the 2015 season go on sale June 23, 2014. They are available via the Festival website, www.bard.org; telephone, 800-PLAYTIX; or at the Ticket Offices at the Adams Shakespearean and Randall L. Jones theatres.

The Adams Shakespearean Theatrewill feature three plays by William Shakespeare, playing from June to August. First is the Festival’s continuation of its History Cycle with the fourth play in Shakespeare’s theatrical chronicle of England and its kings: Henry IV Part Two. Henry IV Part Twopicks up where Henry IV Part One left off. Theatregoers won’t want to miss this epic family drama that ultimately leads up to the War of the Roses.

Also in the Adams Theatre will be two of the Bard’s greatest works, King Learand The Taming of the Shrew – two shows on opposite ends of the theatrical spectrum. One demonstrates a mighty king who falls into a state of tragic disintegration and madness while the other is a witty, slapstick comedy about the battle of the sexes.

In the Randall L. Jones Theatre will be Rodgers and Hammerstein’s captivating and Pulitzer Prize winning musical South Pacific, as well asAmadeus, Peter Shaffer’s brilliant fictionalized account of the lives of composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri.

In addition, the Randall Theatre will also include the hilarious farce Charley’s Aunt by Brandon Thomas*.* Love, romance, and secret disguises drive the plot ofCharley’s Aunt, which will play throughout the Festival season, from June to October. Rounding out the late end of the season will be Shakespeare’s romantic adventure The Two Gentlemen of Verona andSteven Dietz’s Dracula, adapted from Bram Stoker’s original novel. Both will play from September to October.

“This new year, 2015, is yet another thrilling season that not only keeps our mission front and center, but further bolsters our commitment to the works of William Shakespeare,” said Ivers. “I’m particularly excited to shareAmadeuswith our audiences and to return Charley’s Aunt to the Randall Theatre. In addition, by the time the 2015 season opens, the new Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts will be rising out of the red earth before our eyes. There’s a lot to look forward to.”

Vaughn agreed: “The 2015 season marks the conclusion of an amazing trajectory of work in the Adams Shakespearean Theatre.  The last full season in the theatre, 2015 will be a time full of reflection, regard and much remembrance as we celebrate the next glorious chapter of the Utah Shakespeare Festival.”

Brian Vaughn

David Ivers

The Festival's Annual Birthday Bash

Birthday Cake with Queen Elizabeth

The Bard turned 450 years old this April and the Utah Shakespeare Festival celebrated in style with the annual Bard’s Birthday Bash. Over 1,200 elementary school students from Iron and Washington County were invited to the event on April 24 and 25.

This two-day event is an exciting and enthusiastic way of exposing kids to the life and works of William Shakespeare through their own performances, as well as by observing the efforts of other students. Students also participated in period activities such as jousting and maypole games, as well as enjoying cake with Queen Elizabeth I.

Even after 450 years, Shakespeare still has a strong impact and influential role in society and on people’s educational upbringing. Why is Shakespeare so prevalent and incorporated in school curriculum? 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 encompassed every emotional experience human beings have.”

Dance around the Maypole

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 several books, movies and TV shows. Even our everyday language has been shaped by the common phrases he originally coined*;* dead as a doornail, a laughing stock, fair play, a wild goose chase, neither here nor there, in stitches*,* just to name a few*.* For decades, Shakespeare has been the most frequently studied and performed playwright around the world.

“I think people are more engaged in the world around them when they can comprehend and appreciate Shakespeare,” said Stavros. “It’s our mission at the Festival to make sure everyone we encounter understands Shakespeare. We believe that when people grasp the power of his language that they’ll love it and become life long supporters.

Additionaly, members of the Utah Shakespeare Festival Playmakers and their families wished a happy 450th birthday to William Shakespeare as part of the Folger Shakespeare Library “Shakespeare Flashmob.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P7HrC_JxsQ&feature=youtu.be

Happy birthday Will.

Happy Birthday Will!

Happy Birthday William Shakespeare!

Even after 450 years, Shakespeare still has a strong impact and influential role in society and on people’s educational upbringing. 

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 several books, movies and TV shows. Even our everyday language has been shaped by the common phrases he originally coined*: dead as a doornail, a laughing stock, fair play, a wild goose chase, neither here nor there, in stitches*, just to name a few. For a more complete list, check outhttp://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/phrases-sayings-shakespeare.html

For decades, Shakespeare has been the most frequently studied and performed playwright around the world. 

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.

Here at the Festival, we are celebrating his birthday with our annual “Birthday Bash” for the school children of Iron County. Check back early next week for photos.

Happy birthday Will!

For information about our 2014 season, please visitwww.bard.org to learn about the plays and order tickets.

Utah Shakespeare Festival Receives NEA Grant

Utah Shakespeare Festival Receives National Endowment for the Arts Grant

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa announced today that the Utah Shakespeare Festival is one of 886 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant. The Festival is recommended for a $10,000grant to support the world premiere adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility.  

The grant will support the artistic team and artists of Sense and Sensibility. J.R. Sullivan and Joseph Hanreddy were commissioned to adapt Jane Austen’s beloved novel in 2011 after they successfully adapted Austin’s Pride and Prejudice, which was produced at the Festival in 2010 and has been produced in many other regional theatres. This adaptation will encompass a company of 18 actors and will be a fully realized show.

NEA Acting Chairman Shigekawa said, “The NEA is pleased to announce that the Utah Shakespeare Festival is recommended for an NEA Art Works grant. These NEA-supported projects will not only have a positive impact on local economies, but will also provide opportunities for people of all ages to participate in the arts, help our communities to become more vibrant, and support our nation’s artists as they contribute to our cultural landscape.”

“We were thrilled to receive the news that our new adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility has been awarded an NEA grant for 2014,” said Development Director Jyl Shuler. “This NEA award is important to the Festival not only for its monetary value, but what it adds to the Festival’s reputation and visibility on the national theatre scene.”

Art Works grants support the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and enhancement of the livability of communities through the arts.  The NEA received 1,515 eligible applications under the Art Workscategory, requesting more than $76 million in funding. Of those applications, 886 are recommended for grants for a total of $25.8 million. For a complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support, please visit the NEA website at arts.gov.

Tickets are on sale for the Festival’s 53rd season, which will run from June 23 to October 18, 2014. Visit www.bard.org for more information. 

J.R. Sullivan

Joseph Hanreddy

Join us for Playmakers' Pirates of Penzance

The students of the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s Playmakers program have been hard at work on their upcoming production of The Pirates of Penzance. Now they are ready to set sail and show it off with performances April 10 through April 14 in the Randall L. Jones Theatre.

Tickets are general admission and are $5 for children and students, and $8 for adults. They can be purchased by calling 435-586-7878 or online at www.bard.org.

This group of over eighty Iron County students, together with their fearless leaders from the Festival’s education department, have put together what promises to be an exciting, adventurous voyage enjoyable for the whole family.

“Once a student has performed in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, they can do anything,” said Festival Education Director Michael Bahr.

The Pirates of Penzance is a hilarious musical farce that centers on a host of colorful characters including sentimental pirates, bumbling policemen, dim-witted young lovers, dewy-eyed daughters and an eccentric Major General.

“This show is a wonderful tool for teaching diction, musicality and character, plus it’s laughter and excitement for the whole family,” said Bahr. “In addition to public performances the student cast will be performing four matinees for local elementary schools.”

Groundbreaking Marks a Historical Moment!

Today the cultural landscape of southern Utah was forever changed as the first shovel broke ground on the long awaited Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts on the campus of Southern Utah University. The Center is predicted to further establish Cedar City as a regional arts mecca.

It will serve as the home to the new Shakespeare theatre and a new studio theatre for the Utah Shakespeare Festival, an artistic/production building for the Festival, and the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA). The Center also features a tree lined walkway and sculpture gardens and will offer many large public gathering spaces ideal for receptions and special events.

Dignitaries from across the state helped celebrate this momentous occasion including Julie Fisher, executive director of heritage and arts and member of the Governor’s cabinet; Senator Evan Vickers; Representatives John Westwood, Brad Last, Kay McIff, Don Ipson and Mike Noel, and Gage Froerer;Commissioner of Higher Education David Buhler and members of the Utah State Board of Regents; Ann Crocker President of the Sorenson Legacy Foundation; Utah State Building Board members Dave Tanner and Ned Carnahan; the project’s architects Kevin Blalock and his team from Blalock and Partners; city and county officials; Southern Utah University Trustees; and SUU presidents past and present.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, the Utah Shakespeare Festival revealed that the new outdoor Shakespeare theatre would be named after the Engelstad family. After receiving a $5 million gift in 2012, at that time the largest in the theatre company’s history, the Festival is proud to honor the Englestad Family Foundation of Las Vegas.

The Englestad Theatre will still have the same intimate actor/audience relationship and will feel very similar to the current open air Adams Theatre. The space has updated amenities and modern accessibilities, including an elevator and increased ADA seating. The theatre will also have a flexible roof covering for inclement weather.

The Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre was also announced during the ceremony. This new 200-seat studio will provide a third, flexible option for Festival programming, allowing the production of small, intimate plays to complement the offerings in the new Englestad Theatre and the existing Randall L. Jones Theatre.

“For a quarter of a century the dream of a Shakespeare Center has been in the planning and fundraising stage,” said Festival Founder Fred C. Adams. “The new Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts will be a lasting gift to the Festival, Cedar City and Southern Utah University.  Beverley was a lifelong advocate and supporter of the arts.  She firmly believed that reaching children through the arts will make them lifelong appreciators of what is good and noble in this world. Today is the fulfillment of that dream as we actually turn earth to signify that this will become a long awaited reality."

Festival Executive Director R. Scott Phillips remarked, “The Center will enable the Utah Shakespeare Festival and the SUMA to expand programming and continue to contribute to the economic vitality of Cedar City.  SUU students, faculty, staff, and professional artists will have the opportunity to work and perform in these facilities perfecting their craft and creating lasting work. Upon completion, the Center will be a grand gathering place. I envision a future where every child in southern Utah will be able to experience professional live performances and participate in visual art regardless of geography, education, or economics."

Also included in the ceremonial program was detailed information about the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA). This state-of-the-art museum will feature approximately 5,300 square feet of exhibition space composed of four galleries: the Braithwaite, the Rocki Alice, the Austin and Magda Jones and the Jim Jones which showcases work by the renowned Utah artist. SUMA will exhibit international and regional art, as well as that by art and design students and faculty.

The museum will have dedicated space for collection storage, care and research. The building design will allow visitors to witness the behind the scenes operations in the Maud Trismen Mason Collection and Conservation Studio. The Beverley Taylor Sorenson Education Suite includes 1,000 square feet and will provide classroom space for hands-on educational activities for K-12 school groups, and workspace for the SUU graduate and undergraduate students who will operate the museum.

“SUMA has been a labor of love by numerous individuals who have given generously,” said Dean of Performing and Visual Arts Shauna Mendini. “Topping the list is Cedar City’s treasure, Jim Jones. At the beginning of this project, Jimmy wrote a letter of introduction stating: ‘I propose to give all I have to the building of a Southern Utah Museum of Art. I have a home, paintings, and work by artists I have known and loved over the years. These, I propose, will be the seed from which, with your help, this project will grow.’  I can speak with confidence that Jimmy would be delighted with how his seed has grown. His life-long dream was to see a significant art museum built in Cedar City and today marks the realization of that dream.”  

The Sorenson Legacy Foundation provided the lead gift of $6 million for the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts. Other major gifts were given fromthe George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, Rocki Alice, the Ashton Family Foundation, Garth and Jerri Frehner, the Simmons Family Foundation, O.C. Tanner Company, Austin and Magda Jones, the estate of Jim Jones, the State of Utah, Iron County, and Cedar City Corporation.

The Center is expected to begin rising on the Southern Utah University campus this summer, with completion in 2016. The Festival will continue without interruption its current programming of eight shows and a free nightlyGreenshow, as well as seminars, orientations, and backstage tours throughout the construction period.

For more information or to donate visit sorensonarts.org or bard.org

Annual Board of Governors Fundraising Gala

Save the Date for the Twenty-Second Annual Board of Governors Fundraising Gala

Join the Festival for its single largest and most important fundraiser of the year on Friday, July 11 in Cedar City—this year themed around Regency Romance and the world premiere of Sense and Sensibility.

The twenty-second edition of the annual Board of Governors Fundraising Gala will feature an evening of cocktails, dinner, contribution opportunities, and a new adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, commissioned by the Festival.

Last year’s event raised over $110,000, and Development Director Jyl Shuler wants to raise even more this year, all in support of the Festival mission to present life-affirming classic and contemporary plays.

Presenting Sponsor tables are $5,000 and include first priority seating for ten guests at the dinner and Sense and Sensibility, and acknowledgement in the dinner program and Playbill insert. Table Sponsorships are $2,000 and include priority seating for ten guests at the dinner and Sense and Sensibility and acknowledgement in the dinner program. Individual tickets are $200 each.

“We suggest you wear the event colors black, white and pastels,” said Shuler, “or dress in your Regency Romantic finest.”

For information call 435-586-7880.