A new free outdoor theatre festival, Spring Lawn performances in November and December, the Company’s first production of perhaps Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy, and the return of several popular shows and artists will highlight Shakespeare & Company's 2003 season.
Shakespeare & Company on Monday announced its 2003 performance season, which will open May 16 and extend to December 21. Artistic Associates Susan Dibble, Jonathan Epstein, and Eleanor Holdridge planned the season with artistic director Tina Packer.
Encouraged by the success of the 2002 season, which surpassed the $1 million mark for the first time in the Company’s 25-year history, the season planners this year open up and rename the outdoor grounds as the new Bankside for free family programming, and also return to comedies in the newly-configured arena seating in Founders’ Theatre. Ticket prices have remained the same as 2002.
The Free Outdoor Bankside Festival
In 1590 in Shakespeare's London, the southern shore of the Thames River – called The Banksyde - was home to brigands, brothels, rogue businesses, and an explosion of theatrical creativity not seen before or since. Londoners would cross the river to experience plays, contests, shows, bear-baitings, and to participate in the creation of a new language and a new way of looking at the world.
This year Shakespeare & Company inaugurates a new project - The Bankside - at the south end of the property, on the banks and terraces surrounding Founders’ Theatre and the Rose Footprint. Josie’s Place (the lobby dining area and bar) will be open before and after all performances, offering light fare and a variety of drinks for purchase.
Picnickers are welcome on the grounds. The new walking trails are open at the north end of the property, near Spring Lawn, so visitors can park next to Founders’, enter the trails near the pond or through the Rose Village, discover hidden pockets in the woods, and enjoy a number of free performances outdoors before making evening curtain times.
Running from June 7 – August 31, the Bankside Festival will feature three FREE events outdoors:
Preludes playing most evenings prior to Founders’ performances at 7:15 pm outdoors on Bankside at Founders’ Theatre.
For hundreds of years during the Middle Ages, the spirit of Theatre was kept alive (although often on the run) by the street performer. It was only in the generation just before Shakespeare's that the player moved back into the playhouse. This summer Company artists will explore this part of their tradition: the Punch and Judy Show, the Burlesque, Ballads, Madrigals, Morris dances, and perhaps even a gentle Satyricon, all in the early evenings outside Founders’ Theatre. All Preludes will end around 7:30, when the doors to Founders’ open for seating.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream playing Thursdays at 6 pm, and Saturdays at 10 am and 6 pm under the tent on the Rose Footprint.
Shakespeare’s swooning youth of Athens and a troupe of hard-handed laborers enter the Fairy Kingdom and are transformed by magic and mischief into their truest selves. Bring your family, your picnic, and enjoy the journey into midsummer madness. This is Shakespeare & Company’s 2003 schools tour production directed by Kevin G. Coleman using only eight actors to play all the roles. The show runs 75 minutes and is enjoyable for all ages.
Shakespeare and the Language that Shaped a World playing Wednesdays at 6 pm, and Sundays at 10 am and 6 pm under the tent on the Rose Footprint
An outrageous, funny, and surprising splash of Shakespeare, this fast-paced performance creates historical and thematic contexts for the playing of selected scenes with a feast of language that is accessible, provocative, and immediate. The show, using the text of Shakespeare adapted into scenes authored by the Education Program, runs 45 minutes and is enjoyable for all ages.
The Fly-Bottle
The season begins in Spring Lawn on May 16 with The Fly-Bottle, a new play by David Egan first seen last year at MASS MoCA and Boston Playwrights’ Theatre for a handful of workshop performances as part of the county-wide Vienna Project. Reworked over the winter (it was originally titled Wittgenstein vs. Popper: The Main Event), the full-length comedy is directed by Tina Packer and returns its original cast of Michael Hammond (Ludwig Wittgenstein), Dave Demke (Karl Popper), and Dennis Krausnick (Bertrand Russell).
Running through August 24, The Fly-Bottle examines the famed “poker incident†between two of the world’s renowned philosophers at the Moral Science Club in England. When words failed the great thinkers, what actually occurred on that stage on October 25, 1946 in their first and only meeting? The fiery, though humorous, debate continues to this day. Press Opening is Saturday, May 24 at 8 pm.
Much Ado About Nothing
The big Shakespeare comedy returns to Founders’ Theatre May 30 – August 31 with Shakespeare’s passionate Much Ado About Nothing. Directed by Daniela Varon (Collected Stories, 2001), Much Ado features the verbal sparring of the saucy Beatrice and soldierly Benedick amidst the young love of Hero and her Claudio, the villainy of the bastard Don John, and the lunacy of constable Dogberry and his inept peacekeepers. Varon’s production will set the sun-dappled Sicilian romance in the 1950s, where family offers are hard to refuse; honor is often deceptive; and eating, dancing, and Sinatra are a way of life. Press Opening is Saturday, June 7 at 8 pm.
The cast features Allyn Burrows (Henry V, Oberon, Berowne) as Benedick and introduces Boston actress Paula Langton as Beatrice. Also in the cast are Elizabeth Aspenlieder (Margaret), Jason Asprey (Verges), Mel Cobb (Antonio), Jonathan Croy (Don Pedro), Johnny Lee Davenport (Borachio), Jonathan Epstein (Dogberry), Malcolm Ingram (Leonato), Dan McCleary (Don John/Sexton), Susannah Melone (Hero), Mark Saturno (Claudio), and Gabriel Vaughan (Conrade).
The Chekhov One-Acts
This season the Company steps away from the works of novelist Edith Wharton in the 101-seat Spring Lawn Theatre and introduces the comic sketches of Anton Chekhov to the popular One-Acts tea-time schedule. Running June 20 – August 31, Normi Noël will direct the Eric Bentley/Theodore Hoffman translations of Chekhov’s The Celebration, Swan Song, The Harmfulness of Tobacco, and The Brute. Press Opening is Saturday, June 28 at 2 pm.
“Like Shakespeare, Chekhov is a master at revealing the strange map of the heart, and his compassion for the ‘human comedy’ shows up in all four of these One-Acts,†says Noël, director of The Wharton One-Acts in 2001-02. “The characters and situations move between the poignant and the ridiculous, and somehow remain deliciously familiar: a henpecked husband, an actress past her prime, a self-important bureaucrat, and a couple about to kill each other until they recognize they are in love. They are drawn with as much understanding and complexity as his longer dramas.†The cast includes Susanna Apgar, Benjamin Carr, Mary Guzzy, Miles Herter, Robert Lohbauer, Diane Prusha, and Spencer Trova.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)
It sold out in 2000, then again in 2001. We thought that would be the end of it. But they’re back again by popular demand. Director Tony Simotes and the funny boys return with their critically-acclaimed production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) in Founders’ Theatre from July 5 – August 31. Written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield, multiple versions of the send-up are playing to sold-out houses around the world – isn’t that good enough?! Press Opening is Friday, July 11 at 8 pm.
The premise is simple: perform all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays in only two hours. This is Shakespeare without borders (or any sense of dignity): Titus Andronicus bakes, Henry V passes the pigskin, Juliet gets hit by the ugly tree, and Hamlet returns to Denmark on “backwards day.â€
The production returns original cast members Jonathan Croy (S&Co roles: Pistol, Caliban, Orsino, Buckingham) and Josef Hansen (Ethan Frome, Wit). And the boys grudgingly resigned themselves to welcome new cast member Dan McCleary (Macbeth, Coriolanus, Stephano, Herman Melville, Don Armado, Hotspur).
Vita & Virginia
Actress Tod Randolph returns to the role that won her critical acclaim in S&Co’s productions of Virginia and A Room of One’s Own several years ago. Randolph plays author Virginia Woolf to Catherine Taylor-Williams’ Vita Sackville-West in Eileen Atkins’ dramatic adaptation of their correspondence, Vita & Virgina runs in Spring Lawn from July 12 – August 31. Press Opening is Saturday, July 19 at 10:30 am.
In the passion and genius of the letters between Woolf and her lover Sackville-West, two revolutionary artists draw a startling connection between “unconventional†love and creative inspiration. Vita, the free-spirited author of novels and poems (and the protagonist in Woolf's 1928 novel, Orlando) discovered a shared love of language with the older, economical Virginia in the famed Bloomsbury group.
Their exploration continued with a passion documented in letters, here fashioned for the stage in a tender, tragic dialogue that illuminates as much the genius of the Modernists as the desperation of the heart.
King Lear
Tina Packer directs Jonathan Epstein in Shakespeare’s most powerful tragedy, King Lear, in Founders’ Theatre from July 18 – August 30. Lear, never before produced in its entirety by the Company, tells the story of two families and a country torn apart by foolish decisions: fathers and their children abandoning love and playing for power with catastrophic consequences. Press Opening is Saturday, August 2 at 8 pm.
Lear banishes the most loving of his three daughters, dividing his kingdom between the other two; while the Earl of Gloucester sends his most loving son into exile. The fathers’ actions are so blind, figuratively and literally, that only profound sacrifice can create the redemption craved.
“I believe Lear to be one of the world’s greatest tragedies,†says Packer. “It is written in the most sublime poetry and offers profound insight into the workings of the human mind, exploring the eternal question: Who are we?â€
Epstein (Bottom, Richard III, Aufidius, Feste, Shylock, Falstaff) plays Lear and is joined on stage by Elizabeth Aspenlieder (Regan), Jason Asprey (Edgar), Ariel Bock (Goneril), Lon Troland Bull (Burgundy), Mel Cobb (Oswald), Kevin G. Coleman (Fool), Johnny Lee Davenport (Gloucester), Malcolm Ingram (Kent), Mark Saturno (Cornwall), Daniel J. Sherman (Albany), John Douglas Thompson (Edmund), Michael F. Toomey (France), and Kristin Wold (Cordelia).
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
The outdoor Rose Footprint Theatre will be tented this season to protect audience and actors from the elements, leaving the sides open for viewing the landscape and for the Summer Performance Institute’s Bare Bard production of Shakespeare’s first romantic comedy, July 31 – August 31. The Two Gentlemen of Verona, directed by David Demke, will have a running time of just over two hours and will be performed by eight actors from the Company’s S.P.I. program, which consists of participants from recent S&Co actor intensive workshops.
Shakespeare’s exuberant romp through the rapture and despair of youth features a quartet of troubled lovers. The rich young Proteus forsakes his girlfriend Julia for his best friend Valentine’s sweetheart, Silvia. It will take the courage of Shakespeare’s faithful women to untangle the mess and compel the young men to act their age. Press Opening is Sunday, August 10 at noon.
Ethan Frome
Following the success of last autumn’s first entry in the new “Berkshire Writers Series†with The Scarlet Letter, Dennis Krausnick’s returns to direct his riveting adaptation of Ethan Frome in Founders’ Theatre. Running September 5 – November 2, Krausnick has slightly revised his Edith Wharton adaptation, which was last produced at S&Co to critical acclaim in 1997.
Set inside the blinding starkness of a 19th century Berkshire winter, a man who has given up on the passion of his marriage discovers fresh life when a young woman enters the household to care for his ailing wife. Their forbidden love wreaks grief and unspeakable destruction in a lonely New England farmhouse. Wharton’s tragedy speaks to all who settle for less than their heart’s desire. Press Opening is Saturday, September 13 at 7:30 pm.
The cast of four includes Elizabeth Aspenlieder as Mattie Silver (Fulvia in Valley of Decision, Hermia in Midsummer Night’s Dream, Helena in All’s Well), Kevin G. Coleman as Frome (Peter Quince Midsummer Night’s Dream, Capulet in Romeo and Juliet).
Lettice and Lovage
Performances extend into the holiday season this year and bring together two of the Company’s acclaimed actors for the first time. Tina Packer and Diane Prusha pair up in Peter Shaffer’s comedy Lettice and Lovage in Spring Lawn from November 7 – December 21. A Tony Award® nominee for Best Play in 1990, the Broadway production starred award-winning actresses Maggie Smith and Margaret Tyzack. Press Opening is Saturday, November 15 at 7:30 pm.
Miss Lettice Douffet is a lover of history – except the tedious, boring parts. This makes for some controversial revelations in her job as Tour Guide at the unutterably dull Fustian House in London. Promptly sacked by Charlotte Schoen, Lettice unintentionally engages “Lotte†in discovering the imagination locked deeply within her. Lettice and Lotte then establish their Eyesore Negation Detachment and set out to enlarge everyone’s shrunken souls.
DibbleDance: The Fools’ and Lovers’ Dances
Susan Dibble choreographs her new work The Fools’ and Lovers’ Dances for three nights in Founders’ Theatre, June 26-28. This season Susan and her dancers joyously perform traditional and non-traditional dances celebrating the language of Shakespeare's fools and lovers, with music ranging from Ravel to Nina Rota to Eno and including classic fools and clowns Feste, Touchstone, Mercutio, Trinculo, and Lear’s Fool.
11th Annual Studio Festival of Plays
The Studio Festival of Plays is the Company’s testing ground for new plays that are currently inspiring its artists. This year the performances are free, ticketed events in Spring Lawn Theatre, playing August 26-31. Performances in the five timeslots will be readings or staged readings, and will closely resemble open rehearsals. Studio scripts that have gone on to full productions in the last few seasons include Golda’s Balcony, The Scarlet Letter, Coriolanus, A Tanglewood Tale, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), and Wit. The full schedule will be announced in August.
Shakespeare & Young Company and The Fall Festival of Shakespeare
The genius, wit, and energy of teenagers is unleashed on Shakespeare's plays in two of Shakespeare & Company's renowned education programs: Shakespeare & Young Company takes a fresh look at a selection of scenes from Shakespeare's plays performed on the Rose Footprint, August 22 and 24. And on November 20-23, The Fall Festival of Shakespeare brings the bold, courageous, and playful work of more than 500 teenagers from 10 schools to the ideal setting - Founders' Theatre. For more information about S&Co’s nationally-recognized Education Program, call (413) 637-1199 ext. 123 or education@shakespeare.org.
Reading of The Declaration of Independence
Shakespeare & Company observes the Fourth of July with a public, group reading of the document that started it all. Join Company members and our government representatives as we celebrate the power of language to change the world. This is a free event scheduled for the tented Rose Footprint Theatre on Friday, July 4 at 2 pm.
The Gala Celebration
Join us on Saturday, October 11 in Founders’ Theatre for a special Gala evening featuring a celebratory dinner and a command performance by S&Co’s very young Berkshire actors from its acclaimed Education Program. This bold troupe infuses Shakespeare's language with an inspired energy and heart that would make Elizabethan audiences proud. Contact the Development Office at (413) 637-1199 ext. 134 for tickets and information.
The Theatres Founders’ Theatre Founders’ air-conditioned, scaffold-and-canvas theatre this year is remodeled into an exciting arena seating configuration, placing audiences on three sides and two levels of the action. This configuration will seat up to 422 in box seats and in comfortable armless, cushion-backed benches. Founders’ has reserved seating in three differently priced sections, and provides full-service ticketing for all shows during regular Box Office hours throughout the season. The lobby bar (Josie’s Place), overlooking Bankside, offers pre- and post-show light meals and drinks.
Spring Lawn Theatre Entering this 1904 Berkshire Cottage, located on Kemble Street next to The Kemble Inn and just a five-minute walk to town, is an experience in and of itself. Its view looking out over the sloping acreage toward Tanglewood and Lenox Mountain is the perfect setting for sipping tea in the afternoon in the dining room. Spring Lawn, with 101 seats in the elegant salon, has reserved seating. Spring Lawn’s Box Office will open one hour prior to each performance. Reserved tickets for that performance may be picked up or purchased at this time.
Tented outdoor Rose Footprint This year audiences and actors will be able to experience Shakespeare outdoors on the new, tented Rose without experiencing the heat and rain. Shakespeare & Company is in the midst of Phase Two of its re-creation of the world’s only historically accurate Rose Playhouse, surrounded by its own Elizabethan village. The original Rose, built in 1587 on the south bank of London’s Thames River (Banksyde), was one of the first playhouses in England and where Shakespeare’s earliest plays were performed. In shape, the Rose will be a cylindrical, open-air performance space very similar to London’s Globe Theatre. An integral element of the early design phase is the Rose Footprint theatre, which closely resembles the actual Rose dimensions on a simple stage with simple bleacher seating. The pit, where the groundlings will eventually stand, now provides lawn chair seating and open ground for blankets and picnicking. Seating is general admission. Performances will occur under the tent, rain or shine. Weather-related ticket refunds are not available.
Box Office, Discounts, Subscriptions, Pricing
Through March 30, ticket orders will be accepted and processed by mail, e-ticketing, and fax. From March 31 – December 21, the Box Office will be open every day for walk-up and phone orders. The Box Office phone is (413) 637-3353 to request a brochure (with order form). The fax is (413) 637-3160. Round-the-clock/real time e-ticketing is available at shakespeare.org. E-mail is boxoffice@shakespeare.org.
The 6-Show Subscription Package is available at a 25% discount over individual prices. Subscribers can choose one of three 6-show packages, their preferred seating, and flexibility in ticketing and exchanges. Packages range from $132-$204.
There are discounts for Berkshire Night (50% off for full-time, year-round Berkshire residents in Founders’ and the Rose Footprint for each week’s first performance), Kids’ Night (free admission for ages 5-18 in Founders’ on Sunday nights), Adult Groups ($5 off groups of 15 or more) and School/Camp Groups ($6 off groups of 15 or more), Seniors ($2 off all shows except Saturday nights for ages 65 and up), and Juniors ($5 off all shows except Saturday nights for ages 18 and under). Also, $10 Rush Tix will once again be made available one hour prior to curtain (if seats available) for patrons aged 23 and younger at all theatres for all performances.
Individual ticket prices in Founders’ range from $10-$45 ($50 for opening nights with informal reception with the artists). Tickets in Spring Lawn range from $27-$42. The outdoor Rose Footprint Theatre prices range from $8-$15. Free events include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare & the Language that Shaped a World, Preludes, and The Studio Festival of Plays.
“This season represents a renewed commitment to those qualities which have characterized Shakespeare & Company’s work at its best: a vivid and dynamic actor-audience relationship, a love of nature and the place art has within it, and a passion for articulate language coupled with physical exuberance, grace, and courage,†says Epstein.
“The season reflects in microcosm those sorts of relationships which define us most strongly as human beings: the bond between parent and child in Much Ado About Nothing, King Lear, and Two Gentlemen of Verona, the constraints which society places upon the spirit in The Chekhov One-Acts and Ethan Frome, the power of friendship in Vita & Virginia and Lettice and Lovage, the shared life of the intellect in The Fly-Bottle; and in Complete Works, Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the Preludes - everywhere really - the desire and need to rejoice.â€
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Winter Storm Warning Issued for Berkshires
Another snowstorm is expected to move through the region overnight on Friday, bringing 5 to 8 inches of snow. This is updated from Thursday's winter weather advisory.
The National Weather Service in Albany, N.Y., has posted a winter storm warning for all of Berkshire County and parts of eastern New York State beginning Friday at 4 p.m. through Saturday at 1 p.m.
The region could see heavy to moderate snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour overnight, tapering off Saturday morning to flurries.
Drivers should exercise caution on Friday night and Saturday morning, as travel conditions may be hazardous.
Saturday night should be clear and calm, but warming temperatures means freezing rain Sunday night and rain through Monday with highs in the 40s. The forecast isn't much better through the week as temperatures dip back into the teens with New Year's Eve looking cloudy and frigid.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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