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Last night, another set of volunteers put together another successful reading. In fact, I have to admit that December’s Reading, directed by Erica Riggs Johnston was far more delightful than my own “Henry VIII”. She and her cast have set a very high standard for the spring play readings! The 27 audience members were very enthusiastic and several contributed to an impromptu Q&A immediately following the reading. All in all it was a lovely night.
~Heather Parish
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The recording of the Reading can be downloaded here. All’s Well that Ends Well Reading
Featured in this reading were Gabriela Lawson (Helena), Miles Villanueva (Bertram), Jay Parks (Parolles), GJ Thelin (Widow/Clown), Amelia Ryan (Countess), Suzanne Grazyna (Diana), and many other talented actors and community volunteers.
Last night I was in the lobby of the Severance Building, greeting patrons at the Complete Works (Abridged). The house hadn’t opened yet, so patrons were milling about and reading their programs. I overheard a couple comment to each other how “interesting it is that they do a reading every month at a library. What a good idea!”. Another couple pointed out the Readings to each other, and finally a mother and a teenaged boy (who was taking AP English Lit in school) came up to me and asked for more specifics on the Readings.
After the show, a group of older patrons who had attended our shows in the Park asked about the Readings. “Is it new? Did you just begin them?”
After one night of all of these questions, it became clear that the Readings need to be addressed more publicly! They are one of our best, most consistent programs for the community, as well as our longest standing (WSF instituted the Readings with the Fresno County Library during its first year).
So, here’s the skinny:
Every third Tuesday of the month from October to April, Woodward Shakespeare Festival offers a Staged Reading of a play. Most of the plays are Shakespeare, but this year we’re adding one non-Shakespearean classic play to the cycle.
The casts of the Readings are a combination of regular WSF company members and community volunteers. The directors are often artists who want to develop their skills ‘in the room’ with actors and who truly enjoy working on classic texts. The casts meet for only six to eight hours prior to the reading to rehearse and incorporate the most basic of blocking. The emphasis of the Readings is to focus on the language of the scripts and appreciate the story in its own right– independent of formal theatrical staging, directorial concepts, or production values.
WSF maintains a list of volunteers who are interested in participating and we are committed to casting those volunteers at least once during our cycle. They often get cast more than once, though. The Readings have also been an open door for people who have wanted to try acting but don’t yet have the confidence to audition for a show or people interested in becoming involved with the Festival.
The Fresno County Library hosts the evening, usually in Woodward Park Regional Library’s Story Room where refreshments are served and the audience gets a chance to read along with the actors (copies of the scripts are available). It is all very informal and non-threatening. If time permits after a reading, we often hold a 10 minute talk-back Q & A between the actors and the audience
And this year, as our offerings become stronger, the audience participation has grown. Our first two readings welcomed between 30 and 40 patrons, many of whom stayed after to discuss the Readings with the actors and ask how they can become involved.
And, of course, in keeping with WSF’s mission to make the works of Shakespeare accessible to all, there is no admission charge for the Readings. They are completely FREE.
OUR UPCOMING READINGS:
Our December Reading is right around the corner. All’s Well that End’s Well will be presented this Tuesday evening, December 16th at 6:30 p.m. at the Woodward Park Library. A remarkably fresh and insightful comment on journeys, transformation, and female empowerment, the play is about a young woman’s quest to win her reluctant husband’s love, attention, and a very special ring. This Reading is directed by Erica Riggs Johnston and features previous WSF Company Members Gabriela Lawson (Macbeth, Twelfth Night), Jay Parks (Macbeth, Hamlet), and Miles Villanueva (Iago in Othello).
Our Spring, 2009 Readings include Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s 1775 comedy of manners The Rivals directed by Heather Parish, Julius Caesar directed by Yosef Mahmood (tentative), Charles West’s follow up to his successful 2008 reading “Sonnet-chanted Evening” entitled “Women of Will”, and then Cymbeline directed by Kristin Lyn Crase.
So come by and check out the Library Readings. They’re fun, informal, and a great way to become familiar with the classic plays of the Bard (and others) and with The Woodward Shakespeare Festival.
Heather Parish
Artistic Director, WSF
Our Program Manager, Laura Vogt, made a BIG mistake. HUGE.
She gave me access to our Brown Paper Ticket service.
Brown Paper Tickets is a ticketing service committed to fair trade and community service and all that fun stuff. They also charge far less in terms of ticketing service fees than other online ticketing services. So we like them. You should like them, too.
Anyway. . . it’s the last night of Complete Works (Abridged) down at Severance and so I’m puttering about my kitchen with my laptop open on the table watching the ticket sales numbers go up and up on a fairly regular basis.
I’m now a bit obsessed with checking the numbers, truthfully. I’m supposed to be doing my dishes and making Peppermint Bark, and yet. . . I keep checking that Sales Report button to see the numbers go up.
Finally, I decided that it wasn’t a bad thing. Not obsessive at all. Instead, I tell myself that every time a ticket is sold an actor gets a free meal somewhere.
Keep that in mind when searching for entertainment options this year. Help feed the actors: buy tickets. Donate. Volunteer.
Happy Holidays!
Heather Parish
Artistic Director
What’s in a ring? The Woodward Shakespeare Festival presents a Library Reading of William Shakespeare’s All’s Well that Ends Well this Tuesday evening, December 16th. A remarkably fresh and insightful comment on journeys, transformation, and female empowerment, the play is about a young woman’s quest to win her reluctant husband’s love, attention, and a very special ring.
Directed by Erica Riggs Johnston, the reading will feature a cast of WSF actors and community volunteers. It is produced by WSF in association with the Fresno County Libraries and admission is FREE.
All’s Well that Ends Well Reading
Woodward Park Regional Library
944 E Perrin at Champlain, Fresno
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
6:30 p.m.
Free.
http://www.fresnobeehive.com/archives/2008/12/theater_review_75.html#more
Excerpt from Donald Munro’s review:
“I thought Moore’s “Hamlet” soliloquy was hysterical — and we even get a good-natured ribbing at Shakespeare himself questioning why the Bard offered a seemingly sounding suicide speech at a moment when the character is contemplating murder. Petrie’s ancient Polonius is a scream, and Hume has an amusing romp as a flighty Juliet. . . .
From Shakespearean scholars to those who hated him in school, “Complete Works” has enough guffaws to exercise just about anyone’s belly-laugh muscles.”
Each month during our off-season, Woodward Shakespeare Festival presents a free reading of a Shakespeare play or other classic to the public. Our more experienced actors are paired alongside lesser experienced community volunteers for the presentation. The experience allows those unfamiliar with Shakespeare performance a chance to learn from more seasoned actors and our seasoned actors act as teachers and mentors to the newbies. Together, they read for an audience eager to become more familiar with Shakespeare’s canon. The experience puts a diverse group of people together who all share a passion for The Bard and other classical playwrights.
November’s Reading at the Woodward Park Regional Library and in conjunction with the Fresno County Library was the Shakespeare/Fletcher collaboration, Henry VIII.
WSF Henry VIII Introductions (5min)
WSF Henry VIII Act 1 & 2 (53 min)
WSF Henry VIII Act 4 & 5 (35 min)
Simply click the links to listen on your computer, or right click and choose “Save Link As. . .” to save in your Music or Audio Folder on your computer. Then download to your mp3 player at will.
” I laughed so hard I made my eye-makeup run with crying.”
“Those three guys are hilarious! I’ve never had so much fun with the name Shakespeare associated with it.”
“That. Was. AWESOME!”
And, in a Facebook message: “My friends saw it on Saturday and said it was INSANELY good. Congrats! My wife and I will be there next weekend.”
This item from the BBC online explains a bit of trivia about the recent RSC production of “Hamlet”. The story is oddly similar to the fictional account of Oliver Wells willing his skull to the New Burbage Festival in the Canadian TV Show, “Slings and Arrows“. ~Heather
Human skull abandoned by Hamlet
David Tennant rehearsing with a replica skull
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A human skull will no longer appear in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Hamlet as it may distract the audience, the company has said.
The skull of concert pianist and Holocaust survivor Andre Tchaikowsky has appeared in the Stratford production, starring David Tennant.
It was his dying wish to have his skull used in Hamlet and he bequeathed it to the RSC.
But the company says a fake skull will be used when it transfers to London.
Tennant was the first actor to use Mr Tchaikowsky’s skull during Hamlet’s famous grave-digger scene.
Audiences in Stratford were unaware the skull belonged to the Oxford pianist, but the secret was revealed by Tennant.
The RSC told Channel 4 News that now the secret was out, it would be “too distracting for the audience” if the skull was used.
Mr Tchaikowsky was devoted to Shakespeare, often visiting Stratford-Upon-Avon to see performances of his plays.
He died of cancer at the age of 46 in 1982 and donated his organs to medical research, with the exception of his skull.
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