TxSF

2010-07-13T22:01:00.051-05:00

Jimmy Humphries: Twenty Years a Texan

He’s often mistaken for a local, but Jimmy Humphries is only here for ten weeks each summer. A Professor at Wittenburg College in Springfield, Ohio, Jimmy Humphries has been a member of the Texas Shakespeare Festival for the last twenty years. “I’ve never spent a summer in Ohio, since I’ve lived there. I’m always down here.” He celebrates his birthdays at Lupe’s, he is a regular of Saturday night karaoke at The Back Porch and in his younger days could be seen cruising highway 31 on his motorcycle.

“Jimmy has held so many positions for the festival, he’s designed the sets for 42 productions, he’s been properties master, he designs the lobby displays, makes all the festival banners, been a painter, you name it he’s done it.” Artistic Director Raymond Caldwell comments fondly. He remembers meeting Jimmy at the Southwest Theater Conference in 1990, when he was looking for a designer for all four shows the following year. Humphries was still a professor at Texas A&M at the time, what stood out was his positive attitude and unique take on set design

“Most designers show you renderings, but Jimmy is master of building replicas sets. I was fascinated with them, the little 8 inch models, fully painted, it takes you back to you childhood, the tiny detail. When he came in to interview he was so personable, so likable, so unaffected, I thought ‘this is the person I want to come down’ and he started the following summer. We’ve had him back ever since.”

Fans of the festivals will recognize his set design work. His career has featured classics such as Comedy of Errors (1991) MacBeth (1995) Merry Wives of Windsor (1998) Julius Cesar (1991 & 2008) Twelfth Night (2008) as well as numerous children’s shows. “We knew we wanted Jimmy for the first year we did a musical, he has a skill for condensing down complex ideas,” remembers company manager John Dodd. “We mounted Man of La Mancha and it requires a draw bridge on stage, it was frightening to start with such a daunting task, but he pulled it off.” The set worked so well that it’s been adapted for at least two other productions across the country and Artistic Director Caldwell admits that he still has the model in his office. Originally the festival only planned to do a musical every other year, but the public demand was so great that they moved into hits like Camelot, My Fair Lady, and 1776 all designed by Humphries.

“His shows were always very fanciful, they had a fantasy side to it.” Remembers Alexa Duke, the festival secretary from 1996-2004, which was perfect for the 17 kids’ shows he has designed for the festival, from classics such as Beauty and The Beast (1993), Jack and the Beanstalk (2004), Rumplestiltskin (2002 & 2009) to original shows like The Adventures of Armadillo Al and the Kilgore Kid (1993) and the international premiere of The Magic Lotus Lantern (2008).
“Most scene design today is solving problems. We can all make it look pretty, but you have to be able to solve the problems. Our biggest problem down to solve before you even start the shows is considering how to build a stage that can be removed after every performance and reconstructed before each curtain. If you aren’t ready at 7:00pm to open this house, you’ve failed.”Humphries says with a laugh from behind his desk the Strafford Room at the Van Cliburn Auditorium.

This is the place audience members would recognize Mr. Humphries, from the festival gift shop, which he has run on and off since it’s inceptions 13 years ago. He remembers what it was like when it started. “We’d sell concessions during intermission, it was only two items; hazelnut coffee and cookie and not store bought cookies, Raymond would bake.” It’s hard to believe that this was the humble beginnings of the department that now raises 10-12% of the festival’s income. “Once I designed the sets, I had nothing else to do, so I would wear a vest and go out and sell cookies and coffee to people. Based on how I dressed is how we designed the uniforms for the front of house staff.” Little did he know that it would lead to him designing clothing for the festival, doing all of the gift shops ordering, designing the interior and exterior lobby of the theater for the next decade and painting the walls and windows with a view of Shakespeare London.

“It’s my 2nd family down here, I’m the oldest in my family, I never had an older brother to tease and I came down here and god gave me John Dodd to harass.” Humphries says with a grin. John reminds everyone that he is younger with a smirk and not as round as Jimmy or as short. Humphries a master of not only stage painting, but also pranks and portraiture. Once he tried to sneak John Dodd’s face into a painting of a giant rabbit on stage when the festival did Harvey in 2006. It never made it onstage, but John saw the painting and is remembered to have said “I am not amused…”

Jimmy has left his mark on the community of East Texas outside of the Texas Shakespeare Festival. He has been brought in to design shows for Longview Community Theater, Opera East Texas and was the designer for the New London Museum, which hired him based on his incredible work for the festival. “I’m really glad I was able to do that, because it really helped to show the community how to make the museum. It was their history and they brought in all the material, I showed them to put it together, how to mount and display photos, how to rotate pieces out, I designed the mural on the wall, really how to make it into something they could own and be proud of.” They brought him back in when they built an annex as well, which he was happy to do, calling this area of the world his second home.

“It’s fun to bring Shakespeare to East Texas, I consider this ‘arts missionary work.’ When I’m no longer walking on this earth, standing tall before the man I can hopefully say ‘I helped Raymond Caldwell bring Shakespeare to East Texas,’ and I might get a pass. Except for the times I bedeviled John Dodd, I’ll have to deal with that… maybe by that time those pages will be missing by then.”

Jimmy Humphries scenic design can be seen as part of the 2010 Texas Shakespeare Festival in their production of the classic fable, The Tortoise and the Hare, which runs July 20th-July 31th, shows at 10am and 2pm. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased through the festival box office. (903)983.8605 for more information visit www.texasshakespeare.com

TSF: at a glance

2010-07-13T15:44:00.000-05:00

Here are some quick graphs to show how diverse our company is:

How many actors are there compared to crew members TSF?

Where are company members coming from to be at TSF?

How many seasons have company members been at TSF?

All the World's A Stage... and somebody has to sell it!

2010-07-13T13:51:00.000-05:00

The TSF Box Office staff and Stratford Room staff are faces that patrons see at every performance. Every patron encounters the box office when they purchase a ticket and the Stratford Room entices all patrons to browse and purchase goodies before and after the performances. From the moment they first arrive the Stratford Room begins transforming the Anne Dean Turk Fine Arts Center into the home of the Texas Shakespeare Festival. The Box Office staff takes ticket orders all day and also updates THE BLOG (along with other marketing tasks).

In the Box Office we have:
Elizabeth Melton, Fred Paul, Bri Pruett, and Arrie Tucker

The Stratford Room Team;
Ashley Cliburn, Brett Springirth, and Jason Zednick

Our very own jolly giant, Arrie, works on the Blog in between phone calls!

Ashley mans the snack stand during a performance---who wants a coke?

Brett peruses the merchandise before selling it to patrons.

Bri prints out tickets for one very lucky patron!

Fred updates ticket sales paperwork.

Caught in the act---Jason uses his phone to calculate taxes.
"Texas Shakespeare Festival Box Office, this is Elizabeth. How can I help you?"

Time for the morning coffee! You don't want to see us without it.

Interview with actor J.Hernandez

2010-07-08T21:07:00.016-05:00

Robert Galloway’s conversation with J. Hernandez.

Hernandez TSF audiences might recognize from the 2009 season playing Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet, Longavillle in Love’s Labour’s Lost and Valere in Tartuffe. He was also the Director for the children’s show Rumplestiltskin. This thirty year old actor has roots in Virginia and Texas. Graduating from San Marcos at Texas State University with and MFA in Directing as well as a MFA in acting from University of Virginia he has a wealth of acting and directing experience under his belt.

R-. So how did you get started here?
J-I was very fortunate getting in on my first audition. I was on tour with the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival and I wasn’t able to audition in person, so I sent in an audition DVD. I completely forgot about it and a couple of months went by and I just thought, well, I didn’t get it, life goes on. And then I got an email asking if I’d be interested in coming and I of course jumped at the opportunity.

R-J. Talk about your experience last year.
J-Last season I was here as an actor and a director. As a director I had to come here with the script already under my belt just ready to go. Since I’m an actor, as a director I’m very sensitive to my actor’s needs and what it is that they need to get their jobs done. And not just at a passable rate, but something that the audience will really enjoy and the product they are going to put forth they’ll actually stand by.

R-Coming from this dual background, does this give you more insight into what an actor is going through.
J-Definitely. As a director you have to have a lot of open communication with your actors, I think that is the one key in the healthy relationship between the director and the actor. One of the reasons I went back to grad school to get my masters in directing was to understand acting that much better, because it’s all about communication, and I think that if the actor does not get behind the table at least once he’s not going to be sensitive to what a director’s needs are and vice-versa.

R-Let’s talk about the life of an actor. How much of your future is planned?
J-Oh, I’d say none of it’s planned! I think the only thing you can do as an actor or a director is that you plant seeds. It’s all about your resume or your port folio, what it is that you’ve done in the past which is what’s going to get you these jobs and further your career. And for an actor, you’ve got to audition, audition, and audition. You’ve got to put yourself out there to a load of companies and who’s to say who’s going to say yes.

What brought you into theater?
J- I got into theatre because of girls. (laughs) I was in the 8th grade and I helped me get my first date, after that acting progressed into something that I really liked. You’re at that tender age where you’re trying to figure out where your niche is and what it is that you are good at. At the time I was in band and baseball and drama at the same time and as I got into high school I realized that you need to be honest with yourself. You’re never going to hit the ball out of the park and you’re never going to play drums for the Stones, ever, they’ve got that one covered, but, you have a way that you deliver a monologue and today that might not mean a lot of money, but it can get a scholarship… and it goes from there.

R-You have a great deal of passion about what you do. Are there any days when the passion is just not there?
J-Oh yeah, I’m 30 years old and sometimes it becomes a job. I’m doing it not because I like it but because I need to get the bills paid. Sometimes I’m not jazzed by the script, but I still have to eat. So you find the positive elements of the particular situation and you reinvigorate yourself thinking about finding an inspiration.

R-How much of acting is listening?
J-It’s all listening, because if you’re not listening, you’ve got 12 different people up there doing solos. Sometimes you forget about the ensemble, and the ensemble is the most important thing.

R-How do you play roles in three different productions?
J-It takes a lot of endurance and a lot of stamina. Some days you are in three different rehearsals one right after the other, so you have to have a lot of focus and a lot of concentration. If you’re not careful, by 3:30 or 4 in the afternoon if you are not focused, it starts to bleed together and you find you’re playing another character up there.

R-Is it different this year here than it was in the past?
J-Having been both and actor and a director previously, this season is a lot more relaxing.

R-What's the best part of all this?
J-We have a lot of fun in rehearsal, but it’s when the folks come in. To me, that’s what it’s all about right there, because we are sharing. We’re sharing stories of old with people who maybe have never heard them. These stories have been around for 400 or 500 years and when the audience comes in we are excited because we have a story to tell. So once we bring the community in, that’s my favorite part.

Special Thanks to local writer Robert Galloway.

photos: J. Hernandez, Meaghan Sullivan, Angela Shipley in 2009 Tartuffe

Andrew Goldwasser and J. Hernandez in 2010 Learned Ladies

J. Hernandez (center) with Andrew Hutchinson and Matthew Simpson in 2009 production of Love's Labour's Lost

J. Hernandez can be seen this year in As You Like It, Two gentlemen of Verona and The Learned Ladies at the Texas Shakespeare Festival.

TSF Company takes on Kilgore, TX - Spotlight: The Showroom and the Backporch

2010-07-06T20:33:00.054-05:00

The cast and crew of over 70 company members come from all over the world to the small town of Kilgore to produce the plays at the Texas Shakespeare Festival. Working 13 hour days, 6 days a week, can take it's toll. The TSF company embraces the mantra "work hard, play hard," always finding ways to enjoy themselves at Kilgore's favorite "hot spots."

The Showroom is a favorite local watering hole, where company members can shoot pool, drink a beer, play the jukebox and relax.

First year interns Zachary Layner, Caroline Spitzer, and Scott Gibbs, relax after a long day of work.

Patriotic pool cues are par for the course at this classic Texas hang out.

Box Office intern Fred T. Paul concentrates on lining up an important shot.

Dani (lighting intern), Jason (master electrician), Laura (assistnt stage manager), Courtney (costumes), and Caroline (costumes) have an inter-department card game.

Sound intern Peter Park pretends to be an actor as he models for the camera.

Costume department's Anthony Paul-Cavaretta tells a story while Marketing Director Adam Higgins communicates with the camera that he does not want his picture taken.

The Backporch Restaurant is located right next door to the Texas Shakespeare Festival center, making it a prime target for late night drinks, socializing, Karaoke, and complimenary beans and hush puppies! They are official sponsors of the Festival. After a performance the cast and crew often head over to "the porch" to unwind.

The Backporch features "RAD Karaoke" every Saturday night durng the TSF summer. Actor Andi Dema and acting interns Aiden Eastwood-Paticchio , Zachary Layner, and Rob Sniffin croon Billy Joel's "Piano Man" as the whole crowd helps them out.

Carpenters Justin and Justen certainly look the part as they belt out a favorite country tune.

Caroline, Laura, and Ronnie giggle and sing along with some bubblegum pop by Britney Spears.

Thanks to the Backporch, the Showroom, and all the other local business that keep our cast and crew fed and entertained.

Interview with Director Brendon Fox

2010-07-02T13:33:00.000-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with The Learned Ladies director, Brendon Fox.

Fox's interest in theatre began in his teenage years growing up in Connecticut. This interest led him to study theatre at Northwestern University in Illinois and then to UCLA for his MFA.

He worked for the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, then later became an associate producer of radio plays at L.A. Theatre Works, which are performances inspired by classic radio serials. L.A. Theatre Works mission statement: “[To] enrich the cultural life of our national community through the use of innovative technologies to produce and preserve significant works of dramatic literature on audio..." The production process is similar to radio shows of the past. Instead of the typical rehearsal process of training for weeks on their movements and memorizing the script, these actors only perform vocally, using scripts. The sound effects for these shows are done by various objects used in creative ways to provide all the sounds needed that the actors can not provide themselves. Instead of relying on the visual, the audience is challenged to strictly image the setting. “I feel like people have more of an opportunity to listen to the text rather than focus on the visual aspect of the production," Fox said.

Fox is drawn mainly to not-for-profit theaters. They are allowed to take more risks because funding comes from both the public and private sectors, instead of solely on the income from ticket sales. He feels that theatre should be challenging to audiences: “theatre is a fire which contains both heat and light; the heat is the warming gathering which brings a sense of togetherness to the company and the audience; the light helps the audience to see an experience better and differently than before."

Outside the world of theatre Fox enjoys running, hiking, and (luckily) traveling; for the past year and a half, he's been directing throughout the country including: Colorado, Indiana, North Carolina, and now Texas. Fox enjoys directing in various places because it allows him to explore and sample local fare and restaurants. During one of his rare days off from rehearsals here at the Texas Shakespeare Festival, Fox took the opportunity to explore two nearby attractions: The Wild Animal Kingdom in Jacksonville and Sabine National Forest on the Texas-Louisiana border.

Fox commented on The Learned Ladies: "[R]ehearsal is going strong, the actors are having fun... [They are] chomping at the bit for an audience, and to take the show to the next level ..." Fox believes the play expands in a new way when new elements are added.

This production is set in 1915, the Pre-World War I era. He says to anyone who has not seen the show, or any work by Moliere, to not be intimidated by it: "The show is funny and fun, and the characters are likable and recognizable to anyone."

For more information or to purchase tickets for Moliere's The Learned Ladies directed by Brendon Fox, call the Texas Shakespeare Festival box office at 903-983-8601.

Interview with Andy Nagraj

2010-06-25T16:32:00.000-05:00

I was able to sit down with Andy Nagraj, one of the actors for the 2010 TSF season. Andy has worked in a variety of theaters in Virginia, Ohio, and Chicago, including The Steppenwolf theater. He is currently pursuing his Masters degree at the PTTP (Professional Theater Training Program) at the University of Delaware.

Andy, what excites you about classical theater?

It’s just (pause) just better. The quality of the work is better than anything else (chuckles). That’s too general. It’s a cliché thing to say, but “there’s a reason these plays have lasted as long as they have.” That’s a very powerful argument to me.

When I was finally able to wrap my brain around what I was reading when I read Shakespeare, and what I was saying when I was saying Shakespeare--it blew my mind that an author 400 years ago could so clearly communicate with me today. Human beings are fundamentally the same. This man got to the essence of that better than anyone else. There is something wonderful about getting to connect that line. Something wonderful about being a channel for these plays to come out.

(Andy Nagraj in Ohio Shakespeare production of Two Gentlemen of Verona)

What excites you to do musicals?
There is a sense of heightened reality with Shakespeare work and I think if you step back and squint a little bit, it’s very similar on how musicals operate. The function of the song, of people not being able to contain themselves and bursting forth into song there's something really enchanting about that. I have a lot of fun when I’m in musicals and it doesn’t always seem like work. It’s a different beast, still closely connected to what we do. There’s a different connection that the audience gets to experience as well. I’m really excited to operate in both worlds doing Shakespeare and a musical. Also I’m in the production of Two Gentlemen of Verona which will have music throughout. I heard about the Love’s Labor’s Lost production last summer, and I’m very much excited to be a part of that and see how that works.

What roles are you playing at TSF 2010 season?

Jacques in As You Like It, Launce in Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Shem in Two by Two.

(Andy Nagraj in PTTP As You Like It, photo by Bill Browning)

What excited you about these roles?

Well, Jacques is a part I’ve been fortunate enough to play before at PTTP in one of my first roles. Its a part that’s good for me. I’m ideally suited for it. (Chuckles)

Why do say it’s "ideally suited" for you?

It’s the type of person I am, very much something that I get. We all have different temper mentalities and are suited to different parts. I read it on a page and I get it, and when there are parts that aren’t like me is when even more exciting. I hope that it I get to play it again, something that pops up in my career.

Two Gentlemen... will be fun for me because I’ve been a part of two other productions, one with Ohio Shakespeare and one recently with PTTP. I’ve never played Launce and it’s a confusing part. A clown, a clown with a dog, shows up in the middle of the love story. What’s extremely exciting, in how to make his story serve the play and not just make it a stand-up gig.
For me that’s the most exciting part in both my Shakespeare roles. The challenge of it; of folding that into the show and making it serve the play. Having it be a part of the play, not just be Jacques doing the “All the world’s a stage” or doing my funny bit with the dog and not having it being a self-serving joke.
When Raymond told me I got to be a part of the musical, I was really excited about that. It’s been two or three years since I’ve been able to do a musical, it’s a genre that I very deeply love and something I hope I get to pursue for the rest of my life.

All the World's A Stage.... and someone had to stitch it together!

2010-06-25T10:15:00.000-05:00

Anthony expresses his patriotism while sewing!

Our work is never done at the Texas Shakespeare Festival! There is always something more to do--just ask our Properties and Costume Departments. Each show is unique and requires special elements. Props artisans and costumers are able to reuse some things from TSF storage (we have collected several things over the years), but there is always something that we have never needed before that must be newly created.

Like the other departments, costumers and props artisans work three shifts a day in order to make sure everything comes together before opening night. We couldn't do it without them!

In the Costume Department we have:

Emma Cullimore, Lee Dumas, Caitlin Johnson, Julia Kosanovich, Anthony Paul-Cavaretta, Stephanie Shaw, Caroline Spitzer, Tiffany Towns, and Courtney Wood.

Representing Props we have:

Damien Charkiewicz, Katrina Miller, and Ronnie Wells.

Caitlin always makes time for a smile in the costume shop!

Julia keeps her focus and always makes deadlines.

Even the props shop is stitching today--- Katrina busies herself with burlap sacks for Two By Two.

Designers get in on the action, "two." Steve works away on his designs for Two By Two and Two Gentlemen of Verona.

It's time for final touches! Stephanie makes everything look beautiful.

Tiffany makes sure everyone looks great from head to TOE.

Sometimes thread just isn't enough! Damien uses a staple gun to secure pleats on these fashionable footstools.

Costumers use tools, too! Caroline cuts wire to create earthy headpieces.

Hello, there! Courtney peaks around a rack of costumes while steaming.

Emma focuses while working on a very detailed piece. Love is in the details, after all.

All's well in the props shop as Alan, director of Two by Two, pops in to visit the head of props, Ronnie.

Then again, Ronnie better make sure he gets Alan two of EVERY animal for the arc...

"V" is for Very extraordinary sewing by Lee. Of course, "V" may also stand for Verona on occasion....

Interview with Meaghan Sullivan

2010-06-23T21:52:00.028-05:00

Meaghan Sullivan Interview

"...within the same year I'll have played the same role twice, which I've never done before and which will be very fun, usually when you finish a run of a play, you finally get a handle of the character so then you're like 'gosh I want to do this again, I want to play it again' so I get that opportunity, which is icredible."

Adam Higgins: A
Meaghan Sullivan: M
A: You have been with Texas Shakespeare Festival before when you were in the 2009 season, you were the maid in Romeo and Juliet, Doreen in Tartuffe, and you were ensemble in She Loves Me. What was that like for you?

(Meaghan Sullivan in TSF 2009 production of Romeo & Juliet)

M: Last summer was probably one of the best summers of my life for a variety of reasons. It was the first time I was really paid to be an actor so it was my first true professional acting job. While I have worked at professional theatres I did interning and small black box theater. It was just, it was just awesome! (laughs) When I got my contract for Texas last year, I took pictures of it, I was just like 'this is my first real gig!'

(Meaghan Sullivan,far right, in TSF 2009 production of She Love Me)

A: What made you want to spend another summer in Kilgore?

M: I Love the people. It feels like a special experience for us, the people from the Shakespeare Festival to be in Kilgore. It seems that Kilgore looks forward to it every year and to be so welcomed is just such a nice feeling. The other actors and artistic staff who work at the festival are a huge draw for me. A few of them are returning and I look forward to meeting whoever else they have found. I'm sure they'll be great.

A: Tell us a little bit about your history as an actress. What brought you to where you are right now?
M: Kind of the classic story of doing plays in elementary school, middle school, high school and then I took All My Sons down to state at University of Illinois and we performed down there –and that’s where I auditioned for the BFA program there and got my BFA in acting at the University of Illinois. After University of Illinois, I lived in Chicago for a year and I did black box theatre and store front theatre. I did an internship at the Milwaukee Rep and from there I met Sandy Robins and then later auditioned for him for the PTTP. I came to Grad School in Delaware in 2008 and it’s where I am now working toward my MFA in acting.

A: So what roles are you playing in the TSF 2010?
M: I am playing Rosalind in As You Like It, and Julia in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. And Martina in the Learned Ladies.

(Meaghan Sullivan in TSF 2009 Production of Tartuffe)

A: What about these parts excited you?
M: I am excited to do the role of the maid in the Learned Ladies because it is kind of similar to Doreen who was an absolute blast to play last year, Moliere writes similar characters for each of his plays so the maid in one play is very close to the maid in another play. It's exciting to reprise a similar role—of course the context is different and the script is unique, but that'll be fun.

And then, Julia I'm excited because I've actually played Julia in Two Gentlemen of Verona before at the PTTP just about two months ago. So within the same year I'll have played the same role twice, which I've never done before and which will be very fun, usually when you finish a run of a play, you finally get a handle of the character so then you're like 'gosh I want to do this again, I want to play it again' so I get that opportunity, which is incredible.

And Rosalind, is the part of all parts (laughs) Harold Bloom said that she's Shakespeare's best role male or female and people say that she's the greatest female role in written history and I agree with that, to a certain extent. I think she certainly says a lot and is incredibly witty—one of the roles that you just want to sink your teeth into, so I'm really excited for the opportunity to get to play her.

(Meaghan Sullivan in PTTP production of Two Gentlemen of Verona, photo by Bill Browning)

Get to know your Acting Interns

2010-06-18T10:59:00.001-05:00

Our acting interns come from esteemed universities all over the country (and world) to audition for the Texas Shakespeare Festival. TSF acting interns pay their dues by playing smaller parts in the season and leading roles in our annual children’s show. Here at TSF they get a chance to gain professional experience by working with our directors and production teams. This year the acting interns are starring in The Tortoise and the Hare: a classic retelling of the Aesop’s fable, with memorable characters, striking sets and costumes, and the same powerful message. The story was adapted to the stage by TSF’s founder and artistic director Raymond Caldwell. It is directed by Jennifer Burke and starring our charming acting interns. Let’s get to know them!

Name: Jacob Grubb

Sign: Aquarius

Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas

How long acting? 4 years

Dream Role? MacBeth

Are you a tortoise or a hare? Hare

What’s the last thing you heard on your ipod? …In the Heights the Musical

What is the strangest fact about you? I have 11 toes

Coca-Cola or Pepsi? Coca-Cola

What is your kryptonite? Brownies

Favorite role to date? Todd in the Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow

If you weren’t at TSF this summer what would you be doing? Taking summer classes to graduate on time.

Name: Zachary Layner

Sign: Cancer

Hometown: Central Florida

How long have you been acting? Since doing impressions of Steve Urkle

Dream role? Henry V

Are you a tortoise or a hare? Tortoise

If you were an ice cream flavor what would you be? Cookie dough

If you had a super power what would it be? Invincibility

What’s the last thing you heard on your ipod? I sold my ipod last summer to pay rent

What was your worst job? Abercrombie & Fitch

What do you say when you answer the phone? "Yo"

If you weren’t at TSF this summer what would you be doing? Valeting cars and auditioning for Army Wives repeatedly

Name: Rob Sniffin

Sign: Capricorn

Hometown: Danbury, Connecticut

How long have you been acting? Since 7th grade, about 10 years now. I was putting on shows in my driveway at a very young age.

Are you a tortoise or a hare? Hare

Dream role? Pippin (which I recently got to perform) or Puck in A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream. Someday!

Favorite role to date? Mercutio holds a pretty special place in my heart. Taking on that role changed who I am as a person and an actor.

Coca-Cola or Pepsi: Coca-Cola

What is your favorite kind of soup? Tomato soup

What is your kryptonite? I’m a sucker for cheese

What is the strangest fact about yourself? I am a huge dinosaur nerd. I spent the majority of my childhood wanting to be a paleontologist.

Name: Aiden Eastwood-Paticchio

Sign: Scorpio

Hometown: Ashbury, Connecticut

How long have you been acting? Since age 9 or 10

Are you a tortoise or a hare? Tortoise

Favorite role to date? Angelo in Measure to Measure

Dream role? Iago in Othello

First job? Working at an overnight summer camp for autistic students

If you were an ice cream flavor what would you be? I guess I’d be Aiden Flavor?

If you had a super power what would it be? The power to read minds

What is your kryptonite? People

If you were an animal what would you be? I have trouble classifying myself into archetypes. I’ve been called a clam.

Name: Kristyn Chalker

Sign: Cancer

Hometown: Houston, Texas

How long have you been acting? 15 years

Favorite role to date? Irina in Three Sisters

Are you a tortoise or a hare? Hare

Nickname: KChalk or just Chalker

If you were an ice cream flavor what would you be? Southern blackberry cobbler

What is the last thing you heard on your ipod? Garth Brooks “Rodeo”

If you had a super power what would it be? The power of flight

If you were an animal what would you be? A phoenix

What’s your favorite kind of soup? Lobster bisque

What is the strangest fact about yourself? I have webbed toes!

Name: Scott Gibbs

Sign: Sagittarius

Hometown: Sugarland, Texas

How long have you been acting? 15 years

Favorite role to date? Mr Bungee from A New Brain

Are you a tortoise or a hare? Hare

Nickname: Scotty G

What was the last thing you heard on your ipod? Vampire Weekend "Oxford Comma"

If you were an animal what would you be? Otter

What do you say when you answer the phone? "Hello Darling..."

If you weren’t at TSF this summer what would you be doing? Wishing I was at TSF this summer.

Name: Diedre Cantrell

Sign: Libra

Hometown: Longview, Texas

Are you a tortoise or a hare? Tortoise

Nickname: My first year of college, I frequently went by Bob or DedeBob. That's a really long story...

Favorite past role: Katherina from Taming of the Shrew

What is your kryptonite? I'm going to have to go with the internet. Although it is a wonderful thing to have and extraordinarily useful, it is such a distraction and sometimes keeps me from doing things that are more of a priority.

If you were an animal what would you be? Hawk - I like the idea of being able to see everything that is going on around me... and obviously flight is a big perk.

What is your favorite kind of soup? Tomato Basil

If you weren't at TSF this summer what would you be doing? Probably waiting tables to save up money for the next school year which I am spending in London.

See all of our talented Texas Shakespeare Festival interns in The Tortoise and the Hare at 10am on July 21, 22, 24, 27, 28, 29, 31 and 2pm on July 20, 21, 27, 28. Check back soon to see more behind-the-scenes pictures and interviews.

All the World's A Stage.... and someone had to build it!

2010-06-18T10:52:00.000-05:00

TSF Painters are fierce! Amy, Shelley and Oneida take the time to intimidate the carpenters while working on a backdrop for As You Like It.

As the avid TSF fan may know, all of the season’s sets are crafted by three teams: carpenters, painters, and properties. This year’s teams have been working exceptionally hard, but still have a lot to go. The carpenters arrived an entire week before the rest of the company to get a jump start on their job. Now they spend all of their days sweating in the East Texas heat. Once the carpenters build the walls, trees, rocks, and wide assortment of platforms necessary for this season’s productions the painters take over adding realistic touches. A primary element to every production is the floor. This one element helps transform the entire space, and it is the scenic painters’ responsibility to complete each floor. Backstage was quite abuzz these past few weeks as the carpenters and painters waited on a large delivery of masonite. Finally, the needed supplies arrived and work continued!

Carpenters: Bjorn Falk, Matt Jones, Justen Locke, Sarah Schniepp, Justin Tipton, & Chris Wyatt
Painters: Oneida San Juan, Shellene Seiffert, & Amy Shimko

Matt regains his strength with a tasty apple during break.

Amy manages to have fun in the heat--all she needs is sunscreen and sunglasses!

Justen meticulously pieces everything together.

Safety first at TSF! Good job, Sarah.

Shelley always has a smile---even when setting up floor pieces outside.

Bjorn and Chris take a moment to process their next project--

Oneida protects her back while painting a platform--- paint tools save lives!

Justin and Sarah enjoy the air conditioning and use of the empty stage.

Next time we will look into the worlds of costumes and properties!

TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA Director Speaks

2010-06-16T15:49:00.009-05:00

In anticipation of Texas Shakespeare Festival’s 25th season I sat down and interviewed Mr. Gregg Brevoort, director of this season’s production of Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Mr. Brevoort travels the country as a freelance director, going where ever he gets a call. He lives in Los Angeles, California with his adorable pet dog, Sparky, who is also joining us this season. Even though there is a dog in Two Gentlemen of Verona Sparky will not be playing the role. Sparky did not seem upset about this, claiming that while he is an avid theatre goer he prefers not to be on stage.

Mr. Brevoort began his training at New York University as an actor, but as he progressed in his training he decided to switch to the newly developed directing emphasis. As most good theatre professionals will admit, being well rounded is the secret to success in the theatre; Mr. Brevoort is no different, he has acted, stage managed, as well as held other administrative duties. (For more information please see his website http://www.gbrevoort.com/)

When asked what he would most like to direct he simply stated: “Shakespeare...it’s like a puzzle.” Mr. Brevoort loves the challenge of directing Shakespeare: “the histories, the tragedies, the more complicated ones.” Where most are scared of, or can not even comprehend Shakespeare, he thrives on it. This is not Mr. Brevoort’s first stint into Shakespeare, as he directed Coriolanus here at the Texas Shakespeare Festival in 2006.

Coriolanus, as you may not have noticed from seeing the production in 2006 is one of Shakespeare’s most difficult tragedies. This is completely opposite from the comedy he is directing this season. Two Gentlemen of Verona is a much different piece and our version is set about two-thousand years later, in the 1930’s. Two Gentlemen of Verona is a charming tale of two friends who fall in love with the same girl. To enhance the themes of young love and to provide another level of entertainment to the audience this production will feature a three-piece combo and chanteuse, a female singer who sings in night clubs. This is a revival of Tom Whitaker’s 1999 production, in which he did the same thing. The music is sure to please and will provide a fresh take on Shakespeare’s timeless tale.

Design Dessert: Ebarb's Flavorful Fashion for The Learned Ladies

2010-06-16T15:40:00.002-05:00

The Learned Ladies is one of Molière's most popular comedies about troubled lovers and meddlesome parents. In his research for the show, costume designer Joel Ebarb related each character to a different flavor of ice cream. Originally set in France, now set in New York, Ebarb tried to think of something that represented the American summertime. What better than ice cream? Each flavor is used as the basis for the design of each costume. Rumblings around the Festival say this will be the funniest show you will see all summer!

Come See The Learned Ladies on July 2, 8, 10, 16*, 18*, 23, 25, 29*, & 31*
(* denotes 2:00pm matinee, all others 7:30pm)
Call the TSF Box Office at (903) 983-8601 to order tickets
Check back soon to read costume designer Joel Ebarb's in-depth interview!

Welcome to Texas Shakespeare Festival 25th Season

2010-06-13T21:38:00.021-05:00

Located in East Texas, in the little town of Kilgore, this professional theater has brought arts, entertainment and education to the area since 1986. Founded by Raymond Caldwell, the festival has grown each year, performing a wide variety of classics, contemporary plays and musicals. The festival has performed over 977 performances for more than one hundred and sixty-six thousand people.

(stage manger & assistant stage manger Siobhan Ruance

and Katie Chance and actor Luke Eddy)

With actors and artists from all over the US and two foreign countries contributing to the work this season it promises to be wonderful celebration of 25 years of incredible theater.

(Julia Kosanovich and Stephanie Shaw in the costume shop)

(Shellen Seifert, Amy Shimko and Oneida San Juan paint crew working on floors in Texas heat)

We hope you will join us at http://www.texasshakespearefestival.blogspot.com/ for insights and interviews from the actors, designers and directors behind this season.

(2010 TSF Company, not pictured company manager John Dodd, much to his happiness)

Performing in Repertory all shows take place in the Van Cliburn Auditorium located on the Kilgore College campus. This season promises to be a light-hearted treat for the whole family, with the selection of all comedies to delight our audiences.

The shows open July 1st and run through August 1st.

Our season opens with William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, one of the Bard’s most beloved romances. With sparkling wit and passionate characters, it promises to be a charming treat. Directed by Jack Young a returning artist, who has staged Julius Caesar ('08) and Amadeus ('07) for TSF.

William Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona is back at the festival by popular demand! This romantic comedy has been adapted to include a torch singer and three-piece jazz combo onstage performing music from the 1930’s. Two Gentlemen of Verona is directed by Gregg Brevoort a returning artist, who staged Coriolanus ('06) for TSF.

The Learned Ladies by Moliere, the most beloved classical playwright of France is a fast-moving caper that takes a comic look at intellectual pretension and love. Set in the early 1900’s NYC, this show is directed by Brendon Fox, a talented new TSF director from Los Angeles.

Our season is rounded out with the musical Two by Two, a fresh retelling of the Biblical story of Noah. By turns inspirational and hilarious, we are lucky to have new TSF director Alan Souza from New York to helm this lyrical treat for the whole family.

Come back and visit the blog often for behind-the-scenes photos, videos and interviews. Thank you for supporting the Texas Shakespeare Festival 2010 season!

Interview with actor Andrew Goldwasser

2010-06-10T21:39:00.012-05:00

“...The best privilege for me as an actor is to get to speak those words, the best words ever written. To get to speak them and hopefully move a modern audience with something that was written hundreds of years ago.”

AG: Andrew Goldwasser
AH: Adam Higgins

AH
Andrew, how did you get into theater?

AG
When I was younger I always enjoyed it, but I never really seriously considered it as a career until I went to college. I went to Tulane studying law, but I wasn’t enjoying it, and I decided to have an extracurricular activity, something I knew I would enjoy. I auditioned for a play-- I did it and thought ‘Y'know, this is all I'm really enjoying about college, so why not study the thing you love?' So I transferred to the University of Arizona (where they have a good theater department) and I haven’t looked back since.

AH
What professional experiences have brought you to where you are now?

AG
I would say the internship at Milwaukee Rep was my first big professional job. I mean it was only an internship, but coming right out of college I did that and working there at one of the biggest and best regional theaters in the country, on the job training is better than anything you could ask for, and getting to see how they work. That was still probably the most formative experience I've had in theater. I met Sandy Robbins of the PTTP, where I study now, and he directed one show I was in (The Voysey Inheritance) at Milwaukee Rep, and I liked him and his way of working. After the Rep I worked in California at PCPA (Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts) and it was a wonderful mix of musical, contemporary and classical theater.

AH
What drew you to classical theater program like the PTTP?

AG
Arizona’s one of the best places (I think) to go for musical theater, but I felt like I could work more on my classical experience. When I left I saw people speaking Shakespeare's words, and I was thinking 'Gosh, I don't really have the artistry to do that', and so I wanted to go to a training program that was really known for that kind of work, because the best privilege for me as an actor is to get to speak those words, the best words ever written. To get to speak them and hopefully move a modern audience with something that was written hundreds of years ago. I think that's the power of theater, so I'd like to just spend the rest of my life doing that, and I'd be pretty happy.

AH
What are the roles that you’ll be playing this year at TSF?

AG
I'm playing Chrysale in The Learned Ladies, then I'm playing Thurio in Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Duke Frederick in As You Like It.

AH
What excites you about these parts you're going to be playing this year?

AG
"I just finished a production of Two Gents where I played Valentine... so approaching the same play from a completely different perspective should be a blast. Duke Frederick is not a big role, but it is always fun to play someone with a little bit of 'evil' in them and I look forward to that and I played Touchstone in As You... at the University of Delaware in 2008. And Chrysale is the longest of my roles this summer and it is my first time really having a lot to do in a Moliere play. It is terribly exciting just to read the play and see what a comic genius Moliere was and how funny the rhymed translation we are doing is... I am looking forward to this summer!"

(images; headshot by Brian Dally, PTTP As You Like It photo Mark Corkins with Andrew Goldwasser by Bill Browning, Two Gentlemen of Verona photo by Bill Browning)