Twelfth Night at Koka Booth

Extra! Extra!

2010-08-23T08:10:00.001-07:00

The News and Observer ran a great article in the Sunday Arts and Living section!

Check it our here:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/08/22/638049/outdoor-theater-comes-to-booth.html

Tech week begins!!

2010-08-23T07:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight we put it all together.

The upstage portal is being built. The 35 foot sails will be hung from the rafters. 15 body mics will be strapped to the actors...all the props will be set out for the actors to use...we will bathe the space in light.

Hopefully all this will go smoothly! However I have been to this rodeo before and I know that things will go a little awry...BUT we have a great cast and crew so regardless of what happens I know we will make magic happen!

Upward and onward!

The poster!

2010-08-23T07:31:00.001-07:00

The view...

2010-08-11T10:34:00.000-07:00

Sir Andrew, Jesse Gephart, took this photo that gives an idea of the size of the Koka Booth amphitheatre.

Can't wait to see it with the sails!

More shots...

2010-08-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some more from week 1!

In Action....

2010-08-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots from our rehearsals last week...this week promises to be another GREAT one!

Tonight we are out at Koka Booth...should be eye opening to be in the actual space for the first time!

The excitement builds!

Let's hear it...

2010-08-05T11:17:00.000-07:00

So, we have had three nights of rehearsals and have managed to block our entire first act. When I say blocked, I mean we have roughed in all the entrances, exits, etc. Now we have to start filling in the "middles"

Thankfully, I am blessed to have a cast that is not only talented, but willing to work at a break neck pace. They have all gamely accepted the challenge and the show is coming to life more and more each night.

I love being in rehearsal and hearing Shakespeare's beautiful words filling the room. Last night Viola, Beth Popelka, stood center stage and said:

"And with a green and yellow melancholy
She sat like patience on a monument,
Smiling at grief. . .

Come on, it doesn't get much better than that!

I was always taught that in Shakespeare's day, people went to HEAR a play not just SEE a play. Hearing words like that spoken simply and honestly almost negates the NEED to see it.

Tonight we will stumble/wallow/work our way through all that we have done up
to this point. The actors will start to live the text...the play will start to take on a rhythm and shape...the words will fill the room...they will start listening to each other...they will start HEARING the play...and magic will happen!

The cast gets accessorized

2010-08-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

Our costumer, David Serxner, gives a little insight on selecting the right jewelry for our production

I spent Saturday, 24 July, with Laura Edwards Orcutt of ‘Baubles & Beads & Books..Oh My!’ and ‘Lady and the Librarian,’ picking out the vintage jewelry for our production of 12^th Night. Laura’s husband Darby, a coworker of mine at the NCSU Libraries, is one of the Collection Managers. They have a booth at the Antiques Emporium in Cameron Village selling vintage and costume jewelry and books. When I was told that we would be setting the action for our production of 12^th Night in December 1945, I immediately thought of Laura as a source for the period jewelry. The trick of course, was that I did not have the money to buy anything, or the space to store it once it was purchased. Neither did the Town of Cary. So I asked Laura and Darby if they would be willing to loan us the pieces we needed, using my all powerful bargaining tool—the free quarter page advertisement in the program! I had already made sure that I could offer ads in exchange for goods and services. Being able to barter is an important tool in my theater kit. I had already cleared the barter process with Laura and had traded an ad in the program for over $200.00 in undergarments from the Bra Patch on North Market Square, so I was pretty confident that I could trade an ad for the jewelry with Laura and Darby. Of course, before I could even think about borrowing a single item I had to make sure that there was proper security. “Oh, that stuff is just glass and paste,” I am sure you are thinking. The market for costume jewelry is a big one—even the late Princess of Wales had a favorite faux pearl necklace she liked to wear. So I talked to Becky with the Town of Cary and made sure that there was a safe where we could lock up our borrowed baubles every evening after dress rehearsals and performances.

I brought all of the costumes we had finished to Laura’s booth in the Antiques Emporium. I showed her each costume piece or outfit, explained the character and the action of the scene, and she went to work pulling items from her display cabinets and things she had brought from home. It was great to watch her work and she asked me additional questions about each character like what color there hair was and what kind of shoes they would be wearing. We put each costume on the counter and Laura opened bags with necklaces and cards of earrings and rings and bracelets. She put them against each item of clothing and talked me through the decision process. She asked questions like “Do you see her wearing a double strand of beads or single?”, “This is her mourning dress, but it is ‘sexy mourning’ so she should do a long strand and a short choker as well.” “Will these earrings read from a distance, or should they be larger?” In the end we had chosen necklaces and earrings for each outfit, and Laura took pictures of each ensemble so we would be able to remember what piece went with what outfit. For one outfit Olivia will be wearing a double strand of black glass beads, with earrings that match the black glass buttons of the blouse, and a matching bracelet. This black glass is called French jet—you learn something new every day! Maria gets subtle pearls for most of her scenes, and Laura looked at different strands of pearl before picking out just the right one for the outfit. I was like a kid in a candy store watching her work. Each piece is going to be in its own storage bag and there will be a tray in the storage box for each ensemble. I am going to have to stress to the dresser the importance of making sure that each item is accounted for at the start and finish of the rehearsal and during the run. Before each show I am going to have to go to the safe and get the case, and after we are done for the evening I will go back and lock the box safely away! Lots of responsibility! Work on the costumes is proceeding apace. There are lots of things left to do, but lots done. We are starting fittings at the second rehearsal on 3 August. Fittings are so much fun. I’ll write more about that process later.

Come and see the production! It will be a visual treat!

Setting Sail

2010-08-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

Our set designer Shannon Clark has created a wonderful space for the actors to play!

The set is being constructed offsite and will be assembled during tech week at Koka Booth.

You will notice in the model some triangular shapes framing the stage...these are 35 foot tall SAILS.

These serve two purposes --they create the imagery of seaside town (and pick up elements of the existing structure of Koka Booth) and help focus the playing space (Koka Booth's stage is HUGE).

Okay, they actually serve three purposes -- they provide our talented lighting designer, Johsua Reaves, a surface to light and create different moods.

Oh...there is a fourth and purely technical function -- they provide us much needed masking for entrances and exits.

I can't wait to see them hanging from the rails in the theatre!

Press Release

2010-08-02T21:13:00.000-07:00

SHAKESPEARE COMES TO CARY AUGUST 26 - 28

Cary, NC—Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre is adding yet another cultural element this season…Shakespeare. Three performances of Shakespeare’s popular comedy Twelfth Night will take place August 26 – 28.

The venue, which is widely recognized for offering patrons a diverse blend of entertainment each year, is now expanding in a direction that for management seems like a natural extension. “It was always a part of the amphitheatre’s original design to host other types of performing events,” says Lyman Collins, Town of Cary Cultural Arts Manager. “The decision to present Shakespeare actually fulfills one of the venue’s original goals which was to include theatrical elements as well as concerts and festivals.”

While the “Shakespeare in the Park” concept is not new organizers are hoping to attract top-notch local talent as well as involve a wide spectrum of the regional theatrical community. According to Producer, Deb Royals, "This is an incredible event that has been in the making since the inception of Koka Booth Amphitheatre. Finally we arrive at the moment the dream of outdoor theatre happens right here in our beautiful Triangle area and in an amphitheatre where stories can come alive with magic and possibility not even yet imagined. We are pleased and proud to offer an opportunity for local artists to work in a climate that will challenge each and every one of us to grow to new heights, reveling, respecting and making work that starts now and continues forward in ways we've not yet dreamed of..."

For the amphitheatre, which is marking its 10th Season bringing variety and culture that enriches the lives of the patrons it serves continues to be the top goal. According to Collins, “This celebration of Shakespeare and our great theatrical community is another exciting way to make Booth Amphitheatre's 10th season something really extraordinary. Building on our terrific musical offerings, movies and festivals, theatre is a natural extension of the Amphitheatre's mission for having the most eclectic schedule of cultural events in the region.”

Auditions will be held April 19 – 20. For complete audition requirements and information log on to www.boothamphitheatre.com . For complete event information go to www.boothamphitheatre.com or call (919) 462-2025.

PRIMARY CONTACTS:
Teresa Franzen, Publicist, T. Franzen, Inc., (919) 847-1687
Becky Schmidt, General Manager, (919) 462-2024
Lyman Collins, Cultural Arts Manager, (919) 462-3861
Deanna Boone, Deputy Public Information Officer, (919) 462-3908
Susan Moran, Public Information Officer, (919) 460-4951

Enter the Concept...

2010-08-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

So, a lot of people have asked me "what is the concept" for this production? My canned response has been "To tell the story and not get in the way." I believe that is always a good place to start.

Shakespeare has given us great words, great characters and great situations. Our job is to tell that story and not overly complicate it with a "concept." That being said, it does help to place the piece in a context...ground it in a time and place.

So...what is the time and what is the place for our production? Christmas time 1945...in a place not unlike Monaco.

Why Christmas?
Well, it is a Christmas play written for 12th Night. "But David, it is summer and you are going to place a show at Xmas?" yes. yes, I am. However it is Christmas in a place that doesn't have "white christmas". There is no snow...there are no freeze warnings. Most importantly, Christmas is a time of magic and possibility, it is a time ofreflection on all that has happened over the last year. This reflection can lead to introspection and even depression, especially if the events of the last year haven't been within your control.

Which lead me to....

Why 1945?
Something happened after the end of WWII. The world lost a great deal of innocence. The first nuclear weapons had been used...Europe was in shambles. No one knew what was coming next. The characters in 12th Night all suffer from a sense of "want" (meaning lack of something) and "want" (meaning need of something). The show isn't a full out comedy. Yes, there are comic elements, but there is a deep underpinning of transition. All of the characters talk about loss (of love, of family, of pride). It reminds me a lot of America in the immediate post 9/11 world. Everything we held dear had been shaken. We were all in a daze.

Imagine the first Christmas after the end of WWII. The war is over. The world is at peace, but for millions that peace came at a HUGE price. There is something very interesting about that time. Something that I think can inform our production.

"But David, this is all so depressing. You are really bumming me out"
Okay...that is the reality of the time. We now get to play against that. We get to allow that "reality" to inform our production in terms of time, place, and look and we just tell the story and not get in the way. We are not altering text to beat the audience over the head with concept. We are not going to play the melancholy...BUT we have to be aware that the play is NOT a romp...it is real...it is life...tragic and funny all at the same time. The pain is deep...the laughter loud.

All of that being said, we will still say the words and don't get in the way!