Shakespeare's Birthday?

"On Being Questioned Where I Am Today, April 23"

In Andrews Hall: that’s where you'll find the man,
Reflecting on the likelihood this day
Was born to us a child who would be styled
“Sweet swan of Avon” in his after years.
Alas! We know not with firm certainty
When William Shakespeare truly shuffled on
This mortal coil – the parish records note
“Gulielmus” (William) was so christenéd,
The son of one “Johannes Shakspere” (John),
On April twenty-sixth; nativity
Into this solid flesh was no precise
Concern for either clerk or chronicle.
The later clerk, in Lincoln, Lancaster
(O Pioneers! with place names redolent
Of geographic Anglophilia),
Confesses that the twenty-third is but
A sensible conjecture, no plain fact
As far as when to celebrate Will’s day
In accents like the Bard’s and festivals
Of pomp, and triumph, and much reveling.
E’en so: By Harry, England, and Saint George
(Whose feast this fairly is) let us applaud
The inexhaustibility of Will,
Whose date of birth must needs remain, much like
His plays and poems, open to surmise.

Looking Back at *Angels in America, Part Two*

More Audience Comments:

“I had the pleasure of seeing Angels In America: Perestroika last night, and I'm telling you now, if you do not go see this show, you are seriously missing out. Mary Douglass, Darin Hemmer, Matthew Lukasiewicz, Summer Widhalm, Andy Dillehay, and everyone else in the cast -- you all were just beautiful. Thank you for sharing my most favorite play with Lincoln. You moved me to tears.”

“It was absolutely incredible!”

“There are plays created for entertainment's sake...and then there are plays that entertain but also really examine the one thing we all have in common: Humanity. I prefer the latter. It's the work I prefer to produce and the work I prefer to support. I think this kind of theatre is the consistent medium that makes us feel connected to the strangers sitting in a dark room around us.”

“It was simply amazing . . . love, love, loved it!

“Bob Hall and Company have been doing amazing things with this show and tonight's performance was exceptional. A good, alert, responsive audience -- fearless vulnerability from Summer Widhalm and Matt Lukasiewicz -- utter authority from Elizabeth Govaerts and Mary Douglass -- feral audacity from Richard Nielsen -- wry, rueful introspection from Nathan Weiss -- warm compassion and clear-eyed insight from Darin Hemmer and Andy Dillehay -- along with onstage magic from Thomas Bolin and Mark Bestul, technical magic from Ben Wozniak, transformational wizardry from Paul Pearson, angelic appendages from Richard Imig and Catharine Honeyman, and divine guidance from Michelle Zinke.”

“Angels in America was fantastic! Thank you for putting on another wonderful show last night. Memorable!”

Memorable indeed! Blessings -- More Life! -- to everyone who made this experience possible.

Audience Comments for *Angels in America, Part Two*

“Much was excellent about tonight's production, but I really have to commend Mary Douglass, Darin Hemmer, and Richard Nielsen for a kind of quantum-level emotional engagement -- simply astounding.”

“One of my favorite plays -- I loved this performance!”

“It's one of the greatest modern American plays performed by some of the finest actors in the Lincoln theatre community, and fully deserving of an audience.”

“Thanks to Bob Hall and the brilliant cast of Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika. I had no idea a play about AIDS, religion, politics, self-loathing and homosexuality would be so funny. Didn't see that coming. Go see this show. It's poetically shocking and absolutely riveting.”

Only four shows remain: Thursday-Sunday, 7:30, at the Haymarket Theatre, 803 "Q" Street.

Call 402-477-2600 now!

Auditions for *Twelfth Night*

Flatwater Shakespeare announces open auditions for its June/July, open-air production of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare.

Twelfth Night will run Wednesdays through Sunday evenings, June 13 - June 24 at the Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens and then plays Thursdays through Sundays, July 5-15 at eight Lincoln-area parks. All actors receive a $400 stipend. The play calls for fifteen actors. Ethnic diversity is desired.

Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare's most romantic comedies, featuring twins, pirates, lovers, scoundrels, and clowns. It comes with music, duels, romance, and ribaldry. There are great roles for actors and actresses of all ages.

Auditions will be held Monday, April 9 and Tuesday, April 10 at the Lincoln Arts Council offices, 1701 South 17th St., Suite 1A. Please arrive any time between 7 and 8:30 PM. If possible, memorize (or bring to read) one or two brief Shakespearean monologues of your choice, but audition materials will also be provided.

For contact information go to www.flatwatershakespeare.org.