Flatwater Shakespeare's Blog News

Yet More of the Best of 2011!

2012-01-19T20:06:00.000-08:00

From Ladd Wendelin's look back at 2011 for Star City Blog –

Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches was a match made in theater heaven: Director Bob Hall, Flatwater Shakespeare, and the Haymarket Theatre brought Tony Kushner's epic drama to life this past April. A powerhouse cast of Flatwater regulars helped the show to earn its wings, including standout performances by Summer Widhalm (Harper), Richard Nielsen (Roy Cohn), and Daniel Kubert (Belize). With great performances and Hall’s strong directorial vision, Angels was simply divine, played with conviction, heart, and humor, all necessary components for a tale of love and death in the midst of the mid-80s AIDS epidemic.

The second coming of Angels in America, subtitled Part II: Perestroika, will run March 29– April 14, 2012 at the Haymarket Theater.

Mike Lee, who assumed the role of a banjo-picking troubadour [as Feste in Ian Borden's UNL production of Twelfth Night], also found success as the mischievous sprite Puck in Flatwater Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. Leave it to Bob Hall and Flatwater Shakespeare, who brought Puck, a half-man/half-jackass, and the whole magical gang of fairy-folk to the Lincoln Foundation Community Gardens in June while the Swan at Wyuka Cemetery is under renovation. In addition to their run at the Gardens, Midsummer also played free shows at local parks, amounting to a magical evening of theater. That Shakespeare fellow. He's gonna go far...

Photo: Mike Lee as Puck in the 2011 Flatwater Shakespeare Company production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Photo Credit: John Nollendorfs.

Our 2012 Season Unveiled!

2012-01-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company is proud to announce its 2012 Season!

First is Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika by Tony Kushner, presented in collaboration with The Haymarket Theatre. The venue is The Haymarket Theatre, 803 Q Street, Lincoln. Dates: March 29 – April 15. This is the follow up to last year’s amazing production of Angels in America Part One: Millenium Approaches. The play is described by the author as “a gay fantasia” that explores America in the late 1980s and early 90s, tackling an expansive range of issues -- gay identity and the Mormon Church, Ronald Reagan and Roy Cohn, AIDS and Orgasms, prophecy and empathy and God.

Next is Twelfth Night, or, What You Will by William Shakespeare, initially presented at the Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens, 14th & N Streets, Lincoln. Dates: June 13 – June 24. The production will then move to eight different Lincoln-area Parks and other outdoor venues. Dates: July 5 – 15. Offering free Shakespeare for all the family in Lincoln’s neighborhoods, this show continues the success of our 2011 touring production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A wonderful combination of twins, clowns, pirates, and poseurs, Twelfth Night is the most poetic of Shakespeare’s romantic comedies and perhaps the funniest and most musical: “If music be the food of love, play on.”

Continuing our tradition of youth performances of mainstage plays, Twelfth Night will also be presented at The Haymarket Theatre, 803 Q Street, Lincoln, on July 6 – 7. This is a perfect opportunity to see some of Lincoln’s best young actors develop their Shakespearean acting chops. The show will be directed by Sean Schmeits and produced in collaboration with The Haymarket Theatre.

Finally, we will present the inspiring classic, Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, at The Haymarket Theatre, 803 Q Street, Lincoln. Dates: October 4 – 23. The title character of this beloved play can boast of being the greatest swordsman in France, writing the wittiest and most romantic poetry in Paris, and having the biggest nose in all Europe. Rostand’s elegant verse tragicomedy centers on a man with the heart of a lover who thinks himself too ugly to be loved in return.

Flatwater Shakespeare looks forward to working with its partner organizations and to seeing both familiar and new faces at our alternative sites. For information about individual shows, call 402-473-2897 or visit us at www.flatwatershakespeare.org.

Again at the Top in Performing Arts!

2012-01-09T11:23:00.000-08:00

Flatwater Shakespeare productions and actors were well represented in the list of 2011's Top Shows and Individual Performances compiled by Lincoln Journal Star reporters and reviewers.

In the Top Shows –

Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches, directed by Bob Hall, who “outdid himself (again).”

In the Top Individual Performances –

Brad Boesen as Iago in Othello – “maybe the best performance I have ever seen from a Lincoln actor.”

Amy Jirsa as Desdemona in Othello – “genuineness and an innocent sweetness.”

Dick Nielsen as Roy Cohn in Angels in America, Part One – “deliciously unappealing but somehow wickedly attractive. The dichotomy was genius.”

Eric Ojeda as Nick Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream – “longtime supporting player Ojeda took advantage of his starring role, giving the buffoon Bottom a puppy-dog kind of charm.”

Photo: Nathan Weiss as Louis and Daniel Kubert as Belize in the Flatwater Shakespeare Company / Haymarket Theatre production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches. Photo Credit: Eric Gregory, Lincoln Journal Star)

A Gift That Keeps On Giving

2011-12-16T13:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends of Flatwater Shakespeare:

Through ticket sales, foundation grants, and the generosity of donors like you, we have successfully navigated this challenging economic climate. But even as we have striven to keep ticket prices low (and we have maintained affordability), our needs have escalated.

For two more years our usual playing space, the Swan Theatre at Wyuka, is being renovated. For that time, then, Flatwater Shakespeare will remain homeless – and none of the funding for that renovation will go to support our interim costs. Your donation is sorely needed to underwrite our expenses as we produce quality stage work in a variety of theaters and alternative spaces: we have increased costs for items such as rent, rehearsal space, portable toilet facilities, transportation, lighting equipment, tents – and even extra publicity just to let you know where we'll be playing!

Become one of our producers as we launch our 2012 Season:

Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika, Tony Kushner's eloquent plea for tolerance and understanding, performed in collaboration with The Haymarket Theatre, where it will open in March.

Twelfth Night, Shakespeare's most romantic comedy – “If music be the food of love, play on!” – performed admission free this summer at the Lincoln Community Foundation Garden and at several Lincoln public parks and other spaces.

A 3^rd Production in the fall, to be selected from The Winter's Tale, Much Ado About Nothing, and Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac. The title will be finalized once we have determined our playing space – and to do that, we must reach our funding goals for next year.

Your generosity will also support workshops, public discussions, readings, and our annual youth production.

Your tax deductible donation will help us to create more of the finest theatre in Lincoln.

Sincerely,

Bob Hall

Executive Artistic Director

Flatwater Shakespeare Company

P. O. Box 84935

Lincoln, NE 68501-4935

Audience Comments on Othello

2011-10-20T08:48:00.000-07:00

An absorbing performance of an eerily fascinating play. As usual, Bob Hall has captured the essence, the feel of it -- I love how he is original and totally true to Shakespeare at the same time.

My 15-year old godson enjoyed Othello. I think he did a great job of summing up the plot when, after the scene where Emilia realizes she's been duped into giving up the handkerchief and Iago's plot is revealed, he turned to me and whispered, "Busted!"

We continue tonight! Only four shows remain!
Thursday-Sunday, October 20-23
Lincoln Community Playhouse
2500 S. 56th Street
Call 402-473-2897 now!

Photo: William Bryant as Othello, Amy Jirsa as Desdemona, and Mary Douglass as Emilia in the Flatwater Shakespeare Company production of Othello. Photo Credit: John Nollendorfs.

Cassio's Shame

2011-10-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

"O, I have lost my reputation."

Cassio, after being dismissed as Othello's Lieutenant.

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company production of Othello, directed by Bob Hall, continues tonight, October 16, and Thursday through Sunday, October 20-23, at the Lincoln Community Playhouse, 56th and Normal.

Call 402-473-2897 to reserve seats!

Photo: Cory Misek as Cassio in Flatwater Shakespeare's Othello. Photo Credit: John Nollendorfs.

Chaos Is Come Again

2011-10-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

"It is not words that shakes me thus."

Othello, unnerved by the supposed concern of Iago.

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company production of Othello, directed by Bob Hall, continues tonight, October 16, and Thursday through Sunday, October 20-23, at the Lincoln Community Playhouse, 56th and Normal.

Call 402-473-2897 to reserve seats!

Photo: Brad Boesen as Iago and William Bryant as Othello in Flatwater Shakespeare's Othello. Photo Credit: John Nollendorfs.

Desdemona's Despair

2011-10-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

"I cannot weep; nor answer have I none." -- Desdemona, comforted by Emilia, after Othello's bitter accusations against her.

Seven performances left: tonight, October 14; continuing October 15-16, 20-23. Lincoln Community Playhouse, 56th and Normal.

Call 402-473-2897 now!

Photo: Amy Jirsa as Desdemona and Mary Douglass as Emilia in Flatwater Shakespeare's Othello. Photo Credit: John Nollendorfs.

Othello's "Powerhouse Cast" -- delivering "Sweat, Blood, and Steel"

2011-10-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

by Ladd Wendelin, Star City Blog

“Words are words,” remarks Brabantio (Sibley) in the opening scenes of Flatwater Shakespeare’s production of Othello, which runs now through Oct. 23rd at the Lincoln Community Playhouse (56th and Normal). “I never yet did hear / That the bruised heart was pierced through the ear.”

This is also, in part, what Flatwater Shakespeare and director Bob Hall are consistently great at when it comes to the Bard in Lincoln - their rewarding interpretation of the text, brought to life by top-tier local talent and artisans, masterfully exploits the deeper themes in a manner that is not only enjoyable and entertaining, but accessible to a diverse audience of all ages.

Such was the case Saturday night, with Brad Boesen (Iago) and William Bryant (Othello) leading a powerhouse cast through the sweat, blood and steel of one of Shakespeare’s truly heartbreaking tragedies, fraught with unauthorized love, blind vengeance, and brief candles. With Flatwater, the focus has always been on the performers – or rather their characters – and Shakespeare’s glorious way with words. Hall dresses the stage modestly with a minimum of set pieces to create a concentrated and at times intense production that, even when it loses momentum, is quick to pick up steam and regain the audience’s undivided attention.

Bryant and Boesen are at the heart of the show, and their portrayals of the imposing Moor and his devious military underling complement each other nicely, providing a good contrast that makes the charges of infidelity all the more severe. Bryant isn’t seen on the stage often, but his performance as Othello is a rare treat - as a sincere, unpretentious, ruthless and ultimately gullible tragic figure. Most importantly, his Othello is utterly convincing.

Boesen, meanwhile, assumes the role of the villainous Iago who deftly pits himself against Othello’s authority by convincing him that his young bride, Desdemona (the welcome return of a radiant, well-spoken Amy Jirsa), has been fooling around with Cassio (Cory Misek). As Othello struts and frets his hour (or three, with intermission) on the stage, Boesen plays his Iago with cool eloquence and unassuming poise. Previously seen as the crafty Richard III, Boesen is no stranger to the subtleties and shades of Shakespeare’s most wily villains, and his experience with the type shows. Despite being one of only four females in the cast, Mary Douglass’ Emilia (along with Noelle Bohaty’s Bianca and Marie Barrett’s Woman of Cyprus) burns red hot when Iago’s scheme is revealed in Act V.

It might be safe to assume that set designer Robert Hillestad (who received production assistance from Dustin Witte) took their inspiration from Iago’s line in Act II, Scene 3, “So I will turn her virtue into pitch, / And out of her own goodness make the net / That shall enmesh them all.” To fill the space, Hillestad and Witte have draped multi-colored netting, tattered rope and yarn across the ceiling like traps baited and set, which effectively suggests the unraveling action taking place onstage.

Flatwater Shakespeare and Bob Hall close out another quality season with a tightly-knit Othello, featuring excellent performances from Bryant and Boesen, and minimalistic, yet no less inspired, production values from Hillestad and Witte.

Othello runs October 6th – 23rd, with performances every Thurs. – Sun. at 7:30 p.m., Lincoln Community Playhouse Family Theatre (56th and Normal). Ticket prices are $18 for Adults, $15 for Seniors, Students for $10. Tickets can be reserved by calling 402-473-2897.

Photo: Amy Jirsa as Desdemona and William Bryant as Othello are observed by Brad Boesen as Iago in the Flatwater Shakespeare Company production of Othello. Photo Credit: John Nollendorfs.

Othello, Desdemona, Such Sweet Thunder

2011-10-07T09:47:00.000-07:00

Shakespeare’s Othello has inspired numerous artists – as well as audiences – over the centuries and to the present day. Most recently, Nobel Prize Laureate Toni Morrison has collaborated with singer-songwriter Rokia Traore and director Peter Sellars on Desdemona, a work that focuses on the relationship between that character and Barbary, her mother’s African maid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeWN71gokhU

In this clip, Sellars discusses the genesis of the piece, which is currently touring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8QBZttCFf4

Sellars talks about Morrison wanting to tell Othello’s stories to Desdemona more expansively than the summary Othello gives to the Venetian Senate. Those stories had already been told – purely in music – by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn in their composition “Such Sweet Thunder.” The soloist is Ray Nance (not Clark Terry, as stated in the clip).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeGtdRz-bkA

Such Sweet Thunder is also the name of the Shakespearean suite (note the pun) the piece begins. The above clip ends with “Sonnet for Hank Cinq,” which is inspired by the character of Henry the Fifth and is structured like a Shakespearean sonnet, with fourteen melodic lines of ten notes each, organized in three sets of four (quatrains) and a concluding couplet. The soloist is Britt Woodman.

Flatwater Shakespeare’s Education Director, Steve Buhler, has written about Such Sweet Thunder in the online journal Borrowers and Lenders: The Journal of Shakespeare and Appropriation.

http://www.borrowers.uga.edu/cocoon/borrowers/request?id=781406

In the Sellars interview, the director insists that Shakespeare could not have encountered any black people in his community. Professor Imtiaz Habib of Old Dominion University has demonstrated not only that there were blacks in Early Modern England (Queen Elizabeth I would not have twice – unsuccessfully – have ordered their expulsion if none lived there) but that some of them lived in the South Bank parishes adjacent to many London theaters. Habib’s *Black Lives in the English Archives, 1500-1677* is an important step in recovering this forgotten (and suppressed) history.

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company production of Othello, directed by Bob Hall, continues this weekend and for two additional weekends in the Lincoln Community Playhouse Family Theatre, 2500 S. 56th Street.

Performances are Friday-Sunday, October 7-9, and Thursday-Sunday, October 13-16 and 20-23. Show time is 7:30 p.m.

Ticket prices are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Group rates are also available.

Call 402-473-2897 for reservations.

A Few Things about Shakespeare!

2011-09-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

From our good friend Katie Sisneros:

Why is Shakespeare the most recognizable name in English literature? Why is he required reading for all high schools and most universities in the country? Why is he appropriated and adapted over and over and over in all different genres and all different media? We can’t know for sure. Some luck, quite a bit of British Colonialism, and a whole hell of a lot of talent.

Read the rest at The Tangential: let-me-just-say-a-few-things-about-shakespeare!

'Sblood! Zounds! Oaths in Othello

2011-09-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

In Shakespeare’s culture, one’s word – one’s truthfulness – was a sign of honor. In asserting the truthfulness of their statements, people in Early Modern times regularly swore oaths by (or to) sacred or spiritual persons, objects, and even ideas. This, by the way, is how such terms came to be known as “swear words.” At times, Shakespeare carefully matches specific oaths to characters and to the circumstances in which they are sworn.

Some oaths were shortened – both by constant use and also to soften their impact. It’s worth understanding their full significance:

‘Sblood = By Christ’s blood (shed for the salvation of humankind)

Zounds = By God’s wounds (suffered for the sins of humankind)

‘Fore God = In front of God’s face

Diablo = By the devil

By’r Lady = By Our Lady (the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus)

‘Ud’s pity = God’s pity (Divine Mercy being the only reason that anyone is saved)

Other examples include: O heaven; Vouch with me, heaven; By heaven; God’s will; O grace; Death and damnation; Faith; I’faith (in faith); Good faith; by this heavenly light

In some cases, more extensive oaths give further insight into character and connect powerfully with other statements and situations:

“Now, by yond marble heaven, / In the due reverence of a sacred vow . . . ” Othello, swearing vengeance, seeing heaven – and divine justice – as cold, hard, white.

“Witness, you ever-burning lights above, / You elements that clip us round about . . . ” Iago, swearing to assist Othello in punishing Cassio and Desdemona, describing the heavens as material, not spiritual.

“As I am a Christian”; “as I shall be saved” – Desdemona, swearing by her hopes for eternal life while insisting upon her innocence and her fidelity to Othello.

More briefly, Montano expresses his belief that a true soldier is a person of honor: “a little one; not past a pint, as I am a soldier” – swearing that he hasn’t given Cassio a great quantity of wine. This sets up his insistence that Iago report the night’s events accurately: “If . . . Thou dost deliver more or less than truth, / Thou art no soldier.” We’re given yet another poignant bit of dramatic irony, given Iago’s relationship with the truth.

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company proudly presents

Othello

directed by Bob Hall
scenic design by Robert Hillestad

October 6-9, 13-16, 20-23; Time: 7:30 p.m.
Lincoln Community Playhouse Family Theatre
2500 S. 56th Street, Lincoln
Tickets: 402-473-2897
$18 Adults; $15 Seniors; $10 Students

Photo: Amy Jirsa as Desdemona, Bill Bryant as Othello, and Brad Boesen as Iago in Flatwater Shakespeare's Othello. Photo Credit: John Nollendorfs

Robert Hillestad Joins Flatwater Shakespeare's Creative Team for Othello

2011-09-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

When Bob Hall, Flatwater Shakespeare’s Artistic Director, first began to envision his upcoming production of Othello, he thought not only about language, emotion, and action, but also about textures and colors. So he asked Lincoln artist Robert Hillestad, a master of textiles art in both fabrics and fibers, to design the set.

The result is a vibrant visual setting for William Shakespeare’s tragedy of love, jealousy, and prejudice. Hillestad’s colorful and tactile hangings will evoke the external settings of Venice and Cyprus and the interior worlds of desire and distrust. Mr. Hillestad worked with Dustin Witte in set construction and with costume designer Kat Cover in crafting a theatrical scene that, like Shakespeare’s work, is both timeless and rooted in the Renaissance. Also, an installation of Hillestad’s work called “Desdemona’s Dream” will be open for viewing in the Playhouse’s Gallery Theatre space during the run of the show.

Robert Hillestad has had a distinguished career as a textiles artist and design educator. He is Emeritus Professor of Clothing, Textiles, and Design at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His art work has been shown in more than 150 juried and invitational exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad and is represented in numerous private, corporate, and museum collections. Images of his art work are included in more than 50 publications in print and electronic form.

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company’s Othello runs Thursdays through Sundays, October 6-9, 13-16, and 20-23 in the Lincoln Community Playhouse Family Theatre, 2500 S. 56th Street. All show times are 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Call 402-473-2897 for reservations.

Support for Flatwater Shakespeare’s presentation of Othello has been provided by the Cooper Foundation, the Lincoln Arts Council, the Nebraska Arts Council, and the Woods Charitable Trust. For more information, go to flatwatershakespeare.org.

Othello
Dates: October 6-9, 13-16, 20-23; Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: Lincoln Community Playhouse
2500 S. 56th Street, Lincoln
Tickets: 402-473-2897
$18 Adults; $15 Seniors; $10 Students

Photo: Robert Hillestad, Scenic Designer for Flatwater Shakespeare's Othello.

Flatwater Shakespeare's Othello at LCP this October

2011-09-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

William Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy of love, jealousy, and prejudice comes to Lincoln this fall as The Flatwater Shakespeare Company stages Othello in the Lincoln Community Playhouse Family Theatre, 2500 S. 56th Street. The show opens Thursday, October 6. Performances continue Friday-Sunday, October 7-9, and Thursday-Sunday, October 13-16 and 20-23. All show times are 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Group rates are also available. Call 402-473-2897 for reservations.

The Republic of Venice, at war with the Ottoman Empire, depends on Othello, a charismatic general of African heritage. His brave exploits win the love of Desdemona, a young gentlewoman of Venice. Their secret marriage is revealed just as Othello is given orders to lead Venetian forces on the island of Cyprus. On the island, their happiness becomes the target of a diabolical plot devised by Iago, an embittered officer.

Director Bob Hall has assembled an extraordinary creative team to bring Shakespeare ’s rich and moving story to life. The scenic designer is Robert Hillestad, a master of textiles art in both fabrics and fibers. Hillestad and Flatwater Shakespeare’s Dustin Witte will work with costume designer Kat Cover in crafting a vibrant visual setting for many of Lincoln’s finest actors.

Bill Bryant and Amy Jirsa appear as Othello and Desdemona. Brad Boesen plays Iago, with Equity actress Mary Douglass as Iago’s long-suffering wife, Emilia. Other featured performers are John Marinovich as Roderigo, still-hopeful suitor to Desdemona, and Cory Misek as Cassio, for a time Othello’s most-trusted aide. The rest of the ensemble includes Marie Barrett, Mark Bestul, Noelle Bohaty, Stephen Buhler, Darin Hemmer, Chris O’Connor, and Richard Sibley. Mr. Marinovich is also the fight choreographer.

Support for Flatwater Shakespeare’s presentation of “Othello” has been provided by the Cooper Foundation, the Lincoln Arts Council, the Nebraska Arts Council, and the Woods Charitable Trust. For more information, go to flatwatershakespeare.org.

Othello
Dates: October 6-9, 13-16, 20-23; Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: Lincoln Community Playhouse
2500 S. 56th Street, Lincoln
Tickets: 402-473-2897
$18 Adults; $15 Seniors; $10 Students

Antony and Cleopatra Reviewed in Shakespeare Bulletin

2011-08-04T19:17:00.000-07:00

The following are excerpts from Darlene Farabee’s review of the Fall 2010 Flatwater Shakespeare Company production of Antony and Cleopatra in Shakespeare Bulletin 29.2 (Summer 2011): 196-99.

[In the Flatwater Shakespeare Company version, Antony and Cleopatra were] two strong people vying for power in the relationship at the same moment they were vying for power in the world.

This arrangement of the playing space [in the Swan Theatre], I found, affected the audience in interesting ways. For one thing, we were always seeing one another; even if one was not looking at individual audience members, part of the backdrop was always other spectators. This fact helped emphasize Cleopatra’s comments that refer to her own theatricality. Additionally, it meany that some scened could be played with an actor downstage directly facing an actor upstage, a profiling that worked particularly well with the messenger-scenes and the discussions between Antony and Cleopatra.

Melissa Lewis Nuss as Cleopatra clearly reveled in her role, in the same ways that Cleopatra revels in her role as Queen . . . most of all, she was believable as Cleopatra.

Antony’s army generally gave the appearance of lithe, taut strength rather than bulky solidity. Some of this impression depended on the fact that Vince Learned (Antony) is tall and rather wiry; but the production seemed to emphasize a lean strength for Antony and his followers and an accountant-like carefulness for Caesar [Scott Herr].

Enobarbus’s description [as delivered by Nathan Weiss] of the wonders of Cleopatra’s attractions conveyed the oddity of how his complete admiration combined with his awareness of her vagaries. Maecenas [played by John Marinovich] sat on the ground, rapt by the spell of Enobarbus’s description, and the audience seemed particularly taken with the imagery as well.

[Through] an ingenious bit of staging [by director Bob Hall] . . . Antony, loaded on a litter and borne carefully, was brought to Cleopatra who was raised only on the large impressive chair that earlier had served as a throne. In a carefully choreographed movement, Mardian [Daniel Kubert] and the Soothsayer [Dustin Witte] stretched a long scrim as a wall separating Cleopatra upstage from Antony lying on his litter downstage. After being brought to the scrim “wall,” the litter-bearers raised him as the scrim-holders lowered the barrier . . . [T]his canny bit of stage business . . . called attention to the possibilities in the production for a complete shifting of the realities of, well, gravity, for one thing. This vertical flexibility merged well with the play’s reliance on continual shifts between locations. The open-air theater also helped convey an impression of openness and continual motion.

Shakespeare Bulletin is North America’s leading scholarly journal on Renaissance drama in performance. The journal website is www.press.jhu.edu/journals/shakespeare_bulletin/. Darlene Farabee is Assistant Professor of English at the University of South Dakota; her essay in this issue also includes a review of Nebraska Wesleyan’s Romeo and Juliet, November 2010. We are grateful to Professor Farabee and the editors of Shakespeare Bulletin for permission to share these excerpts.

Photo: Noelle Bohaty as Iras, Melissa Lewis Nuss as Cleopatra, and Dawn Marie Moe as Charmian in Flatwater Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, directed by Bob Hall. Photo Credit: John Nollendorfs.

Looking Back at Midsummer, Ahead to Next Summer

2011-07-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

We knew the show would be something exceptionally special as early as the first full run-through. Just as we were getting underway, a boy of 4 or 5 years old tugged his father into the Lincoln Foundation Garden. He was immediately enchanted. His father recognized this and they both stayed. And so Joe, Jr. became our Changeling Boy for that night. He immediately saw Oberon’s selfishness and took Titania’s side (more on this later). He offered advice and commentary to the lovers, the fairies, the mechanicals. At one point, our Oberon allowed himself to be bridled by the boy just as Bottom had been by the fairies. Joe, Jr. joined the onstage audience for “Pyramus and Thisbe,” topping the others’ wisecracks – and stopping the show more than once. He had, in effect, his own Where the Wild Things Are Midsummer Night. Our actors responded as delightedly and generously to him as he was responding to them.

Catherine Coffey, who played Hippolyta and Titania, provides an update: “I still have the collection of assorted gifts he gave me throughout the rehearsal. I have no idea what to do with a rose stem, a piece of glitter, and a band-aid, but I could never throw them away! He was absolutely precious. I ran into him only a week or so ago and I was still ‘Faerie Princess’ to him. That boy’s imagination will take him far.”

If you would like to make Flatwater Shakespeare’s Summer Tour
a permanent feature on the Lincoln scene,
there are two things you can do right now.

1) Support us with a donation as we prepare for Othello this fall.
Send your tax-deductible contribution to
Flatwater Shakespeare Company
P. O. Box 84935
Lincoln, NE 68501-4935

2) Have your business or place of employment
become a Sponsor of Flatwater Shakespeare’s Summer Tour 2012.
For information, contact Deni Kornbluh, Business Manager,
at 402-990-6143 or denikornbluh@gmail.com

Many thanks for your past and continued support!

Find us -- and like us -- on Facebook

Visit us at flatwatershakespeare.org

Final Audience Comments on Midsummer

2011-07-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

Really, really, really outstanding performance this evening. Very impressive. My family and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you so much for your passion and commitment, and keep it up! We will follow you anywhere.

The show and tour have been a wonderful success. It's a great idea and I hope Flatwater Shakespeare can continue to present excellent work in exciting locations. Congratulations to you and the entire company.

Wonderful finale!

Congratulations on a wonderful summer production of A Midsummer Night's Dream! I attended the show at the First Plymouth courtyard, and it was a great night of theatre, on a perfect Nebraska evening. Looking forward to the next production!

Thank you to the awesome Flatwater cast/production team for inviting me into your family for the past few months to share A Midsummer Night's Dream! You guys are all amazing!

Went with the family to see the last performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream in Woods Park last night. We had a great time and I am delighted that both girls now have a new found love of Shakespeare. As a matter of fact, they want to know when we can do it again!

Thanks to our wonderful cast and crew, especially tour organizers Daniel Kubert and Dustin Witte -- thanks to our sponsors, including Lincoln Parks and the Woods Charitable Trust and, of course, Ivanna Cone -- thanks to our splendid volunteers -- and thanks to the citizens of Lincoln, Nebraska for making this experiment so worthwhile!

Stay tuned for information about helping to make Flatwater Shakespeare touring shows a regular summer feature!

Othello Auditions

2011-07-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Flatwater Shakespeare will hold auditions for all roles in Shakespeare's Othello Thursday, July 21 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday July 23 at 2:00 p.m. at The Haymarket Theatre, 803 Q St. Actors who have been in previous Flatwater productions need not audition at this time, but please contact director Bob Hall to indicate interest: bob@bobhall.com.

Two memorized pieces are welcome or you may bring material to read -- one piece should be from Shakespeare. Alternatively, scenes from Othello will be available. Othello will be presented at the Lincoln Community Playhouse's family theater Thursdays through Sundays, October 6 - 24. Rehearsals will begin August 25. We are seeking an actor of color to play Othello.

Magical Creatures, Bells, Shimmering Youth

2011-07-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

MIDSUMMER TOUR CONTINUES FOR ONE MORE WEEKEND!

TOUR AUDIENCE REACTION:

“If you have a chance to see this, don't miss it. It was great time, a perfect summer evening's entertainment for the whole family!”

“Friday at Cooper Park: the play was excellent -- the lovers were hilarious and the magical creatures were fascinating (lots of wind chimes and bells and shimmering youth). There's something about outdoor theater that just seems so magical. Plus the FREE Ivanna Cone ice cream -- chevre, honey, lavender and cake.”

“What a Lincoln treasure is Flatwater Shakespeare. Thoroughly enjoyed the performance I saw at Henry Park! Eric [as Bottom] and Robie [as Quince] were outstanding and hilarious!

ONLY FOUR SHOWS REMAINING!

Admission is Free, but freewill donations gladly accepted.

Please bring blankets, chairs, and cushions to sit on.

Free ice cream will be provided by Ivanna Cone.

The tour is supported by the Woods Charitable Fund, Lincoln Parks and Recreation, Prescott Elementary Panthers, and First-Plymouth Congregational Church.

Showtime is 7 p.m.

July 7: First Plymouth Congregational Church, 2000 D Street

July 8: Trago Park, N. 22nd and U Streets

July 9: Antelope Park @ Ager Center, 1300 S. 27th Street, by Liberty Statue

July 10: Woods Park, S. 33rd and J Streets

Call 402-473-2897 for information.

Find us – and like us – on Facebook!

Visit us at flatwatershakespeare.org!

Photo: Petrea Whittier as Hermia, Catherine Coffey as Hippolyta, Darin Hemmer as Theseus, Rob Burt as Lysander, and Peter Swanke as Demetrius in Flatwater Shakespeare's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, presented as Prescott Elementary. Photo Credit: Erin Duerr, Lincoln Journal Star.

Magical Hilarity!

2011-06-25T16:08:00.000-07:00

Bob Hall and his cast have magic to do, just for you, and the effect is nothing short of dreamy.
– Star City Blog, June 20, 2011

Funny, charming, well-balanced, talented cast and what a fantastic venue for Midsummer: COULD not be more perfect. Enjoy a beautiful summer night with Shakespeare in the Park!
– Audience Member

This is a show worth seeing, so get out under the stars and dream a little!
– Audience Member

The initial run of Flatwater Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream ends Sunday night, June 26, 7:30 p.m. at Lincoln Foundation Garden (N Street, between 14th and Centennial Mall). Call 402-473-2897 to see if any seats are left! Free Admission – suggested donation $10.

If you haven’t seen the show – or just want to see it again – you’re in luck! Starting this Thursday, June 30, and continuing July 1-3 and 7-10, the show embarks on a whirlwind tour of some of Lincoln’s finest parks and other outdoor venues. As with the LCF Garden performances, admission is Free – but freewill donations will be happily accepted.

Audiences are asked to bring blankets, chairs, and cushions to sit on. Free ice cream will be provided by Ivanna Cone. Here are the scheduled venues. Showtime is 7 p.m.

June 30: Prescott Elementary School, 1930 S. 20th Street

July 1: Cooper Park, S. 6th and D Streets

July 2: Bethany Park, N. 65th and Vine Streets

July 3: Henry Park, S. 44th Street and Prescott Avenue

July 7: First Plymouth Congregational Church, 2000 D Street

July 8: Trago Park, N. 22nd and U Streets

July 9: Antelope Park @ Ager Center, 1300 S. 27th Street, by Liberty Statue

July 10: Woods Park, S. 33rd and J Streets

Call 402-473-2897 for information.

Find us – and like us – on Facebook!

Visit us at flatwatershakespeare.org.

Dream a Little!

2011-06-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Along with great reviews in the media, we've received great audience comments!

Such as . . .

Funny, charming, well-balanced, talented cast and what a fantastic venue for Midsummer - COULD not be more perfect. Enjoy a beautiful summer night with Shakespeare in the Park!

Such a great show! Everyone should see this. It's a great night of live theater. I hope to go again.

This is a show worth seeing, so get out under the stars and dream a little!

A Midsummer Night's Dream . . . it is fabulous. Don't miss it.

The setting was magical and that the cast was simply amazing. Laughter abounded among us – which was so delightful.

It was awesome!

FOUR MORE SHOWS -- TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY
AT THE LINCOLN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION GARDEN
"N" STREET BETWEEN 14TH AND CENTENNIAL MALL.

7:30 p.m. / JUNE 23, 24, 25, 26

FREE ADMISSION (suggested donation $10)

(AFTER THAT, WE GO ON TOUR -- SEE INFO IN PREVIOUS POST!)

CALL 402-473-2897

Nothing Short of Dreamy!

2011-06-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

Flatwater Shakespeare's Midsummer is a Dream
By Ladd Wendelin, Star City Blog, June 20, 2011

“I may never believe / These antique fables nor these fairy toys,” speaks Theseus in Act V, Scene 1 of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which played to a receptive, if not bug-bitten, audience in the Lincoln Foundation Gardens (1417 N St., just past Colby Ridge Popcorn) Sunday evening.

Watching a cast of Flatwater regulars and newcomers perform, it struck me just how prevalent the supernatural is throughout the play (learning something new every time – a guarantee with any Shakespeare play). Magic, or the misuse of it, inevitably leads to disbelief. The fancies of love quickly become a fool’s errand. And yet, deep in the heart of the Athenian woods, Shakespeare invites us to scrap our skepticism, get lost in the language and be seduced by transformative, magical powers that only appear in the heat of the moment, just before daybreak.

It would be difficult to imagine this play being staged in Flatwater Shakespeare’s regular home, the Swan (or Carriage House) at Wyuka Cemetery. Currently under renovation, director Bob Hall has wisely moved operations for this production of Midsummer from the Swan to the Lincoln Foundation Gardens. The Foundation Gardens are the ideal setting for the play, and Hall has clearly taken great care in adapting the play for the space. Forget that it’s bordered by the Windstream building! Stretch your imagination just enough, and you’re bound to find yourself in a hanging garden surrounded by Roman ruins.

With the audience on either side of the commons area, surrounded by the well-manicured flora of the Gardens, Flatwater’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream has just enough of that supernatural / illusionary quality to really make it that theatrical summer treat, distinct from past Flatwater productions, and yet accessible enough to appeal to a larger audience. Fortunately, there’s much to appreciate in Hall’s production.

Hall’s crack production team has not let the opportunity of performing in the Gardens pass them by without a strong showing of their trade. Janice Stauffer’s glistening costumes and Dustin Witte’s expertly crafted, hand-woven props not only complemented the setting, but seem to draw inspiration from it.

Some excellent performances from the cast must be seen to be believed, as well. Mike Lee, who captivated as a banjo-strumming minstrel in UNL’s Twelfth Night, returns here as the mischievous sprite Puck. His energy and enthusiasm for the role is quite apparent and welcome. Robie Hayek leads the troupe of inept players, which includes Eric Ojeda in a standout performance as the half-assed Nick Bottom. From Ojeda to Petrea Whittier’s Hermia, the commitment these actors and actresses bring to their respective roles is perhaps the strongest reason to fall under the consistently engaging, enchanting and hilarious spell of Midsummer.

Bob Hall and his cast have magic to do, just for you, and the effect is nothing short of dreamy.

_______________________________________

A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs this weekend, June 22 to 26, Thursday through Sunday, with performances each night at 7:30 p.m. at Lincoln Foundation Gardens (1471 N St.). Starting the following weekend, June 30 to July 3, and continuing July 7-10, Midsummer will embark on a whirlwind tour of Lincoln’s finest gardens and parks. To these performances, audiences are asked to bring blankets, chairs, and cushions to sit on. Free ice cream will be provided by Ivanna Cone.

June 30: Prescott Elementary School, 1930 S. 20th Street

July 1: Cooper Park, S. 6th and D Streets

July 2: Bethany Park, N. 65th and Vine Streets

July 3: Henry Park, S. 44th Street and Prescott Avenue

July 7: First Plymouth Congregational Church, 2000 D Street

July 8: Trago Park, N. 22nd and U Streets

July 9: Antelope Park@ Ager Center, 1300 S. 27th Street, by Liberty Statue

July 10: Woods Park, S. 33rd and J Streets

Admission to all performances is completely free of charge, although a suggested $10 donation is encouraged. Bring bug spray!

CALL 402-473-2897 for information and reservations.

Photo: Mike Lee as Puck in the Flatwater Shakespeare Company production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Photo Credit: John Nollendorfs.

A Most Rare Vision -- Downtown and Crosstown

2011-06-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

Flatwater Shakespeare Begins Tour of Lincoln

Mike Hollins, Daily Nebraskan, June 13, 2011

What's better than enjoying some Shakespeare on a warm summer night? How about enjoying some Shakespeare on a warm summer night under the blanket of a beautiful starlit sky?

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company will begin its Lincolnwide tour of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream on June 15 with performances around the city until July 10.

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company is a Lincoln-based ensemble that has been collaborating with local artists for more than 10 years to bring Shakespeare's plays and other classic works to the stage.

Stephen Buhler, an English professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and educational director of the Flatwater Shakespeare Company, expressed the organization's intentions to expand the audience for live theater.

"Younger audiences, non-traditional audiences and under-represented groups can all be better connected with the dramatic arts," Buhler said. "That's a major reason why attendance at this production is offered free of charge – although we'll happily accept free-will donations."

Buhler also explained why this summer's shows will be a bit different from years past.

"For over a decade, we have performed our June shows at the Swan Theatre, located at the old carriage house at Wyuka Cemetery," Buhler said. "A major renovation grant means that the Swan is unavailable for this summer and next summer."

Since the theatrical group was forced to find a new venue for their upcoming production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," they opted for a citywide tour across Lincoln, performing at several outdoor locations throughout the play's four-week run.

"This is our first outdoor staging of the play," Buhler said while explaining how Midsummer's mood lends itself perfectly to an outdoor performance. "Along with being one of Shakespeare's most magical plays, it's also one of his liveliest — with much of the action taking place outdoors, under the moon and stars."

From June 15-26, Wednesday through Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m., the Flatwater Shakespeare Company will perform A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens located on N Street between 14th Street and Centennial Mall.

Sarah Peetz, the vice president for community outreach at the Lincoln Community Foundation, feels that the gardens will provide an ideal setting for the Shakespearean classic.

"It is a beautiful space and can accommodate a large audience," Peetz said. "A Midsummer Night's Dream is traditionally performed in an open air venue, so using the Foundation Garden continues Flatwater Shakespeare's tradition of open air summer productions."

From June 30 through July 10 the company takes its production on tour with performances all across Lincoln, starting at Prescott Elementary on June 30, Cooper Park on July 1, Bethany Park on July 2, Henry Park on July 3, First Plymouth Congressional Church on July 7, Trago Park on July 8, Antelope Park on July 9 and wrapping things up at Woods Park on July 10.

Bob Hall is the founder of the Flatwater Shakespeare Company and director of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Hall hopes Lincolnites will turn out to enjoy Shakespeare's humorous play free of charge.

"It's probably the most popular comedy ever written," Hall said. "For those who aren't familiar with Shakespeare, this is an excellent opportunity to give it a try. I guarantee that everyone will have a good time."

Call 402-473-2897 for information and reservations!

Photo: Eric Ojeda as Bottom, Mike Lee as Puck, Robie Hayek as Quince, and Nate Ruleaux as Flute in the Flatwater Shakespeare Company production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Photo Credit: John Nollendorfs.

Share the Enchantment!

2011-06-15T21:52:00.000-07:00

Shakespeare Plays under the Stars
Pamela S. Thompson, Lincoln Journal Star

Shakespeare in the Park has landed in Lincoln.

Inspired perhaps by the free Central Park summer performances in New York City, Flatwater Shakespeare Company's artistic director, Bob Hall, has staged A Midsummer Night's Dream under a canopy of trees and stars.

Wednesday's opening night audience of more than 150 -- equipped with bug spray, Goodrich ice cream and loose-fitting clothing -- was treated to an athletic two-plus hours of the Bard's best. The performance commanded the audience's full attention, as the dialog was as quick as the performers' sprints among the garden walks, ponds and steps.

It was a brave experiment to present this play in an outdoor downtown space. But it is also true that this production was in competition with its venue.

In Shakespeare's play, the forest outside Athens is an enchanted wonderland. The Lincoln Foundation Garden, by contrast, is an urban square bounded on two sides by tall buildings.

The performance was presented in the round, so that at any point the actors were directing their lines away from some part of the audience. Thus, one section sometimes was deprived of hearing a line by passing traffic, a building air conditioner or a stray airplane. With the seats on the same level as the stage, when an actor dropped to his or her knees, that actor was lost to all but the first row.

As is typical of a Hall-directed production, the cast was solid, led by a comedic Eric Ojeda as narcissistic and stage-mad weaver Bottom. Enjoyably energetic were Rob Burt, Peter Swanke, Maggie Austin and Petrea Whittier as the lovers thrown into a delightful confusion caused by the anarchic sprite Puck, played with gusto by the mischievous Mike Lee, as commanded by Darin Hemmer's bewitching Oberon.

This is a vehicle in which Shakespeare indulges his appreciation for the magic of the season, and the production is a robust embodiment of that pleasure. For those who can dispense with the comfort of an air-conditioned theater, this outdoor production allows us to share the enchantment.

Flatwater Shakespeare Company’s A Midsummer Night's Dream

Lincoln Community Foundation Garden, 14th and N streets

7:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, June 16-19
and Wednesday through Sunday, June 22-26

Free, suggested donation of $10; call 402-473-2897

Touring schedule

Flatwater Shakespeare will take the production to parks and other outdoor locations around Lincoln after its run in Foundation Garden. It will play at 7 p.m. and, like the LCF Garden production, will be free. Following is the tour schedule:

June 30 -- Prescott Elementary School, 1930 S. 20th St.

July 1 -- Cooper Park, Sixth and D streets

July 2 -- Bethany Park, 65th and Vine streets

July 3 -- Henry Park, 44th Street and Prescott Avenue

July 7 -- First-Plymouth Congregational Church, 20th and D streets

July 8 -- Trago Park, 22nd and U streets

July 9 -- Antelope Park (by Liberty Statue), 1300 S. 27th St.

July 10 -- Woods Park, 33rd and J streets

Photo: Mike Lee as Puck in the Flatwater Shakespeare Company production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Photo Credit: John Nollendorfs

Opening This Wednesday -- And Touring After!

2011-06-12T17:14:00.000-07:00

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company's

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Directed by Bob Hall

Arrives this Wednesday at the
Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens

"N" Street, Between 14th and Centennial Mall

June 15-19 and 22-26, 7:30 p.m.

Call 402-473-2897

Free Admission (suggested donation $10)

And, following the LCF Gardens run,
this Dream hits the road for a tour of Lincoln:

June 30- Prescott Elementary School, 1930 S. 20th Street

July 1- Cooper Park, S. 6th and D Streets

July 2- Bethany Park, N. 65th and Vine Streets

July 3-Henry Park, S. 44th Street and Prescott Avenue

July 7- First Plymouth Congregational Church, 2000 D Street

July 8- Trago Park, N. 22nd and U Streets

July 9- Antelope Park@ Ager Center, 1300 S. 27th Street, by Liberty Statue

July 10- Woods Park, S. 33rd and J Streets

This tour has been organized by the show’s properties master, Dustin Witte, and choreographer, Daniel Kubert, with the help of Dave Bomberger of Lincoln Parks. The touring version will be abridged for a 90-minute running time without intermission. Show time during the tour is 7 p.m. and audience members should bring lawn chairs, cushions, or blankets for seating. Free ice cream will be provided by Ivanna Cone, 701 P Street.

The tour of Flatwater Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is sponsored by a grant from the Woods Charitable Trust and by Prescott Elementary School, First Plymouth Congregational Church, and the Lincoln Department of Parks and Recreation.

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For More Information, visit us at flatwatershakespeare.org

Photo: Nate Ruleaux as Flute, Robie Hayek as Quince, and Eric Ojeda as Bottom in the Flatwater Shakespeare Company production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Photo Credit: John Nollendorfs.

Who're You Calling Rude?

2011-06-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

WHAT’S SO FUNNY ABOUT WORKINGMEN AS ACTORS?

In medieval England, festivals and fairs often centered on energetic dances (such as the Bergomask). One form came to be known as the Morris dance (Titania mentions the part of the village green where the “Nine-men’s Morris”is done) – borrowing from the idea of Moorish dancing in the Mediterranean region.

Other entertainments combined a story line with fighting, slapstick, and general clowning – these Folk Plays featured characters drawn from popular tradition, such as Saint George and the Dragon, Robin Hood and Maid Marian, portrayed by villagers and townspeople.

Eventually, local citizens built upon developments in medieval church services in which scenes from scripture were dramatically re-enacted. These Liturgical Plays gave rise to Mystery Plays, staged outdoors, which presented imaginative retellings of a wide range of biblical stories. In several towns, the trade-guilds took charge. One explanation for the term “mystery” is that it refers to the skill or craft shared by the performers (perhaps related to “mastery,” as with a Master Carpenter). Generally, each play was presented by a single guild and sometimes there was obvious suitability in the subject matter, as when the Carpenters presented the play of Noah’s Ark or the Bakers that of the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes.

Each series of plays, known as a cycle, traced the spiritual history of humankind – from, that is, the Christian perspective. Each individual play could also include (and deliberately so) farcical comedy and realistic scenes from contemporary life: The Second Shepherds’ Play, for example, is a brilliant, hilarious, and moving take on the Nativity story. Mystery Plays were almost always written in verse, in a range of stanza forms. They became focal points for festivals (holy-days, holidays) in towns and cities, including Chester, Wakefield, and York, in the 1300s and into the 1500s. Performers associated with guilds would also provide entertainments at pageants and processions during special occasions, such as visits from royalty. But as the Reformation took hold in England in the second half of the 1500s (and after Elizabeth’s accession), guild plays in particular were gradually suppressed as inappropriate forms of entertainment on feast days. Other factors included the influence of University drama – which staged ancient Roman plays or tackled classical subjects – and the rise of professional theater.

Shakespeare’s Rude Mechanicals (Puck's description: that is, unlearned men who work with tools) are based on the actors of Guild Plays – if with important differences. Since A Midsummer Night’s Dream is set in ancient Athens, their subject matter has to be classical: the exploits of Hercules (“Ercles,” says Bottom) or the tragic tale of Pyramus and Thisbe. They are drawn from a variety of occupations, not a single craft or mystery. Even so, they are true to form in their performance style (Bottom clearly is used to playing Hercules in a ranting manner appropriate to King Herod), their approach to verse, their contemporary flavor, and their perhaps surprising potential to be dramatically effective. The 1952 movie musical Singin’ in the Rain is an affectionate tribute to (and satire on) the Hollywood pioneers who made possible the transition from silent film to talkies – and musicals, for that matter. Shakespeare’s presentation of the Mechanicals’ Pyramus and Thisbe is, similarly, an affectionate tribute to (and send-up of) the working folk who had embodied and sustained English drama for centuries.

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company’s
Midsummer Night’s Dream

Directed by Bob Hall
Dates: June 15-19, 22-26
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens
"N" Street, Between 14th and Centennial Mall, Lincoln
Reservations: 402-473-2897
Admission Free -- $10 Suggested Donation

(Photo: 19th-century illustration suggesting how the Chester Crucifixion Play – note the emblems of punishment, along with tools of the Carpenters’ trade, on the front banner – might have been staged on a pageant cart in the town square.)

But I Will Wed Thee in Another Key

2011-05-26T21:16:00.000-07:00

THESEUS AND HIPPOLYTA

Theseus is one of the founding kings of Athens. His mother was Aethra, the princess of Troezen, and his father was Aegeus, the Athenian king -- and also Poseidon, god of the sea. In a story similar to that of England’s Arthur and the Sword in the Stone, when Theseus came of age, he claimed Aegeus’s sword and sandals, which had been hidden under a rock. Attempting to prove his worthiness to be Aegeus’s heir, Theseus volunteered to be sent to Crete, hoping to end the series of Athenian sacrifices to the Minotaur. He was able to make his way into and out of King Minos’s labyrinth and kill the Minotaur with the help of Minos’s daughter Ariadne. After making their escape from Crete, Theseus abandoned Ariadne on the island of Naxos. Before leaving on his quest, Theseus had agreed to change the sails of his ship from black to white if he succeeded. He neglected to change the sails; Aegeus saw the black sails, believed his son was dead, and threw himself into the sea (now called the Aegean) in despair.

Rejected by the nobles of Athens, Theseus went into voluntary exile. During this time, he waged war against the Amazons, capturing their queen, Hippolyta. Soon after, in some versions of the myth, the Amazons attacked Athens, and Theseus led the successful defense. With their insistence on women’s rule and military prowess – and with their reliance on men only for the purposes of procreation – the Amazons presented a challenge to Greek male ideas about civilization and natural order. Theseus, the archetypal Athenian hero, was compelled to set things right, at least from the perspective of such ideas.

Some versions of the myth report that Theseus had earlier married Phaedra, a princess from his mother’s country. After Theseus went back to her, Hippolyta returned to the Amazon lands, leaving their son Hippolytus with Theseus. Other versions say that Hippolyta defiantly appeared at the subsequent wedding of Theseus and Phaedra, along with Hippolytus, and demanded that Theseus remain faithful to her; in response, the wedding guests killed her. In all versions, the eventual fates of Hippolytus and his stepmother Phaedra are also the stuff of tragedy.

This classical lore is complicated in Shakespeare’s retelling by another source, The Canterbury Tales. Here’s the beginning of “The Knight’s Tale,” the first in Geoffrey Chaucer’s collection of stories. The narrative eventually features two gentlemen fighting over one lady (sound familiar?), with one of the gentlemen disguising himself as an attendant named Philostrate (that is, “the man brought down by love”). But it opens with Theseus and Hippolyta –

Whilom, as olde stories tellen us,
Once upon a time, as old stories say,
Ther was a duc that highte Theseus;
There was a duke named Theseus:
Of Atthenes he was lord and governour,
Of Athens he was lord and governor,
And in his tyme swich a conquerour,
And in his time was such a conqueror
That gretter was ther noon under the sonne.
That none was greater under the sun.
Ful many a riche contree hadde he wonne,
Full many a rich country had he subdued
What with his wysdom and his chivalrie;
With his wisdom and his military might:
He conquered al the regne of Femenye,
He conquered all the realm of Womankind,
That whilom was ycleped Scithia,
That once was called Scythia,
And weddede the queene Ypolita,
And wedded the queen Hippolyta,
And broghte hir hoom with hym in his contree,
Bringing her home with him to his country
With muchel glorie and greet solempnytee,
With much glory and great solemnity,
And eek hir yonge suster Emelye.
And also her young sister Emily.
And thus with victorie and with melodye
And thus with triumph and with song
Lete I this noble duc to Atthenes ryde,
I let this noble duke ride to Athens
And al his hoost, in armes hym bisyde.
Along with all his armed host beside him.
And certes, if it nere to long to heere,
And truly, were it not too long to hear,
I wolde have toold yow fully the manere
I would have told you fully the manner
How wonnen was the regne of Femenye
How the realm of Womankind was won
By Theseus, and by his chivalrye,
By Theseus and by his knights
And of the grete bataille for the nones
And of the great battle at that time
Bitwixen Atthenes and Amazones,
Between Athens and the Amazon lands,
And how asseged was Ypolita
And how besieged was Hippolyta
The faire hardy queene of Scithia,
The fair and hardy queen of Scythia,
And of the feste that was at hir weddynge,
And of the festival at their wedding,
And of the tempest at hir hoom-comynge;
And of the tempest at their homecoming;
But al the thyng I moot as now forbere . . .
But all of that I must, just now, forbear . . .

But much of what Chaucer’s Knight skips over, William Shakespeare explores in detail in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company presents

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
directed by Bob Hall

Dates: June 15-19, 22-26
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens
"N" Street, Between 14th and Centennial Mall, Lincoln
Information: 402-473-2897
$10 Suggested Donation

(Illustration from a Greek vase showing Theseus attacking Hippolyta, who is defended by Deinomache.)

Revised Schedule -- And Dreaming Is Free!

2011-05-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

William Shakespeare’s most beloved comedy unfolds under the moon and stars in downtown Lincoln this summer as The Flatwater Shakespeare Company stages A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens, on N Street between 14th and Centennial Mall. The paths of young lovers, meddling spirits, and amateur tragedians cross hilariously and combine with a Royal Wedding of mythic proportions. In honor of the “Celebrate Lincoln” street fair on June 10-11, Flatwater Shakespeare will delay the opening until Wednesday, June 15. The production will now run for two weeks, Wednesdays through Sundays, 7:30 p.m., to June 26. Call 402-473-2897 for information.

Thanks to several grants and in keeping both with our mission to engage new audiences for classic theater and with our desire to reward our existing audience, which has supported Flatwater Shakespeare so strongly over eleven years, we are offering attendance at all performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream free of charge. We suggest a freewill donation of ten dollars but our policy is – donate what you can or donate nothing at all and just give Shakespeare a try. The mainstage production has received generous support from the Lincoln Community Foundation, the Cooper Foundation, and the Lincoln Arts Council. The Woods Charitable Trust has funded a subsequent tour of the show.

Theseus, Duke of Athens, anxiously awaits his marriage to recent conquest Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Complicating matters is a dispute between the lady Hermia and her father, Egeus. Hermia loves Lysander, but Egeus has chosen Demetrius as a more suitable match. Hermia and Lysander run away into the woods, pursued by Demetrius – who is pursued by the lady Helena. In the forest, another royal couple is having problems: Oberon and Titania, King and Queen of the faerie world, are locked in a bitter dispute. Also in the forest, a company of amateur actors has gathered to rehearse a play in Theseus and Hippolyta’s honor. The mischievous sprite Puck, who serves as Oberon’s court jester, interferes with the lovers, the actors, and the affections of his King and Queen. Somehow, as Puck says, “all shall be well” in one of Shakespeare’s most harmonious conclusions.

Director Bob Hall has brought together a vital and engaging ensemble to cast an appropriately magical spell. Darin Hemmer and Catherine Coffey appear in dual roles, as Theseus and Hippolyta, and also as Oberon and Titania. Mike Lee doubles as Puck and as Philostrate, responsible for the wedding festivities. Petrea Whittier, Rob Burt, Maggie Austin, and Peter Swanke appear as the young lovers. The workingmen who love the stage are Eric Ojeda, Robie Hayek, Nate Ruleaux, Andy Dillehay, Tom Bolin, and Josh Woolery. Paul Pearson appears as Hermia’s outraged father. The denizens of the faerie realm are played by Jessie Tidball, Sydney Ray, Jennifer Holm, Madison Smith, Jordan Deffenbough, Cory Misek, and Christian Novotny. Janice Stauffer is costume designer and Dustin Witte is prop master.

For the two weekends following our run at Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens, Thursday through Sunday evenings, June 30 through July 10, Flatwater Shakespeare will take A Midsummer Night’s Dream on tour to parks and other outdoor locations around Lincoln. It will play at 7:00 p.m. and will also be offered free of charge. The list of sites is currently under review by the City of Lincoln and will be sent out upon approval. This touring version is sponsored by a grant from the Woods Charitable Trust and by Prescott Elementary School, First Plymouth Congregational Church, and the Lincoln Department of Parks and Recreation. A youth production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Tom Crew, is also in preparation, funded by the Nebraska Humanities Council.

For more information, please visit www.flatwatershakespeare.org.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Dates: June 15-19, 22-26
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens
"N" Street, Between 14th and Centennial Mall, Lincoln
Information: 402-473-2897
$10 Suggested Donation

Spirits of Another Sort

2011-05-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

“Wisdom has build herself a house.” (Proverbs 9.1)

God (absolute being, not pictured)

Angel (higher spirit)
Heavens (planetary intelligences)
Human Being
Animal (here, a lion)
Plant (here, a tree)
Active Thing=
Flame
Passive Thing=
Rocks

Among the many smart things that Shakespeare does in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of the most effective is his combination of down-home folklore with high-minded philosophy. English villagers and townspeople alike knew about beings like the Fairy Queen (sometimes called Mab – as in Mercutio’s famous speech in Romeo and Juliet) and Robin Goodfellow (sometimes called the Lubber Fiend – that is, “Laboring Spirit”) and their connections with the natural and supernatural worlds. Renaissance philosophy proposed that there was a Chain of Being, a ladder or stairway linking, at the bottom, raw matter (pure Becoming) and, at the top, the divine (pure Being). Everything in existence fits somewhere on the ladder -- see the illustration above.

The diagram cheats a little bit here: humankind is theoretically the mid-point between becoming and being. There was also a category between humans and the heavens, between reasoning creatures and the intellectual beings that kept the planets and stars on their proper courses. This additional category was for elemental spirits connected with the powers and properties of the four elements – air, fire, water, earth. Think of Ariel in The Tempest, clearly a spirit of air. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the fairies of English folk tales are presented as elemental spirits. Titania and her followers keep the seasons in proper order through their graceful dances; Oberon understands the occult properties of flowers and herbs; Puck can travel up and down the Chain of Being at will, assuming any form he wishes. He can even be a passive thing like a stool, which he then makes active – slipping out from under a teller of folk tales.

These are literally superior beings, which explains their mixed attitudes of affection and condescension and sometimes contempt (“Lord, what fools these mortals be!”) toward humankind. It’s important to remember that any fairy, even an attendant or henchman, is literally (if not dramatically) superior to the noblest human. The fairies’ higher status on the Chain of Being explains why they have (from the human perspective) such extraordinary – one could say magical – powers and why they inspire such fear and awe.

Watch for further details of the Flatwater Shakespeare Company production of A Midsummer Night's Dream -- coming to downtown Lincoln and to city parks this June!

(Illustration from 16th-century edition of Ramon Llull's Liber de ascensu et decensu intellectus)

Here Is a Play Fitted!

2011-04-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company production of A Midsummer Night's Dream has its initial run at the Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens, 14th and N Streets, June 9-26. Here you may read the names of the actors, and so grow to a point.

Theseus/ Oberon: Darin Hemmer
Hippolyta/ Titania: Catherine Coffey
Egeus: Paul Pearson
Lysander: Rob Burt
Demetrius: Peter Swanke
Hermia: Petrea Whittier
Helena: Maggie Austin
Puck/Philostrate: Mike Lee
Peter Quince: Robie Hayek
Nick Bottom: Eric Ojeda
Francis Flute: Nate Ruleaux
Tom Snout: Andy Dillehay
Snug: Tom Bolin
Robin Starveling: Josh Woolery
1st Fairy/Peaseblossom: Jessie Tidball
Cobweb: Sydney Ray
Moth: Jennifer Holm
Mustardseed: Madison Smith
Oberon Henchman: Jordan Deffenbough
Oberon Henchman: Cory Misek

Stayed tuned for more information about this show -- and its city-wide tour!

(Photo: Statue of Puck -- with famous quotation -- at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington DC.)

Audience Comments for Angels in America (Two Shows Remain!)

2011-04-16T07:50:00.000-07:00

Angels in America is one of Bob Hall's best efforts as a director.

Perfectly cast, beautifully performed . . . If you want to see QUALITY theater in Lincoln, you need to support it.

This is one of Bob Hall's best efforts, with a fantastic cast and, of course, great material to work with. Everyone should see it!

This a great show! Treat yourself and check it out!

I was on the edge of my chair the whole time. Do yourself a huge favor and see this show. I'm already planning on seeing it again.

Caught Angels in America last night. It took my breath away. Thanks to cast and crew. Can't wait for part II.

Two more performances (until 2012, that is) --
tonight and Sunday at 7:30,
The Haymarket Theatre, 803 "Q" Street in Lincoln.
Call 402-477-2600.

(Photo: Nathan Weiss as Louis and Daniel Kubert as Belize in the Flatwater Shakespeare Company / Haymarket Theatre production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches. Photo Credit: Eric Gregory, Lincoln Journal Star)

Auditions for A Midsummer Night's Dream This June and July

2011-04-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

This is for our summer out-of-doors presentation, running three weekends, Thursdays through Sundays, June 9 - June 26 at Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens. Then we tour a condensed version: eight performances in various Lincoln parks, Thursdays through Sundays, June 30 – July 10. Actors get $400.

Auditions 6:30 – 8:30, Monday and Tuesday, April 4 & 5 - at The Haymarket Theatre, 803 Q St., Lincoln. Actors can present one or two brief monologues. Scenes from Midsummer will also be available. If you can not do these auditions, email Bob Hall at bob@bobhall.com.

Genuine, Three-Dimensional Depth

2011-04-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

Angels in America still pricks our cultural conscience
Olive Bucklin, Lincoln Journal Star, April 1, 2011

Back in the 1980s, about the time Tony Kushner was creating his masterpiece play, I was working in Omaha with a colleague who was wasting away. The last time I greeted him in the hallway, I said, "Are you alright?" He said, "Yeah, just a cold." In a week, he was dead. I remember people not wanting to go into his office to pack up his things, afraid that his files might be contaminated. Then, there was the problem of his dog. Was it possible, someone whispered, that you could get AIDS from a dog?

Seeing the revival of Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning Angels in America, the memory of my colleague came flooding back. I gulped down a tear at one point in this very affecting play.

Director Bob Hall has found a way to stage this gargantuan production (with 26 scene changes) in The Haymarket Theatre. In his director's statement, Hall says the play "changes your perception of the world: Not just the way you look at theater, but the way you look at life."

Flatwater Shakespeare and The Haymarket Theatre are presenting the play. The spectacular cast includes Mary Douglass (as Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz, Hannah Pitt and Ethel Rosenberg), Richard Nielsen (as Roy Cohn), Matt Lukasiewicz (as Joe Pitt and Eskimo), Summer Widhalm (as Harper Pitt and Sister Ella Chapter), Daniel Kubert (as Mr. Lies and Belize), Nathan Weiss (as Louis Ironson), Andy Dillehay (as Prior Walter and Man in the Park), Elizabeth Govaerts (as The Angel, Nurse Emily and Bag Lady), Dustin Witte (as Henry and Prior Walter the Fifth) and Tom Bolin (as Martin Heller and Prior Walter the Seventeenth).

Cast members created characters with genuine three-dimensional depth. The dense text was also very well rendered with surprising intimacy, anger and fear. Accents were also handled with both nuance and hilarious audacity. The actors also do some heavy lifting striking sets between scenes. With lights dimmed "Roy Cohn" grabs a desk. "Ethel Rosenberg" drags a set of chairs off stage. This is the charm of a small, handsome theater like the Haymarket.

Whether "Angels in America" stimulates intellectual "earthquakes" in audiences these days is hard to say. We have, over the years, wised up: Dogs can't give you AIDS. But what's so amazing about Kushner's epic seven-hour play (presented in two parts) is that it remains a part of our cultural conscience and still leaves you breathless.

Don't miss Part One at The Haymarket Theatre. And fasten your seatbelt for Angels in America Part Two: Perestroika, coming in April 2012.

Angels in America, Part One: Millenium Approaches continues through April 17 at The Haymarket Theatre, 803 Q Street, Lincoln. Call 402-477-2600 for tickets.

(Photo: Elizabeth Govaerts as the Angel, Andy Dillehay as Prior in the Flatwater Shakespeare Company / The Haymarket Theatre production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches. Photo Credit: Eric Gregory, Lincoln Journal Star)

Acts of Witness

2011-03-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

Flatwater artists lived through AIDS crisis

Jeff Korbelik, Lincoln Journal Star, March 25, 2011

Lincoln attorney Elizabeth Govaerts was a student at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York City during the late 1980s when AIDS began to take hold with a deadly grip.

She remembered a fellow student dying during a two-week holiday break. "Nobody knew he was sick," she said. Then an instructor became visibly thin before leaving for a while, only to return and say he wasn't sick. "But there were lots of rumors," Govaerts said. "He said, 'I'm fine.' Six months later he was dead.

"You almost felt it was like the end of the world in some ways," Govaerts said. "This disastrous thing was coming. It affected you on all levels -- people you knew, people you heard about or people you worked with. It was everywhere at the time." And nowhere, too, because people didn't talk about it.

"You knew something was wrong, that some kind of sickness was happening," said theater director Bob Hall, who lived and worked in New York City in the 1980s. "You may have seen an article about it in the Village Voice, but it was a long time before the mainstream news was mentioning it. It definitely was going on, but nobody was talking about it."

The AIDS crisis serves as a backdrop for Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Angels in America. The Flatwater Shakespeare Company, in collaboration with the Haymarket Theatre, will stage Kushner's contemporary masterpiece, beginning Thursday.

"(The play) documents the crisis," said Govaerts, who is one of the cast members in the Lincoln production directed by Hall. "But there is much, much more there. I'm blown away by (Kushner's) insight into life, love and humanity."

Also in the play is Daniel Kubert, the former Bill T. Jones dancer who was diagnosed HIV positive in 1997. He has organized a series of audience discussions dealing with issues in the play based on his experiences.

"We were making art about it," Kubert said of his time in Jones' dance company. "I was working with people who were living with it. I was very, very aware of the devastation firsthand."

Kubert will lead discussions to be held immediately after the April 1-2, 8-9, and 15-16 performances. A special symposium will take place at The Haymarket Theatre on Sunday April 10 at 2:00 p.m. Panelists for these discussions will include representatives from the University of Nebraska Medical Center HIV Specialty Care Clinic, the Nebraska AIDS Project, First Plymouth Congregational Church, the Unitarian Church of Lincoln, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Flatwater Shakespeare Company and The Haymarket Theatre Present

Tony Kushner’s
Angels in America, Part One: Millenium Approaches
Directed by Bob Hall

Dates: March 31, April 1-3, 7-10, 14-17
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: The Haymarket Theatre, 803 "Q" St., Lincoln
Tickets: 402-477-2600
$18 Adults; $15 Seniors; $10 Students

Warm humor, savage wit, soaring imagination, heartbreak, and hope

2011-03-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

Angels in America, Part One -- Millennium Approaches opens this spring as Flatwater Shakespeare joins forces with The Haymarket Theatre in its newly restored space at 803 Q Street. Part One of playwright Tony Kushner’s modern classic will be staged this year, with Part Two following in 2012. Described by the author as “A Gay Fantasia on American Themes,” this Pulitzer Prize winning play examines 1980s America with warm humor, savage wit, soaring imagination, heartbreak, and hope. The show opens Thursday, March 31. Performances continue Friday-Sunday, April 1-3; and Thursday-Sunday, April 7-10 and 14-17. All show times are 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Call 402-477-2600 for reservations.

The play focuses on three relationships: Louis and Prior, who have just learned that Prior has AIDS; Harper and her husband Joe, a Mormon couple living in New York City who take separate refuge in pills and the closet; Joe and his would-be mentor, Roy Cohn – the powerful lawyer whose historic career was aligned with Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan. Their lives are uprooted by illness, drug dependency, religious doctrine, and political ambition – all explored with great flair, honesty, and humanity.

Director Bob Hall is proud that Flatwater Shakespeare and the Haymarket Theatre are co-presenting what he calls an “astonishing play” that “reveals how the AIDS epidemic, devastating as it was, focused this country’s attention on a part of society it often preferred to ignore.”

“It was one of the first dramas dominated by gay characters to receive overwhelming response from mainstream Broadway audiences – gay, straight or whatever,” Hall says. “The play’s characters crackle with life, even in the midst of death. Clichés are stripped away or reworked to create a memorable cast of dramatic, neurotic, tragic, villainous, prejudiced, fearful and generous people: a cross section, not only of gay culture, but of America itself.”

Hall has gathered together an ensemble equal to the task of bringing this memorable cast to life. Nathan Weiss and Andy Dillehay are featured as Louis and Prior. Summer Widhalm and Matt Lukasiewicz play Harper and Joe. Richard Nielsen appears as Kushner’s fictionalized, but true-to-life version of Roy Cohn. Other performers include Flatwater Shakespeare associates Tom Bolin, Mary Douglass, Elizabeth Govaerts, Daniel Kubert, and Dustin Witte.

Cast member Kubert has organized a series of discussions based on first-hand experiences dealing with the issues raised in this ground-breaking play. Discussions will be held immediately after the April 1-2, 8-9, and 15-16 performances. A special symposium will take place at The Haymarket Theatre on Sunday April 10 at 2:00 p.m. Panelists for these discussions will include representatives from the University of Nebraska Medical Center HIV Specialty Care Clinic, the Nebraska AIDS Project, First Plymouth Congregational Church, the Unitarian Church of Lincoln, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Support for this production of “Angels in America” has been provided by the Cooper Foundation and the Lincoln Arts Council. For more information, go to flatwatershakespeare.org and haymarkettheatre.org.

Angels in America, Part One: Millenium Approaches
Dates: March 31, April 1-3, 7-10, 14-17
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: The Haymarket Theatre, 803 "Q" St., Lincoln
Tickets: 402-477-2600
$18 Adults; $15 Seniors; $10 Students

Our 2011 Season at a Glance!

2011-02-16T08:10:00.000-08:00

FLATWATER SHAKESPEARE ANNOUNCES 2011 SEASON

2011-01-25T10:07:00.000-08:00

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company begins an exciting new chapter with its 2011 Season. The Company will explore new directions, reclaim an old favorite, and visit different venues while the Swan Theatre undergoes renovation. All three plays will be directed and designed by Bob Hall, Flatwater’s Artistic Director and a 2010 recipient of Nebraska’s Artist of the Year Award.

Angels in America, Part One -- Millennium Approaches opens the season as Flatwater Shakespeare joins forces with The Haymarket Theatre in its newly restored space at 803 Q Street. Part One of playwright Tony Kushner’s modern classic will be staged this spring, with Part Two following in 2012. This Pulitzer Prize-winning play chronicles the gay experience of 1980s America – pride, fear, courage, prejudice, all intensified by the AIDS crisis – with warm humor, savage wit, soaring imagination, heartbreak, and hope. The show runs March 31 through April 17.

William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is very possibly the most popular play ever written – since the time of its earliest performances, it has never left the stage and versions have been presented around the world. Flatwater will perform this fanciful romantic comedy at The Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens, on N Street near Centennial Mall in downtown Lincoln, continuing our tradition of open-air summer productions. The show runs June 9 through June 26. A youth production and a touring version will be also be staged this summer.

Othello, Shakespeare’s most intimate tragedy, bravely confronts themes that are both timeless and absolutely current – identity, racism, love, jealousy, loyalty, and betrayal. Its major roles are among the most demanding and exhilarating in the history of drama. Flatwater’s first-ever production of the play will be staged at the Lincoln Community Playhouse, 2500 S. 56^th Street. The show runs October 6 through October 23.

Flatwater Shakespeare looks forward to working with its partner organizations this season and to seeing both familiar and new faces at our alternative sites. For information about individual shows, call 402-473-2897 or visit us at www.flatwatershakespeare.org.

At the Top in Performing Arts

2011-01-21T08:26:00.000-08:00

Flatwater Shakespeare productions and actors were well represented in Journal Star reporter Jeff Korbelik’s top picks for 2010.

In the Top Five Shows – Antony and Cleopatra, directed by Bob Hall, with a special tribute to the “electric chemistry” shared between Vince Learned and Melissa Lewis Nuss in the title roles.

In the Top Five Individual Performances – Melissa Lewis Nuss as our passionate and imperious Egyptian queen.

And in Three of only Four Honorable Mentions – Robie Hayek, “Lincoln’s best comedic actor,” as Launce in The Two Gentlemen of Verona; Bob Hall as Max, the irascible patriarch in Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming; and Gage Wallace in the title role of UNL’s Dylan but also noted for his work as Proteus in The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Photo: Vincent T. Learned and Melissa Lewis Nuss in the Flatwater Shakespeare Company production of Antony and Cleopatra. Photo Credit: John Nollendorfs.

So Much of the Very Best of 2010!

2010-12-31T15:38:00.000-08:00

Kudos to Melissa Lewis-Nuss, Vince Learned, Bob Hall (as actor and director), Robie Hayek, Gage Wallace -- and assorted Flatwater friends including Becky Key Boesen, Sasha Dobson, Judy Hart, Nathan Weiss, Ryan Kathman -- and all of our contributing actors and artists for a very good year indeed. Check the link to Jeff Korbelik's Journal Star overview of the Performing Arts in Lincoln for 2010!

http://shar.es/XEiVC

Sound, Music, Shakespeare, Fletcher -- and Cochrane

2010-11-07T21:06:00.000-08:00

Our Artistic Director Bob Hall recently saw Henry VIII in DC at the Elizabethan Theatre of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC. Bob reports that the play is “Not Shakespeare’s best – or even Fletcher’s – but a great production with a wonderful performance by Ian Peakes as Henry.” The show’s run has been extended and the Washington Post has provided a nice look behind the scenes:

by Jane Horwitz, November 3, 2010

If you’re impressed when actor Anthony Cochrane has an emotional breakdown, confesses his sins and finds God again as Cardinal Wolsey in the Folger Theatre’s Henry VIII, you may be surprised to learn that he also composed the music and did the sonic design for the show, which has been extended through Nov. 28.

Cochrane and the show’s director, Robert Richmond, worked with New York’s Aquila Theatre for a number of years and went to the same college in Scotland. And with Tony-winning costume designer William Ivey Long, who did the duds for Henry VIII, they've collaborated on the historical play The Lost Colony in North Carolina. The Scottish-born, New York-based actor says he and Richmond have strong ideas – partly taken from their years with the experimental Aquila troupe – of how music and sound should be used.

In a garden scene, for example, Cochrane says, “it’s not just enough to have some birds. We have to find English birds and we have to find 10 different versions and you have to locate them in different speakers all around the house.”

Cochrane wrote original music, as well as a variation on a tune by amateur composer Henry VIII himself. Musical savants may recognize Cochrane’s altered strains of Henry’s “Pass Time With Good Company.” Cochrane composed much of his music after rehearsal. “You rehearse as an actor from 10 till 7, or 11 till 7, and then I go into a darkened room, probably the dressing room . . . and then I work till 4:30 in the morning and then come home,” Cochrane says. He’s still recovering. “What's nice is you get to use both sides of your brain. You work as an interpretive artist and the creative artist in the same day.”

Cochrane says the Folger Theatre “has a place in my heart” because that’s where he met his wife, Jessica Perlmeter Cochrane. Originally from Barnesville, she was an intern at the Folger while he appeared in Aquila’s Julius Caesar a decade ago. Now living in New York, they have an 11-month-old son. Jessica is a company manager at Lincoln Center.

Special Offer for Aquila's Dream

2010-11-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

SPECIAL LIED CENTER DISCOUNT FOR FLATWATER FANS!

Save up to $10 off regular ticket prices for this Friday's Lied Center performance of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, as presented by New York City's Aquila Theatre Company.

Special discounted prices are $25 for adults & $12.50 for students.

WHEN: Friday, November 5, 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Lied Center For Performing Arts, 301 N. 12th Street in Lincoln.

Since its inception, this theatrical company has won critical and academic acclaim for its dedication to classical drama. Aquila presents a regular season of plays in New York, at international festivals, and travels to over 70 American towns and cities each year.

TO REDEEM: call the Lied Center at 402.472.4747 and mention the "Flatwater Aquila Discount."

What's New for 2011 (and After)

2010-10-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

Our 2011 Season:

Because of the closing of the Swan Theatre at Wyuka for renovations, we will have the special challenge of performing at new sites in the next two years, which we see as an opportunity to expand our activities and build our audience.

Angels in America: Millennium Approaches. In April, we will join forces with the Haymarket Theatre to perform the first part of Tony Kushner’s modern classic, the second part to follow in 2012. Because Angels in America has just opened in a major revival on Broadway, ours will be among the few productions allowed while the Broadway productions are running.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: This most popular of Shakespeare’s plays allows for flexible performance sites, so we plan to do our major run at the Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens in downtown Lincoln and special performances at a number of outdoor venues that will bring the play to new audiences. We are still negotiating for the supplementary sites.

Othello: In September we will perform Shakespeare’s most intimate tragedy at the smaller theater at the Community Playhouse, a place ideally suited to this intense drama.

Our 2012 Season:

We will perform the second part of Angels in America, Perestroika in April 2012 at the Haymarket, and in the summer and fall Shakespeare’s festive comedy Twelfth Night and the challenging comedy The Merchant of Venice with its controversial lead character Shylock.

Visit us here and at www.flatwatershakespeare.org for further details!

Final Thoughts on "Antony and Cleopatra"

2010-09-29T12:24:00.000-07:00

A Few More Audience Comments from the Final Weekend --

Another great Flatwater Shakespeare production!

Melissa Lewis Nuss’s performance was stunning!

IT WILL KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF!!!

I said it before, I'll say it again! The best Flatwater production I've seen.

The show was amazing last night -- what an awesome job! Great entertainment, and a bonus to get to attend the Swan prior to its upcoming Extreme Makeover.

Congratulations and thanks to our stunning, amazing, awesome cast and crew. And thanks to our devoted and supportive audiences. Stay tuned for information soon on our 2011 Season. Visit us here and at our website, flatwatershakespeare.org.

Photo: Bob Hall, director and designer for the show, created an original artwork every night, with Dustin Witte's shaved head serving as his canvas. Then Dustin created an original artwork every night as well, in his portrayal of the Soothsayer. (Photo Credit: Andrea Swartz, our Octavia.)

Four Shows Left!

2010-09-22T19:46:00.000-07:00

Additional Audience Comments on Flatwater's Antony and Cleopatra

The cast did an amazing job: the acting was phenomenal!

What a love story, what a beautiful and talented Cleo [Melissa Lewis Nuss]! The whole cast was wonderful.

A perfectly scintillating performance!

I loved every minute of this; great cast, lovely night, and the playwright [oh yeah, William Shakespeare] wasn’t bad either.

Thanks for the wonderful night.

The sound design [by Stephen Buhler] defined and decorated the line between warlike Rome and exotic and sultry Egypt. I cannot stop talking about this show!

I feel that the play was put on wonderfully – the acting was fantastic! I was impressed at how skillfully the actors made evident what was going on with their tones of voice and expressions of emotion.

Watching the play I was overwhelmed by the work of both cast and crew in combination. It was a great marvel to behold, an experience that I considered very moving.

The cast and crew get major respect for pulling off dramatic, sunny Egypt in a freezing September mist.

The entire cast is amazing. Bravo!

See this killer show!

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company proudly presents
William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra
directed by Bob Hall

The Swan Theatre at Wyuka
3600 “O” Street in Lincoln
Final Weekend!
Thursday -- Sunday, September 23-26
All performances 7:30
Tickets $18 general, $12 seniors, $10 students

CALL 402-473-2897

Isis, Venus, and Cleopatra

2010-09-18T06:27:00.000-07:00

In the Egyptian cult of Isis and Osiris, Isis is a fertility goddess, a version of the Great Mother, like Demeter or Gaia. Her cult’s mythology and rituals center around the murder of her brother-husband Osiris and her painstaking efforts to restore and resurrect him. She is linked to magic, the renewing powers of the Nile, and the rejuvenating forces of nature embodied in the serpent shedding its skin. Isis also represents Justice and is associated with the life-giving powers of the Sun. Queens in Egypt were often worshiped as incarnations of Isis. The historical Cleopatra VII developed a personal cult as Isis-Aphrodite, also presenting herself as an incarnation of Venus (as the Romans called the deity – but Cleopatra was part of the Ptolemaic dynasty, of Greek ancestry). The mythology of Venus, goddess of beauty, love, and desire, includes her infidelity to Vulcan, god of fire and the forge, in a love affair with Mars, god of war. During the affair, of course, peace breaks out all over the world.

(The image shows a statue of Isis-Aphrodite from the Roman Empire of the 2nd or 3rd century, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.)

Shakespeare’s Mardian recalls the myth when asked by Cleopatra if, even as a eunuch, he feels desire:

Yet have I fierce affections, and think
What Venus did with Mars.

Throughout the play, Cleopatra and her attendants invoke the goddess Isis in a variety of contexts:

Good Isis, hear me this prayer!

By Isis, I will give thee bloody teeth . . .

As well as being outraged at Antony and Cleopatra being publicly crowned, Caesar is also concerned by Cleopatra’s claims to divinity when “she / In the habiliments of the goddess Isis / That day appeared.”

Cleopatra’s death, enthroned with serpents that she compares to a suckling infant, visually echoes other ancient depictions and descriptions of Isis.

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company presents
William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra
directed by Bob Hall

The Swan Theatre at Wyuka
3600 "O" Street in Lincoln
Performances continue tonight and tomorrow, September 18-19
And next Thursday -- Sunday, September 23-26
All performances 7:30
Tickets $18 general, $12 seniors, $10 students

CALL 402-473-2897

Audience (and Other) Comments

2010-09-15T10:57:00.000-07:00

People are talking about Flatwater's Antony and Cleopatra!

About the production overall: “Thanks for another wonderful theatrical experience.”

“The show has a lovely richness to it.”

“Beautiful, beautiful show. Go see it.”

“STEAMY hot chemistry and the play was exquisitely performed by everyone!”

“Awesome show. Everyone should see it.”

About Vince Learned as Antony: “An Antony to die for! No wonder Cleo couldn’t live without him.”

About Melissa Lewis Nuss as Cleopatra: “Amazing! One of the best performances I've seen.”

“Melissa nails one of the most difficult roles in Shakespeare. To play Cleopatra you need to be comically manipulative and flighty (literally), but also regal and sympathetic. Easier said than done. I have seen some very talented actors fall short, but Melissa brings it off exceptionally well with strong support from the rest of the cast.”

About Scott Herr as Octavius: “You have a knack for keeping it honest and passionate.”

About the staging, including Kat Cover’s costumes: “Everything was wonderful, but especially the dresses for the Egyptian ladies.”

About John Marinovich’s fight choreography: “Fantastic . . . just like in the movie 300!"

Also, one audience member confessed that she was enamored with Danny Kubert as Mardian and has decided that she wants “an eunuch” for Christmas.

And a member of the cast “LOVES, LOVES, LOVES working on Shakespeare. Everything else just pales in comparison. I could easily spend the rest of my life going from one play to the next.”

Don't miss it!

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company presents

William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra

directed by Bob Hall

The Swan Theatre at Wyuka

3600 "O" Street in Lincoln

Thursdays -- Sundays, September 16-19, 23-26

All performances 7:30

Tickets $18 general, $12 seniors, $10 students

CALL 402-473-2897

Real Shakespeare

2010-09-13T21:54:00.000-07:00

A couple of questions have come our way about Flatwater Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, involving the authenticity of the attire and the propriety of the production for younger audiences. Since others may have similar questions, we’d like to share our answers here.

“Authentic” is a somewhat vexed term generally, but especially in matters of dress. Theatrical costumes in Shakespeare's day reflected contemporary ideas about royal attire, not historical ones. There’s evidence of this even in the language of this play. “Cut my lace, Charmian,” says Cleopatra, at one point – clearly indicating that Shakespeare imagined her (and the boy actor playing her) in a cinched-in 17th-century bodice. “To flatter Caesar, would you mingle eyes / With one that ties his points?” demands Antony later – points being the laces used to hold up men’s hosiery in Shakespeare’s own age.

That said, Flatwater’s costume designer for the production, Kat Cover, has done a wonderful job of suggesting the historical period depicted in the play, with flowing Egyptian dresses, severe Roman tunics, and rugged leather armor. She achieved such successful effects despite a severely limited budget – this because we like to keep ticket prices affordable.

(On that point: any support, from attendance to donations, would be greatly appreciated! See details below.)

The question of propriety also connects with the idea of “Real Shakespeare”: in other words, are we keeping to the original playtext or are we adding extraneous, even gratuitous stuff? At Flatwater, we believe there are many ways of getting Shakespeare right, just as there are many ways of doing him wrong. With Antony and Cleopatra specifically, our interpretation is guided by Shakespeare’s glorious and gloriously candid language concerning sensuality and moral censure – and his acute insights as to how human frailty and aspiration can be involved with sensuality and censure alike.

So our staging includes passionate embraces and kisses (the chemistry between our lead actors has been justly described as STEAMY, all in capital letters), sinuous dancing, a brief bit of tunic-lifting, reeling drunkenness, and physical violence – culminating, of course, in several suicides. All of this, however, is done in keeping with the play’s language and structure (and also with Shakespeare’s historical source material). Most of all, we want to make immediate to our audience’s ears and eyes the searching question that Shakespeare proposes in the play: is it better to be greatly powerful or powerfully great?

Our audiences so far have included ten-year-olds and octogenarians and, in between, a group of seminarians. They have been captivated and moved by Shakespeare’s play – and our realization of it. We hope you will be, too.

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company presents
William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra
directed by Bob Hall

The Swan Theatre at Wyuka
3600 "O" Street in Lincoln
Thursdays -- Sundays, September 16-19, 23-26
All performances 7:30
Tickets $18 general, $12 seniors, $10 students
CALL 402-473-2897

Flatwater Shakespeare is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
Send your tax-deductible contribution to:

Flatwater Shakespeare Company
P. O. Box 84935
Lincoln, NE 68501-4935

Bravado, Passion, and Tragedy

2010-09-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

Flatwater Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra Filled with Bravado, Passion and Tragedy

By Robert Stewart, Star City Blog, September 11, 2010

Under tempestuous skies and intermittent mists, Flatwater Shakespeare kicked off its run of Antony and Cleopatra at the Swan Theatre at Wyuka Cemetery, 3600 O St.

Not deterred by mere precipitation, the cast stormed onto the stage, immersing the audience in a world where flecks of rain could be interpreted as soft sand rasping through Cleopatra’s Egypt, or the salt spray of a sea battle.

Director Bob Hall has assembled a deep roster of Lincoln’s finest actors, who are more than up to the task of populating Shakespeare’s historo-fictionalization of the great and lamentable romantic tragedy of Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile, and Marc Antony, the Roman conqueror who aspired to love her and sacrificed an empire for the pleasure of her company.

As the titular lovers, Vince Learned and Melissa Lewis Nuss create an immediate sense of the passion that bound Antony and Cleopatra together. Learned fills Antony’s early speeches with the bravado of a soldier, and late in the play, in the face of faltering military campaigns, he creates in Antony a real sense of that bravado deflating as power slips out of his grasp.

Antony and Cleopatra share an almost manic sense of fluctuation between sensual bliss and morose introspection. In the hands of Learned and Lewis Nuss, these qualities twine around each other in a serpentine fashion, sending the two gripping together tight as magnets, or conversely falling back and gasping from the exquisite tortures they devise for each other.

Lewis Nuss gives Cleopatra a regal flirtatiousness in her most formal encounters and an unbridled wit and carnal ferocity in her more private moments. Shakespearean speeches can overwhelm some actors into a lulling recitation, but Lewis Nuss adroitly avoids this, giving her lines the breath and pacing of contemporary speech without diluting the language’s poetic power.

Under Hall’s direction, she creates a motif of gesture, clasping people and objects to her breast, above her heart, providing the attentive viewer with a bit of subtle foreshadowing and pointing to Cleopatra’s (and Antony’s) tendency to make decisions with their more emotional organs.

The two leads are surrounded by a lively, capable supporting cast. Scott Herr imbues his Caesar with a touch of a Napoleon complex, giving a hint of how powerful men throughout time often have similar motivations. Andy Dillehay pulls triple-duty as Demetrius, Messenger and Clown -- although his Demetrius is not a stand-out, his performances in the latter roles are well-played and entertaining. As Enobarbus, Nathan Weiss gives a thoughtful and ultimately melancholy power to his portrayal of a soldier who betrays his leader and friend, Antony.

In the smaller role of Soothsayer, Dustin Witte makes an impression as a shaman confronted with the portent of his visions and shaken by the experience. Also worth noting is Danny Kubert, who turns in a sinuous rendition of Mardian, a eunuch and confidant in Cleopatra’s court.

Kubert also choreographed the dance sequences that appear in the production. These sequences contribute greatly to the atmospheric resonance of the show, serving at times to introduce the Egyptian setting or as a rollicking addition to a drunken party (of which there are many). One imaginative sequence is performed by Kubert and Witte using only a length of blue fabric stretched between them to simulate a battle at sea.

Director Hall takes full advantage of the talented cast during the scenes in which the stage is crowded with characters, whether they are fighting or engaging in the aforementioned drunken celebration. As an ensemble, the cast carries its own weight, never letting a populated scene distract them from their task as actors. Fluid stage pictures of off-kilter symmetry help draw the borders of the play from one place to another.

Richard Imig’s set for the production uses raw, blonde lumber as stand-ins for the sun-blasted landscape of Egypt and the columns of Rome. The set carries over the ragged symmetries of the action it encapsulates and additionally suggests the fragility of structures, whether emotional or political. The relative simplicity of the rough-hewn boards provides visual impact and versatility, allowing itself to be imagined as a palace, or a courtyard, or a golden barge, floating on the river Nile.

It is a testament to the abilities of everyone involved in the production that when Shakespeare’s stormy story reaches its conclusion in a throne room strewn with corpses, the audience feels a deep sense of loss.

The Swan at Wyuka, which has long housed Flatwater Shakespeare’s productions, will be closing for two years for renovations following the last performance of Antony and Cleopatra on Sept. 26th. Flatwater Shakespeare will continue to produce shows at alternate locations while renovations are underway, but Antony and Cleopatra will be the last chance for audiences to see a talented cast perform in the space the company calls home. "Antony and Cleopatra" will be performed Thursdays through Sundays at 7.30 p.m. until Sept. 26. Call 473-2897.

Knockout Performances!

2010-09-10T11:32:00.000-07:00

Flatwater Deals Memorable Performances

Jeff Korbelik, Lincoln Journal Star, September 10, 2010

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company presented its version of a Lifetime movie Thursday evening in the Swan Theatre.

Complete with intrigue, gossip, bloodshed and more, Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra mesmerized the opening night audience, who sat through a misty rain in the outdoor theater to enjoy the production.

The Bob Hall-directed play featured knockout performances from Melissa Lewis Nuss and Vincent Learned as the title characters.

Nuss, a veteran on the theater scene, rarely disappoints. She excelled here in portraying the vivacious, sexy queen of Egypt or as my fiancée called her, “the drama queen of Egypt.”

Nuss has a knack for turning ordinary lines into those worth remembering.

When a slave brings her good and bad news about Antony, she intones “I do not like ‘but yet’ . . . ” which drew chuckles from the audience.

As did her jealousy of a horse when she said with a sly smirk, “O happy horse to bear the weight of Antony . . . ”

Learned, too, shined in what he has called his most difficult part to date. Sometimes a bit stoic on stage, he was not here.

He was quite at ease playing the Herculean-like Antony, conveying the fierceness and tenderness of the character when necessary.

Hall’s production also included fine performances from the supporting cast.

Scott Herr, known for his work in musical theater, pulled out all the stops in portraying the insolent baddie Octavius Caesar.

I didn’t even recognize Dustin Witte as the spooky soothsayer, complete with a shaved, tattooed head for the role. It was quite a departure from some of the lighter fare we’ve seen him do in the past.

Most impressive was Nathan Weiss, who enjoyed one of the play’s best scenes when, as Antony’s right-hand man, he told the story of his friend’s meeting with Cleopatra. It was extremely moving.

As was the entire production. The company produced a memorable staging of the Bard’s tragic love story. The only things missing were the TV cameras.

Flatwater Shakespeare presents Antony and Cleopatra tonight through Sunday, 7:30 p.m. at the Swan Theatre at Wyuka, 3600 "O" Street in Lincoln. The run continues Thursdays through Sundays, September 16-19 and 23-26. Call 473-2897 for tickets.

It's Past the Size of Dreaming

2010-09-10T06:13:00.000-07:00

Flatwater Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra enjoyed a magnificent opening last night.

As Cleopatra, Melissa Lewis Nuss provides an alluring and heart-breaking portrait of the one of the most fascinating women in all of history. As Antony, Vince Learned communicates vividly why Cleopatra is so drawn to him -- and how he also inspires love and admiration in his troops and even his enemies.

Directed and designed by Bob Hall, the production features a strong ensemble of actors: in Egypt, Noelle Bohaty, Darin Hemmer, Daniel Kubert, Dawn Marie Moe, and Dustin Witte; in Rome, Scott Herr as Octavius Caesar, with John Marinovich, Dick Nielsen, Richard Sibley, Andrea Swartz, and Shawn White; in Antony's army, Nathan Weiss as Enobarbus, with Andy Dillehay, Eric Ojeda, and Jeff Tinnean.

The production also boasts striking costumes by Kat Cover, compelling choreography by Daniel Kubert, evocative lights by Richard Schroeder, ingenious set construction by Richard Imig, menacing fight choreography by John Marinovich, and stirring sound design and music from dramaturg Stephen Buhler.

William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra is presented in the Swan Theatre at Wyuka, 3600 O Street in Lincoln. Performances continue Friday-Sunday, September 10-12; and Thursday-Sunday, September 16-19 and 23-26. All show times are 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Call 473-2897 for reservations.

A Most Triumphant Lady

2010-09-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

FSC Antony and Cleopatra Opens Tonight

With Melissa Lewis Nuss as Cleopatra!

Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale
Her infinite variety: other women cloy
The appetites they feed: but she makes hungry
Where most she satisfies.

As one preview audience member (who happens to be a talented film director) said about the production:

“Sexy. Twisted. Shakespeare. Need I say more?”

And $5 Opening Night Rush Tickets – call ahead!

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company presents
William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra
directed by Bob Hall

The Swan Theatre at Wyuka
3600 "O" Street in Lincoln
Thursdays -- Sundays, September 9-12, 16-19, 23-26
All performances 7:30
Tickets $18 general, $12 seniors, $10 students

CALL 402-473-2897

Mars, Hercules, Antony

2010-09-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

The characters in Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra regularly associate Antony, the greatest general of his age, with Mars, god of war, and also with the demigod Hercules, his supposed ancestor. In the opening of the play, Philo laments that Antony is no longer the man whose “goodly eyes . . . Have glowed like plated [that is, dressed in armor] Mars.” Since Cleopatra identifies herself with Venus, it’s only fitting that she has an affair with the latter-day Mars – although in this case, he’s the one being unfaithful (to Fulvia). After learning about Antony’s marriage to Octavia, Cleopatra reveals the combined anger and longing she feels toward him:

Though he be painted one way like a Gorgon [that is, a monster],
The other way’s a Mars [that is, a heroic, godlike figure].

Hercules, son of the supreme god Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena, was noted for his strength and, at times, for his lack of judgment. His mythology includes a year-long servitude (a penalty for murder) to Omphale, a queen of the east. During his time as one of Omphale’s slaves, Hercules was compelled to wear feminine clothing and to do chores, such as spinning, associated with “women’s work.” Some ancient vases and mosaics depict Omphale wearing the skin of the Nemean Lion (killing it was one of the Twelve Labors of Hercules) and carrying Hercules’s club.

The image shows Omphale and Hercules with emblems of each other’s gender – the club and the distaff – by 18th-century painter Francois Lemoyne.

Shakespeare alludes to this myth when Cleopatra recalls how

Ere the ninth hour, I drank him to his bed;
Then put my tires and mantles [headresses and robes] on him, whilst
I wore his sword Philippan. [The sword he used in the battle against Brutus at Philippi.]

When Cleopatra succeeds in angering Antony at his departure for Rome she calls him “this Herculean Roman.”

Hercules continued as a military hero during his service to Omphale. In some versions of the myth, Omphale rewards him at the end of the year with marriage.

In one scene, Shakespeare calls for music to be heard: the mysterious sound and its disappearance is interpreted by Antony’s own men as Hercules withdrawing his divine patronage of Antony.

FLATWATER SHAKESPEARE'S ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA

OPENS TOMORROW NIGHT, SEPTEMBER 9, 7:30

SWAN THEATRE AT WYUKA, 3600 "O" STREET, LINCOLN

CALL 473-2897 FOR TICKETS

Eternity Was in Our Lips and Eyes

2010-09-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

. . . bliss in our brows bent!

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company

proudly presents

William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra

directed by Bob Hall

with Melissa Lewis Nuss as Cleopatra

and Vince Learned as Antony

Under the stars at

The Swan Theatre at Wyuka

3600 "O" Street in Lincoln

Thursdays -- Sundays, September 9-12, 16-19, 23-26

All performances 7:30

Tickets $18 general, $12 seniors, $10 students

CALL 402-473-2897

www.flatwatershakespeare.org

Photo credit: John Nollendorfs

Shakespeare Intensive Fall Theatre Arts Academy

2010-09-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

FALL THEATRE ARTS ACADEMY October 25-29 (LPS Fall Break)

Flatwater Shakespeare Company / Lincoln Community Playhouse
Shakespeare Intensive!

For students 13-18 years of age

Join Bob Hall, Steve Buhler, and Sasha Dobson of the Flatwater Shakespeare Company as they guide you through this week-long intensive course providing you with the tools to be a Shakespearean star!

Enrollment is capped at 20 students
Tuition: $125 LCP subscriber / $150 non-subscriber
Scholarships Available

Lincoln Community Playhouse, 2500 S. 56th Street
CALL (402) 489-7529

Antony and Cleopatra opens September 9

2010-08-26T06:13:00.000-07:00

A Roman general and an Egyptian queen meet each other’s match in desire, jealousy, and ambition. Their epic love affair changes the course of history.

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company proudly presents William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra in the Swan Theatre at Wyuka, 3600 O Street in Lincoln, beginning Thursday, September 9, at 7:30 p.m. Performances continue Friday-Sunday, September 10-12; and Thursday-Sunday, September 16-19 and 23-26. All show times are 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Call 473-2897 for reservations.

Antony is Rome’s ablest, most fearless commander. Cleopatra is one of the world’s cleverest – and most alluring – monarchs. They become, in Antony’s own words, “such a mutual pair” who “stand up peerless” on the stage of empire. Their passion leads them to join forces against Octavius, the future Augustus Caesar, in a contest of political will and military might.

Directed and designed by Bob Hall, the production features Vince Learned and Melissa Lewis Nuss in the title roles. Scott Herr is Octavius, their formidable rival. Nathan Weiss appears as Enobarbus, a cynical warrior and Antony’s trusted aide. Noelle Bohaty, Darin Hemmer, Danny Kubert, and Dawn Marie Moe are Cleopatra’s devoted followers.

Other performers include Flatwater regulars Andy Dillehay, John Marinovich, Dick Nielsen, Richard Sibley, Andrea Swartz, Jeff Tinnean, and Dustin Witte. Joining Flatwater for this show are Eric Ojeda and Shawn White. The stage manager is Elbert Traylor. Costumes are by Kat Cover, with set construction by Richard Imig and lighting design by Richard Schroeder. Choreography is by Danny Kubert, with sound design and original music by dramaturg Stephen Buhler.

Antony and Cleopatra is the last Flatwater production scheduled for the Swan Theatre before its restoration beginning in 2011. Patrons should be aware of possible road construction on O Street in September and consider using Wyuka’s Vine Street and 40th entrance gate.

Flatwater Shakespeare is a professional not-for-profit theatre company, dedicated to bringing audiences the richness of the works of William Shakespeare as they were meant to be experienced – played out live on stage by a dynamic ensemble of performers. For more about Flatwater, go to www.flatwatershakespeare.org. And you can follow us on Facebook, too!

Antony and Cleopatra
Dates: September 9-12, 16-19, 23-26
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: The Swan Theatre at Wyuka, 3600 "O" St. Lincoln
Tickets: (402) 473-2897
$18 Adults; $15 Seniors; $10 Students

Bookfair Performances

2010-08-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Cast members from Antony and Cleopatra performed at Flatwater Shakespeare's B&N Bookfair last Thursday. Performers included Melissa Lewis Nuss as Cleopatra, Vince Learned as Antony, Nathan Weiss as Enobarbus, Scott Herr as Caesar, Jeff Tinnean as Scarrus (and filling in as Agrippa), and John Marinovich as Maecenas. Dramaturg Steve Buhler appeared in a range of roles and genders. Audience members joined in the Roman Party Drinking Song ("Cup us till the world go round") and started getting ready for the show's opening Thursday, September 9, at the Swan Theatre.

Flatwater Shakespeare Bookfair

2010-08-02T13:32:00.000-07:00

Flatwater Shakespeare Company’s first Bookfair will take place Thursday, August 19, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the SouthPointe Barnes and Noble, 2910 Pine Lake Road, in Lincoln. Your purchases will support Flatwater’s performance mission and educational programs.

You can preview Flatwater’s next production, “Antony and Cleopatra” in September, as select scenes from the play will be presented every half-hour from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Meet the cast and creative team for the show – and learn more about Flatwater and about the Bard in Performance.

Use Bookfair vouchers – see the photo above, they're also available at flatwatershakespeare.org – any time that day and a percentage of the net sale will be contributed to Flatwater Shakespeare. If you can’t attend the bookfair in person, visit bn.com/bookfairs to support Flatwater online August 19 to 23 by entering Bookfair ID 10227643 at checkout.

Flatwater Shakespeare has been called “a Lincoln treasure” – here’s a great opportunity to show how much you value the company’s contributions to the artistic life of our community.

Farewell to "Two Gents"

2010-06-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

A sold-out crowd filled the Swan to overflowing for the final performance of The Two Gentlemen of Verona. We're sad to see this wonderful run come to its conclusion, but we're grateful for the amazing support we received from our audiences for this "expertly acted and directed" show -- as one patron observed. A few more comments:

What a great show! I had never read the play, and we found it really charming and full of wit, set and performed so well, and with super style in the costume department. I've still got the "Sylvia" song in my head. Huzzah!

We did – all of us – very much enjoy the show.

And about the Youth production:

Totally loved it! Lincoln is fortunate to have the beautiful Swan Theatre – and the swans!

Special thanks go to Jayne Sebby, owner of our rehearsal dog, Blue, and of the dog who played Crab for the show, Taz, in his stage debut. Taz is a nine-year old red Border Collie who competes in agility and is close to achieving his 20th title. He also helps to teach handlers and other dogs in agility classes and has given dozens of demonstrations in Lincoln, at sites including the Lied Center and the Lancaster Events Center.

So many individuals -- including the non-human variety -- contribute in making the magic of Flatwater Shakespeare!

Photos: Robie Hayek as Launce and Taz as Crab the Dog in Flatwater Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Photo credit: Michelle Zinke, Stage Manager Extraordinaire.

Final Weekend for Flatwater's 2 Gents!

2010-06-25T15:04:00.000-07:00

A few more audience comments --

Great, memorable evening! What they do when it storms: 1) Carry on. 2) Brief extra intermission. 3) Relocate the whole thing to the relatively dry area under the balcony, and improvise. The momentum of the show was unstoppable!

The actors in the play were spectacular. Bravo everyone!

We thoroughly enjoyed last Saturday's performance.

A marvelous production! You have done so well. We missed the rainy performance, but not the show. The Outlaw Band was a delight, and the music worked well with the show. I especially enjoyed the use of "If I Didn't Care for You."

We enjoyed the show! Thank you for making us laugh, again. What a gift that you have . . . and how lucky we are to be in the audience to see it.

Wonderful production! Thanks for a delightful evening.

We have been going to Flatwater productions for several years. Two Gentlemen of Verona was one of our favorites! Flatwater is a Lincoln treasure. Thank you to all!

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company presents The Two Gentlemen of Verona in the Swan Theatre at Wyuka, 3600 O Street in Lincoln, Friday-Sunday, June 25-27. All show times are 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Call 473-2897 for reservations.

Two More Shows

2010-06-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

A completely entertaining "Youth Invasion" of The Two Gentlemen of Verona opened last night at the Swan Theatre.

Amid charming performances throughout the ensemble, there were several standouts:

The Two Gents, Rue Mumgaard as the trusting Valentine and Danny Carraher as the torn Proteus;

The Two Clowns, Hunter Maude as the quick-witted Speed and Prestyn Hartman as a delightfully delusional Launce;

The Two Ladies, Emma Gruhl as Silvia and Noemi Berkowitz as Julia, both of whom make us care about what happens even as we laugh at the play's silliness.

Congratulations to everyone, especially our Youth Director, Tom Crew, and Stage Manager, Emma Williams. This Flatwater Education program was made possible by a grant from the Nebraska Humanities Council.

The show continues tonight and tomorrow, Tuesday and Wednesday June 22-23, at the Swan Theatre at Wyuka, 3600 "O" Street in Lincoln. Show time is 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 General, $8 Students and Seniors. Call 473-2897 for reservations.

Photo: Emma Gruhl and Noemi Berkowitz, Silvia and Julia in Flatwater Youth's The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

The Show Went On!

2010-06-18T12:34:00.001-07:00

An audience member's thoughts on last night's stormy staging of The Two Gentlemen of Verona:

Shakespeare at the outdoor Swan Theater! The Two Gentlemen from Verona with a Nebraska thunderstorm. Sweet Silvia proclaiming from the balcony with rain pelting her face as she shouted her lines over the rolling thunder! The play continued, after the lightning passed, in the portico -- with the audience flanking the walls and the actors making up stage direction as they went along. It was Shakespeare at his best.

And from two of our actors:

The show must go on!! Last night, the Two Gents cast performed the 2nd Act under the covered barn entrance, with audience and cast all huddled together while the gale stormed on around us. So freeing, so playful, so FUN! Thanks for reminding me of the JOY of live theatre!

Best Two Gents show ever.

And from Bob Hall, the director:

Last night 2Gents performed the end of the play (last 4 scenes or so) in the covered entrance tunnel to the barn with the audience standing around us in a semi-circle and the storm raging behind us. It was glorious. I'll remember it forever.

You won't find a more dedicated and joyful ensemble than the cast of Flatwater Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona!

Performances continue at the Swan Theatre at Wyuka, 3600 O Street in Lincoln, Friday-Sunday, June 18-20 and Thursday-Sunday, June 24-27. All show times are 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Call 473-2897 for reservations.

Audience Comments on Flatwater Shakespeare's "The Two Gentlemen of Verona"

2010-06-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks and ever thanks! You guys do a splendid job. Was great to see some new talented faces along side the talented regulars (notice I didn't say "old faces")! Special thanks to Launce and Speed; and shout out to the ladies. NICE JOB! You took every scene and made them hum...But everybody did great! Thoroughly enjoyed you. Have a GREAT run!

Congrats on a great show!

That last scene in Two Gentlemen is tough - to be true to the words as written, but to also provide a terrific, STRONG woman response is so hard to do. And those two ladies did it about the best I've ever seen . . .

I loved it . . . When a woman loves a man who has a best friend he's known forever . . . she almost always has to do that at some point!

Make the drive to Lincoln . . . terrific show . . . wonderful acting . . . maybe the best Shakespeare in the area this summer . . .

Great job everyone! It was a fun show.

Great show! Our Canadian friends have been raving about it since last night.

Awesomeness! We loved the show!

We had a wonderful time! The show was fantastic!

This show is simply awesome! Loved it. I'll telling my friends to see it.

Flatwater Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona, directed by Bob Hall, plays nightly at the Swan Theatre at Wyuka, 3600 O Street in Lincoln. Performances continue Thursday-Sunday, June 17-20 and 24-27. All show times are 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Call 473-2897 for reservations.

A Must-See This Summer!

2010-06-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

Review of Flatwater Shakespeare’s “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”

By Ladd Wendelin, Star City Blog

Even the Bard had an off day.

The Riverside Shakespeare refers to The Two Gentlemen of Verona as having “the unenviable distinction of being the least loved and least regarded of Shakespeare’s comedies.” This rather frank observation was not entirely without reason. As one of Shakespeare’s first comedies, many of the themes and dramatic devices used in Two Gentlemen, including misbegotten passions, disguises, and lovelorn poetry under balconies, Shakespeare would later explore to greater effect in his more accomplished plays.

However, director Bob Hall and his seasoned ensemble cast have more than risen to the challenge to give Two Gentlemen the much needed care and attention it so richly deserves. In doing so, they have managed to not only continue Flatwater Shakespeare’s superb tradition of quality outdoor theatre, but produce quite possibly one of the best tickets during this summer theatre season – a crowd-pleasing, family-friendly show that showcases a strong diversity of local talent and the inexhaustible theatrical inventiveness of Bob Hall as a director.

While a synopsis of the somewhat convoluted plot is thankfully included in the program for reference, Two Gentlemen follows the passionate exploits of . . .two. . .gentlemen. . .of. . .Verona – the roguish Valentine (Darin Hemmer) and his bosom friend, the dashing Proteus (Gage Wallace). Proteus is head over heels for Julia (Maya Naff), while in nearby Milan, Valentine is smitten with Silvia (Petrea Whittier). In a sensational debacle of misappropriated affections, battle of the sexes, and crossed wires, Proteus falls for Silvia. At this point, Shakespeare begins to explore the limits of friendship and the conflict that occurs when romantic love supplants Platonic love. In any case, everyone eventually gets his or her just desserts during the thrilling conclusion.

“I do not seek to quench your love’s hot fire,” Lucetta tells Julia. “But to qualify the fire’s extreme rage, Lest it should burn above the bounds of reason.” Good advice often falls on deaf ears in Shakespeare’s plays, although the ensuing action is not as tragic as Lucetta might suggest. This is a comedy, after all, but as a comedy, we come to discover how sorely flawed and what pathetic romantics Valentine and Proteus truly are. And that, Shakespeare might argue, is hilarious!

Staged in the Swan Theatre at Wyuka Cemetery, it’s always refreshing to see a set that works with the architecture of an outdoor space rather than against it. This feat, designed by Richard Imig, with uneven planks of wood against the facades of the carriage house, manages to enhance the raw materials of the space while simultaneously providing plenty of world for the actors to live in. As seems to be the tradition with Flatwater Shakespeare, doublets and tights have been replaced with the sports and leisure fashion of the 1920s for Two Gentlemen.

Although set in Verona and Milan, one could easily imagine these characters trading barbs with each other on the French Riviera or on a Mediterranean retreat. The re-imagining of the setting as suggested by Janice Stauffer’s costumes only enhances Shakespeare’s language and the actor’s portrayals.

It was difficult to point out any one or two performances as standouts in Two Gentlemen since each cast member seemed to contribute invaluably to the onstage energy and spirit of the play. Darin Hemmer portrayed Valentine with zest, while Maya Naff neatly played the conflicted Julia with accomplished grace. Comedic relief from Robie Hayek as Launce and Andy Dillehay as Speed nicely balanced the hazards of love between the titular duo and their obstinate sweethearts. A string quartet provided a light-hearted soundtrack, serenading the audience while informing them of the occasional changes in setting. And Launce’s dog Crab, played with devoted craft and precision by Taz, a red Border Collie, wasn’t bad either!

The many charms, classic characters, and lyricism of Two Gentlemen are hardly deadened by Flatwater Shakespeare’s treatment, despite being the “least loved” of Shakespeare’s plays. As such, it is certainly a must-see this summer!

The Two Gentlemen of Verona plays nightly at the Swan Theatre at Wyuka, 3600 O Street in Lincoln. Performances continue Saturday-Sunday, June 12-13; and Thursday-Sunday, June 17-20 and 24-27. All show times are 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Call 473-2897 for reservations.

Photo: Darin Hemmer as Valentine and Petrea Whittier as Silvia in Flatwater Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Credit: John Nollendorfs).

Engaging, Talented, Entertaining

2010-06-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

“Gentlemen” Is Fun Showcase
Jeff Korbelik, Lincoln Journal Star

Veteran director Bob Hall has an eye for up-and-coming actors.

His latest show - Flatwater Shakespeare's staging of The Two Gentlemen of Verona — is a perfect example of it.

The comedy, which played to a packed opening-night crowd Thursday at the Swan Theatre in Wyuka Cemetery, features engaging performances by the young cast, led by title characters Gage Wallace and Darin Hemmer.

Gentlemen is the first of Shakespeare's comedies, so it's not as polished as those that follow.

Still, the story — two men pursuing love and romance in 1930s Italy — holds water, and, if anything, is easier to follow than some of the later ones with multiple characters and plotlines.

Wallace and Hemmer both connect with their characters. Wallace is cunning, while Hemmer is sincere. And both are suave.

Their love interests — played by Maya Naff and Petrea Whittier — are just as charming, with both providing the necessary spunk for their characters.

The scene stealers, however, are Andy Dillehay and Robie Hayek as the gentlemen's servants.

Dillehay engaged in several moments of witty repartee with Wallace and Hemmer.

And Hayek, well, he may be Lincoln's best comedic actor right now. The bit he performs with his shoes is reminiscent of a young Steve Martin in "The Jerk."

Hayek is seen on stage with a well-trained border collie, which, of course, instantly wins over the crowd and helps produce laughs.

The show runs at 2 1/2 hours, with minimal set design. Janice Stauffer's costumes convey the mood and time.

Also watch for Hall's clever use of props, from badminton rackets to golf clubs to a rope ladder.

Who knew he could get so much mileage out of a ukulele and Mike Lee's performance on it?

"Two Gentlemen" is fun, with the comedy providing a platform for some of Lincoln's bright, young actors, whom audiences will find quite talented and entertaining.

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company presents The Two Gentlemen of Verona in the Swan Theatre at Wyuka, 3600 O Street in Lincoln. Performances continue Friday-Sunday, June 11-13; and Thursday-Sunday, June 17-20 and 24-27. All show times are 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Call 473-2897 for reservations.

Photo: Darin Hemmer as Valentine and Petrea Whittier as Silvia in Flatwater Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Credit: John Nollendorfs).

Music in "The Two Gentlemen of Verona"

2010-06-09T17:53:00.000-07:00

This early play by Shakespeare – perhaps his very first comedy – includes themes and even specific language that the playwright would explore for the rest of his career. It also includes his very first song lyrics:

Who is Silvia? What is she,
That all our swains commend her?
Holy, fair and wise is she;
The heav’ns such grace did lend her,
That she might admir’d be.

Is she kind as she is fair?
For beauty lives with kindness.
Love doth to her eyes repair,
To help him of his blindness,
And, being help’d, inhabits there.

Then to Silvia let us sing,
That Silvia’s excelling;
She excels each mortal thing
Upon the dull earth dwelling:
To her let us garlands bring.

And the play also includes his very first dialogue that plays on the ideas of musical harmony, discord, and changes.

For this production of the play, we’ve devised a musical setting of the song that matches our temporal setting: the 1930s. Our Outlaws double as Songsters, with Mike Lee on ukelele and vocals, Bret Olsen on double bass and vocals, and Will Bennett on vocals (and scat singing); our Sir Thurio, Clay Stevens, adds guitar and vocals.

Other music that we use in the show has been inspired by the Gershwin Brothers, by Ukelele Ike (the voice of Jiminy Cricket), and by the sublime Inkspots. You’ll find that Shakespeare fits very comfortably in the movie musical world of Fred and Ginger, of desperate longings, of mismatched devotion, and (as our playwright claims elsewhere) of All’s Well That Ends Well.

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company presents The Two Gentlemen of Verona in the Swan Theatre at Wyuka, 3600 O Street in Lincoln, beginning Thursday, June 10, at 7:30 p.m. Performances continue Friday-Sunday, June 11-13; and Thursday-Sunday, June 17-20 and 24-27. All show times are 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Call 473-2897 for reservations.

(Picture: C. E. Perugini, Silvia)

A Dog, and a Bit about Love

2010-05-31T14:50:00.001-07:00

Flatwater newcomer Blue plays Crab the Dog in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Blue, a 13-year-old “All American” canine, retired from agility competition just last year. During his competitive career, Blue accrued over thirty-five titles. While this is his first performance on a theatrical stage, Blue has given dozens of agility demonstrations in Lincoln, including at the Lied Center, the Lancaster Event Center, and First Plymouth Church. When not shaved down for the summer, he has a 3-4 inch long dark gray coat with black spots. His mother was an Australian Shepherd; his father was a traveling sales dog, of the spaniel variety. Blue’s owner is Jayne Sebby.

Blue finds the greatest challenge with Shakespeare is panting in iambic pentameter. He observes that dogs usually breathe in trochees: HUH-ah, HUH-ah, HUH-ah. Concentration, he says, is the key to turning the beat around. Although warned against ever appearing on stage with a clown, he has found that Robie Hayek’s Launce only rarely upstages him.

See Blue in Flatwater Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona in the Swan Theatre at Wyuka, 3600 O Street in Lincoln, beginning Thursday, June 10, at 7:30 p.m. Performances continue Friday-Sunday, June 11-13; and Thursday-Sunday, June 17-20 and 24-27. All show times are 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Call 484-7640 for reservations.

Ten Years of Open-Air Comedy

2010-05-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

FLATWATER SHAKESPEARE PRESENTS
THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA
JUNE 10 -27 AT THE SWAN AT WYUKA

Come celebrate 10 years of open-air comedy at the Swan Theatre.

In the summer of 2001, Bob Hall acted upon a vision shared with Suzanne Evans, Doug Evans, and a few others. He transformed the Carriage House at Lincoln’s historic Wyuka Cemetery and Park into the Swan, an Elizabethan-style playhouse, bringing Shakespeare’s artistry into the new millenium. From that first production of Twelfth Night to last June’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, Hall and company’s take on Shakespearean comedy has delighted Lincoln audiences with timeless and timely antics, insights, wit, and heart.

The tradition continues this summer as The Flatwater Shakespeare Company presents The Two Gentlemen of Verona in the Swan Theatre at Wyuka, 3600 O Street in Lincoln, beginning Thursday, June 10, at 7:30 p.m. Performances continue Friday-Sunday, June 11-13; and Thursday-Sunday, June 17-20 and 24-27. All show times are 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Call 473-2897 for reservations.

Recipient of a 2010 Nebraska Artist of the Year award, director Bob Hall has set this early, silly, but sophisticated comedy in the 1930s, where it fits comfortably in the world of Noel Coward and Cole Porter. In the movie Shakespeare in Love, one character summarizes this play as “love and a bit with a dog.” But much more is going on.

Maybe friendship is selfless while love is selfish. If so, a would-be lover can betray a friend and a former beloved, while attempting to force himself on his new beloved – all in the name of love. So gentleman Proteus makes sure that his friend, gentleman Valentine, is banished. He abandons the lady Julia and obsesses on the lady Silvia. Along the way, Julia assumes male disguise in order to follow Proteus, thus witnessing all his misdeeds. Somehow all this leads to a happy ending, with the help of a foolish rival, two clowns, several outlaws, and a dog named Crab.

The production features Gage Wallace and Darin Hemmer as Proteus and Valentine, the Two Gentlemen of the title, along with Maya Naff as Julia and Petrea Whittier as Silvia. Other performers include Flatwater regulars Will Bennett, Tom Crew, Robie Hayek, Clay Stevens, and Dustin Witte. Joining Flatwater for this show are Andy Dillehay, Mike Lee, Emily Martinez, and Bret Olsen. The stage manager is Michelle Zinke. Costumes are by Janice Stauffer, with set construction by Richard Imig and lighting design by Richard Schroder. The sound design is a collaboration between director Hall and dramaturg Stephen Buhler.

The Flatwater Youth production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, directed by Tom Crew, will be presented at the Swan Theatre on June 21, 22, and 23. Show time is 7 p.m. Call 473-2897 for tickets and information. In September, Flatwater will present Shakespeare’s magnificent Antony and Cleopatra under the stars at the Swan.

Flatwater Shakespeare is a professional not-for-profit theatre company, dedicated to bringing audiences the richness of the works of William Shakespeare as they were meant to be experienced – played out by a dynamic ensemble of performers on stage. For more information about Flatwater, go to www.flatwatershakespeare.org. And you can follow us on Facebook, too!

The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Dates: June 10-13, 17-20, 24-27
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: The Swan Theatre at Wyuka, 3600 O St. Lincoln
Tickets: (402) 473-2897
$18 Adults; $15 Seniors; $10 Students

Look Back in Anger (for Some) at "The Homecoming"

2010-05-08T11:12:00.001-07:00

A few more audience comments:

". . . what a bizarre story line, beautifully acted by an amazingly talented cast. THANK YOU!"

"If you miss this fantastic opportunity to see Bob Hall hit people with a cane, and to see Melissa Lewis Nuss work her feminine wiles, how can you live with yourself?"

"The play itself sure made me do some serious thinking . . . "

"It's an interesting, thought-provoking night of entertainment. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You may become aroused or let out a gasp . . ."

Pinter's play still has the power to unsettle, disturb, and plain outrage audiences -- as well as entertain them. The Flatwater Shakespeare Company and the Haymarket Theatre greatly appreciate our patrons, who joined the actors and artistic team in exploring such dangerous territory.

More Audience Comments for "The Homecoming"

2010-04-29T22:31:00.000-07:00

I attended The Homecoming at the Haymarket Theatre last night and I highly HIGHLY recommend it. Nathan Weiss’s smiles are knife-like. Melissa Lewis is a hungry mannequin. Rob Burt’s silences scream. Absurdly cruel and hilarious. Go see it. I mean it.

I was unbelievably impressed with the show tonight -- not only with Bob Hall’s casting, and excellent direction, but with his truly mastered performance.

Rob Burt’s work in The Homecoming is probably the best I’ve seen him do . . . honest, controlled, interesting. Nicely done!

Nathan Weiss’s work in The Homecoming is fantastic.

I was blessed to watch some fantastic performers this evening. So long as people continue to produce shows of that caliber, theater in Lincoln will continue to be as powerful and relevant as I remember it being.

Just three more shows: April 30 and May 1-2 with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18 general admission, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Reserve tickets by calling 402-477-2600 or visiting www.haymarkettheatre.org.

Audience Comments on "The Homecoming"

2010-04-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

. . . really good. Bob Hall rocked the house and Nate Weiss was really funny. The whole cast did well, definitely a must see.

. . . terrific show. Don't miss it!

. . . probably the best work I have seen Melissa Lewis Nuss do. Such a controlled (in a good way) performance. That moment when she sat in Max’s chair was priceless . . . . this show deserves to be seen by as many people as possible.

This is a first rate production of a play worth your time seeing and pondering. Very funny and very deadly. Great stuff. Every performance a GEM.

The show tonight was just superb on every level. I thought the acting was so, so good. I love the set and the lighting choices. The costumes were well chosen. I thought Bob Hall was wonderful as Max . . . I will spread the word because this deserves to be seen.

If you are anywhere in the vicinity and love theater, you must, must, must see this show It is superb in all its aspects. It will be worth your time and money well spent.

. . . just saw Bob Hall do the performance of his life . . .

It was great. I wanted to go home and shower . . . I felt grimy. Pinter would be pleased.

The Homecoming continues April 22-25, 29-30, and May 1-2 with performances Thurs.-Sat at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18 general admission, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Reserve tickets by calling 402-477-2600 or visiting www.haymarkettheatre.org.

A Pitch-Perfect Ensemble Cast!

2010-04-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

Review from Star City Blog, April 17, 2010

All around the house, everyone is sound asleep, at least for the moment. As the stage lights come up, Teddy (Rob Burt), a doctor of philosophy, and his wife Ruth (Melissa Lewis Nuss) stand in the entryway, fresh off a plane from Italy, returned home to see Teddy’s irascible family for the first time in many years.

Ruth appears uncomfortable, even out of place, but Teddy reassures her. His family is just like any other family. He knows his father will be happy to see them. But somehow, deep underneath the surface, Ruth is preparing for the worst. Or is she?

Now playing at the Haymarket Theatre, Flatwater Shakespeare presents Harold Pinter’s 1965 masterwork The Homecoming, which opened this week and runs through May 2nd. In a month dominated by plays being performed throughout Lincoln, I say without reservation that The Homecoming is a must-see.

Director Bob Hall dons the role of Max, a curmudgeonly old hermit crab haunted by shadows of his former self and his late wife. He laments the sad state of his family with his brother Sam (Scott Glenn), a hardworking cab driver and two sons, Lenny (Nathan Weiss), a streetwise pimp, and Joey (Jeff Tinnean), an aspiring boxer. Teddy’s arrival, combined with the introduction of Ruth is the catalyst for a string of bizarre incidents that not only alter the already volatile atmosphere of his family’s dingy North London home, but irreparably changes its residents for better or worse.

The Homecoming, especially as it reaches its absurd climax in the second act, is a rare play that is open to much interpretation and debate, which those who attend any of the performances during its three week run will be privy to.

Hall and his cast have risen to meet the challenges of the text, embracing Pinter’s machine gun dialogue full of wit, malice, humor, and tragedy. They deftly exploit a full range of emotions in which what is unsaid, manifested in alarming silences between the characters, is as meaningful as what is being said. The Homecoming is populated with these sorts of exchanges -- expansive voids full of psychological dissonance that reveal the ties that bind and sometimes unwind.

In short, this is Bob Hall at his best. From the illustration on the front of the program, to the set design, the staging, and his bravura performance as Max, his vision as an artist shines throughout many aspects of the production. But Hall’s brilliance would not be half of what it is without the support of a pitch-perfect ensemble cast. Burt, Weiss (possessing a cutting, Jude Law-like charisma), Tinnean, Glenn, and the ever-radiant and mesmerizing Melissa Lewis Nuss match Hall’s performance as well as each other’s beat for beat. Come for the heart-rending humor and the drama of Pinter’s razor sharp dialogue, stay for the incredible performances from the cast.

There are no happy endings, no neat and tidy resolutions to the central conflicts in the play. Max and his misbegotten family attempt to make sense of their shared pasts, plan for the future, or die trying. Or do they really?

“Nothing’s changed, says Teddy, early in Act I, “Still the same.”

How true.

The Homecoming runs April 15-18, 22-25, 29-30, and May 1-2 with performances Thurs.-Sat at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18 general admission, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Reserve tickets by calling 402-477-2600 or visiting www.haymarkettheatre.org.

Tremendous Acting

2010-04-16T22:32:00.000-07:00

Review from the Lincoln Journal Star, April 16, 2010

Family dysfunction was on display Thursday night at the Haymarket Theatre in the Flatwater Shakespeare Company production of Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming.

The Bob Hall-directed work was well performed -- so much so that audience members went from laughing out loud to squirming in their seats without even realizing it.

The Homecoming is set in working-class North London in the 1960s, where widower Max, a retired butcher, lives with his brother, Sam, and two younger sons, Lenny and Joey.

The apple cart is upset when Max’s eldest son, Teddy, returns for a visit with his wife of six years, Ruth, whom the family has never met.

The woman, portrayed by Melissa Lewis Nuss, has a strange effect on the men in the house, leading to a second act that only can be described as bizarre and unpredictable.

Pinter’s script, now considered a classic, will leave audience members wondering who is in control and who is being manipulated.

Of course, for this to work requires tremendous acting, and Hall draws it from his stellar cast, which includes himself as the bullying family patriarch.

Watching Hall and Nuss square off in the absurd British comedy is comparable to Archie Bunker meeting Sharon Stone’s character from Basic Instinct.

I will let you decide who comes out on top.

The supporting players were effective, too, with Rob Burt, Nathan Weiss and Jeff Tinnean each finding the right characteristics needed in the three very different sons.

Scott Glen also excelled as the brother, more by what he didn’t say on stage than what he did.

Glen had a way with Pinter’s trademark silences, as did the wide-eyed Nuss, who often did more with a look than with any of the playwright’s words. She and Weiss, who played the sleazy middle son, Lenny, were the reasons for all the squirming.

Flatwater produced an extremely unsettling evening of theater. That’s a compliment to the performances found in Pinter’s unusual story.

Photo: Playwright Harold Pinter in the 1960s, when The Homecoming was first staged.

Opening Tomorrow Night!

2010-04-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

FLATWATER SHAKESPEARE and THE HAYMARKET PRESENT
"THE HOMECOMING"

APRIL 15 - MAY 2 AT THE HAYMARKET THEATRE

Harold Pinter's The Homecoming has been described as "perhaps the most cruel play ever written and certainly one of the funniest." It's a devastating look at the ties that bind families together. It explores the fine line between love and hate – and wonders if such a line exists at all.

The setting is a working-class neighborhood in North London in the 1960s. Max, a retired butcher, lives in an old house there with his brother, Sam, and his two younger sons, Lenny and Joey. One night, Max's oldest son, Teddy, returns for a visit with his wife, Ruth. As the play unfolds, the tensions, power struggles, nostalgia, and resentments continue to build.

Director Bob Hall – Nebraska's 2010 Artist of the Year – is also featured as the family patriarch, Max. Rob Burt is the modern-day prodigal, Teddy, and Melissa Lewis Nuss is Ruth. Scott Glen appears as Sam, while Nathan Weiss and Jeff Tinnean play Lenny and Joey.

Dates: April 15-18, 22-25, 29-30, May 1-2
Time: All shows at 7:30 p.m. except for Sundays at 2:00

Place: The Haymarket Theatre, 803 “Q” St. Lincoln
Tickets: (402) 477-2600

$18 Adults; $15 Seniors; $10 Students

Photo: Bob Hall as Max and Melissa Lewis Nuss as Ruth in the Flatwater/Haymarket production of The Homecoming.

"I tell you, it was like Christmas."

2010-03-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Teddy: Six years ago, I married Ruth and we left for America. I’ve found success and come back to London to see my dad. My uncle. My two brothers. I was the favorite. This was my home. Why did I have to leave?

Max: My son Teddy left six years ago. Now he’s back, with a woman we’ve never seen before. He left me with a crippled family. This was his home. Why did he have to leave? And why’d he come back?

Ruth: Six years ago, Teddy and I married quickly and left for America. Now I’m meeting his family at last. England was our home. Why did we have to leave?

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company and the Haymarket Theatre proudly present Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming at the Haymarket Theatre, 803 Q Street in Lincoln, beginning Thursday, April 15, at 7:30 p.m. Performances continue Friday - Sunday, April 16-18; and Thursdays - Sundays, April 22-25 and April 29-30 and May 1-2. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays - Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Call 477-2600 for tickets.

The Homecoming has been described as “perhaps the most cruel play ever written and certainly one of the funniest.” It’s a devastating look at the ties that bind families together. It explores the fine line between love and hate – and wonders if such a line exists at all.

The setting is a working-class neighborhood in North London in the 1960s. Max, a retired butcher, lives in an old house there with his brother, Sam, and his two younger sons, Lenny and Joey. One night, Max’s oldest son, Teddy, returns for a visit with his wife, Ruth. As the play unfolds, the tensions, power struggles, nostalgia, and resentments continue to build.

Harold Pinter, the playwright, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005. The Swedish Academy, in its citation, observed that in his plays Pinter “uncovers the precipice under everyday prattle.” He has been praised for his powerful combinations of fear and humor, suppressed information and enveloping atmosphere, surreal developments and exacting language and ominous silences.

Director Bob Hall -- Nebraska's 2010 Artist of the Year -- is also featured as the family patriarch, Max. Rob Burt is the modern-day prodigal, Teddy, and Melissa Lewis Nuss is Ruth. Scott Glen appears as Sam, while Nathan Weiss and Jeff Tinnean play Lenny and Joey.

Flatwater Shakespeare is in its sixth year as a professional not-for-profit theatre company, bringing to Lincoln audiences the richness of dramatic works as they were meant to be experienced: visit www.flatwatershakespeare.org. The Haymarket Theatre continues its mission of presenting vibrant and thought-provoking drama: visit www.haymarkettheatre.org.

The Homecoming
Dates: April 15-18, 22-25, 29-30 and May 1-2
Time: 7:30 p.m.; 2 p.m. on Sundays
Place: The Haymarket Theatre, 803 Q Street in Lincoln
Tickets: (402) 477-2600
$18 Adults; $15 Seniors; $10 Students

Nebraska's Artist of the Year!

2010-03-01T19:30:00.000-08:00

The Nebraska Arts Council has announced the recipients
of the 2010 Governor’s Arts Awards and Flatwater's Artistic Director

Bob Hall

has been named Artist of the Year.

This honor is awarded to an individual artist practicing in any discipline whose work or career has made a significant contribution to her or his art form and to the state of Nebraska.

From the NAC citation: Bob Hall is a multifaceted artist with a professional career in both theatre and visual arts. Since earning his degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Bob Hall has crafted an impressive and influential body of work as a director, designer, administrator, and visual artist. Bob is the Artistic Director of the Haymarket Theatre in Lincoln and Artistic Director of The Flatwater Shakespeare Company. He is also a professional artist and writer, who has contributed work for Marvel, Valiant and DC Comics’ graphic novels. He has drawn Spiderman, Batman, Thor, and Captain America among many others, and has also drawn original characters and written stories to accompany them. Pages from his Armed and Dangerous, a gritty, noir-style crime comic, along with Joker-centric Batman stories, have been presented in recent gallery shows at the Project Room in Lincoln, and at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. As a visual artist he has also exhibited his figurative drawings. He teaches a course in graphic novel creation at Hastings College. As a teacher, he inspires actors and visual artists to enrich their craft, inspires audiences to deepen their love of theater, and inspires readers and viewers to see the world more imaginatively. With the Flatwater Shakespeare Company, based in Lincoln, he has brought Shakespeare’s own theatrical practices vividly into the 21st Century. He applies the principles of Shakespearean stagecraft to present-day circumstances. As a theatrical director, visual artist, and writer he demonstrates the ability not only to communicate, but to fully immerse his audience in the artistic experience through a variety of media.

All of the 2010 awards will be presented by Governor Dave Heineman at a noon luncheon on Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln. Recipients of other awards include Jennifer Boomgaarden of the Omaha Symphony, Barbara Zach of the Lincoln Symphony, John Mangen of the Omaha Nation School in Macy, actor-producer John Beasley, and musician / music-sponsor Keith Heckman, among others.

For ticket information, visit the Nebraska Arts Council webpage for the event:

www.nebraskaartscouncil.org/Programs/?page=governorsAwards

Barefaced Audacity

2010-02-16T19:34:00.000-08:00

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company
and the Haymarket Theatre proudly present

The Homecoming

Harold Pinter’s supreme “comedy of menace”

Directed by Bob Hall

Show dates: Thursdays–Sundays
April 15-18, April 22-25, April 29-May 2

Show times 7:30 p.m; Sundays 2 p.m.

Haymarket Theatre, 803 “Q” Street, Lincoln, NE

Call: 477-2600

Harold Pinter (1930-2008) was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005. The Swedish Academy, in its citation, observed that “in his plays [Pinter] uncovers the precipice under everyday prattle and forces entry into oppression’s closed rooms.” He has been compared with Franz Kafka and Samuel Beckett, two other giants of 20th-century literature, for his powerful combinations of fear and humor, suppressed information and enveloping atmosphere, surreal developments and exacting language and ominous silences. His obituary in The Telegraph notes how Pinter’s dramas

brought into confrontation a variety of persons, from vagrants and prostitutes to middle-class married couples and self-proclaimed poets, in circumstances bordering on violence or menace and in language that was precise, elegant, and often very funny.

Some observers have argued that Pinter “not only changed the face of modern British theatre but also inspired the comedy boom of the 1960s” – influencing members of Beyond the Fringe (Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, Dudley Moore) and Monty Python’s Flying Circus (Chapman, Cleese, Gilliam, Idle, Jones, Palin), among many others.

In The Homecoming, first staged in 1965, the setting is an old house in North London. The play explores relationships between six family members:

Max, a retired butcher;
Sam, his brother, a chauffeur;
Teddy, Max’s eldest son, who has moved to the United States
(and become a college professor in Philosophy);
Lenny, Max’s second son, very possibly a pimp;
Joey, Max’s youngest, a demolition worker and aspiring boxer;
and Ruth, Teddy’s wife.

Teddy brings Ruth home for the first time to meet his working-class family. As the play unfolds, the tensions, power struggles, nostalgia, and resentments continue to build.

(Photo: Harold Pinter in the 1970s.)

KB or Not KB?

2010-01-20T20:33:00.000-08:00

It’s Sir Patrick Stewart, KB (Knight Bachelor), now. The legendary Shakespearean actor, also famed for Star Trek: The Next Generation and numerous films, was on Her Majesty’s New Year’s Honours List for services to drama.

One memorable performance, of course, was on Sesame Street –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb4X2DuLisc

Another memorable performance will be aired on PBS later this year, with Stewart appearing as Claudius in the recent RSC production of Hamlet, featuring Doctor Who’s David Tennant in the title role. Stewart had previously played a televised Claudius in the BBC/Time-Life Shakespeare version with Derek Jacobi as Hamlet.

Also knighted was Nicholas Hytner, Artistic Director of the National Theatre in London.