Richard III, at Pigeon Creek Shakespeare, started with the idea that all violence is misogyny, and the question, “What if all the curses of the grieving women had real, literal power?” Magical realism Shakespeare! Through exploring those questions, we found how terrible a character could be, and how kind a cast could be. Although I […]
I’m excited to join my friends at the Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company once again, this time for Richard III. Except that I won’t exactly be joining them for a while. I don’t have a place to stay in Grand Rapids for the full rehearsal period. It’s my own fault for bringing my entourage with me […]
I’m a big fan of Shakespeare-adjacent theater, as a category. That can either mean plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries (Dr. Faustus), or plays about Shakespeare’s life (Shakespeare’s Sister), or plays in response to Shakespeare’s plays (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead) or, as in the case of Red Velvet, plays about people performing the works of Shakespeare or his contemporaries. These plays can […]
It’s been a good week in the critical acclaim department. Not only did our remount of Pigeon Creek’s Much Ado earn slot #16 in Shakespeareances “Top 25” list, but Eric also posted a wonderful review of the show. You can read the full thing on his website, but here are some of my favorite observations (emphasis mine). Director Alisha Huber embraces many textual advantages the space offers her. In his gulling scene, Benedick (Brad Sytsma) hides among the groundlings (though there’s only a few people down there—the galleries are the preferred seating for this NPR audience). Borachio (Josh Fremer) comes through one of the entrance’s curtains but […]
Katherine recently sent me a review by Bridgette Redman of Encore Michigan, which for some reason didn’t end up getting published. Bridgette said we could share some of it on our own websites and promo materials, so here are some of my favorite bits. Running now at Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company’s multiple locations, their “Antony and Cleopatra” is a love story and Katherine Mayberry and Scott Lange as the titular couple sizzle with tempestuous passion. Let the whole world make their demands, let armies and navies clash, these two are meant to be together and nothing […]
Since I’m getting ready to direct Richard III at the Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company, I want to see a few productions of it. I try to pay attention to where I feel lost as an audience member, what parts speak to me, what bits feel extraneous. So I saw one of the last performances of Richard III […]
Harrisburg Shakespeare, at the Gamut Theater Group, invited me to come check out their performance of Pericles. It’s not often performed, which is too bad, because it’s a fun show. Some of the performances in this production were very strong, especially Marina. The cast was very diverse in age, gender, and ethnicity, which is always nice […]
I’ve heard about Faction for a while now, but I hadn’t been able to catch one of their shows until a couple weeks ago, when I saw their Henry V. Faction of Fools is a commedia dell’arte troupe. Some of their members have actually gone to Italy to train with people who have received that tradition […]
I saw As You Like It as a participating production for KCACTF Region 2. This production did some interesting work in terms of gender bending. The wicked duke was a female actor in a dress, but with a mustache–sort of gender nonbinary, I guess. Touchstone had half of their costume as a female and half male, […]
I took the kids to see a student matinee of As You Like It at the American Shakespeare Center. This turned out to be a great move. The audience mostly consisted of high school students. My kids were about as well-behaved as any of them, and I wasn’t self-conscious about their wiggling energy. One thing I […]