Digging In

Good morning everyone! The post below was originally posted by Jim Radloff (Fenton) in the comments section of a previous post. I felt like it needed to be out front where more people could see it--so I made the editorial choice to move it to the front. One of the most interesting things that has come from my involvement with MASC's Shakespeare in the park has been learning about the history and background of all of these shows. Often, what has been previously published can give the crucial bit of insight to solve a problem or answer a question.

So I 'll turn it over to Jim:

I mentioned this briefly to Justin last night, and thought I would share it with the rest of you. (This may become a rant. Sorry.)

After I read this post, I looked at a few of Shakespeare's plays on the Internet Broadway Database. It typed in the first 3 of his shows that came to mind: this one, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. And I noticed that the last Broadway run of Romeo and Juliet closed in 1987. The last Midsummer run ended in 1996. But Merry Wives has not been seen on Broadway since 1938.

That's right, 71 years since this play saw a Broadway production. There hasn't even been a film version since 1982, and that was made for TV.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. MASC's last production was The Sound of Music, and I remember a lot of people ordering each other to see the movie because they had to get the characters down. People had expectations of what they wanted us to be, and it restricted what we could do.

This show does not give us that pressure. I don't have to imitate William Post Jr because he retired 56 years ago and most people have no idea what he was like.

Instead, I decide let the script talk to me. Fenton is a nice guy because I see him as such. He is friendly because I want him to be. He is kind and energetic because I think he is.

We are each our own Laurence Olivier. Just as he defined how people saw Hamlet or Henry V, we define who Fenton, Falstaff, and Dr. Caius are in our own minds.

It also helps that we have a cast that helps each other, but more on that later.

The point is, our audience is going to see something they have never seen before. It has been a long time since I have been this excited about a show.

Just a Quick One

I'll be back with more later--there was a great rehearsal last night and I, as always, have things to tell you all. But for right now here is a quick look at some very preliminary designs for the poster for the show:


Art by Jason Shores.

Production Meetings, AKA Socializing

Hiya! Karla, here (Mistress Quickly), with an observation from last night's post-rehearsal gathering at the Wooden Nickel.

I'm new to the whole theatre thing. Yes, I'm the noob. I've been in four of the summer Shakespeare shows, now (including this one), and a couple of the October Radio Theatre gigs, but that's the extent of my theatre background. I've only hung around theatre people my whole life; until recently, having married into it (so to speak), I've only observed from a distance.

That means that things like "blocking" and "developing a character" and "cast party" are fairly new concepts to me.

As is this thing called "Production Meeting."

Last night, at the WN, many participants decided that these social gatherings--often impromptu--work far better as production meetings that more rigid ones (I can only assume that means a large table, people facing each other with file folders and notebooks, and a distinct lack of Guinness and Woodchuck).

We'd talk about this or that--news, culture, politics, food--and, invariably, every few minutes, find our way back to The Play and share ideas, critiques, epiphanies, and, well, more beer, but that latter's neither here nor there. It was--and is--free form, organic, and completely unforced.

And things got solved. New tacks were found. And fun and good conversation were had by all!

The same thing, I've noticed, happens over pizza, or over card games at one of the cast members' homes (note: do play Brian-Paco in *anything*--he's got a secret competitive streak that is a wonder to behold!). Or just hanging out after a rehearsal and asking questions, casually.

I think our culture is based on the necessity of quantifiable, scheduled, agenda-ized formalities--and I'm a public school teacher, so I know from meetings--when the best things get done when we view each other as peers, friends, and fellow fun-havers (I coined that, thanks).

I like it. I think the "real world" could learn a lot from theatre folk. I know that I have!

--Karla Olson, 7/28/09

The Merry who of What, now?

Last Tuesday evening as we were wrapping up rehearsal, we had the first sighting of a man whom I've come to think of as kind of a good luck harbinger. He is a retired theater professor from SMSU who drops by a handful of times during our rehearsal process to see what is going on. There are always a couple of actors who had him in class, or worked with him on this show or the other, and he often has candies that he hands out with smiles and handshakes. To tell the truth, I had found his visits pretty intimidating--he is, after all, someone whose work and opinion I respect a great deal. So to have him there, observing the rehearsal process--and my direction-- kinda gave me the willies. It didn't take long for that to go away, however, as he has been nothing but kind and complimentary every time we've spoken.

One of the things 'Doc' was saying as we we're all standing chatting was that while he had read The Merry Wives of Windsor, he couldn't actually recall ever having seen it produced. That gave me a little pause; after all, a man who has made his carreer out of producing plays sees a lot of shows. It was thinking along these lines that partly led to me starting this blog.

So, what is MWoW about? Think of in terms of a modern situation comedy. There is love, mistaken identities, jealousy, silly accents, and just a little bit of naughty word play. The story centers on Sir John Falstaff and his attempts to woo and win the titular wives, not for the sake of love, but in order to make money and avoid turning to honest work. He makes a rather shoddy attempt and Mistress Ford and Mistress Page immeadiately set about to hoist Sir John on his own petard. There is all manner of of mischance and mischief leading to the wives concocting a elaborate scheme to show Falstaff the error of his ways.

Of course, being Shakespeare, the story also contains all manner of colorful side plots and characters. I will talk about the plot details a little bit at a time to make it as clear and easy to understand as I can. So more on the other characters and situations of the show later; till then, here is a photo of me doing this job I love to do on the set of 2007's As You Like It...


Till next time-
Justin

Greetings

Welcome, welcome, welcome! Whether you are here by accident or design, we are so glad you made it. This is the production blog for the Marshall Area Stage Company's production of The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare.

Since inaugurating the Shakespeare in the park program with 2002' s production of Twelfth Night MASC has performed a free production of one of Shakespeare's plays every year. (Well, okay, every year but one.) Performances take place in the band shell at Marshall's beautiful Liberty park. The dates for this year's show are 7:00PM on August 21 and 22 and 2:00pm on August 23rd.

For the past five years it has been my privilege to direct the Shakespeare in the park production and I have come to look forward to this time of year as "Shakespeare Season." Hopefully this blog will serve as a kind of behind the scenes peek at what goes into one of these productions and will help you appreciate the performances even more. I will have information on the play, preproduction photos, and maybe, the odd surprise along the way. I also hope to have other members of the creative team of men and women who will put this story up on its feet drop by and give you their perspectives on this undertaking.

So, thanks again for joining us! We love performing and we look forward to seeing you at Liberty Park in August! Come and join us for some play!