Gulf Coast State College Division of Visual and Performing Arts Presents ShakespeaREMIXED A collection of scenes by William Shakespeare DIRECTOR’S NOTE Why Shakespeare? Why now? Shakespeare’s language may seem foreign to us, but once the code is cracked we are reminded that human relationships, emotions, dreams and desires have not changed much in the past four hundred years. In Shakespeare’s day, the theatres in London were frequently closed due to outbreaks of the Bubonic plague. We recognize this parallel to our own times and know we are fortunate to be working while so many theatres have been closed. The choice to create this show had both practical and pedagogical considerations. Shakespeare’s works are in the public domain which means we can cut it, rearrange it or modify it any way we choose without having to get permission from the author or publisher. It is also free to produce. All of these things were attractive to me for the flexibility they allowed in producing theatre during a pandemic. We pronounce the title as “Shakespeare Remixed”, but like Shakespeare often did, we chose to create a new word and call our show ShakespeaREMIXED. Our remix is a variant of the original made through rearranging, deletions and additions. By selecting scenes from many plays as opposed to producing just one play, I was able to cast everyone in lead roles and limit the number of people rehearsing together at one time. Casting choices were made to both showcase student strengths and challenge them in areas needing growth. There was no attempt on my part to create a strong narrative arc to the overall show. Hopefully some of the scenes will be familiar to you while others may be less so. Coming into this project the cast and crew had varying degrees of experience with using Shakespeare’s language. Our exploration has been a challenging and rewarding process. Our goal was to eliminate any “Shakesfear” and help the students develop confidence in approaching complex text. Setting Shakespeare in modern dress is nothing new. In our case, the choice was made in an attempt to help illuminate the text and remove one more thing that might make these words seem long ago and far away. In doing that, we also hope to have increased your familiarity, understanding and appreciation of these words. Thank you for joining us today and supporting these students. Your presence completes the theatrical equation. Without an audience, there is no theatre. I am grateful to my colleagues and the entire cast and crew for collaborating on this journey. Special thanks to Commodore Productions for filming and streaming this production to allow us to reach a larger audience. We look forward to the day that we can gather again in larger numbers. Until then, take care and be well. We hope to see you soon. Jason Hedden, Director CAST Noelani Stewart…………………....................……………Puck, Brutus Victoria Melerine.................…Helena, Lady Macbeth, Ensemble Siena Robinson……………..................………………….....Juliet, Viola Jacob Lambert………….........……Demetrius, Stephano, Ensemble Shamiracle Ross..............................................Cleopatra, Hermia Drew Rowell...................................................Trinculo, Lysander Ian Bingham..................................Richard III, Antony, Macbeth Karly Johnson..........................Katherine, Lady Anne, Ensemble Kamal Lewis.......................................Oberon, Hamlet, Benedict Brittany McLaughlin..............................................Olivia, Cassius Susanna Lloyd....................................Nurse, Beatrice, Ensemble Chris Grover..................................Caliban, Petruchio, Ensemble Jack Brawley.................................................Musician, Ensemble CREATIVE TEAM……………... Jason Hedden…………………………………………………………Director Erica Burger Baillif…………………………………. Lighting Designer, Sound Designer, Props Designer and Technical Director Brian Baillif………………………Set Designer. Projection Designer Emma Nelson………………………………………………. Stage Manager Adrianna Campagna………………………… Assistant Stage Manager Caleb Pettis……………………Assistant Scenic Designer/Stage Crew John Prohaska……………Assistant Sound Designer/Sound Board Operator Julianna Everhart………..Assistant Lighting Designer/Light Board Operator Lauren Patterson……………Costume Coordinator/Costume Crew Marisa Maiden…………………………………………………Photography Leah Morgan...........................................................Video Design Pavel Amromin……………………………………..……..Graphic Design Bailey Rodgers.................................Box Office, House Manager Commodore Productions………….……..Video and Livestreaming Intro: On Quoting Shakespeare by Bernard Levin (The Ensemble) The Tempest Act II, Sc II: Caliban (Chris Grover), Trinculo (Drew Rowell), Stephano (Jacob Lambert) Much Ado About Nothing Act IV, Sc I: Beatrice (Susanna Lloyd), Benedict (Kamal Lewis) Twelfth Night Act 1, Sc V: Olivia (Brittany McLaughlin), Viola (Siena Robinson) & Ensemble Antony & Cleopatra Act IV, Sc XV Cleopatra (Shamiracle Ross), Antony (Ian Bingham) & Ensemble Julius Caesar Act IV Sc III: Cassius (Brittany McLaughlin), Brutus (Noelani Stewart) Macbeth Act II, Sc I lines & Act II Sc II: Macbeth (Ian Bingham), Lady Macbeth (Victoria Melerine) Video by Leah Morgan Musical Performance by Jack Brawley A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act III Sc II: Puck (Noelani Stewart), Oberon (Kamal Lewis), Lysander (Drew Rowell), Hermia (Shamiracle Ross), Helena (Victoria Melerine), Demetrius (Jacob Lambert) Richard III Act I Sc II: Richard III (Ian Bingham), Lady Anne (Karly Johnson) & Ensemble Romeo and Juliet Act II, Sc V, Nurse (Susanna Lloyd), Juliet (Siena Robinson) The Taming of the Shrew Act II, Sc I: Katherine (Karly Johnson), Petruchio (Chris Grover) Finale: Hamlet Act III, Sc 1: Hamlet (Kamal Lewis) & Ensemble Noelani Stewart* is a freshman at Gulf Coast State College. This will be her first show here and she is very excited to do more in the future. She would like to thank her sister, grandfather, and Noah for being amazing support. Victoria Melerine is currently an art student at Gulf Coast State College. She would like to thank her amazing director Jason Hedden, the cast and crew, her mentors Michael MacCauley and Hank Rion, and most of all her beautiful mother. Siena Robinson is a junior at Bay Virtual School. She is so excited to be in her first production with Gulf Coast! Previous productions include Totally Over You and Nice Work if You Can Get It. She would like to thank her family and friends for always supporting her. Jacob Lambert is a theatre major at Gulf Coast State College and is super excited to be in his second production at GCSC! His first being War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast. He would like to thank his family, friends, cast and crew, along with Curtis and Taryn Tasker! Shamiracle Ross* is in her sophomore year at GCSC. This will be her 2nd show. She plans to continue on with her journey of academia to a university. She wants to thank GCSC VPA for all the love and memories. Shout out to my dad and family. Drew Rowell* is a theatre major at Gulf Coast State College. This will be his sixth production at Gulf Coast. He was most recently seen as Ray in Red Speedo at the GCSC pool. He would like to thank the Rowell family, Izzie Pons, Heather Woodby, Hank Rion, Jason Blanks, Doug Gilliland, Jason Hedden, his friends, and last but not least, this extremely talented cast. Ian Bingham* is a sophomore at Gulf Coast State College. He was most recently seen in Gulf Coast State College’s production of Red Speedo (Peter) and the University of West Florida’s productions of Othello (Signor Montano) and A Christmas Carol (Fred/Young Scrooge). He wishes to thank his friends and family for their continuous love and support. Karly Johnson is an 18-year-old freshman at GCSC. This is her first show with GCSC theatre. Her most recent role was Sally Brown in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown (Kaleidoscope Theatre). She would like to thank her mom for always supporting her. Kamal Lewis is originally from the island of Jamaica. This is his 4th production with GCSC. Past productions include Cabaret, One Man Two Guvnors, Much Ado About Nothing, O’Babylon, Twelfth Night, The Ladies Room, and We Can’t Pay We Won’t Pay. Brittany McLaughlin is a GCSC alumna. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theatre from the University of South Florida in 2006. She is excited to return to stage and be under the direction of Jason Hedden once again. She thanks God, her family, and friends for their continued support and love as she pursues her passions. Susanna Lloyd* is a theatre major at Gulf Coast State College. This is her 5th show at GCSC. She would like to thank her friends and family. both in Holland and in the States, and this wonderful cast and crew. Christopher Grover is a theatre major at GCSC. After making his stage debut in last semester's War of The Worlds: The Panic Broadcast, he is excited to be working on another show at GCSC. He would like to thank Jason Hedden for giving him the opportunity to be a part of this show with this wonderful cast. He would also like to thank his family and friends for being there with him throughout everything. Jack Brawley is a musician and performer. He has performed in many different community events, such as Many Mini Musicians. His most notable role was as Shrek in Mosley High School’s Shrek the Musical. Jack would like to thank his friends, family, and his beautiful girlfriend Madison for their support. Enjoy the show! *Current Visual and Performing Arts scholarship