Illinois State University ISU ReD: Research and eData Illinois Shakespeare Festival Fine Arts Summer 1992 1992 Illinois Shakespeare Festival Program School of Theatre and Dance Illinois State University Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/isf Part of the Theatre and Performance Studies Commons Recommended Citation School of Theatre and Dance, "1992 Illinois Shakespeare Festival Program" (1992). Illinois Shakespeare Festival. 11. https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/isf/11 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Fine Arts at ISU ReD: Research and eData. It has been accepted for inclusion in Illinois Shakespeare Festival by an authorized administrator of ISU ReD: Research and eData. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Message from the Artistic Director ... the purpose of playing whose ~nd, both at first and now, was and is, to hold the present, taking care to interpret Shakespeare's works as 'twere the mirror up to nature: to show virtue her feature, scorn her own with respect for his language and his sensibilities, while at image, and the very age and body of the lime his form and pressure. the same time infusing them with the spirit of our own time and point of view. It is as if we were to hold a mirror up to 1992 and [Hamlet Act Ill, SC. ii) allow the reflections to intermingle with the reflections of the ith these now-famous words, "Hamlet's Advice to past. to the Players," William Shakespeare simply and elo­ In our three productions this summer, Man's nature is reflected uently expressed the very essence of the craft in the Elizabethan mirror in various situations and conditions: of acting. In this speech, Hamlet implores the players we see the lover, the philosopher, the killer, the old, to act truthfully, and to anchor their acting in the the young, the honest, the ambitious, the repentent, reality of their time, in order that they might show the evil, the good .. Doubtless, a mirror held up to "the very age and body of the time his form and 1992 would reflect men in all the same guises. For pressure." Not surprisingly, this advice is as pertinent finally, the reflections of the past and present aren't for the theatre artist of today as it was for the actor of substantially different. There is something quite exhi­ 400 years ago. larating about looking into the past, seeing our­ And yet, the experience of the performer ap­ selves, and watching our own history unfold. The pearing in one of Shakespeare's plays today is genius and wisdom of Shakespeare's plays provide obviously and significantly different from that of us with that opportunity. In his plays, we are able to his Elizabethan counterpart: the "times" have see "our" reflections upon the stage, to watch and changed! How, then, do we follow Hamlet's advice here at the listen as "we" move through the world of the play. In watching Illinois Shakespeare Festival in the summer of 1992? How do we these reflections, there is much enjoyment to be had and much simultaneously remain true to both Shakespeare's time and to be learned about ourselves and our world. our own? So we invite you to come along with us and see what we will see To do so, to achieve a balance between the times, it seems as we follow Hamlet's advice and hold "the mirror up to nature." necessary for us to work with one foot in the past and one foot in John Sipes (For a discussion of the issues and problems of modern interpretations of Shakespeare's plays, see Scott Walters's essay in this program guide.) Greetings: Dear Festival Patrons: As Governor of the State of Illi­ Barbara and I are looking for­ nois, I am pleased to extend my ward to our fourth Shakespeare best wishes to everyone attend­ Festival season. We are proud ing this year's Illinois Shake­ that Illinois State University hosts speare Festival. this special event and are pleased to present it at such a beautiful The Shakespeare Festival, which and appropriate setting as Ewing is celebrating its 15th season, Manor. has received national acclaim for the talent showcased in its The Festival offers something performances. Those who have for everyone and this year's pro­ attended past Festivals look for­ ductions promise to continue the ward to each season with great tradition. We are grateful for your anticipation. For those of you supoort and enthusiasm for the who have not attended Festivals Shakespeare Festival and are Illinois State University in years past, I am sure you will certain that you will find this Office of the President find the performance most enjoy­ year's series another enjoyable 51ATE OF" ILLIMOI':, able and something you will want •()FF~ t · ~-: 'O I-' TU E [ i 1 ~ \" E H :-...; '!I> ii~ one. 5PR1r;GFIE.LO 62706 to partake in for many seasons to come. Regards, On behalf of the citizens of Illi­ nois, please accept my best wishes for a most enjoyable evening. m~---- Thomas P. Wallace President Governor I L L I N 0 I ET H June 26, July 2, 5*, 7, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 26*, 30, August 2 as £YOU I ike it June 27, 30, July 5, 8, 10, 12*, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, August 2* @P/uE (f)//1 N T E R ' S @WALE June 28, July 1, 3, 9, 11, 14, 17, 19*, 23, 26, 29, August 1 Ewing Manor, Bloomington *Westhoff Theatre, Normal John Sipes John Stefano Peter Guither Artistic Director Managing Director General Manager The 1992 Illinois Shakespeare Festival is made possible in part by funding and support provided by the Illinois State University Foundation; the Illinois Arts Council - a state agency; the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, Bureau of Tourism; the Town of Normal; State Farm Insurance Companies; GTE; Target Stores; and Illinois State University, the College of Fine Arts, the Department ofTheatre as well as through individual memberships in the Illinois Shakespeare Society. The Pantagraph 1 speafc again. o/CJIC'E:, guffawed. And a woman sitting in the • :-~1:o"ftcl row leaned over to a friend of hers that , nor to promote the practice of ad­ libbing lines in Shakespeare's plays (al­ though sometimes it can be appropriate), but rather to illustrate both the negative and the positive sides to the shifting of time and place in productions of Shakespeare's OF A COMEDY OF ERRORS SET IN AN plays. On the negative side, one might argue that such a change, and the ad-lib EXOTIC SOUTH AMERICAN CARNIVAL that followed, trivialized and cheapened Shakespeare's intentions-that it was no ATMOSPHERE COMPLETE WITH BRAZILIAN longer A Comedy of Errors, but Saturday music, crazy costumes, exuberant spirits. Night Live that was being performed. On In one scene, three actors in the show were the other hand, the reaction of the specta­ supposed to enter laughing as if one of tor mentioned above reveals one of the them had just told a very funny story. positive effects of such period shifts: A Now, if you have ever done any acting, Comedy of Errors suddenly became more you know that genuine laughter is one of immediate, more part of the present, and the most difficult things to do onstage. To more full of surprises. And shouldn't help themselves out, the actors decided theatre be like that? that each night as they entered one of them "Audiences have come to expect sur­ would loudly deliver the punchline of an old prises when they go to the theatre, and joke to give them some motivation to laugh. they are disappointed if they aren't sur­ Not knowing any Elizabethan jokes, they prised about something," Cal Pritner, reached back to the oldest comic they founder and past Festival Artistic Director, this page. knew: Henny Youngman! recently told me. And over the fifteen years (both photos) The joke they decided on was the old one of this festival, there certainly have been a TWELFTH NIGHT about the bum who comes up to the guy on number of surprises. Audiences have seen 1987 the street and says that he's hungry and everything from the traditional to the hasn't had a bite in weeks. So as they bizarre. There has been a futurist, "Road charged down the aisle toward the stage, Warrior" King Lear; a Twelfth Night set one actor would turn to the other two and in 1930s Hollywood; a modern dress deliver, in his best Henny Youngman voice, Cymbeline; a Desert Stonn Othello; and a the punchline: "So I bit him!" And then " movie Tex-Mex" version of Taming of the they'd guffaw and continue the scene. Shrew, to cite just a few examples. Some­ Well, one night it came to that point in times these ideas work, sometimes they the show and, as usual, the actors charged don't. opposite page: KING LEAR down the aisle and delivered the immortal But whether they work or not, each year, 1985 words, "So I bit him" and all three as regular as clockwork, someone in the The Peoples Bank CONJURING SHAKESPEARE'S. 'E:,~9\C AUDIENCE BY SCO T T WALTERS Festival-usually the Artistic Director-will less often. Nor did he leave behind any receive a letter from a disgruntled audience essays, diaries, or program notes to clarify member complaining about the liberties his thoughts. being taken with Shakespeare's work, and All of these things were unnecessary to demanding to know why we don't just Shakespeare, for the simple reason that, "do the play the way Shakespeare wrote it." when he wrote his plays, he knew that he This is a legitimate question, and one which himself would be present as the play was will be addressed in this essay.