Dear Patrons and Supporters,

The founders of Shakespeare on the Cape would like to thank the broad base of supporters, businesses, board members, volunteers, patrons, and friends that have nurtured the company over the last four years. SOTC has been an exciting journey for all of us, and we hope that you found our presentations cast a bright light on these brilliant classics. Due to the many factors, including new opportunities for many of us and the current economic climate, SOTC will be going into a dormant state for the 2009 summer. We are not shuttering our doors or closing the company. Instead, we hope to utilize this down time to bring in a fresh group of artists and administrators to see SOTC into the future. We know that many of you may be disappointed by this decision, however we hope that you trust we have considered all of our options and concluded that a dormant period will facilitate the best attempt at handing the company over for a stronger footing in the future. SOTC has been a rich, fulfilling, and enabling experience for the many young artists who have passed across our stages. Several former SOTC actors and actresses are in graduate school or working hard in the arts, and we are extremely proud of the role this theater company played in their careers. We believe that the art of theater is most exciting and important in the present tense; and while we all will be left with great memories from the last four seasons, Cape Cod continues to be a rich and fertile environment for the performing arts. If you find yourself missing the antics of SOTC, the many innovative and renowned theaters of The Cape Cod Theater Coalition are sure to fill in that gap for you. Again, we extend a deep debt of gratitude to everyone who has made the past four seasons of magical, innovative theater possible. Please feel free to forward any questions or comments to info@shakespeareonthecape.org. Warmly, Raphael Richter Tessa K. Bry Eric Powell Holm Elliot Eustis

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A PIG IN A POKE ON A PLATE FOR SHAKESPEARE

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A night of debauchery, donations, and decidedly better company that you will find elsewhere this Sunday!

It’s time to party and get down with SQUIDDA and DJ White Animal Sunday, Aug. 10, when Shakespeare on the Cape hosts a mid-summer benefit barbecue and dance party at Edgewood Farm!
A pig roast is on the agenda along with some special events so head on over at 7 p.m. to find out what else is shaking. A suggested $20 donation is appreciated and feel free to BYOB.

Time and Place

Start Time:	Sunday, August 10, 2008 at 7:00pm
End Time:	Monday, August 11, 2008 at 4:00am
Location:	Edgewood Farms
Street:	147 Route 6
City/Town:	Truro, MA
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If you need more details or directions feel free to call the following people:
Raphael: 774.722.1422
Tessa: 508.215.6533

Bring a friend, bring some booze, and leave the rest to us! 🙂

A ‘Tempest’ for Kids

Shakespeare on the Cape draws youth into the Bard’s storm

by Reva Blau

BANNER CORRESPONDENT

In theater on the Cape it is a brave new world, as the Bard writes in “The Tempest,” with much to offer everyone. And on the Cape kids are not left out. 

At the Payomet Tent, Shakespeare on the Cape puts on an airy, musical and accessible adaptation just for kids of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” For this one-hour production, even babies can sit through it on their parents’ laps. Payomet is offering classes and workshops for children as well. 

With planks and fabric, the Tempest’s bare set is perfect under the tent at Payomet. As Prospero’s storm raged onstage Wednesday night, nature cooperated and blew winds off the off-stage ocean, ruffling the sides of the tent dramatically. Yet the boisterous island castaways sounded loud and strong above the tempest. 

Director Eric Powell Holm staged the shipwreck beautifully, enhanced with sound effects and music provided by the entire cast and ending in the classic understatement, “We split! We split!”

Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, played in drag by raven-haired Whitney Hudson, and his fair daughter Miranda (Ariel Dumas) have been marooned on an deserted island. Twelve years earlier, brother Antonio, played also by a woman, Amanda Fuller, ousted the Duke from the throne. Helping him also was Alonso, the King of Naples, played by director Eric Powell Holm. 

In Italy, Prospero’s bookishness made him vulnerable to political insurrection. Yet on the lonely island, he is able to learn magic from philosophy. He conjures his magical powers to tame Ariel (Ben Griessmeyer), once enslaved by a witch, and Caliban (Elliot Eustis), his “savage and deformed slave.” The plot involves how Prospero channels magical powers to capture and eventually forgive his brother to reclaim his throne, while also wedding his daughter to an Italian heir, the King’s son Ferdinand (Jake Ford). To hatch this plot, Ariel must confuse the sailors and have them each believe that he is the sole survivor. 

The ensemble is wonderful. Dance and song form an important element as the story unfolds. Some of the famous speeches, like “Full fathom five thy father lies/ Of his bones are coral made;/ Those are pearls that were his eyes” are sung by the whole company. Ben Griessmeyer, with ethereal grace, and sparkly mischief, channels the sprite perfectly in leading the dance and song. Eustis gives a great performance as the cross-eyed and haggard monster.

In the kids’ production, the company made the decision to narrate the story so as to explain the parts that were deleted for the sake of brevity and children’s attention spans. The device they used was a narrator played by Tessa K. Bry (who also plays Trinculo, one of the drunken characters in a third subplot). Bry is funny, dexterous and adept at changing from role to role.

However, while the narrator’s role is cleverly written, as an adult viewer I thought the narrative voice, a modern-day rhyme in Dr. Seuss style, was unnecessary. In other productions, it is Prospero who holds a book, which is one way to underline the action without needing an artifice. 

But the children in the audience loved the performance and particularly the moments of truth and reckoning. Certainly the story of a magician who rights the wrongs of the bad guys is one that will capture youthful imagination, without too much further ado. 

KiddieShakes: Tempest is performed every Wednesday at 5 p.m., July 9 to Sept. 3, at Payomet Performing Arts Center, Highlands Center at Cape Cod National Seashore, Old Dewline Road, North Truro. Tickets are $9. Reservations: 508-487-5400 or http://www.payomet.org.

‘The Tempest’ rages at Payomet

Payomet Performing Arts Center is presenting “The Tempest,” by Shakespeare on the Cape.

By Sue Harrison

Wed Jul 30, 2008, 01:22 PM EDT

TRURO –

The young actors of Shakespeare on the Cape continue to do what they do so well: take the plays of Shakespeare, give them a thorough makeover and toss them out to audiences who can only be described as delighted. Their latest, “The Tempest,” is performed on Wednesday and Thursday nights at the Payomet tent in North Truro.

On review night the elements conspired in a real storm outside the tent to put magic in the air like Prospero and Ariel do on stage. Throughout the two acts, which fly by quickly, thunder crashed and rain beat down as if the tent itself were a vessel about to be tossed on the rocks. It certainly added to the overall effect, but the quality of this production would be just as effective on a crystal clear night.

The play, largely considered to be Shakespeare’s last, is part romance, part comedy. The story centers on Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, and his daughter Miranda, who have been exiled and stranded on an island for 12 years after Prospero’s treacherous brother Antonio conspired with Alonso, the King of Naples, to take over the dukedom. Alonso is aided by his brother Sebastian and has a daughter, Claribel, and a son, Ferdinand.

Other characters include Caliban, the monster son of sorceress Sycorax, Ariel, a sprite, Stephano, a drunken butler, and his friend Trinculo. Other parts, such as crewmen on Alonso’s ship and assorted spirits and faeries, are played by the ensemble cast.

It’s classic Shakespeare with confusion reigning as wrongs are righted, alliances forged and broken and the usual state of affairs gets turned on its ear.

Alonso (Eric Powell Holm) is returning on his ship from delivering his daughter to marry the King of Tunis. As the ship nears the exile island, Prospero’s magic powers alert him to their presence nearby. He summons Ariel and sends her — played marvelously by Ben Griessmeyer — to create a storm to cast Alonso and the others into the sea. None are killed, Ariel sees to that, and the boat is tucked safely away in a hidden cove with the crew asleep under a spell below decks, setting the stage for revenge and mischief.

Alonso is cast up on shore with Sebastian (Daniel Jimenez) and Antonio (Amanda Fuller) and they all believe Ferdinand (Jake Ford), whom they saw swept overboard as well, to be dead. Ferdinand’s death would leave Sebastian in line for the throne if Alonso also perished and the ever-scheming Antonio soon enlists Sebastian in a plot to kill Alonso in his sleep. But they are thwarted by Ariel under the all-seeing eye of Prospero (Whitney Hudson).

Meanwhile, Ferdinand is very much alive and has been taken in by Prospero and Miranda (Ariel Dumas). The two young people fall instantly in love but Ferdinand must prove his worthiness to Prospero.

Caliban (Elliot Eustis), who scrabbles around the stage like a deranged and broken crab, encounters Stephano (Daniel Jimenez in his second role) and Trinculo (Tessa K. Bry) and after some wine believes Stephano to be a god from the moon. He convinces them to slay Prospero and Miranda and become rulers on the island. Ariel tosses a little faerie dust on that plan, too.

The three plots of murder and marriage spin closer and, yes, there is a happy ending. But getting there verges on the amazing as the SOTC troupe flexes its collective theater muscle to lift the audience high above the ordinary and into the maelstrom of “The Tempest.”

This troupe is terrific and have turned in so many grand performances in the four seasons they have been coming to the Cape. Add this one to that list.

Using minimal sets and costumes, the ensemble soars through the play. It’s rollicking, rowdy and robust. Quick changes in scene and costume are aided by the rapid-fire use of exits and entrances from all sides of the tent. At one point Prospero even retires to the back row and watches the action as raptly as the audience.

Much dialogue is delivered in song and dance. Music is minimal but so effective with the use of hand drums and harmonic vocalizing to invoke the sounds of mysterious voices in the ether. Caliban is so god-awful and Ariel so, well, sprite-like, that we are caught in a swirl of good and evil, revenge and forgiveness, love and hate that is dished up like a frothy meringue over a tart pool of lemon cream. It’s the right combination of everything and a must-see for Shakespeare fans as well as a great introduction for those who think his works are only as entertaining as middle-school readings of “Julius Caesar.”

This won’t change your life or leave you thinking about the big questions for days after lights down, but it will make you laugh, engage you thoroughly and for two hours will suspend disbelief and let you live in a world where magic can save the day.

FREE @ MASHPEE COMMONS! AUG. 1ST

Free Performance by Shakespeare on the Cape at Mashpee Commons

Submitted by: Lissa Daly | Jul 10, 2008 04:00 PM

Shakespeare on the Cape at Mashpee Commons
Lissa Daly

Enjoy the bard outdoors with performances by Shakespeare on the Cape on Friday, August 1st at Mashpee Commons. Kiddie Shakes, their ½ hour narrated version of The Tempest for kids of all ages will begin at 5:00pm and a full performance of The Tempest is scheduled for 6:30pm. Both performances are free and sponsored by the merchants of Mashpee Commons. In the event of inclement weather, a rain date of Aug. 8th is planned. 

Shakespeare on the Cape is an ambitious theater company founded by graduates of the Guthrie Theater/University of Minnesota BFA Actor Training Program in Minneapolis. Their mission is to create clear, unexpected and text-intensive productions with a dedication to emerging artists. In a review by Debbie Forman of the Cape Cod Times, their production was said to be “A zany performance with the actors’ frantic antics speeding you from one laugh to the next.”

 

 

Barnstable Patriot: “School for Wives a timeless lesson in comedy”

School for Wives a timeless lesson in comedy

Written by John Watters

Cotuit Center offers frolicsome farce If you have a preconceived notion that a 400-year-old French play might be a little musty, or perhaps a bit too highbrow for your taste, then by all means catch Moliere’s School For Wives on July 22 and 29, at the Cotuit Center for the Arts, as it will surely prove you wrong. In its third season, the amazing Shakespeare on the Cape troupe continues to entertain audiences from one end of the peninsula to the other. Under the impeccable direction of Eric Powell Holm, SOTC is a high-energy theatrical hybrid – part Saturday Night Live, part Firesign Theater, part Monty Python – all melded together to bring their own touch to the classics in a thoroughly modern irreverent way.   The group, mostly made up of alumni of the University of Minnesota’s Guthrie Theater, is a sheer joy to watch. The company comprised of twenty-somethings has incredible talent and energy, each giving their characters a delightfully unique prospective. Together the company works seamlessly; not only with quality acting, but also providing their own musical interludes and sound effects from their stageside seats. The result is madcap mayhem that leaves the audience holding their sides in laughter.    School For Wives, written by Moliere in 1662, is a witty farce in verse which at times sounds like an adult version of Dr. Seuss. The ribald nature of the play particularly offended the Church and served as the lightning rod to Moliere’s career, attracting huge favor from some and not so much with others.    It is the story of a middle-aged man, Arnolphe, who has financially supported and groomed a young girl named Agnes, so that he may marry her. Of course as luck would have it once she moves into Arnolphe’s house she meets Horace, who falls in love with her and her with him. Horace, not realizing that Arnolphe is really the “other” man she is intended for, confides his feeling about her to Arnolphe, who then plots to out-maneuver him to gain Agnes’ love. With twists, turns, and countless switchbacks this Moliere’s masterpiece remains as fresh today as it was four centuries ago.    Elliot Eustis’s performance as Arnolphe is a tour de force. With nearly 50 percent of the dialog in the play his, he flawlessly carries the heavy load with aplomb.   As Agnes, Benjamin Griessmeyer is a show-stopping riot. Playing the ingénue in drag, his teenage girl nuances, and upper register voice can’t help but make you laugh. Daniel Jiminez as Horace is also very funny as Agnes’s suitor. Both these young actors have great command of their craft.   The remainder of the cast – Ariel Dumas, Jake Ford, Amanda Fuller, and Whitney Hudson – are all equal to the task of their characters, each looking like they are having fun on stage.   In fact, this is what makes this production work so well. Each and every actor is enjoying his or her time in the limelight so much that the infectiousness of their joy carries over to those watching the play. That is when theater is at its best.

The Boston Globe: ‘Triumph of Love’ is buoyed by youthful energy

• STAGE REVIEW

‘Triumph of Love’ is buoyed by youthful energy

Ariel Dumas (left) and Amanda Fuller in the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater production of “Triumph of Love.” (JIM DALGLISH)

By Louise Kennedy

Globe Staff / July 14, 2008

WELLFLEET – Costumes of brocade and denim, music Baroque and rock, attitudes sincere and silly: These are the invigoratingly contrasting elements of the young Shakespeare on the Cape company’s production of “Triumph of Love” – by Marivaux, bien sur, not the Bard – at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater.

WHAT invited this exuberant troupe, mostly comprising recent graduates of the Guthrie Theater’s acting program at the University of Minnesota, to present Moliere’s “School for Wives” last season. That experiment proved popular enough that the company has not only returned to Wellfleet this year but is also presenting different shows at Truro’s Payomet Performing Arts Center and in other venues around the Cape.

Shakespeare on the Cape’s greatest asset, its youthful vitality, occasionally works against it in this production; the actors playing a middle-aged brother-sister pair of emotionally stunted scholars are a couple of decades too young for the parts. The good news, though, is that they’re highly skilled, fully engaged, and a lot of fun to watch – as is the rest of the cast in Jason Bohon’s lively, quick-witted production.

And even if the actors’ youth didn’t strain credulity, Marivaux’s plot just might. Princess Leonide (Amanda Fuller), whose father usurped the throne, has fallen in love with the rightful heir, Agis (Daniel Jimenez), who was spirited away after the coup and has been raised in secret by his aunt and uncle, Leontine and Hermocrate, the aforementioned scholars. So Leonide arrives in their woodsy retreat, disguised as a man, intending to win Agis’s heart.

Next thing you know, not just Agis but Leontine (Whitney Hudson) and Hermocrate (Jake Ford) are all in love with her: as a man, as a woman, as whatever she needs to be to win her way at a given moment. Meanwhile her maidservant, Corine (Ariel Dumas), also in trousers, has attracted the clownish Harlequin (Ben Griessmeyer), who gets caught up in the scheming and soon involves the gardener, Dimas (Elliot Eustis), who . . .

Well, you know. Round and round, confusion, disillusion, sly commentary on class and gender, and happiness at last. But it’s good giddy fun, and intelligent, too – especially in Stephen Wadsworth’s clean, modern but un-slangy translation. What’s most touching is that Marivaux doesn’t focus only on the lovers’ plight; if anything, the stories of Hermocrate and Leontine, and their slow realization that there’s more to life than books and reason, are more moving than the relatively standard tale of youthful romance between Agis and Leonide.

It all starts off a bit slowly, with great chunks of exposition in the early scenes. But things pick up nicely, and the relaxed but full-bodied physicality of the company’s acting style keeps the energy level high even in the wordiest moments. Thomas Burgess’s simple set – a trio of pastoral paintings as backdrop, some flowers, a bench or so – enhances the mood of effortless grace, as do Andrew Lynch’s eclectic but appropriate musical contributions and the (uncredited) costumes of frock coats and jeans.

No, this “Triumph of Love” doesn’t have the powdered wigs or the restrained and sophisticated performances that you might expect of a 1732 French comedy. But the production does have verve, smarts, and its own sense of style. And that’s plenty.

Louise Kennedy can be reached at kennedy@globe.com.

Provincetown Banner: “Love is in the air at WHAT this summer”

Photo By Jim Dalglish

By Melora B. North

Fri Jul 04, 2008, 08:54 AM EDT

WELLFLEET –

Whoever said that women should rule the world must have seen Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux’s “Triumph of Love,” now playing at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater. 

Written in 1732, it is a brilliant tale of love and unadulterated brainpower, all pulled off by a determined young woman intent on saving face and a young prince for whom she is seeking justice while at the same time hoping to win his heart.

Presented by members of the Shakespeare on the Cape ensemble, it is the story of Princess Leonide (Amanda Fuller), whose family overtakes the throne of her later-to-be true love’s parents when he is just a newborn. After the takeover Agis, the infant prince (Daniel Jimenez), is tossed into a dungeon and eventually rescued by Hermacrate (Jake Ford), a scholar and philosopher who takes Agis into the home he shares with his spinster sister, Leontine (Whitney Hudson). 

Both are determined never to have their hearts broken, so they instill the same goal in their charge who is successful in keeping love at bay — that is, until he meets the lovely princess who outfits herself as a man in order to pull off the plan she has hatched with her valet Corine (Ariel Dumas), whom she has also persuaded to impersonate a man. Masqueraded in full male drag of the period, the pair infiltrate Hermacrate’s fortress through some clever manipulations with the gardener Damis (Elliot Eustis) and Hermacrate’s valet Harlequin (Ben Griessmeyer). Money passes, secrets are shared and love blossoms. But not with those one may expect. 

Harlequin falls for Corine and Hermacrate is besotted with the female Leonide. In the meantime his sister falls for the male Leonide who has duped her royally. Both are set on marrying the femme fatale who has turned the tables on all involved. However, her plans totter a bit, but do not crumble, when her secrets pass through the lips of those she has trusted. Mayhem breaks out when the stuff hits the fan and that’s when the fun really takes off. 

The cast is slapstick and the laughs gentle but constant. Directed by Jason Bohon, this production is a steady vehicle that does not lag. Rather, it flies by even though there are three acts and two intermissions. The set design is simple: just three, large paintings hanging from the backdrop, a street lamp in one corner near a bench with a large metal tree sculpture in the other corner. True to what the stage may have been at the time, there are two sturdy boxes placed strategically center stage so that the actors can pounce about and elevate themselves for affect.
 
It is a quick, quirky performance that highlights the talents of the seven cast members who are well-cast and engaging. If you want to step back to classic theater, this is the play for you. It is not intimidating and it’s not old-fashioned, it’s a fun production that mixes old world with the new. Heck, there’s even a green garden hose, probably from Truevalue, that’s used to ensnare Harlequin at one point. Put on your glasses of disbelief and take a trip to see woman triumph. You won’t be disappointed. 

“Triumph of Love” plays at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater Julie Harris stage on Route 6 in Wellfleet Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. through Sept. 1. There’s a special matinee on Aug. 31 at 3:30 p.m. For tickets, $16 to $32, call (508) 349-WHAT.
mnorth@provincetownbanner.com

The Barnstable Patriot: “Shakespeare on the Cape makes a Triumphant return”

Written by Bethany Gibbons

JIM DALGLISH PHOTO GOOFY BUT GREEDY – Dimas (right, played by Elliott Eustis) is a silly schemer dealing with the overblown Harlequin (Ben Griessmeyer) in Triumph of Love at WHAT. Company’s Marivaux farce a labor of love at WHAT There is something fascinating about a troupe of twenty-something actors, based in Provincetown, who fill their summer nights tackling Shakespeare, Moliere, and Marivaux. This is no ordinary collection of youths. Their take on Marivaux’s Triumph of Love hit the stage last Sunday night at Wellfleet Harbor Actor’s Theater, and while it is far from a traditional translation of this 1700s period piece, it is also surprisingly straightforward for a production born in P-Town and performed at WHAT. The four-year-old company Shakespeare on the Cape strikes a perfect balance and hits this one out of the park. Marivaux’s farce involves a love-struck Princess Leonide who dresses as a man to infiltrate the private garden of the philosopher Hermocrate in order to gain access to her beloved, Agis, who is the rightful heir to the throne that her father usurped. She throws herself into the task of winning his favor, albeit in drag, so that they may marry and set the wrongs of her family right. She must first gain permission to stay in the enclosure, to earn time with her quarry, and to do so has to get through the deeply suspicious philosopher, his equally unsocial spinster sister, an all-too-nosey harlequin and a meddling gardener. As she weaves layer upon layer of deceit, the action grows exponentially more amusing. That most of the company cut its teeth in the same acting program at the University of Minnesota sheds some light on the academic nature of the material. While it is natural to yearn to see them in something a bit fresher, they are very good at what they do, and that is to enliven what might otherwise be a creaky old piece. Triumph is a smart show delivered with excellent elocution and punctuated with hilarity. The cast avoids the fluffy, pompous, Shakespeare-on-the-cheap quality that Marivaux’s work can take on. They run through his play like it’s antique Seinfeld and simply blast through dialog, sometimes ripping it apart, to reveal a clever storyline and delightful farce. Amanda Fuller carries much of the show with her animated, physical performance as Princess Leonide. She maintains high energy through the three-act play, and, in fact, grows even more expressive as the action quickens toward the show’s end. Her servant Corine is a wonderfully calm and cunning foil to her zaniness and Ariel Dumas handles this role with ease. The surprise standout of the night is the dorky yokel gardener Dimas, played by Elliot Eustis. His character is an absolute imbecile, his tongue perpetually tangled with unintended double entendre, but he still manages to be scheming, opportunistic, and greedy. While the entire cast brings energy to the stage, Eustis is in a class all of his own. He ignites onstage, even as a goofy moron, and brings the audience plenty of guffaws. Ben Griessmeyer is an aptly overdone Harlequin. The enemies of love and freedom in Marivaux’s play are Hermocrate and his sister Leontine. Trading their chances at marital or romantic fulfillment for a lifetime of reason and contemplation, they present Princess Leonide’s greatest challenge, but she rises to it with all the cunning she can muster. Jake Ford is at first stiff and reserved as Hermocrate, and then quite funny as he begins to come unwrapped. Whitney Hudson is also a joy to behold as the beliefs that have kept her in near-solitude are rattled. Daniel Jimenez is a sweet Agis. Two fifteen-minute intermissions give the audience more time than it needs to contemplate the nature of love, the freedom to express same, and the swanky Julie Harris stage. Luckily we are all sufficiently enlightened in this age and know that the pursuit of true love is a worthwhile endeavor, and that the feelings of lust, passion and desire are not evil specters to be squelched, but rather important parts of ourselves that deserve be explored and even, gasp, enjoyed. Luckier still for Cape theatergoers, Shakespeare on the Cape doesn’t get bogged down with a heavily pantalooned production that treats modern audiences like they don’t already “get it.” Instead they treat us to a smart and sassy piece that brims with vitality. The only element missing from the show was a large, appreciative audience, which is something this company truly deserves. Shakespeare on the Cape presents Marivaux’s Triumph of Love at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater’s Julie Harris Stage on Route 6 Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. through Aug. 31, with a matinee at 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 31. For tickets ($32; $22 matinee; $16 student rush), call 508-349-9428 or go to http://www.what.org.

Cape Cod Times: “‘Tempest’ full of Mischief”

 

By KATHI SCRIZZI DRISCOLL

kdriscoll@capecodonline.com

July 04, 2008

NORTH TRURO — There’s magic in Shakespeare on the Cape’s production of “The Tempest” that goes well beyond what comes from conjurer Prospero’s staff.

The troupe has created a fantasy that is light as air, a low-tech version of the Shakespearean comedy that is romantic, silly and fun, with only a few threatening overtones. The show is full of mischief and enchantment as magician Prospero and his servant spirits guide the doings of shipwreck survivors on their island.

 

Director Eric Powell Holm’s artful direction of the shipwreck itself grabs the imagination immediately as the full cast convincingly creates a ship plowing through the sea with only a few props and pieces of cloth. Providing the music and sound effects of the storm themselves, they create beautiful tableaux as the crew and passengers struggle on deck, then plunge into the ocean amid roiling waves.

That tempest was created by Prospero, former Duke of Milan, to bring brother Anthonio (Amanda Fuller, in nontraditional casting); Alonso, King of Naples (Powell Holm doing double duty); and Alonso’s brother Sebastian (Daniel Jimenez) onto the island they marooned him on a dozen years before. After the ship’s survivors arrive, they are separated three ways — the three conspirators; Ferdinand (Jake Ford), son of Alonso; and the amusing, not-so-bright servants Trinculo (Tessa K. Bry) and Stephano (Jimenez again).

Deep in voice and regal and kind in manner, Whitney Hudson portrays a commanding, imperious yet benevolent Prospero in another of the troupe’s gender-bending casting choices. Prospero is father to Miranda (Ariel Dumas) a sheltered, naive teenager who falls immediately, and mutually, in love with Ferdinand. Resentful servant Caliban — played with twisted body and face, guttural voice and a Gollum-like scuttle by Elliot Eustis — falls in with the servants, who get drunk and plot, not very dangerously or convincingly, against Prospero.

The magician sends servant spirit Ariel to threaten the conspirators, and Ben Griessmeyer — in a white-feathered cap, fishnet shirt and sparkles — is a delight in this role, gracefully and ethereally taking on his appointed tasks. His menacing entrance in black in the second act is a visual highlight of the show, and many of the cast members cleverly become the attending spirits for his machinations.

One audience member was heard to remark that “there are so many ways to do Shakespeare,” and this production is a case in point. Using a few key props and strips of cloth to create the island setting is due in part to portability, as the troupe will take this show around the Cape area as the summer progresses. The actors are all barefoot throughout, and most have white tank tops as the base for simple costumes, so they can quickly change into spirits or switch between characters. Interestingly, what distinguishes the noblemen are suit jackets or vests — certainly a quick visual cue for the upper class of today.

This version of “The Tempest” is worth the trip to Payomet Performing Arts Center; its tent is an excellent venue for it. The troupe also offers a weekly one-hour “Kiddieshakes” adaptation at Payomet (as well as other Cape venues), but its full version is streamlined, fast-paced and clocks in at less than two hours with intermission.

On stage

What: “The Tempest”

 

• When: 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays through Sept. 4 (with one-hour Kiddieshakes versions at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays)
• Where: Payomet Performing Arts Center, Highlands Center at Cape Cod National Seashore, Old Dewline Road, North Truro
• Tickets: $25 ($9 for Kiddieshakes)
• Reservations: 508-487-5400 or http://www.ppactruro.org
• Additional performances: July 18-19 on Nantucket; Aug. 1 at Mashpee Commons and Aug. 29 at the Colony Club at Sagamore Beach (all with accompanying Kiddieshakes), with Kiddieshakes also July 15, 22 and 29 at Cotuit Center for the Arts
• More information on group: http://www.shakespeareonthecape.com

Cape Cod Times: “‘School’ a lesson in stage presence”

By TED RICKARD

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

July 03, 2008

PROVINCETOWN — When Molière’s “The School for Wives” premiered in Paris on Christmas 1662, it was found “wanting in sound morality and undermining the principles of religion.”

Whatever — it remains a funny story, and Shakespeare on the Cape tells it well. This is a highly professional troupe founded by former students from the University of Minnesota’s Guthrie Theater program. Molière’s players toured the French provinces for 11 years before becoming a smash hit at the court of Louis XIV. Shakespeare on the Cape, in its fourth year here, is, happily, on a much faster track.

 

On opening night, the company actually took advantage of the in-your-lap tight quarters of the Schoolhouse Gallery to show us a triumph of stage presence. In comedy, it’s especially tempting fate to work close up. But here the company’s training and stage discipline carry it off.

Elliot Eustis plays the scheming husband, Arnolphe. He’s on stage just about constantly, a near-impossible demand for comedy lead, but Eustis has the talent and stamina to manage it. Not only has he mastered pace and sets it for the cast, he’s been well directed by Eric Powell Holm, co-founder of the company.

The Schoolhouse performance space is a bare room with about 60 chairs arranged along three sides. Acting broad and bumptious farce, from lapel-gripping distance at eye level in a small room, is working the high wire without a net. Only scarier. But this young rep company carries it off with sheer energy in body language and voice along with what was obviously meticulous rehearsal.

Explosive performances are turned in by Daniel Jimenez as the lover and Ariel Dumas as the servant girl. You’ll want to remember those names so someday you can say, “Why, I saw him/her before …”

The bride-to-be is played in drag with a comic touch that nearly breaks up the show by Ben Griessmeyer. He is joined with smoothly professional performances by Jake Ford, Amanda Fuller and Whitney Hudson.

Even if you’re neither a comedy buff nor married you’ll want to go see what a professional company can do when it masters the art. The company has 11 more performances scheduled for the Schoolhouse Gallery and three performances slated for August at Cotuit Center for the Arts.

 

ON STAGE

 

What: “The School for Wives”

 

• Written by: Molière
• Presented by: Shakespeare on the Cape
• When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Tuesday and July 26; Aug. 2, 9, 12, 16, 23 and 30; Sept. 6 and 13
• Where: WOMR/Schoolhouse Gallery, 494 Commercial St., Provincetown
• Tickets: $28 adult, $23 students with ID
• Reservations: 508-487-7377
• When: 8 p.m. July 15, 22 and 29
• Where: Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28
• Tickets: $20 adults, $10 students with ID
• Reservations: 508-428-0669

Cape Cod Times: “Shakespeare down on the farm”

Shakespeare down on the farm

Whitney Hudson appears in Shakespeare on the Cape’s “School for Wives.”

By KATHI SCRIZZI-DRISCOLL

STAFF WRITER

June 26, 2008

“The Tempest” begins with Shakespeare on the Cape’s actors as a ship’s crew, singing and working together, then desperately fighting against a storm. The actors themselves create much of the “ship” and the sounds of the disaster.

It is carefully timed ensemble work, each key to a larger whole — a collaboration that marks the company’s fourth season, too. Still focused on breaking barriers and creating “the most clear, beautiful, unique theater” possible, the company this summer is offering more actors, more plays, more venues and more performances in a program more ambitious than ever before.

The “steadily evolving” group is now nonprofit with a board of directors. All actors and production staff now live together — in a rented house and studio on Edgewood Farm in Truro — so rehearsing, planning and building take place where they also eat and sleep. “Without our planning it, we’ve become a troupe,” says artistic director Eric Powell Holm.

Most members were trained at the Guthrie Theater program at University of Minnesota and consider Shakespeare on the Cape — created by graduates with a “let’s just do it” brashness – a perfect way to stretch and test techniques and classical theater they learned there. Added to Shakespeare shows are Molière’s “School for Wives” and Pierre Marivaux’s “The Triumph of Love.”

“We’re honoring plays of language,” says second-year actress Whitney Hudson. “So many playwrights were influenced by Shakespeare.”

All have gender-bending casting — Hudson is Prospero and Ben Griessmeyer is sprite Ariel — and unexpected choices to tell the stories differently. Costuming, sets and props are simple for needed portability: Full and hourlong versions of “The Tempest” will be done in Truro, Nantucket, Mashpee and Sagamore, with “Kiddieshakes” also in Cotuit. “Triumph of Love” will be at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, “School for Wives” in Provincetown and Cotuit.

It is a grueling schedule, particularly with everyone rehearsing four shows. But the cast seems uniformly thrilled about the chance for this type of close-knit, collaborative artistry-for-pay in a seaside summer respite from the harsher world of professional theater.

“What we’re learning to do is … really practice our craft with a group of loving, supportive people on a beautiful property on Cape Cod,” marvels first-timer Daniel Jiminez.

“We’re trying to discover what we’re attempting to be,” adds production manager Tessa K. Bry. “This is a place where we feel safe and comfortable to try out our craft.”

IF YOU GO

Shakespeare on the Cape’s schedule (www.shakespeareonthecape.org): “The Tempest” and the hourlong “Kiddieshakes” version, July 2-Sept. 4 at Payomet Performing Arts Center, 29 Old Dewline Road, North Truro, 508-487-5400, July 17-18 on Nantucket and Aug. 1 at Mashpee Commons; “Kiddieshakes” also July 15, 22 and 29 at Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Falmouth Road, 508-428-0669; Pierre Marivaux’s “The Triumph of Love,” June 29-Aug. 31 at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, Route 6, 508-349-9428; Molière’s “School for Wives,” June 28-Sept. 13 at WOMR/Schoolhouse Gallery in Provincetown (www.capetix.com), and July 15, 22 and 29 at Cotuit Center for the Arts.

2008 SOTC SEASON IS ANNOUNCED!

WE’RE VERY PROUD TO ANNOUNCE OUR 2008 PERFORMANCE SEASON!

—————————-

THE TEMPEST

William Shakespeare

Directed by Eric P. Holm

———

At the Payomet Performing Arts Center

8pm Wednesdays & Thursdays, July 2nd – Sept, 4th

*Please visit www.ppactruro.org for tickets and directions

—

On Nantucket courtesy of the Nantucket Arts Council

Performance time To Be Determined, July 18th & 19th

*Please visit www.nantucketartscouncil.org for more information

—

The Mashpee Commons

6:30pm August 1st

(Rain Date, Aug 8th)

This is a FREE performance!

—

At The Colony Club in Sagamore Beach

8pm, August 29

———————————

Kiddie Shakes Presents:

THE TEMPEST

Directed by Tessa K. Bry

A shortened and narrated version of Shakespeare’s great classic, fit for SOTC audience members of ALL ages!

————

At the Payomet Performing Arts Center

5:30pm Wednesdays, July 2nd – Sept 3rd

*Please visit www.ppactruro.org for tickets and directions

—

On Nantucket courtesy of the Nantucket Arts Council

Performance time To Be Determined, July 18th & 19th

*Please visit www.nantucketartscouncil.org for more information

—

At The Cotuit Center for the Arts

5:30pm, Tuesdays, July 15th, 22nd, & 29th

*Please visit www.cotuitcenterforthearts.org for tickets and directions

—

At The Mashpee Commons

5:00pm August 1st

This is a FREE performance!

—

The Colony Club in Sagamore Beach

Performance time To Be Determined, August 29

——————————————–

THE TRIUMPH OF LOVE

                                                                            by Marivaux

Directed by Jason Bohon

————-

At The Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater

8pm, Sundays & Mondays, June 29th – Aug 31st

No performances July 13th or 14th!

There will be a matinee performance on Aug 31st

* Please visit www.what.org for tickets and directions

——————————————————-

THE SCHOOL FOR WIVES

Back by Popular Demand!

Directed by Eric P. Holm

————-

At the Historical Schoolhouse in Provincetown

8pm

June 24 & 28…July 5, 8, 26,

Aug 2, 9, 12, 16, 23, 30…Sept 6

*Tickets will be available through CapeTix

Historic Schoolhouse is located at 494 Commercial St. Provincetown

—

At The Cotuit Center for the Arts

8pm, Tuesdays, July 15th, 22nd, & 29th

*Please visit www.cotuitcenterforthearts.org for tickets and directions

Theater review: Shakespeare on the Cape has us on ‘Cloud 9’

Sharp, bright actors give a brisk and entertaining staging of Caryl Churchill’s wild play.

By GRAYDON ROYCE, Star Tribune

Last update: February 20, 2008 – 11:24 AM

It is heartening to see the good that has come from the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA program. A handful of recent graduates banded together in 2005 to ply their craft as “Shakespeare on the Cape,” based in Provincetown, Mass. They return to the city of their schooling periodically, including a current stop at the Bottling House Theater in northeast Minneapolis with Molière’s “School for Wives” and Caryl Churchill’s “Cloud 9″ running in repertory.

It escapes me why these youngsters prefer Cape Cod’s romance and beauty to our butt-cold prairie, but it’s nice to see them when we can. Eric Powell Holm’s production of “Cloud 9,” which opened Monday is sharp and articulate work — bristling with daring, energy and bravery.

Churchill’s enigmatic play lacerates sexual politics, the mutability of relationships and colonial domination in a dark comedy of manners. Commonly, playwrights who favor ideas over character end up with a polemical screed. Churchill is too smart for that. Her razor wit takes no prisoners, yet the piece never feels didactic.The play takes pace in two locales, 100 years apart. In Act I, a family of British colonialists paw their way through a cross-gender scenario of grab-hand sex (all suggestive, no nudity) with neighbors, servants and an adventurer just back from the bush. Churchill then ages three of her characters by 25 years and deposits them in London, 1980. So the lad who fancied dolls now navigates a rocky union with his boyfriend; the infant represented as a rag doll becomes a grown woman testing her bisexuality and the mother who dabbled with the adventurer has left her husband. These sexual libertines ramble through messy and changing alliances as they experiment.

The key is to play this material with a brisk sense of clarity and physical purpose. Holm and his actors don’t question Churchill’s intent as much as they simply invest in the text.

Double casting gives the young actors nice rangy possibilities. Katy Carolina Collins morphs convincingly from young boy to old lady. Katie Melby goes the other way — from colonial patriarch to screechy toddler. Valeri Mudek’s characters are more similar, yet she bares a raw emotional authenticity. Adam Berry, too, is a terribly focused and honest actor.

I wish I could say this is the future of Twin Cities theater, but for some reason Cape Cod calls to these youngsters. We’ll take what we can get and be happy about it. How Minnesotan is that?

Graydon Royce • 612-673-7299

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CLOUD 9

What: By Caryl Churchill. Directed by Eric Powell Holm for Shakespeare on the Cape.When: 8 p.m. Saturdays and Mondays. Ends March 10.Where: Bottling House Theatre, Grain Belt Studios, 79 13th Av. NE., Mpls.Tickets: $10-$25. 612-203-2136.Also: “School for Wives” runs in repertory at 8 p.m. Sundays.

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ACTING COMPANY MEMBERS: Adam Berry, Katy Collins, Elliot Eustis, Amanda Fuller, Ben Griessmeyer, Eric Holm, Whitney Hudson, Katie Melby, Valeri Mudek, Elizabeth Stahlmann