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Home My WebLink AboutWaiver of Fees 2001 Shenandoah Shakespeare Company Performance CITY OF PALM DESERT f , l COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT STAFF REPORT REQUEST: REQUEST FOR FEE WAIVER for Shenandoah Shakespeare Company Performance Scheduled To Be Held on November 11, 2001 DATE: August 23, 2001 CONTENTS: Fee Waiver Request Recommendation: By Minute Motion, waive fees associated with the Shenandoah Shakespeare Company Performance sponsored by the McCallum Theater Institute scheduled to be held November 11, 2001, at the Palm Desert Civic Center Park Amphitheater. Executive Summary: As part of its continuing effort to provide educational performing arts events to the Coachella Valley, the McCallum Theater In4titute has scheduled a free community performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to be performed by the Shenandoah Shakespeare Company on November 11, 2001, at the Palm Desert Civic Center Park Amphitheater. Background: The McCallum Theater Institute has requested the use of the Palm Desert Civic Center Park Amphitheater to hold a community performance of "A Midsummer's Night Dream" produced by the Shenandoah Shakespeare Company to provide an opportunity for those members of the community who might not otherwise be able to do so to experience an afternoon of theater. This activity is scheduled to be held on November 11, 2001, and event planners recently met with staff to outline and obtain approval for their proposed activities. Since this event is held for the sole purpose of community awareness, education, and enjoyment, event planners are requesting that the following required fees be waived: a Maintenance Worker ($40.00 an hour for two hours), clean up fee ($100.00), reservation fee ($50.00), and administration fee ($25.00) for a total of $255.00. In return for this consideration, the City of Palm Desert will be recognized as an event sponsor on all appropriate publicity and materials and will assist in publicizing this activity. Staff recommends approval of this request, which is to waive fees associated with production of the Shenandoah Shakespeare Company's production of "A Midsummer's Dream" cheduled to be held on November 11, 2001, for a total consideration of $255.00. PATRICIA SOUL Y PAUL GIBSON SENIOR MANAGEMENT ANALYST TREASURER/FINANCE DIRECTOR SHEILA R. GILLI AN CARLOS L. ORTEGA ASSISTANT CITY MANIA ER/CITY CLERK CITY MANAGER CITY COUNCIL 1jETION: APPROVED ✓ DENIED RECEIVED OTHER MEETIN DATE - AYES: Mate, 1I vL'►o� c , ' NOES: - i t4wL' ABSENT: zl'� ABSTAIN: /1/1__AV P VERIFIED BY: J/ Original on File with CityClirk's Office c- September 13, 2001 ram— r �No Memo THEATRE INSTITUTE TO: Pat Scully,Community Affairs Specialist FR: Kajsa Thuresson-Frary,Education Director The Education Division RE: McCallum Theatre Institute Public Performance of the McCallum Theatre A Midsummer Night's Dream performed by Shenandoah Shakespeare for the Performing Arts Sunday,November 11,2001 at 2:30 PM (Running time:90 minutes) PD Civic Center Park—Amphitheater THEATRE DANCE This is to confirm our agreement regarding the public performance of William Shakespeare's"A MUSIC Midsummernight's Dream"performed by the nationally recognized company Shenandoah Shakespeare VISUAL ARTS (see attached info)in the Palm Desert Civic Center Park,Sunday,November 11,2001 at 2:30 PM.The performance is open to the public at no cost.This performance is the opening event of a four-day Shenandoah Shakespeare residency at the McCallum.Other activities are as follows: McCallum Theatre Institute Monday,Nov. 12 Three different Shakespeare Workshops at COD,open to the public 73 00o Fred Waring Drive Evening performance at the McCallum—"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Palm Desert,CA 92260 Dead,"8 PM,tickets$10 (760)346-6505 (760)341-95o8 FAX Tuesday,Nov. 13 Field Trip Series Performance at the McCallum WWW.MCCALLUMTHEATRE.COM "A Midsummer Night's Dream", 10:30 AM Open to students and educators at no cost Wednesday,Nov. 14 Aesthetic Education Program Focus Work Performance The McCallum Theatre Institute "Hamlet", 10:00 AM seeks to enhance the role of the arts Open to Teachers and students enrolled in the Aesthetic Education Program in our lives and in our community We would like to announce the park performance as co-presented by the McCallum Theatre Institute and by inspiring greater awareness the City of Palm Desert.Is that suitable? of their educational,cognitive, emotional and spiritual power. Our marketing department will explore joint publicity possibilities for this event with Kristy Kneiding at the Palm Desert News Bureau. By encouraging an active and experiential study of the arts,the Keith Smith,our Production Director,will be in touch with you to coordinate the technical aspects of this Institute advances the belief that presentation.Tech will be fairly minimal(sound)and handled by the McCallum. all human beings are inherently Please advise as to any other arrangements that need to be made at this time.Am I correct to assume that creative.The programs developed the City will handle security and maintenance/cleaning,etc.-i.e.anything that has to do with other by the Institute are designed to build aspects than the actual stage production-of this public event? on that creativity by equipping We look forward to this opportunity to bring live professional outdoor theatre to the residents of Palm individuals with the skills necessary Desert.Please confirm this memo. for an enduring relationship with the arts and an understanding Best r gards, of their essential contribution to enlightened citizenship. -K Member of the Association of Institutes for Aesthetic Education Cc: Jeanette T.Knight,Education Program Coordinator,MTI Keith Smith,Production Director Mitch Gershenfeld,Director of Presentations and Theatre Operations Judi Pofsky,Manager of Artist and Public Relations 0 Printed on recycled paper F ',...\ -- 'r.+. it :. i )� ur, r{ -J 6y ;tt f te , �• : ,� ` , t ' .T„ J�/ i� 13 i'+T !f I •lI�X ' �� - Or r-4�.�.� 1�.✓ \'� ��1 T �J y J , .� ( 3 ref^ i o.—.., E _ .. . .. •`\` a.Y tK`/}$,9z n .;. , 'yam : rt ii 4••• C/ ' 1 \ ' • .c`ti •; Y'_it :.ri tl •- y YXa •r s.;t, -. ..,.-.:.,:„......,.:- ,., .- . ..,,.i. . ., ,,, . ..„..,/„.. ...,7,,.....,„,. „h., •... .,. .....„...... .„ ... ,, ,. .,,a,........ _ ....r.z-...ri i,--.-- s4',. A tiA'S."-;. '.. e. .....\ *.• +i ;13i . p :� ,s1Cy ,yam,. ; J/ !•"'— •: -,;3, -4.,�. 40 ..,. • Ve•yy M I • P -. o 7-�.� '.a¢' _# _ J f y.y J. ' aj,. ' may ; .ti•' t2 `i. F —� + ' . • .... - -''.:-..-:.•.--;--'.. .' ..,, ,I.* ; 111 t't.... ..",. ' : • • ‘44 : . * - .-—. .-:• I. -,-,..-".'..', . • L �yl rtl. n 1 - _:Tim=a ' 2001:The Odyssey Tour Shenandoah Shakespeare Express II East Beverley Street,Suite#31,Staunton,VA 21401 >322 (540)885-5588•Fax(540)885-4886 The internationally acclaimed Shenandoah Shakespeare Express is an energetic ensem- ble that performs under con " 'Dns closely approximating thos�'r which Shakespeare wrote. SSE actors and directors cc it to "two hours' traffic of our : "; to a cast of 11 actors who double roles; to thrust staging; and to universal lighting, which ensures that audience and actors can see and, more importantly, engage each other. In short, the SSE aims to give audi- ences some of the pleasures that an Elizabethan playgoer would have enjoyed. The net result is Renaissance theater that is both "uncommonly understandable" (The Philadelphia Inquirer) and "shamelessly entertaining" (The Washington Post). Over the past 13 years the SSE has toured the nation performing Shakespeare's plays in rotating repertory. Their nomadic existence has taken them to 46 states, one US Territory and the District of Columbia as well as five foreign countries including Scotland and Germany. This fall the company will put down some roots when they open Shenandoah Shakespeare Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Virginia. This theatre will be the world's first authentic re- creation of Shakespeare's indoor playhouse and, while the Express will continue to tour, the theatre will afford Shenandoah Shakespeare actors a reason to unpack during their tour. "Simply fresh, fine theater. Its combination of intelligence, spirit, and sheer kinetic energy is profoundly exciting. This is pure Shakespeare, richly alive. The play's indeed the thing, and, thanks to the SSE, what a glorious, vibrant, living thing it is." — The Boston Globe "Uncommonly understandable." — The Philadelphia Inquirer "Like MTV's `Unplugged' rock concerts, which stress vocals and lyrics over high-tech sonic effects, Shenandoah Shakespeare Express emphasizes the playwright's language and the actors' expressiveness and versatility." — The Chicago Sun Times "There's imagination and ingenuity percolating throughout." — The Washington Post ##### SHENANDOAH SHAKESPEARE • . EXPRESS Y Histnry... r 1988: Richard III. Jim Warren and Ralph Alan Cohen start a professional traveling troupe called the "Shenandoah Shakespeare Express." The SSE opens Richard III and tours Virginia. 1989: The Taming of the Shrew. In May, the SSE embarks on its first spring tour, taking The Taming of the Shrew to Delaware, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York. 1990: Julius Caesar and A Midsummer Night's Dream. The SSE moves to a repertory format and performs Julius Caesar at the annual meeting of the Shakespeare Association of America in Philadelphia. 1991: Measure for Measure, Twelfth Night, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. The first summer season of the SSE features an extended Valley Season in Harrisonburg, VA; extended runs in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.; and the SSE's first grant award: "Bringing Shakespeare Home—a Seminar for Teachers," funded by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy. 1992: Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, and The Comedy of Errors. A sold-out run on the Elizabethan stage at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is followed by the first overseas tour: two weeks at the Shakespeare Globe Museum in London, two weeks at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. The National Endowment for the Arts awards general-operating support. 1993: Antony and Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Conducting extended runs in Boston and Washington, D.C., the SSE garners rave reviews from The Washington Post and The Boston Globe. The company performs at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C. 1994: Othello, Much Ado about Nothing, and The Taming of the Shrew. The SSE performs in 30 states, plays to over 50,000 people, and makes its first visit to Canada with a week-long residence at Ottawa University. The Virginia Commission for the Arts awards general-operating support. 1995: Hamlet, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. SSE performs in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, and Scotland. SSE conducts C.R.A.S.S.—the Center for Renaissance and Shakespearean Staging, a six-week institute supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities. To meet increased demand, SSE establishes an autumn tour (with the new "James" troupe) that features Hamlet and Twelfth Night concurrently with the original twelve-month (Elizabeth troupe) tour. 1996: Henry V, As You Like It, The Comedy of Errors, and Julius Caesar. The SSE performs its first tour of primary and secondary schools in England, coordinated by the International Shakespeare Globe Centre. The Virginia Commission for the Arts features the SSE in the VCA Tour Directory. The second SSE James troupe, performing Julius Caesar and The Comedy of Errors, christens a new Shakespeare Festival in Geneseo, Illinois and plays to twice as many colleges and high schools as the year before. 1997: Love's Labour's Lost, Henry IV, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Macbeth. The SSE performs its fourth extended run at the Folger Shakespeare Library to sell-out crowds. The James troupe, touring with Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream, inaugurates a week-long residency in the state of Kentucky. The first Young Company Theatre Camp provides high-school students with a three-week introduction to SSE-style Shakespeare, complete with classes, workshops, and a production of Two Gentlemen of Verona. 1998: Richard III, Measure for Measure, The Taming of the Shrew, and Romeo and Juliet. The SSE continues to perform "shamelessly entertaining Shakespeare" (The Washington Post) across the U.S. and Canada. The James troupe, performing Romeo and Juliet and The Taming of the Shrew, produces Shakespeare Para Todos, a bilingual outreach project targeting Hispanic audiences in the Shenandoah Valley. The second annual YCTC draws twenty-six high-school students from locations as far away as Albany, N.Y., and the Grand Cayman Islands; YCTC students perform The Tempest and Coriolanus. The Shubert Foundation awards general-oper- ating support. ... continued. 1999: The Merchant of Venice, Knight of the Burning Pestle, Macl Much Ado about Nothing, and Hamlet. The SSE officially changes its name to Shenandoah Shakespeare; moves to Staunton, Virginia; and begins work on phase one of a three-part plan to build an indoor Elizabethan playhouse called the Blackfriars, a Globe Theatre, and a Center for Research and Education. The company performs The Knight of the Burning Pestle, by Francis Beaumont (a U.S. professional premiere and Shenandoah Shakespeare's first play by one of Shakespeare's contemporaries). A three-week run at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. proves the most successful public run in the history of Shenandoah Shakespeare. The Elizabeth troupe per- forms in Tennessee and Wisconsin, and the James troupe plays Florida, adding three new states to Shenandoah Shakespeare's list, which now includes 43 states and Washington, D.C. (plus 5 foreign countries). The VFH funds "Better the Instruction," a week-long summer seminar for high-school teachers, and honors Shenandoah Shakespeare with a special award for the company's contributions to literature and the humanities in Virginia. Shenandoah Shakespeare's website gets a major overhaul. 2000: Richard II, Much Ado about Nothing, Doctor Faustus, Othello, Twelfth Night, and The Roaring Girl. Shenandoah Shakespeare conducts a successful capital campaign and begins construction on the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Virginia. Educators accelerate planning for Shenandoah Shakespeare's Shakespeare in Performance Master's Degree program, with several Virginia colleges and universities agreeing to participate. During the summer, the Elizabeth troupe mounts Shenandoah Shakespeare's first-ever "Virginia Season," per- forming the company's full repertory in seven central Virginia cities over a six-week period. The Elizabeth troupe undertakes a cross-country odyssey to perform for the first time in Yukon, Canada; Alaska; and Wyoming. The 2000 James troupe becomes the first James troupe to feature a three-play repertory and the tour expands from 4 months to 9 months. The James troupe further adds the US Virgin Islands and Michigan to the SSE's ever-growing roster, which now includes 46 states and Washington, D.C.; 5 foreign countries; and 1 US Territory. ERIE. SHENANDOAHSNASESPEANE • EXPRESS y Style .. INV Universal Lighting — Shakespeare's actors could see their audience; SSE actors can see you. When an actor can see an audience, actors can engage with an audience. And an audience can play the roles that Shakespeare wrote for them—Cleopatra's court, Henry V's army, or simply the butt of innumerable jokes. Leaving an audience in the dark can literally obscure a vital part of the drama as Shakespeare designed it. Doubling —Shakespeare's Macbeth has more than forty parts; Shakespeare's traveling company may have had fewer than fifteen actors. With a company of ten to twelve actors, the SSE doubles parts, with one actor playing as many as seven roles in a single show. Watching actors play more than one role, an audience can experience another aspect of Elizabethan playgoing: the delight of watching a favorite actor assume multiple roles. Gender— Because women didn't take to the English stage until after the Restoration (1660), all the women in Shakespeare's plays were originally played by men or young boys. Shakespeare had a great deal of fun with this convention. In a production of As You Like It in 1600, a boy would have played Rosalind, who disguises herself as a boy then pretends to be a woman. Let's review: that's a boy playing a woman disguised as a boy pretending to be a woman. Because the SSE is committed to the idea that Shakespeare is about everyone— male and female—the SSE is not an all-male company, but we try to re-create some of the fun of gender con- fusions by casting women as men and men as women. Length—We cannot know the precise running time of a Shakespeare play in the Renaissance, but the Chorus in Romeo and Juliet promises "two hours' traffic of our stage." The Express tries to fulfill this promise through brisk pacing, no intermission, and a continuous flow of dramatic action. Sets — Shakespeare's company performed on a large wooden platform unadorned by fixed sets or scenery. A few large pieces—thrones, tombs—were occasionally used to ornament a scene. The SSE will sometimes use boxes or set pieces to indicate location or provide a changing area; unlike Shakespeare, we often have no backstage, but, like Shakespeare, we rely on the audience's imagination to "piece out our imperfections." Costuming — Costuming was important to the theatre companies of Shakespeare's day for three reasons. First, the frequently lavish costumes provided fresh color and design for the theatres, which otherwise did not change from show to show. Second, costumes made it easy to use one actor in a variety of roles. Third, as they do now, costumes helped an audience "read" the play quickly by showing them at a glance who was rich or poor, royalty or peasantry, priest or cobbler, ready for bed or ready to party, "in" or "out." Costumes are important to the SSE in the same way. But costumes were NOT important to Shakespeare and his fellows as a way of showing what life used to be like. They put the story of Julius Caesar, for example, in primarily Elizabethan garb. For them, as for the SSE, the play always spoke to the present. That's why the SSE uses costumes that speak to our audiences in the most familiar language possible while staying consistent with the words in the play. Music — Shakespeare had a soundtrack. Above the stage, musicians played an assortment of string, wind, and percussion instruments before, during, and after the play. The plays are sprinkled with songs for which lyrics but not much of the music survive. The SSE sets many of these songs in contemporary style. The result is emblematic of the SSE approach: a commitment to Shakespeare's text and to the mission of connecting that text to modern audiences. A Midsummer Night's Dream Theseus,Duke of Athens David Loar Hippolyta, defeated Queen of the Amazons Alexandra Ciciiicr Philostrate, servant to Theseus James Ricks Egeus, Father of Hermia Kenneth Maxwell Hermia,Egeus's daughter, in love with Lysander Amanda McRaven Helena, Hermia's friend, in love with Demetrius Brandy Mettert Lysander, wants to marry Hermia Michael Newman Demetrius, Egeus's choice to marry Hermia Mark Allan Jeter Oberon, King of the fairies David Loar Titania, Queen of the fairies Alexandra Cremer Robin Goodfellow (Puck), Oberon's fairy James Ricks Fairies Kenneth Maxwell Leah Roy James Hurdle Peter Quince, in charge of play Kenneth Maxwell Nick Bottom, plays Pyramus Aaron Lyons plays Thisbe Francis Flute, p James Hurdle y Snug, plays the Lion Leah Roy Director: Murray Ross Assistant Director: Kenneth Maxwell Costume Design: Kimberly G. Morris A Midsummer Night's Dream Stuff that happens during the ph • Theseus, the Duke of Athens, plans his marriage to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Egeus interrupts to complain that his daughter Hermia has fallen in love with Lysander. Theseus orders Hermia to obey her father and marry Demetrius; otherwise, she will be killed or sent to a nunnery. • Hermia and Lysander plan to escape to the woods, get married, and live off money from Lysander's rich aunt. • Hermia's friend Helena, who does love Demetrius, reveals the plan to him, and he follows Hermia and Lysander into the woods. • In the woods, Oberon, the fairy king, and Titania, his queen, are quarreling over the possession of an infant boy. • Oberon sends Puck to bewitch Titania, so that she will fall in love with the first creature she sees. • Bottom, an Athenian laborer, has come to the woods with his fellow workers to rehearse a play for Theseus and Hippolyta's wedding celebration. • Puck places an ass's head upon Bottom, with whom Titania promptly falls in love. • Oberon commands Puck to bewitch Demetrius so that he falls in love with Helena; Puck, however, mistakes Lysander for Demetrius. Discovering Puck's mistake, Oberon orders him to bewitch Demetrius as originally intended. • Oberon releases Titania from her infatuation with Bottom. Puck removes the spell from Lysander. Demetrius remains enchanted with Helena. But Egeus still wants Hermia to marry Demetrius, not Lysander. • Coupling and play-going ensue. Hot Ice and Wondrous Strange Snow Probably no play of espeare's has had as many different Is of life in the theater as A Midsummer Night Dream. It gets done all the time, and has demonstrated an ability to thrive in the strangest places. I myself have directed the play set in colonial Malaysia and in Tudor England and in the fairyland of a full symphony orchestra playing Mendelssohn's wonderful music. I have seen the play come to life in a white box, in a Gothic forest, and in the canals of Mars. This hardy tolerance of exotic environments is surprising when you consider that A Midsummer Night's Dream is also one of Shakespeare's most delicate plays, woven in part out of pure gossamer. But the play's sturdy delicacy is only one of its many oxymorons. Here are some more: 0 brawling love, 0 loving hate, /0 anything of nothing first create! . . . Misshapen chaos of well- seeming forms, /Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health, /Still waking sleep that is not what it is . . .. That's Romeo speaking, describing the torments of his love- soaked mind, but he might just as well have been describing the silly love-soaked action of A Midsummer Night's Dream, its "hot ice and wondrous strange snow." Shakespeare certainly had young love on the brain in 1594 when he wrote his most popular comedy and his most popular tragedy; in many ways A Midsummer Night's Dream is Romeo and Juliet with a happy ending. Both comedy and tragedy swing from rapture to horror, both are propelled by erotic desire, both have lovers who sleep and dream while lightning flashes in the dark. In the comedy, thank heavens, our lovers eventually all wake up together, and the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is transformed by the mechanicals into "Pyramus and Thisbe," which is something else entirely. In this production for Shenandoah Shakespeare, we're putting the play in the most exotic setting of all: no place at all. We aren't introducing the elaborate trappings of a designer's fantasy, and, as usual, we're leaving the lights on. Our magical spells are mostly compounded from Shakespeare's original ingredients: his poetry, the energies of actors, and the imaginations of our audience. Even so, we hope to take you deep into fairyland, into a life of waking sleep and transforming desire, an exotic world we think you'll recognize as your own. Thanks for dreaming along with us. —Murray Ross