The tradition of Twelfth Night has its origins in the medieval celebration of a winter festival. Festivities often began at the end of October and continued through the Twelve Days of Christmas. At the end of the festival, noblemen changed places with peasants for an evening of “misrule.” At the stroke of midnight, all that was topsy-turvy was restored to the normal order. Today the celebration usually begins on Christmas Day and ends on the sixth of January.
William Shakespeare wrote Twelfth Night, or What You Will as entertainment for the Christmas season in 1601 or 1602. The first known performance was on February 2, 1602, at the Middle Temple in London. (February 2, or Candlemas, marks the date that church tradition has it that Jesus was presented at the temple.) Scholars believe that the play was based on a short story by Matteo Bandello.
The world of the play is true to the tradition of misrule: girls masquerade as boys; servants run rampant; friends become enemies; and lo, how the mighty are fallen. At the end of Twelfth Night, as in life, order will out at last. Viola will present herself “in [her] woman’s weeds”; Sir Toby and his gang resume their roles as servants; the offended Antonio and his longtime friend Sebastian are reconciled, and the much-maligned Malvolio must be “entreated to a peace.” When Olivia states near the play’s conclusion that “Alas, poor fool, how have they baffled you,” she speaks about and for the “whole pack” of players. It is, of course, our hope that Summer Shakespeare’s play will not puzzle the audience but will instead serve to entertain and instruct.
So you’re convinced that it’s time to go to the theatre (Summer Shakespeare, of course). Now what? There are several things you can do to prepare yourself.
First, read the play or a good adaptation of it. No Fear Shakespeare (brought to you by the folks at Spark Notes) puts Shakespeare’s text alongside a modern “translation.” (There’s even an iPod Touch app!) Reading the play before you see it will add to your understanding as well as your enjoyment. Young children–and perhaps many adults–will profit from a graphic version. For those of you who haven’t kept up with trends in book publishing, graphic novels (think comic books, only longer and with better content) and stories have become mainstream.
Another idea is to find information about the play’s author or articles written by dramaturgs and critics. Websites such as enotes.com, Cummings study guides, even Cliffs Notes will heighten your awareness of characters and themes. Sometimes a cinematic version of the play will give additional clues about the play.
Your final chance to prepare yourself comes at the theatre itself. Settle yourself in your seat, take in the scene design, then read your program–be it a cast list only or a detailed booklet of essays on the play. The program will let you know what a particular director and designers believe to be important about the play you’re about to see.
Whatever your prep method–or even if you like your theatre impromptu–enjoy the experience!
Why, you may ask yourself, should I bother spending the time and energy to attend a live theatrical performance? The question holds different answers for different people, but three main reasons spring immediately to mind: for entertainment, for interaction, and for personal development.
Attending a play (or any live performance) is a painless and relatively inexpensive form of entertainment. The theatregoer simply secures a ticket and goes to the theatre. There he can enjoy a story, unwind from the burdens of home and/or work, and inform himself of other times or places or people groups. Theatre allows audiences to relax and enjoy someone else’s foibles for a few moments before confronting their own—perhaps with a renewed commitment not to fall prey to the same mistakes of the onstage character. Read the rest of this entry »
This post is to let you know what GSC is up to during our “off season.” Although we’re not in rehearsals yet, we’re still busy. Here’s a sampling of what’s going on behind the scenes. . .
•September 2009—GSC sponsored the second Brave New World Theatre Workshop, a no-cost workshop, dinner, and an evening of theatre for middle and high school teachers.
•November 2009—GSC partnered with Fuller Normal School to bring 8 students and 2 teachers to a performance of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations sponsored by Bob Jones University.
•December 2009—GSC took five theatre artists to Brashier Middle College High School for a three-day student workshop.
•January 2010—GSC received a generous grant from the Metropolitan Arts Council.
•Coming in March 2010—GSC will offer drama classes at Piano Central Studios for young theatre enthusiasts. (Sign up through Piano Central Studios.)
As we continue to grow and to expand our educational endeavors, outside donations become more and more important. GSC would like to give special thanks to following two local businesses for their generous support in 2009-2010:
Raymond W. Godwin—building happy families through the adoption process for more than twenty years
If you would like more information about GSC’s educational outreaches or would like to become involved by donating, please click here for further details.
During this season of thanksgiving, Greenville Shakespeare Company and Summer Shakespeare are exceedingly grateful to our wonderful sponsors. For the 2009 summer/fall season, we enjoyed the patronage of three diverse entities: Figgywhig’s Cupcakes, located in the Upstate Children’s Museum, made available mouthwatering (really, they are; just ask Jeff Stegall, who ate one or two per night for the entire seventeen-performance run!) gourmet cupcakes in luscious flavors like chocolate raspberry truffle, creamsicle, strawberries-n-cream, and peanut butter cup. The Greenville Humane Society seeks to promote and improve the quality of life and humane treatment of animals. These folks provided support on their website and through a well-timed television ad featuring our own Julia (Rebecca Clements). And the Metropolitan Arts Council, an organization that supports area arts groups and artists through a grants program and by promoting those who might not have resources available to them. (Like the Greenville Shakespeare Company!) MAC infused Summer Shakespeare with start-up money and email blasted the arts community with information about our performances. Thank you, 2009 sponsors!
A future blog will feature our 2010 sponsors. To find out more about becoming a GSC sponsor, click here.
This Summer Shakespeare rendition of “Who Is Silvia?” from Two Gentlemen of Verona was a smash-hit this summer and during the reprise this fall. The actors/singers are Philip Eoute as Thurio, Zach Franzen as Proteus, and Jeffrey Stegall as Launce. The tune was written by Dave McQuaid. The white ukelele was ordered from Hawaii especially for this scene (as opposed to being spray-painted, which is usually what happens). Note the Shakespeare bobblehead on the window sill.
Summer Shakespeare sends its heartiest congratulations to FiggyWhig’s Cupcakes, one of our 2009 summer play sponsors and the official bakery for the newly opened Children’s Museum of the Upstate in downtown Greenville, SC. Those of you who tried a FiggyWhig’s mini cupcake at one of our shows this summer know how delectably delicious these little jewels are. FiggyWhig’s offers cupcakes in an amazing array of flavors–orange creamsicle, strawberry, double chocolate, key lime, lemon, coconut, chocolate raspberry truffle (to name a few), and the overwhelming favorite of Summer Shakespeare audiences, Reese’s chocolate peanut butter. Not only are they tasty, but these cupcakes are also beautiful. Each is decorated to perfection with sprinkles, candies, or some other yummy. Contact FiggyWhig’s directly to order some for your next party, for a special gift, or as a treat for yourself! And when you visit the Children’s Museum, stop in for a FiggyWhig’s cupcake in the downstairs cafe. Look for FiggyWhig’s at our September 10-12 run of Two Gentlemen of Verona!
Well, another season of Summer Shakespeare (our tenth!) is behind us. This year was one of big changes for Summer Shakespeare and The Greenville Shakespeare Company:
–we received our nonprofit status with the state of South Carolina;
–we received official 501(c)3 status from the IRS;
–we partnered with a great new company and a wonderful, established Greenville organization (thank you to FiggyWhig’s and The Greenville Humane Society!);
–we increased our web presence with a newly designed website;
–we began strategic email marketing, and
–we launched a Facebook page.
Most importantly, we fulfilled our mission to provide the upstate of South Carolina with high quality, family friendly, accessible Shakespeare. Thank you to all of our wonderful audience members–we literally could not do our art without you!
This year director Jeff Stegall encouraged Two Gentlemen of Verona audience members to take pictures with their cell phones and/or cameras during the production. The image you see below is a Twitpic from @jpait.
Do you have a picture or video footage that you would be willing to share? We’d love to see it!
One of our most popular actors this 2009 season has been Toby, the Great Dane-German shepherd mix that plays the part of Crab in Summer Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona. The role of Crab (the only named animal in Shakespeare) is not a demanding one: the only requirements are that he be large (“a dog as big as ten of yours” the text states), lethargic (“he is a stone, a very pebble stone”), leashed (“he that’s tied here, Crab my dog”), and that he appear twice with his master, Launce (Jeffrey Stegall). Anything beyond that is gravy. And Toby has certainly delivered the gravy. In all but one of the performances he has yawned at nearly the perfect moment—a great gaping, toothy yawn that is as much to say, “You, my dear master, bore me.” In one memorable recent performance he lay down and covered his eyes with his paws. At each new antic—or lack thereof—the audience has roared with delight, and Crab has continued his business unphased by the hubbub.
Our Crab was found by his “parents” six years ago in the Tucson, Arizona, desert. Jeremy and Holly Nelson and Jeremy’s sister stopped at a gas station and saw a box marked “Puppies” by the side of the road. Inside were five five-week-old pups. The Nelsons fell in love with Toby, and Jeremy’s sister selected another of the litter. The puppies badly needed baths and food and lots of love. Later that evening, the Nelsons went back to rescue the other puppies, afraid that coyotes would get the defenseless dogs after nightfall. However, the remaining three had already been rescued. For a while Toby’s legs grew faster than the rest of him, and he spent the next few months tripping over himself until he got used to his long limbs.
Toby as Crab
Toby certainly gets lots of attention with the cast. Even those who do not profess to be dog lovers love Toby. He is mild-mannered, well-behaved, and smarter than some human cast members. (No names, please!) Toby is always spot-on—usually anticipating his cues. The only thing he hasn’t figured out yet is why Proteus (Zach Franzen) seems to be chiding him in the dog-swapping scene. As he leaves the stage every night, Toby appears to be thinking, “What are you yelling at me for? I’m not the one who has dropped lines!” Come see Toby this Friday, July 17, or Saturday, July 18, at 7:30 PM in Performance Hall. Tickets are still available!
“Where were you when the lights went out in Performance Hall?” About 220 audience members earned the right to ask that question last night when several blocks of Greenville, SC, were plunged into total darkness courtesy of a texting trucker who rammed an electrical transformer. Audience members kept their cool (figuratively only, since the room temperature rose quickly with no air conditioning), and someone began an a capella rendition of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” which others joined in on. By the time they’d finished “God Bless America,” Jeff Stegall had news that it would be another 20-30 minutes until power could be restored, so the play was adjourned for an elongated intermission. FiggyWhig’s cupcakes and a special appearance from Toby (the dog) were highlights of the downtime. Like wartime cavalry, the campus security arrived with 40 flashlights, which were dispersed among the audience. In true the-show-must-go-on spirit, the cast picked up where they left off and continued in the spotty light for three scenes (see video below) until with a whoosh and a thunk, electricity returned. A memorable evening indeed! So where were you when the lights went out? If you were there, we’d love to hear your thoughts!
