Riverside Theatre's Riverblog

Riverside Theatre in the media!

2010-09-09T10:18:00.004-05:00

Read up on what the media has to say about Riverside Theatre opening for their 30th season and more about their first show of the season, [title of show]!

Press Citizen Monday 9/6 "30 Years of Riverside": http://bit.ly/bDAHVc

Daily Iowan Thursday 9/9 "Riverside Theatre opens 30th season": http://bit.ly/cRL5TF

[title of show] Promotions!

2010-09-07T10:23:00.005-05:00

Eddie Skaggs, Jessica Flood, Kristen Behrendt, and Patrick DuLaney during
a moment in the song, Die Vampire, Die, from [title of show]. Photo by Bob Goodfellow

Don't miss the [title of show] actors performing songs from the show at one of the pianos in the Ped Mall this Friday September 10th at 1:00pm! Sponsored by MidWestOne Bank.

Special Promotions for [title of show]:

-Under 30 discount: Just show your ID and your regular priced ticket is $3 off!

-$12 student rush tickets: Available to students with current ID when unsold tickets remain 20 minutes before curtain!

-Riverdog Pass: When you buy a Riverdog Pass you can see Gilbert St. shows for just $99! For more info: http://bit.ly/bzaboK

Order your tickets from our box office today!

Phone: (319) 338-7672

Address: 213 N. Gilbert St.

Hours: 12:00-4:00pm, Monday-Friday, and one hour before each performance.

Remember the lobby is open an hour before curtain time serving beer, wine, soda, and coffee. Come early, meet your friends, and have a pre-show drink!

[title of show]

2010-08-31T11:22:00.013-05:00

Riverside Theatre is proud to

present our first show of the season,

[title of show]

Music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen

Book by Hunter Bell

Directed by Ron Clark

[title of show] is a musical comedy about making a musical! Four friends attempt to write a show in three and a half weeks to enter into the New York Musical Theatre Festival.

The show features actors Kristen Behrendt, Patrick DuLaney, Jessica Flood, and Eddie Skaggs with pianist Jason Stifford.

The show runs September 10- October 3 with Thursday, Friday, Saturday performances at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:00pm

Everybody's Talking about Killadelphia: Mixtape of a City!

2010-03-09T11:10:00.004-06:00

The Reviews are out after Killadelphia’s opening weekend!

http://gazetteonline.com/entertainment/2010/03/08/theater-review-lewis-takes-audience-on-search-for-sense-in-killadelphia

http://iowatheatre.blogspot.com/2010/03/review-of-killadelphia.html

Come see this “thought provoking” one-man show for yourself while you still have time!

Performances this weekend, March 11-14, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday shows at 7:30pm and Sunday shows at 2:00pm

Tickets range from $12-$26 and are available through the Riverside Theatre Box Office at 213 N. Gilbert St., (319) 338-7672 or online at http://www.riversidetheatre.org/.

Killadelphia: Mixtape of a City

2010-03-03T12:03:00.008-06:00

Photo by: Seth Rozin

This 2009 Heidi Award winner for Best Touring Production is a one-man show written and performed by Sean Christopher Lewis himself. Killadelphia challenges social norms and how Americans view murder through a deeper look at Philadelphia, a state with an alarmingly high murder rate.

Sean Christopher Lewis brings together over twenty different voices of prison inmates, guards, members of the community, Rush Limbaugh, and even the playwright himself through various monologues in this documentary style performance.

Performances March 5-14. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday shows at 7:30pm and Sunday shows at 2:00pm.

Tickets range from $12-$26 and are available through the Riverside Theatre Box Office at 213 N. Gilbert St., (319) 338-7672 or online at http://www.riversidetheatre.org/.

The Diary of Anne Frank opens Oct. 22

2009-10-16T12:32:00.011-05:00

Experience the fears, joys, and day-to-day existence of a Jewish girl who comes of age while hiding with her family in an attic in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam.

Join us for The Diary of Anne Frank, October 22nd through November 8th.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
shows at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday shows at 2:00 p.m.

For tickets: call (319) 338-7672
or order online.

Photo credit: Natalie Kropf and Andrew Dawson in The Diary of Anne Frank, at Riverside Theatre October 22-November 8. Photos by Bob Goodfellow.

Behind the Scenes of "A Dog's Life"

2009-07-23T10:07:00.000-05:00

Looking for some behind the scenes information about our season opener, A Dog's Life? Enjoy this mini-interview with the playwright, Sean Grennan.

1. How did you get started as a playwright?

I was an English major in college but my father was a local Chicago TV personality so I kind of naturally drifted towards the performing side of things. Family business and all that. However, I'd always been interested in the written word and just started combining that with my stage work. At some point in there, about twenty years into my performing life, I was hosting a lot of open mics and writing material for benefits that actually seemed to work. I found that as or more gratifying than performing myself so I was hooked. My first show was a wild fluke of luck that turned out well called Phantom of the Country Palace. Once I saw things I'd written actually work on stage, I was off. By the way, this will seem snarky but another motivator over the years was that I'd acted in a lot of new and fairly awful bad plays. The kind of things where you're out on stage saying things that just don’t work. It actually gave me confidence to try my hand at what is really a pretty arrogant endeavor, imagining that what you write might be of any interest to anyone but you and maybe your mother. It kind of became a case of, "I could do better than this!"

2. Why a show about dogs?

I am, inarguably, a dog nut. Someone got a problem with that? I honestly don't think there are any bad dogs. Lots of bad, thoughtless, inconsiderate owners (let's get a drink and talk) but really OK, very few bad dogs. I know that doesn't make me at all unique. Lots of folks feel the same way. Dogs, pets generally, have a style of relating/communicating/showing affection that is completely unconditional and guileless that's beyond my small abilities to describe. So, I thought that despite this not being maybe the most "commercial" idea I've ever had, there might be something there that a fairly large group of folks could relate to. Experiences that I thought a lot of people would recognize. Besides, I had/have a huge crush on my guy Jack so this show is a sort of tribute to that as well.

3. Did you always intend to have a focus on the experience of one dog/one owner?

Leah Okimoto (the composer) and I talk about ideas for new shows all the time. Jack attended a lot of these meetings and quietly advanced his agenda. Or something. We decided that focusing on one dog and owner would keep things as simple and accessible as possible. We've also tended to write small cast shows so this made sense from that standpoint as well. The character of "Joel" of course, stands in for me but also for the rest of the audience. Keeping it mostly about them, with "Big Dog" and "Little Dog" for a little balance and comedy, seemed a good way to go.

4. Tell us about your experience writing lyrics… to be sung by dogs.

Lyrics for humans are tricky. Lots to get across in as unique, succinct, more or less natural a way as you can. Musical forms to observe and obey except when you don't. And oh, make it rhyme. I thought writing for the dog characters would be harder but it wasn't bad. The great thing about dogs is that they don't worry about their IRAs and they don't remember that mean thing that someone said to them in gym class 20 years ago. They're all about right now. We could all learn a great lesson from this. At least I could as soon as I get that kid back for calling me a "dork" during dodge ball.

So, for instance, Jack's song in the car, "It All Goes By So Fast" is, at least to me, the essence of what dogs think. It's all "Look at that! Let's go do that! Wow, everything smells so good and we could go chase something right now and isn't it all great!?" A lot of what he "talks" about is what's right in front of him now. You know, the important stuff we ignore while we worry or at least focus on everything else.

5. What’s the one thing the audience should know about the show?

That almost more than anything I've ever done in the theatre, this one is right from the heart. As I said, this is not our most lucrative piece but is nonetheless my favorite. (How un-American is that?) Leah and I wrote a show called Married Alive! about the institution of marriage that we feel pretty close to. So how could I put this above a show about my life with my lovely wife? (Please don't tell her...) Not to diminish Leah's and my respective marriages (no, we're not married to each other), while that show has great resonance for us, something basic and funny and touching about this show seems to have even more. And it pretty much wrote itself. Like the relationship with dogs itself, A Dog's Life is a little more straight-on honest, less complicated, simple, in the best way. We've even kept the form and the tone fairly light to reflect that.

(Another thing and this is an alert to stop reading if you already think I'm crazy about dogs cause it's just going to get worse...) My relationship with Jack is one of the more significant ones of my adult life. Just is, so get over it. From the moment I saw him at the shelter he seemed to say, "Take care of me and I'll take care of you too." He more than lived up to his side of the bargain. This show may be, in part, my way of trying to do the same.

Jack Grennan, the inspiration for the musical.

Jack and Sean enjoying a day at the beach.

---

For more information about A Dog's Life, at Riverside Theatre September 11 - October 4, call our box office at 319-338-7672 or visit our website at http://www.riversidetheatre.org/

Announcing the 09-10 Season!

2009-07-16T09:30:00.011-05:00

*drumroll* And now... the moment you've been waiting for since the Shakespeare Festival closed this past weekend... our 09-10 Gilbert Street Season! We've got it all. Dogs, a wedding, Jesus and even Stephen Hawking:

** A Dog's Life
September 11 – October 4

** The Diary of Anne Frank
October 22 - November 8

Walking the Wire: Monologues at Riverside
November 19 - November 22

The Tag Sale Project
December 12 and December 13

** End Days
January 29 – February 21

** Killadelphia: City of Numbers
March 5 - 14

** Mary's Wedding
April 1 – 18

It's also time to buy your 09-10 Riverdog Pass! This pre-paid season pass is only $99, and includes: one ticket to each of the shows above marked with an **, discounted tickets to the remaining shows, FREE coffee and discounted concessions, and perks at local Iowa City area businesses. Become a Riverdog today! Aroo!

For tickets, call the box office at 319-338-7672 or click here to order online.

For more information about the upcoming season or the Riverdog Pass, visit our website today!

Top 10 Shakespeare Quotes for the 4th of July!

2009-07-02T09:11:00.005-05:00

Shakespeare loves the Fourth of July! If you want to sound smart at your Fourth of July party and impress your friends, commit a couple of these quotes to memory and break them out at propitious moments...

1. I am a foe to tyrants, and my country's friend.
Julius Caesar: V.iv.

2. I do love my country's good with a respect more tender, more holy and profound, than mine own life.
Coriolanus: III.iii

3. In right and service to their noble country.
Titus Andronicus: I,i

4. Who is here so vile not to love his country?
Julius Caesar: III, iii

5. I thank you all and here dismiss you all, and to the love and favor of my country commit myself, my person, and the cause.
Titus Andronicus: I, i

6. Having my freedom, boast of nothing else.
Richard II: I, ii

7. Gnawing with my teeth my bonds in sunder, I gain'd my freedom.
The Comedy of Errors: V, i

8. Let's all cry peace, freedom, and liberty!
Julius Caesar III, i

9. This liberty is all that I request.
The Taming of the Shrew: II, i

10. Leave us to our free election.
Pericles, Prince of Tyre: II, iv

**Text and graphic courtesy of

The American Shakespeare Center.

Reviews And More Reviews...

2009-06-22T11:27:00.005-05:00

Still trying to decide if this year's Shakespeare Festival shows are for you? Check out the reviews below:

According to Rob Cline's review in the Cedar Rapids Gazette, "the entire audience was under enchantment throughout the lovely evening" that he attended A Midsummer Night's Dream. Read more of his review by clicking here.

Dennis Fox as Richard III does not disappoint, according to James Trainor's review for CorridorBuzz.com. He says that Fox "plays the role with characteristic charm, wooing the audience with his wicked schemes. He is an expert with text, keeping time with the manic pace of the play like a well-wound clock." Read the rest of his review here.

Rob Cline also reviewed Richard III this past weekend, and went as far as to say that one scene from the production is "among the most memorable ever staged in the Shakespeare Festival’s 10 seasons." Want to know which scene deserves that gracious praise? Click here.

Check back with our blog, as some of our reviewers have gotten rained out. We'll be sure and link to more reviews as they come in. Happy reading!

Mini-Interviews With RTSF Interns...

2009-06-16T10:04:00.021-05:00

When you think of the Shakespeare Festival, you probably think of the acting company, and the directors, and maybe the costumers. Maybe you think about the people that work in the box office that sell you a ticket, or the people in charge of the lights and sound during a dramatic scene. What you should be thinking about is the intern company. These young theatre artists are essential to the Festival, expanding our range of talent and energy. We are grateful to every one of them! Below (for your reading pleasure) are mini-interviews with two of this year's acting interns.

Meet Jacob Perkins:

Hometown: Anderson, South Carolina

Roles in RTSF '09: Edward Plantagenet/Murderer 2 - Richard III

How did you get involved with acting?: I did my first production playing John Henry in Carson McCullers' Member of the Wedding and never looked back. I was five years old.

Favorite role/play?: Angels in America by Tony Kushner. Harper Pitt is one of my favorite characters ever written.

Who is your favorite Shakespeare character?: Tie between Juliet, Paulina from The Winter's Tale, and Goneril from King Lear.

Why does performing Shakespeare interest/challenge you?: Shakespeare asks his actors to go to extraordinary and imaginative places. His characters are fully three dimensional and they allow you to pour all of your heart into them.

What should the audience know about Murderer 2?: I'm playing a murderer that kills Clarence. Clarence is played by my real life teacher, Steve Cardamone. Revenge for all of those homework assignments!

Meet Margo Chervony:

Hometown: Skokie, IL

Roles in RTSF '09: Dorset in Richard III

How did you get involved with acting?: I used to act out the movies I watched and scenes from plays that I'd seen even before I was two years old. It's always been a natural part of my life.

What was your 1st acting experience?: I played Linus in a children's theatre production of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown when I was six.

Favorite role/play?: My favorite play experience were playing Eurydice in Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman and playing Lenny in Crimes of the Heart. I love the plays of Tennessee Williams, Tom Stoppard, and Shakespeare.

Who is your favorite Shakespeare character?: The Macbeths, or someone in King Lear. It's hard to pick.

Why does performing Shakespeare interest/challenge you?: At the heart of every character is a Shakespearean character that usually gets stiffed. Acting Shakespeare is getting to tap into the wild emotions that everyone has and actually letting them out. It's great fun, a great work-out, and important for every actor to try.

The 2009 Festival Intern Acting Company

Midsummer Opens on Friday!

2009-06-09T11:30:00.004-05:00

The 10th Annual Shakespeare Festival is here... are you ready?

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" opens on Friday the 12th at 8 pm - and tickets are still available.

Join us for one of Shakespeare's most magical comedies. Take a dreamy romp through an enchanted forest as four mismatched lovers and a hapless acting troupe collide with the king and queen of the fairies. The production is sponsored by Oaknoll.

To order tickets, call the box office at 319-338-7672 or click here!

Hope to see you in Lower City Park!

*Photo credit: Laura Ambrose and Martin Andrews in "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Photo by Bob Goodfellow.

Happy 10th Birthday Shakespeare Festival!

2009-06-01T10:54:00.006-05:00

Happy Birthday to us!

This year, the Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival is in it's 10th season, and we're celebrating! You're invited to join us on Saturday, June 6th from noon - 4 pm at the Gilbert Street Theatre.

We'll be serving refreshments, displaying posters and photos from festivals past and showing off previews of costume renderings for the upcoming shows! Plus, you won't want to miss the chance to win prizes, and 10% off all Shakespeare Festival tickets purchased at the party!

Have questions? Call the box office at 319-338-7672.

Hope to see you there!

Have a holiday story to share?

2009-05-20T11:43:00.002-05:00

As we're getting ready to slide into Memorial Day weekend... it seems like a great time to talk about our other favorite holidays. Do you have a favorite? What about a favorite story to share?

Riverside Theatre invites playwrights to submit monologues for performance in Walking the Wire: Monologues at Riverside. This annual celebration of original work features monologues of ten minutes or less by both established and up-and-coming playwrights. The focus for this season’s monologues is: HOLIDAY TALES. Whether it’s Christmas or Kwanzaa, Hanukkah or Ramadan, Mardi Gras or Cinco de Mayo – we’ve all got a story.

Submissions must be postmarked July 15, 2009 or emailed as a Word document and dated by midnight July 15; final selections will be announced no later than September 1. The monologues will be performed November 19-22 at Riverside Theatre.

Want more information about submission guidelines? Click here!

Can't wait to read your holiday stories!

Upcoming Thursday Theatre Talk!

2009-05-12T13:38:00.004-05:00

Interested in a little behind the scenes information on the upcoming Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival? Then make plans to attend the Thursday Theatre Talk on May 14th at 5:30 pm at the Gilbert Street Theatre. It's free, open to the public, and I guarantee you'll learn something.

Join directors Ron Clark and Kristin Horton as they discuss A Midsummer Night's Dream and Richard III with Shakespearean scholar Miriam Gilbert. And hey... there will probably be some actors there. You can get a sneak peek at them too!

Hope to see you Thursday!

Claudia McGehee on "Scratching the Bard"

2009-05-05T10:10:00.014-05:00

After an overwhelmingly positive response to this year's festival artwork, we asked artist Claudia McGehee to write about her process creating the peice for us. Enjoy!

When Riverside Theatre contacted me to work with them on their Shakespeare Festival 10th Anniversary campaign, I was thrilled. They already had a great idea to creatively spring off from- to illustrate the Bard surrounded by woodland creatures and fairy folk, all enjoying a twilight play at the Riverside Theater. I’ve spent many a summer evening myself in those seats at Riverside. The exceptional performances and the enchanting atmosphere of the open-aired theater are magic memories. Making this illustration would be a pleasure!

How does the illustration process begin for a project like this? First, I research some of the images I’ll be drawing. I take photos of the theater itself, look at the few images of Shakepeare that exist, read a little Shakespeare to really get me in the mood, and then start drawing!

I start with a pencil sketch first. I wanted to have a wide variety of creature companions- recognizable North American woodland critters like the bobcat, bear, ducks, squirrels, deer, opposum, etc. When Jody Hovland told me about how occasionally, a frog or two from the City Park pond find their way to the theatre on play night, I knew I had to include them, too! A few sprites inspired from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the theatre box office, a glowing sunset and twinkling stars complete the sketch.

Next, I transfer the sketch to a piece of scratchboard, my favorite art medium. Scratchboard has a white clay under layer which is covered with black ink. The artist scratches off detail with a sharp tool, like an exacto-blade. They “scratch” off what they want white and leave what they want black, with results that mimic a woodcut. Later, the white areas can be colored. Here are a couple photos of the Shakespeare piece in the process of being scratched out.

When the scratching is complete, I have a black and white image that I then scan into Photoshop on my computer. I may “clean up” a few details here (erase lines I don’t like, add a few that might help “punch up” an area). Then I print this image onto watercolor paper. At this point, it’s like a page from a coloring book; I color in the image with watercolor and dyes.

While I paint, my board is covered with lots of stuff; paint bottles and palettes, an extra piece of paper to play with colors, samples of other pieces I have done to give me ideas for color combinations, a water bowl, a coffee cup, and sometimes a visiting cat!

The actual rendering of the final art takes several steps that I do over a couple days. The initial research and composition work stretch over a couple weeks.

All in all, it was a very satisfying project. I like how the moon turned out, almost like an audience member itself! I loved drawing the many different animals, the rabbit and owl and frogs especially. And I hope the Bard doesn’t mind having luna moth colored tights on! I really enjoyed the opportunity to be part of this wonderful Iowa City icon.

- Claudia McGehee

For more information about Claudia, or to see more of her work... visit her blog at http://claudiaillustration.blogspot.com/

More Will Power Photos...

2009-04-27T11:51:00.004-05:00

Enjoy a few photos from the Will Power stop at North Central Junior High:

Shakespearean Insults... Middle School Style

2009-04-23T10:55:00.007-05:00

This week and last week, our team of Will Power Actors/Teachers have been visiting classrooms in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. They've been engaging the students in voice, movement and improvisation activities to help them learn about Shakespeare's language and characters. They also do a short performance of a scene from the upcoming festival production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

One of the activities the students have really enjoyed is the "Shakespeare Insult Generator" that's included in their Will Power Play Guide. Some of our favorites?

"Thou goatish rump-fed dewberry"

"Thou yeasty dizzy-eyed bugbear"

"Thou spongy onion-eyed canker-blossom"

Now that you've been thoroughly insulted... enjoy some photos of Northwest Junior High students during their Will Power visit!

Student response to Raising Medusa....

2009-04-10T13:20:00.009-05:00

Earlier this week, we had students from Tate, Mt. Vernon, and Washington High Schools attend a matinée performance of Raising Medusa. They seemed to enjoy themselves, and those that stayed after the show for a talk-back with Barbara Lau and the actors asked intelligent questions and seemed to have been very engaged with the production.

While I don't have photos of the students... enjoy a few photos of the artwork on display in the lobby (created by Mt. Vernon HS art students) and a few of the comments on our tag board response wall.

Please... feel free to add your responses to the play after you see Raising Medusa. There are still six performances left. Reserve your tickets now by calling 319-338-7672. Hope to see you at the show!

Reviewing Medusa...

2009-04-06T09:33:00.006-05:00

Still trying to decide if Raising Medusa is a show for you? Check out some of the reviews below.

In his review for the Cedar Rapids Gazette, Rob Cline called Raising Medusa "a loving and lovely examination of a mother and teenage daughter struggling to connect." Read the full review here.

Vicki Krajewski called the play "a well-written, skillfully-voiced carnival of language both poetic and dramatic that will leave you thinking about your own family drama" in her review for The Iowa City Theatre Blog. Click here for the full review!

According to James Trainor and his review on CorridorBuzz.com, "what’s remarkable about Raising Medusa is that it puts forth both perspectives (mother and daughter) boldly, with humor and pathos, even as the tension degenerates into brutal conflict." Read his full review here.

Come experience Raising Medusa for yourself - now through April 19. For tickets, call the box office at 319-338-7672 or order online at www.riversidetheatre.org!

Musings from Barbara Lau...

2009-04-01T11:44:00.011-05:00

Installment #1 / April 1 '09 – 32 hours from SHOW TIME!

How does one raindrop flood the yard? How does a child spill into herself? Raising Medusa poses these questions and images early on in the play. The central Mother and teenage daughter characters also wrestled over: "Who, exactly, has abandoned whom?" "Who ARE you?" "Why must you love me so damn much?"

It has taken four years and an assortment of characters, including a feisty Greek Chorus, to begin to answer those questions for myself and an audience. This process resulted in a huge leap of genres for me as well – from publishing essays, articles and poetry to writing a full-blown, two hour play. Here’s the "back story."

Being primarily a poet, I initially envisioned writing a series of poems and monologues voicing a mother's emotional struggle as her only daughter grew into a rebellious teen. After writing about 15 poems – some published in fine journals such as The Southern Poetry Review and Southwest Review -- I realized something vital was missing. Like me (mother of two daughters) the mother in my poems needed to stop, drop & listen -- to her daughter’s distinct perspective and experiences.

This insight opened the door to the daughter’s voice, producing some tense point-counter point poems between the pair. Next came the idea of including a wise, feisty Greek Chorus to negotiate between them. In keeping with Classical theatre, my Chorus would also cast this conflict into a larger, universal arena, plus provoke Mother and daughter to express the messy truth about their flawed but oh-so-human conditions.

Next came the idea of evoking the image and persona of the mythological Medusa -- the ultimate symbol of a beauty to beast metamorphosis in Western literature. By this point, I realized I was dealing with a number of intriguing characters and a nascent plot. In fact, my imagination and characters were no longer content to merely squat on the page. They demanded a stage on which to strut and fret, rise and fall.

With this seemingly impossible, but delicious, concept in mind, I approached Jody Hovland of Riverside Theatre. I knew Jody a bit, having seen her act in numerous Riverside productions. Also, my husband, composer Don Chamberlain, teaches with her at Cornell College. He has produced the sound / music for various Shakespeare dramas and other plays for them. After reading my new group of poems and monologues, Jody felt the writing and themes were strong and fresh. She could not exactly promise, “If you write it, they will come [see it at Riverside].” However, she urged me to attempt a play combining these characters and the poems. Iowa City playwright and actor Maggie Conroy also came to my aid, offering valuable feedback as I lumbered through three in-depth revisions of the script.

In two days, this odyssey from poet to playwright, page to stage, will come to fruition. I’m deeply honored to have Riverside and our five terrific actors help me birth this play. My husband is contributing a riveting fusion of sound and music, too. In addition, many thanks to the NEA Foundation; the grant we received has affirmed the play’s worth and helped to fund the production. How did I get this lucky??? Pinch me, somebody!

-Barbara Lau

Barbara Lau’s first book of poetry, The Long Surprise, won the 2000 X. J. Kennedy Poetry Prize. Her poems also have appeared in The Southern Review, The Iowa Review, Southwest Review, North American Review, River Styx and other journals. Originally from Austin and San Antonio, she holds a MFA / Poetry from Warren Wilson College, an MA in Literature from the Univ. of Illinois, and a BA from the Univ. of Texas. She teaches at Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids. She received an NEA grant to complete and stage her first play, Raising Medusa, in April 2009. Lau lives in Mt. Vernon, IA with husband Donald Chamberlain and amazing daughters Grace & Lily.

Sirius Rising at Riverside Theatre

2009-03-31T10:35:00.003-05:00

Join us next week for a play reading for Sirius Rising, a play by Cedar Falls playwright Gwendolyn Schwinke on Tuesday, April 7 at 6:30 pm. You're also invited to stay after the reading for a talkback with the playwright.

Sirius Rising is a play about the practical magic of long-term relationships woven together with the Egyptian myth of Isis and Osiris. As a flood of epic proportions descends on a rural farm community, four women discover that human connection is their only shelter against the storm.

According to Schwinke, audiences will get the chance to see familiar characters during the reading. "I wanted to bring to the stage the farm women that I know: smart, strong, full-blooded and funny," said Schwinke. "Although the characters are dealing with more extreme situations than most of us face, they remind us that we can live through tragedy with courage, humor and love."

Sirius Rising has been selected for inclusion in new-play festivals at Seattle Repertory Theatre, Judith Shakespeare Company in New York City, The Jungle Theatre and The Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis.

The reading will feature four of the actors appearing in Riverside Theatre’s current production of Raising Medusa - Kristy Hartsgrove, Jody Hovland, Nancy Youngblut, and Jaclyn Johnson; as well as Ron Clark.

Playwright Gwendolyn Schwinke grew up on a farm in Missouri, has lived in Minneapolis and New York City, and now teaches Theatre at the University of Northern Iowa. She feels that her play offers something for everyone. "It’s a little bit murder mystery, a little bit ancient myth, and a little bit love story. And there's a lot of humor in it."

For more information about this free reading on April 7, please call the Riverside Theatre Box Office at 319-338-7672 or visit www.riversidetheatre.org. Hope to see you there!

Jaclyn Johnson, Raising Medusa, and Threes....

2009-03-30T10:03:00.009-05:00

First things first! I am Jaclyn Johnson and I have the distinct pleasure of acting in Raising Medusa which opens on April 2nd. I play multiple roles in this production but I am predominately known as Chorus Member Three. Voice 3 is what they call me for short. I like being a Three. Three is an influential number; things (good or bad) come in threes, the "rule of three in comedy," there are three Fates, three Graeae, three Gorgon sisters (no apologies here, I'm on a Greek kick). I think threes are special. So I will begin with a three...

Three weeks ago I climbed into my trusty Toyota Camry and began driving south. Four and a half hours later I arrived in the fair Iowa City and after settling myself into some lovely and inspiring temporary housing, I nestled into a clean, new script. It was beautiful, with clean pages, aside from the multi-colored steaks of high-lighter that popped words and directions my way. These gleeful affections were fleeting however, and in no time that clean script went to the dogs. Now it sits atop my desk, barely noticed, messy with X's and arrows, old blocking notes and new blocking notes, inserts, re-writes, and scotch tape. Three weeks from the day I drove down, I have a new script. More multi-colored streaks and deliberate blocking reminders delicately written in margins grace the pages. Again, the days are numbered. Shortly after I get this majestic, clean script, it is time to be off-book. Sure, I still enjoy the beauty of it while I sit at home working lines, but gone are the days of reading and walking, gone are the days of "wait, I gotta find my pencil," gone are the days of "what page is that?" Here are the days of "LINE?"

So here we are, over three weeks in, new scripts in bag, and there are new lines to learn, old lines to unlearn, blocking that doesn't work any more and moments that need clarity. It always makes for exciting rehearsals. I wasn't going to acknowledge, mostly for my own benefit, that while we are over three weeks into rehearsals, we are also less than a week away from opening. I've done productions that had a week to complete everything from first read-thru to opening night, and I know it will be plenty of time. Yet, at the end of each rehearsal, once I am headed home to think about the scenes we worked today and the issues we will face tomorrow, I know I have a lot of work to do.

With a group of such bright, fun and inspiring colleagues, this rehearsal process has been crazy good fun (and good pretzels). I am having a blast contributing to this production. Since this is a new play, there are constantly more and more questions popping up. While that can be frustrating at times, with all this constant discovery, a metamorphosis is occurring right before my eyes. I'm certain even Ovid would be impressed. *wink* And thank Zeus it evolved so much. Even though I like my nice clean script, I don't really want to show it off. I would much rather share the play with you. I've always been better at acting than I am at highlighting and penmanship.

This is my third (wow! Those magical threes!) premiere production I've done with Riverside Theatre. First I was Lydia in Keith Huff's Prosperity in 2005. Then Barbara Miller in Bruce Wheaton's Kinnick. Third, the lucky number Three in Barbara Lau's Raising Medusa. I thank her for giving me my first Greek Chorus personality. I have previously played multiple characters in plays and it is always such fun! In Raising Medusa, I play five characters in the show, three of which are reoccurring. Although I'm anxious about getting all my costume changes right, I will be proud to present Barbara's words to an audience later this week. I hope you are able to share this creation with us. It is a beautiful orchestration of poetry and theatre, power and love, strength and security.

- Jaclyn Johnson

Raising Medusa opens this Thursday at 7:30 pm - reserve your tickets today! Call the box office at 319-338-7672 or visit www.riversidetheatre.org

An Interview with Barbara Lau...

2009-03-27T11:45:00.005-05:00

Looking for more information about Raising Medusa? Check out an MP3 of today's interview with playwright Barbara Lau on KCCK's Culture Crawl. Barbara talks about the process of taking her play from poems to a full blown theatre production.

Raising Medusa opens at Riverside Theatre next Thursday, April 2nd at 7:30 pm. Tickets are on sale now - call the box office at 319-338-7672 or visit www.riversidetheatre.org

Check back next week for more behind the scenes looks at the play, as well as links to local press coverage. Hope to see you at the show!

Thursday Theatre Talk - Raising Medusa

2009-03-19T10:07:00.005-05:00

Curious about Raising Medusa? Wondering how this play is going to blend realistic contemporary scenes with traditional elements of Greek theatre? Wondering who Medusa is... and what she has to do with a rebellious teenager?

Then make plans to attend next week's Thursday Theatre Talk - March 26th at 5:30 pm!

Join host Miriam Gilbert, University of Iowa Department of English and Robert Ketterer, UI Department of Classics, for a FREE discussion of the classical myth, as well as the larger question of why dramatists and composers turn so often to the classics for inspiration and adaptation. This "TTT" starts at 5:30 pm at the Gilbert Street Theatre.

Want more information about the show? Visit our website!

Tickets are on sale now - for more information, call the box office at 319-338-7672.

Walking the Wire Opens Tonight!

2009-03-05T13:09:00.004-06:00

Don't miss Walking the Wire! It opens tonight, and will be here for one weekend only! Still not convinced that a "tasty" evening of monologues with a food theme will satisify your "hunger" for theatre? Read below for some preview articles from local newspapers.

Check out articles in the Press Citizen, on CorridorBuzz.com, and in The Daily Iowan.

Tickets are going fast... call 319-338-7672 (or order online) and reserve yours today!

Behind the Scenes: Walking the Wire

2009-02-25T12:17:00.005-06:00

I find myself dashing through the thick Iowa corn field, Jody’s words chasing behind me, “Would you like to act in the monologue you wrote?” I burst through the stalks and see Ink Pond just yards away. I collapse by the side of the water and stare deeply at my reflection. “What do I do?” I ask myself. The water shifts and my reflection answers me, “You must look inside yourself.”

Ok, so perhaps I am starting this blog a little far fetched. I admit, I never ran through a cornfield nor stared intently at the mossy green waters of Ink Pond seeking answers. But it seems so much more dramatic than me sitting in my dorm room pondering the question in my head. I’m getting to far ahead. Time for a flashback, perhaps?

Why, hello! It’s so nice to meet you for the first time ever! My name is Lindsay Tornquist and I am a Theater Major at Cornell College. I consider myself an actor, but I’ve recently gotten into playwriting. Actually, one of my monologues, "A Piece of Cake", was chosen for Riverside Theater’s show Walking the Wire. I’m very excited!

Enough exposition. So where’s the conflict here? Well, I love theater and have been acting since I was old enough to understand what that is. However when I came to Cornell College, suddenly (in a wonderful coming-of-age type of way), I’ve been trying out other areas of theater, like costuming and directing and…[cue dramatic music]… playwriting. I took my first playwriting class about a year and a half ago with playwright C. Denby Swanson. I haven’t stopped writing since. This year I took a class with Naomi Wallace and fell even deeper into the spiral of writing. My monologue was chosen for Walking the Wire and suddenly I’m stuck in a dilemma- Jody asks me if I want to act in my own play.

GASP! What do I do? I am an actor. So one would assume I would want to act. But I want to see someone else perform my work. Hear someone else say my words. But can I really let that opportunity go? What do I do?

And we’re back to the reflection in the water. “Lindsay,” My water reflection says to me, “what do you want to do?” I dramatically splash the water, but the ripples stop and the reflection is still there. I finally look back and reply, “I don’t want to act in my piece.”

Alright, we’ll consider that the climax of the story. Now for the falling action. So I decided I wanted to fully try on these playwriting shoes I’ve found and let someone else perform my piece. I may consider myself an actor, but I must have the courage to look myself in the face and say, “I am a writer,” also. As a great teacher of mine, Bill Schulz, once told said, “A writer writes. If you write, then you are a writer.”

Resolution! As in all stories there is a happy ending. The actress who was chosen for my piece, Ashley Boots, is not only an amazing actress, but also friend of mine. As soon as Jody told me Ashley would be in my show, I could image it perfectly in my head. I couldn’t be happier. As I get up from the pond, I give one last look at my reflection. My watery self smiles as the real me turns and strides back through the cornfield, the orange sun slowly setting into the brilliant amber horizon ahead.

-Lindsay Tornquist

Lindsay's piece, "A Piece of Cake", will be performed by Ashley Boots during Walking the Wire: Monologues at Riverside - Food! The show runs from March 5 - 8, and tickets are on sale now. To reserve your seats, call the box office at 319-338-7672 or visit http://www.riversidetheatre.org/

Behind the Scenes: Walking the Wire

2009-02-16T11:16:00.010-06:00

For me, and for a lot of other actors I know, the stand alone monologue is among the most daunting of pieces to prepare. Above all, it’s a true test of skill. Public speaking without a net. So, “Walking the Wire” is an apt description of the feat you will witness March 5 – 8.

So, how do we do it? Well, it all begins with the piece. Monologues—a fancy term for solo speech—generally have a beginning, middle, and end. It could be an anecdote or a confession, a song or a tirade. And I should note that an actor’s process will differ entirely from one to the next, but for me…I get my monologue, roughly five minutes in length (which is an eternity in theatre), and to boot—an original piece. I like that these pieces are brand new because there will be no expectations for how it should be played. I am free to explore the material and put my signature on it. So, once I get the piece, I read it a couple of times and mull over my initial impressions. Then, read it aloud and see how the words sound. It’s amazing how different a piece rings from one’s mind to one’s lips.

One would think that one five minute piece would be a simpler task than a two hour play. For me, it really isn’t. I tend to rely heavily on the rehearsal process. In rehearsals, I learn a lot in a short amount of time. For WTW, we have two individual rehearsals with Ron before the week of show—thus the majority of the time we spend creating the piece is self guided. I prefer dialogue to monologue, because I can use the impulses and reactions from the other actors to guide the scene. Most of that work is moot for a solo piece, so it challenges me to work outside of my comfort zone.

But what about memorization? Is it hard to learn a five minute speech? It can surely be tricky, but it helps to have a system. I have two methods. First, I always write out my lines by hand. That way, I have to slowly churn each word onto paper and check that I’m learning the lines correctly. Second, I tend to learn a lot of lines “on my feet” while working the piece in rehearsal. Once you get a pattern of movement and blocking associated with certain lines, it really helps to solidify them. After a time, you just have to trust that the lines are in your head and will come out in the right order.

When breathing life into a monologue, an actor should answer the questions: why must I (as the character) say this? why now? And more questions tend to arise from there depending on the character. The foremost aspect of creating a monologue, for me, is to find the truth of the character in this moment they’re sharing. This is really hard to explain. It involves being open and receptive as the actor to the suggestions and frequencies of the character. Having empathy, perhaps. One thing that Ron has encouraged me to explore with my piece is to build a rapport with the audience. Good advice. Casting the theatre audience as my character’s audience is really going to help me find that truth and ground myself in her story. It’s a story that will sound familiar to a lot of audience members, which will only help that rapport.

The beauty of Walking the Wire is that you will see one of a kind performances and one of a kind playwriting in a one of a kind theatre. We’ll be using our own breath to make the characters in this variety show come to life. Come and get ‘em while they’re hot!

-Sarah Hinzman

Sarah will be performing a piece by Shirley King, "Sandbags and Sandwiches", during Walking the Wire: Monologues at Riverside - Food! The show runs from March 5 - 8, and tickets are on sale now. To reserve your seats, call the box office at 319-338-7672 or visit http://www.riversidetheatre.org/

Behind the Scenes: Walking the Wire

2009-02-11T10:16:00.008-06:00

To be honest, I was hoping to find someone else to perform my piece. Then I saw Megan Gogerty during Riverside Theatre’s production of Megan Gogerty Loves You Very Much, and was inspired. She is adorable; memorizing and performing a wonderful solo show that she’d written. I decided to opt for bravery, facing head on this question: “Does the audience hate me, what I’ve written, or both?”

I foresee only two problems:
1) I am not adorable. 2) Memorization.

I could use my age as an excuse for the lack of memory. I used to look only for things, “Where are my car keys?” “Have you seen my glasses?” Now I also look for phrases and words. “Where is the, you know, white stuff that you use to stick things together?” “Hand me a, that thing, it’s ah, you use it for eating.”

It’s like playing a very tiresome game of charades or catch phrase, by myself and I’m always on the losing team. I’ll use anyone nearby as a resource, even strangers, peering closely into their faces and asking, “What was I saying?” I could use age as an excuse, but performers of my demographic, talented women like Rachel Lindhart and Jody Hovland, dance through pages and pages of memorized text, as dense as Shakespeare, and linguistically challenging as…oh the guy, he writes, it’s French, begins with oh, maybe an M?

So, I am committed. I printed my piece and I read it and say the lines walking my Labradors over the frozen farm field in the morning and at night. They are no help when I ask,” What comes next?” But I think their argument is more substantive, they would have phrased some of it differently, would have chosen different metaphors thanks and do you still have cheese in your pocket?

-Janet Story Schlapkohl

Janet will be performing her piece, "Sacrificial Turkey", during Walking the Wire: Monologues at Riverside - Food! The show runs from March 5 - 8, and tickets are on sale now! To reserve your seats, call the box office at 319-338-7672 or visit http://www.riversidetheatre.org/

Don't Miss "Diamonds or Denim"!

2009-02-04T10:02:00.005-06:00

Looking for a fun night out with your sweetie in February? Then don't miss this year's "Diamonds or Denim" event on February 27, 6:00 pm, at the hotelVetro suites and conference center. Tickets are $45, $35 of which is tax deductible, and all proceeds go directly toward supporting high quality programming at Riverside Theatre!

This year's event will feature hors d’oeuvres from local restaurants and caterers, and a silent and live auction. The 24-item live auction includes trips, furniture, dinners, and more. The silent auction features over 100 items donated by local businesses. The evening will also feature a special performance by Dan Knight and Betsy Hickok, who are partnering to offer a concert for bidding on the live auction.

What sort of items will be featured in the live auction? Click here!

The event will close with a raffle drawing for prizes including a 14 karat two-toned white and yellow gold diamond bracelet valued at approximately $2,800, and a week of fun in the sun at Ann Feldmann's vacation home near Phoenix, Arizona. Roundtrip airfare for two and $200 in golf and dining certificates complete this package, which has an approximate value of $1,150. Winners need not be present to win. Raffle tickets are $10 each or 3 for $25 and can be purchased at the Riverside Theatre box office.

Get your event and raffle tickets today! Call (319) 338-7672, order online, or stop by the Riverside Theatre box office, located at 213 N. Gilbert Street in Iowa City.

Hope to see you there!

Want a preview of Guys on Ice?

2009-01-26T10:18:00.007-06:00

Still trying to decide if Guys on Ice is the show for you? Enjoy this video clip, courtesy of The Daily Iowan. (You'll need Quicktime to view the video.)

Now what's more fun than singing and dancing in snowsuits and boots?

Join us in the ice fishing shanty from now until February 22. Reserve your tickets today by ordering online, or by calling the box office at 319-338-7672.

Hope to see you at the show!

Summer Thoughts on a Snowy Day...

2009-01-19T11:24:00.001-06:00

Need some summer thoughts on a snowy day?

Think ahead to the 2009 Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival!

We are proud to announce (and feeling warmer just thinking about) the 2009 Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival. This summer’s 10th annual festival will feature Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Richard III. Both shows will run in rotation from June 12 through July 12. Tickets will be on sale in April.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Ron Clark, is one of Shakespeare's most magical comedies. Join us for a delightful romp through an enchanted forest as a quartet of mismatched lovers and a gang of hapless actors cross paths with the king and queen of the fairies.

Watch Richard III wage his own private war as he murders, manipulates, and marries his way to the throne. Kristin Horton directs this story of a self-proclaimed villain battling to obtain and retain the crown in one of Shakespeare’s most diabolical history plays.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Richard III will be performed at the Festival Stage in Lower City Park. (We are thrilled to be back in the park after last summer's flooding!) The space, which seats over 400 people, is based on Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre of 1600. Based on a concept by theatre designer Paul Sannerud, the space was designed by Neumann-Monson Architects.

Looking for more information about Riverside Theatre or the festival? Please visit http://www.riversidetheatre.org/! And keep thinking warm thoughts!

Guys on Ice: Choreographer's Blog

2009-01-12T11:12:00.005-06:00

I sat down with Jody at our initial meeting. She told me about the show and what she was looking for in terms of choreography. I had not yet heard the music but was informed that one dance would include the use of snowmobile suits. And I thought to myself, "Well... I'm up for a challenge."

I immediately thought of Ralph from A Christmas Story not being able to move in his snowsuit. But the one thing that stuck with me from that meeting was when Jody said that the show had a lot of heart.

So I got home, read the script from front to back. I laughed, I cried, I fell in love with the characters. I turned on the music and started dancing around my kitchen scribbling notes to myself. I love that the movement needs purpose. It needs to flow and complement what the actor is feeling and portraying to a larger crowd. The dance cannot overpower the music, and it cannot be so intense that the actor loses their breath. So imagine me in my kitchen singing and dancing, completely out of breath, but determined to find movement that worked.

I went into the first rehearsal with a bunch of notes and ideas, but knew that this process was going to be more of a collaboration between the actors, director, and me. It was fun working with Ron and John on stage! The first two rehearsals we set four songs, and it's amazing that once the material soaks in, they danced with ease! They adapted the movement, and it started becoming their own. One thing I love about these actors is that they fully become their character, and are not afraid to take risks! And the direction from Jody was always comforting; she knows what works and has so many great ideas.

It has been so refreshing being with an enthusiastic cast that's willing to do anything! Also, live music (Ruth) is amazing to work with!

I was sitting in on a rehearsal the other night, and got so giddy seeing "Ode to a Snowmobile Suit." It was splendid! The stage and set has grown, the characters have developed, and the dancing looked so natural. Nothing felt forced and, as a choreographer, I felt so proud that they had accomplished that. I am really excited to see the full production from start to finish because, Jody was right, it has a lot of heart!

- Erika Christiansen, Choreographer for Guys on Ice

Need a Dose of Holiday Cheer?

2008-12-10T14:01:00.004-06:00

Winter weather getting you down? Getting stressed by the hustle and bustle of this time of year? Join us at Riverside Theatre this weekend for an early dose of holiday cheer!

Small Miracles, a reading of holiday memoirs by Ron Clark, takes the audience on a journey of far-flung, heartfelt memories of growing up in a small Iowa town where the mayor/street cleaner doubled as Santa.

"What it comes down to is that Christmas is my favorite holiday,” said Clark. “So it seems only natural that I should have a whole battery of stories about the amazing things that have happened to me around this time of year."

So make plans to join us for amusing holiday anecdotes, and a look at the small miracles that happen every day.

There are only two performances, December 13 at 7:30 pm and December 14 at 2:00 pm, so order your tickets today!

Call the box office at 319-338-7672 or order online. Happy Holidays!

Holiday Shopping at Riverside Theatre!

2008-12-01T10:25:00.002-06:00

With the calendar flipped to December and the snow lightly falling... there is no denying the feeling that the holiday season is just around the corner.

Looking for a great gift idea? Look no further than Riverside Theatre!

We've got Leaf Creations by Betsy Snow Hickok, gift certificates for the rest of our Gilbert Street season and the upcoming Shakespeare Festival, CDs, t-shirts, earrings... Click here for all the details!

For more information on any of these items, stop by the box office or call 319-338-7672.

Theatre Reviews: Megan Gogerty Loves You Very Much

2008-11-25T13:34:00.004-06:00

Have you made it down to Gilbert Street to see Megan Gogerty Loves You Very Much, yet? Tickets are going fast - and there are only three more performances! Check out the links below for the thoughts of a few reviewers who saw the show last weekend:

Loren Keller of CorridorBuzz.com called the show an "often-funny crowd pleaser." Click here for more of his review.

In her review in the Cedar Rapids Gazette, Marcella Lee called Megan Gogerty "sharp, observant, sometimes caustic, but always funny" and even likened her to "a female version of Dave Barry." Click here for the full review.

Sharon Falduto, who reviewed on behalf of the Iowa City Theatre Blog, felt that Megan handled the more personal aspects of the show with "warmth but without sappy oversentimentality; when a moment threatens to get too Hallmark-ish, she brings the house down with a well-timed laugh." Click here to continue reading her review.

The show continues through November 30. Click here to order tickets online, or call the box office at 319-338-7672.

A Behind the Scenes Look at Megan Gogerty Loves You Very Much

2008-11-20T11:33:00.005-06:00

Hi, I'm Megan Gogerty. I'd like to take you behind the scenes of my new solo show, Megan Gogerty Loves You Very Much, opening Friday at Riverside Theatre.

So. Here we are. Behind the scenes. The scenes are in front of us and we, as they say, are behind them.

[Whistles.]

You probably want to know a lot of the inside dirt, huh? Some dish? Gossip? Well, let me tell you: I know where all the bodies are buried in this particular production!

[Wracks brain.]

Ooh, here's a good one. The lead actress? A real handful. She thinks it's all about her. Also, the director keeps telling her to put on more make-up. She's not sure what to make of this. Isn't one of the benefits of living in Iowa that nobody minds if you’re pale and pasty looking in November?

Of course, I'm pale and pasty looking in July, but that's another issue.

What else? [Thinks some more.] The writer keeps making changes to the text, which the actress promptly ignores.

It's rather schizophrenic, doing a solo show. Luckily, the director is also an accomplished actor and has written and performed quite a few solo shows himself, so he takes all the talking-to-myself stuff in stride.

Here's a fun game: When you come to the show, keep your eyes open for the red bird in Act Two. There is no red bird in Act Two, so if you see one, that means there’s something really wrong with you. And isn't it better to discover that sort of thing when you're among friends, enjoying yourself at the theatre?

I hope you like the show. My mother loves it. She hasn't seen it yet, but she assures me it's the best thing I’ve ever done. So I got that going for me. Which is nice.

- Megan Gogerty

Megan Gogerty, Hillary Clinton, and Riverside Theatre

2008-11-18T12:43:00.004-06:00

According to Megan Gogerty, her show opening at Riverside Theatre this weekend is really the story of how Hillary Clinton got her pregnant.

While she doesn't reveal all the details in her interview with Cole Cheney from CorridorBuzz.com, Gogerty said that "some things in national politics led me to move from California to Iowa and have a baby along the way."

Intrigued? We hope so! For the rest of the story about Megan and Hillary, as well as more hilarious personal and political tales -- make plans to attend Megan Gogerty Loves You Very Much!

Want more information? Visit www.riversidetheatre.org!

There are only 6 performances (November 21 - 30) and tickets are going fast! Call the box office at 319-338-7672 or order online.

Raising Medusa Auditions November 8!

2008-11-05T09:25:00.002-06:00

Calling all actors!

Riverside Theatre will be holding area auditions for the world premiere of Raising Medusa by Barbara Lau on Saturday, November 8 beginning at 2:00 pm at the theatre, 213 N. Gilbert Street.

The play is directed by Mary Sullivan and begins rehearsals March 2; production dates are April 2-19.

Roles are available for two young adult females: Maddie (able to play age 14) and Venesa (able to play punky teen as well as more mature ensemble roles). Audition requirements include a photo/resume, one contemporary monologue of 1-2 minutes, and cold reading from the script.

To sign up for an audition, please call the Riverside Theatre Box Office at 319-338-7672.

Please contact Jody Hovland at artistic@riversidetheatre.org or at 319-887-1360 with any questions.

Want more information on Raising Medusa? Visit www.riversidetheatre.org

Theatre Reviews: Coffee and Hope

2008-10-30T09:44:00.009-05:00

Tonight's performance kicks off the second weekend of Coffee and Hope at Riverside Theatre. Looking for a little inside information about the show? Click on the links below to read the thoughts of three reviewers that visited us on opening weekend.

According to Rob Cline's article on CorridorBuzz.com, Coffee and Hope is "richly layered" and the powerful stories provide audiences with both comedy and drama. Click here to read more.

Marcella Lee's peice in the Cedar Rapids Gazette said that "one would have to have a heart of stone" not to be moved by Coffee and Hope. Click here to continue reading.

In his review for the Iowa City Theatre Blog, Matthew Falduto called Coffee and Hope "a series of wonderfully written and performed monologues about a central theme that touches everyone, whether they've personally dealt with the pain of loving someone with cancer or not." Click here for the full review.

The show continues through November 9... and tickets are still available! Click here to order online, or call the box office at 319-338-7672.

Hope to see you at the show!

A Delicious Way to Donate!

2008-10-21T11:16:00.005-05:00

Looking for a delicious way to donate to Riverside Theatre? Look no further than the Motley Cow Cafe!

The Motley Cow is donating 8% of the gross sales of their Sunday brunches to Riverside Theatre during the run of Coffee and Hope.

So make plans to brunch at the Motley Cow (160 N. Linn Street) on Sunday October 26, Sunday November 2, and Sunday November 9 between 9:30 am and 2:30 pm. Enjoy great food for a great cause!

And while you're at it... why not make a day of it? Follow up your delicious meal with a terrific Sunday afternoon performance! Tickets are still available for Coffee and Hope. Call the box office at 319-338-7672 or click here to order online!

Coffee and Hope: Playwright's Blog

2008-10-09T10:12:00.005-05:00

Kevin Harris is doing a wonderful job of directing Coffee and Hope. His fresh approach is shaking things up and leading me to further, albeit minor, rewrites in the script.

There is an old adage that "rehearsal is where we make up for the mistakes we made when casting the play." We're into the second week, and there are clearly NO mistakes to be corrected in that department. It's really comforting to have my old friends John Watkins and Tim Budd back on stage with me again. And David Combs' presence is a huge help. It has been several years since he worked at Riverside Theatre to do Edward Albee's The Goat with us and it's wonderful to have his inventiveness serving the production. Brian Bentz is the brand new kid on the block, but his passion and work ethic are making his roles as memorable as anyone's.

I only hope to keep up with them.

Being both the writer and actor at the same time has its challenges... Kevin has agreed to let me wear only one hat at a time: no script revision questions when I'm acting. Now if only I could follow that rule. It's just way too tempting when I hear a clunky phrase or word choice to not jump in with an onsite rewrite.

My fellow actors are certainly being very patient with me. We set a firm deadline for the script to be "locked in"... that was two days ago. It's good to work with professionals and friends who share my personal commitment to this project and who are willing to continue working on fine-tuning the words on the page.

Ron Clark

From Riverside Theatre to Broadway...

2008-10-08T10:11:00.003-05:00

Did you see the article in today's Daily Iowan about Paul David Story? Click below to read about an acting journey that started with our Young People's Company and led to his current role as the understudy for Daniel Radcliffe in Equus. Just think... you never know which future Broadway-bound actors you could see on the Riverside stage!

West High graduate a Daniel Radcliffe understudy on Broadway - Daily Iowan, 10/8/08

The Beginnings of Coffee and Hope

2008-09-29T10:18:00.004-05:00

April '06: As our plane touched down in the Raleigh-Durham airport, I pondered what had brought us here. The last eight months had been trying for both Jody and me - She found the lump on her breast in August '05 and by April '06 she had endured three surgeries and two rounds of chemotherapy. She was declared "cancer-free" by her doctors and we were heading to the ocean to celebrate...

On our first full day at the beach house, Jody is able to walk only about a mile. The last eight months have taken an enormous toll on her body and spirit. BUT, less than a week later, she is jogging with me for up to three minutes at a time and we walk/jog the entire distance to the point – over two miles each way. It is the most remarkable healing I have ever witnessed.

Back in Iowa I am still not sure of what to do with all I have learned and felt through this crisis. I suggest to a friend that I have an idea for a one-man show - working title: BOOB, ONE GUY’S TAKE ON BREAST CANCER. He chuckles and says it might be fun someday, but that I have only begun to climb the mountain to find the "new normal." I have no idea what he means.

April '07: I find myself back at the North Carolina beach house once again (BIG thanks to Julie and Carl for letting me repeatedly retreat there.) Now I know what my friend meant. I have met 50 brave men through Men Against Breast Cancer: all caregivers, all of them part of my "Band of Brothers." I have interviewed over 20 guys and gotten their take on what it means to be a primary caregiver for the woman you love and fear losing. With them I have climbed a mountain to help redefine what Jody’s and my life together means.

With me are reams of notes, and transcriptions of interviews ready for cutting and pasting on my laptop. I confront the daunting task of writing the first draft, including song lyrics, of the play we start rehearsing September 30. That’s September 30 2008. Coffee and Hope opens in less than a month.

The time has come to share all these guys' amazing stories – I hope the production proves worthy of their trust.

More to come soon.

Ron Clark

Theatre Reviews: Stones in His Pockets

2008-09-09T09:40:00.006-05:00

Wow! We had a great opening weekend for Stones in His Pockets. We also had a few reviewers stop by and see the show.

Matthew Brewbaker had a blast reviewing Stones on behalf of the Iowa City Theatre Blog. Check out his review here!

Loren Keller from Corridorbuzz.com encourages audiences to see Stones for "the acting magic." Click here to read his review!

If you haven't made it to a performance yet... no worries! There are 12 more shows before the end of the run. Visit our website to order tickets today. Hope to see you at the show!

Stones in His Pockets: Director's Blog

2008-09-02T13:37:00.002-05:00

You probably think Macintosh or Cortland when you think of "Apple Boxes" - but in the film industry they're something else entirely. Scott Olinger, scenic and lighting designer for Stones in His Pockets, first introduced them in an early production meeting as a possibility for creating flexible set pieces.

Traditionally these Apple Boxes - wooden boxes of varying sizes with hand holes on each end - are used to prop up furniture or light-stands, leveling a camera dolly track, or providing temporary seats, workbenches, and steps. If the Apple Box is used to make an actor appear taller, either because of their height, or because of the way a particular shot is composed, it's sometimes jokingly referred to as a "Man Maker." Think Tom Cruise.

Our six boxes in Stones create acting levels, specify location, and even make jokes (only Tim Budd could turn acting with boxes into a laugh). The actors manipulate the boxes into a bus, bar stools, a prayer kneeler, and much more. Oh -and they do make one of the play's fifteen characters TALLER.

Jody Hovland

Stones in His Pockets: A Day in the Life of a Costumer

2008-08-29T12:01:00.004-05:00

Working as a costume designer is rarely an experience like very many other occupations. My responsibilities change drastically depending on the show I am working on or even day to day. One day I could spend shopping at every local resale store to find the ugliest plaid pants possible and the next day spent dyeing various scarves, sweaters, and shirts just the right shades of pink, green, or blue. One of the things that keeps this job exciting is that I'll never know what will be the biggest challenge for a new play (or what kind of strange look I'll get from the salesperson when I walk up to the counter with every single pair of blue tights that they have in stock and more fake flowers than I can carry).

With the most recent show in rehearsal now, Stones in His Pockets, the challenge was unlike any other show I've worked on before. With thirteen characters and only two actors (Tim Budd and Jim Van Valen), this show is unique because we see a whole town full of people being portrayed by two men, often switching characters multiple times within one page of the script. My job is to find an interesting way to help the actors portray all the different roles quickly and easily. Initially, I envisioned mind-blowing five second costume changes from a farmer's pair of grubby overalls, work boots and woolen sweater to a posh dress, wig and sunglasses fit only for a Hollywood diva. But this time the show required different plans than my overly elaborate daydreams.

With the praiseworthy speed and frequency in which these two men change their voices and body language, the costumes had to keep up. Translation = simplify, simplify, simplify... and lots of secret pockets. Through collaboration with Jim, Tim, and our director, the fabulous Jody Hovland, to find the perfect solution - we pinned down specific hats, scarves, sunglasses and more to signify each character. By means of costume pieces that can be tucked away in pockets, behind shirt collars and under jackets the audience is given just enough information to envision the same person as a catholic priest one moment and a stuck-up movie director the next.

As we inch closer to the September 5th opening, various ideas continue to shift and change, keeping me, as always, on my toes and loving it. Besides, with all the whirlwind of activity on stage it would be hard for me not to enjoy watching how Jim and Tim develop such interesting and often hilarious characters out of the costumes they have been given... an experience truly worth seeing.

Much love from the world of sewing machines and silly hats,
Lindsey Robinson

Stones in His Pockets: Director's Blog

2008-08-16T17:12:00.001-05:00

Today we had what's called a "stumble through" of the entire play - five days after our first rehearsal! This is designed to give the designers a chance to see how the playing space is being used, what the demands will be on costumes, what props are still needed, and where the landscape of the play needs to be partnered with sound and lights. It's a lot of pressure for actors (Tim Budd and Jim Van Valen) who are still holding their scripts while trying to remember where the heck they're supposed to be and which of the 15 characters they're transitioning into at any particular moment.

And if that wasn't harrowing enough - then we hauled them out to rural Solon to stand in a pasture with a small herd of cows while photographer Bob Goodfellow took their picture for a media release. "We'd just like a photo of a single cow - the one with the black and white face would be great - with an actor on each side," the director naively announced. Right. In spite of having grown up in a farm family, my cow savvy was in short supply. Every time the actors moved close to the cows, they backed up, a bovine chorus line. Jim and Tim held out apples and corn, luring them closer, then tried to quickly drop the food from view so Bob could shoot a photo. Meanwhile Charlie the donkey is getting way too familiar with Bob, who keeps admonishing him, "Charlie, I'm telling you, this just isn't going to work out."

Bob's a wizard. He (and his computer) will whip those bossies into photographic shape. Stay tuned - after this, the acting might seem easy!

Jody Hovland

Thoughts from Tim

2008-06-23T14:11:00.006-05:00

Seen in countless RT productions, such as Apartment 3A, Doubt, Lonesome West, King Lear, and others, Tim Budd is a recognizable face around the theatre.

Tim is currently playing Polixenes in The Winter's Tale (and Antipholus of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors) and recorded a brief YouTube spot about Shakespeare's rich language found in The Winter's Tale.

Tim Budd and The Winter's Tale

Riverside Theatre is asking for help!

2008-06-20T14:34:00.002-05:00

Riverside Theatre is seeking donations to protect the current season of the Shakespeare Festival. Due to the flooding of City Park, and our subsequent move to City High School, ticket sales for the opening weekends of The Comedy of Errors and The Winter’s Tale were drastically affected – the first weekend alone grossed less than 50% of previous seasons.

In addition, though we were able to move most of our costume stock and tools from our shop, we’ve likely lost some valuable equipment, set pieces and props.

While we feel fortunate to be able to continue with our performances, we need your help! Please consider (in addition to attending the shows) making a tax-deductible contribution to the Shakespeare Festival. Since we are a non-profit, and all of our income goes directly back into the organization, your contribution will help us meet our immediate needs: which includes paying our seasonal artists and year-round staff.

Meanwhile, our festival artists are having a wonderful time performing in our home-away-from-home at City High. We hope you'll come experience this festival with a twist - bring a blanket and picnic on the school lawn, watch the green show and then venture into Opstad for a truly unforgettable evening of theatre.

Many thanks for your support!

Sara O'Leary
Development Director

To donate online, please visit our website.

A Flood Update

2008-06-17T13:35:00.009-05:00

The Shakespeare is on, as scheduled, June 13 - July 13, at Opstad Auditorium at City High School in Iowa City. We have a wonderful new home for the summer and are so grateful to the Iowa City Community School District for their gracious support.

The Riverside Festival Stage in Lower City Park is flooded. The latest eyewitness reports that the water is covering the both the chairs and the stage at this point. We vacated our scene and costumes hops, which is in the basement of a strip mall at the corner of 1st Avenue and the strip in Coralville. We weren't able to get everything, but we did remove all tools, most of our hanging costumes and a few set pieces.

We don't need volunteers currently, but may need some assistance for clean-up and restocking the scene shop once we can get back in!

For updates on other arts and culture organizations in the area, please visit www.culturalcorridor.org for extensive information.

Press-Citizen Review

2008-06-17T13:33:00.001-05:00

Flood doesn't stop good production
DEANNA TRUMAN • JUNE 17, 2008
Iowa City Press-Citizen

Despite several curve balls, Riverside Theatre pulled off opening night of its Shakespeare Festival on June 13 with plenty of laughs. Floodwaters forced the company to move opening weekend of "Comedy of Errors" to City High's Opstad Auditorium. The festival traditionally takes place at the Riverside Theatre festival stage in City Park.

The company only had a few days to switch gears. What really came through Friday was their desire to tell a good story.

Normally, opening night of the festival is close to if not sold out, leading to an audience of 400 plus. On Friday night, the audience was closer to 100 people.
Despite several empty seats, actors were on top of their game, performing as if the auditorium was packed.

A bonus is that this opening show, "Comedy of Errors," is full of laughs; something the community really needs right now.

In fact, the show is thought to be one of Shakespeare's funniest. It centers on two sets of identical twins, with identical names, who are separated during a shipwreck and appear 25 years later in Ephesus.

Both pairs of twins: Aaron Graham (Dromio of Ephesus) and Martin Andrews (Dromio of Syracuse) and Tim Budd (Antipholus of Ephesus) and Dennis Fox (Antipholus of Syracuse) did a superb job.

Ron Clark, production manager, has said: "When you are doing the classics, your job is to make them accessible."

Not only did Riverside manage to make "Comedy of Errors" accessible, but they also managed to make it quite entertaining.

At the end of the evening, Clark graciously thanked audience members for "knowing the festival is open."

While the festival will not take place under the sky, at least not for many weeks still, actors proved June 13 that it is not the open outdoors that makes the event, but professional actors who give their all to bring a different world to life.

Fourteen professional actors and eight interns traveled from as far away as California and New York to take part in the event. Come and see them before they're gone.

The festival needs just as much support at City High as at City Park.
Yes, there is an awful lot going all, but then we all need to laugh, too.

Reach Deanna Truman at 339-7360 or dtruman@press-citizen.com.
IF YOU GO
• What: Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival.
• When: Runs through July 13. "The Comedy of Errors" opened Friday. "The Winter's Tale" opens at 8 p.m. Friday. The plays run in rotary.
• Where: The festival normally takes place at the Riverside Theatre Festival Stage in Lower City Park. However, due to flooding, the festival currently is taking place in City High's Opstad Auditorium.
• Cost: $25 to $37 for adults, $21 to $30 for senior citizens and students, $17 for student rush, $15 for youth, $17 all-age weekday rush Wednesdays and Thursdays (cannot be pre-ordered). Group discounts are available.
• Information: Call 338-7672.

Riverside Theatre Festival Preview

2008-06-10T11:50:00.003-05:00

The Cedar Rapids Gazette printed a preview about the festival in the paper on June 8, 2008. Enjoy!

http://cedarrapidsgazette.ia.newsmemory.com/default.php?token=273320233612193

The Show Must Go On....

2008-06-10T11:07:00.006-05:00

Yikes! There have been a lot of changes around here. Due to massive flooding and the closing of City Park, the show is on the move...back to high school.

To escape the flood waters lapping across the main road into City Park, we've temporarily relocated to the City High School Auditorium. Thanks to a use of facility agreement with the Iowa City Community School District, we will have use of the space for the entire run of the festival. However, we're crossing our fingers. If the water level subsides and City Park reopens, the shows will move back out to the park.

For more information about this move, check out Relocation FAQ.

Map of City High School

Another show has moved: The Will Power Dress Rehearsal Performance has moved to Thursday, June 12 at 8 pm, City High School.

Fix the Grave, Don't Touch the Bones

2008-05-29T12:34:00.003-05:00

Yahoo! News is reporting that Shakespeare's grave is in need of repair.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080528/ap_en_ot/britain_shakespeare_s_grave

Iowa City...in a folder

2008-05-28T13:47:00.000-05:00

When rehearsals begin for Shakespeare Festival each summer, all guest artists receive a packet containing information on the Festival, Riverside Theatre, and the Iowa City area and all it has to offer. We try to provide them with everything they’ll need to get into the flow of Iowa City, whether they’re from Chicago, Kansas City, or New York. This summer, it was up to me to assemble everything we’d need to fill these packets. And I had to wonder, how do you distill what’s important about Iowa City into just one folder?

First things first: the food! I’ve seen how actors can eat on rehearsal breaks or after a demanding show, so I knew food was first on the agenda. I broke it down into a few different kinds of places. The first was “Quick and Dirty,” the places where you could run in, grab what you need, and hightail it back to rehearsal in fifteen minutes. Knowing also that fast food can really weigh you down in rehearsal, I pointed them to better-for-you options like Panchero’s, Jimmy John’s, or even Oasis. Next was “Sit Back & Relax,” where a bunch of company members might want to grab a more leisurely bite on their day off or on the long dinner break. These included Hamburg Inn (a favorite for last year’s company), The Mill, or Bread Garden. Then there was “Elegant Dining,” fancier fare to celebrate a show’s opening or to take family who come into town to see the shows. Linn St. Café, the Motley Cow, and Devotay all made that list. Add to that the local coffeehouses, grocery stores and of course some after-hours hotspots, and I figure the summer should be full of good eats and drinks for the RTSF company. Several places I contacted even threw in coupons or special deals for the RTSF artists. Gotta love Iowa City!

Next: the gyms. Actors love to work out, after all, so I knew I had to send them somewhere! I had to dig around a bit on this, because the out-of-towners are only going to be here a total of eight weeks, and short-term memberships are hard to come by. However, we got the non-local company a great deal at Iowa City Fitness, which has a great location (right on the ped mall) and great hours (24-hours everyday!).

Finally, I wanted to give them a sense of all that Iowa City has to offer. I made notes about summer events in the area, from the Farmer’s Market to the Jazz Festival. I gave them information on the rec center, area libraries, and the wonderful bike library for artists who didn’t want to drive all summer. We got offers from The Bodysmith Massage and Bella Vita Chiropractic for special RTSF service deals. Trying to put Iowa City on paper was tricky, but I’m hoping that the company has a good sense of it by the time they leave and that they find all the ways there are to enjoy their summer here.

-Danielle Karczewski, Administrative Assistant

Exit, persued by a bear

2008-05-08T12:11:00.004-05:00

A spotlight on The Winter's Tale

The Story: (beware of spoilers)

In Sicilia, King Polixenes of Bohemia prepares to return home after visiting his lifelong friend Leontes, the King of Sicilia. Unable to persuade Polixenes to stay longer, Leontes urges his pregnant wife Queen Hermione to try. When she succeeds, Leontes immediately suspects that she and Polixenes are in love, and he becomes violently jealous.

Learning from the nobleman Camillo that Leontes plans to poison him, Polixenes flees home. Leontes jails Hermione despite her protests of innocence. She gives birth to a daughter, Perdita. Hermione's friend Paulina takes the baby girl to Leontes in the hope of softening his heart. But, believing that Polixenes is the baby's father, Leontes angrily orders Paulina's husband Antigonus to take Perdita away and abandon her.

At the trial, a priest proclaims Hermione's innocene. At first, Leontes denies it. Then news comes that Mamillius, the royal couple's son, has died in despair over his mother's treatment. Hermione collapses and is taken away. Leontes begins to recognize his mistakes, but too late, because Paulina returns and announces Hermione's death. Meanwhile, far away in Bohemia, Antigonus abandons Perdita and is killed by a bear. An old shepherd finds the baby and lovingly adopts her.

Sixteen years pass. In the Bohemian countryside, the now-grown shepherdess Perdita is in love with King Polixenes' son, Prince Florizell. The young lovers hide their relationship from the King, who would not approve. Suspicious, Polixenes disguises himself and spies on them at a sheep shearing, where the trickster Autolycus comically sells songs and attempts to cheat the audience. Discovering his son's deception, Polixenes angrily orders punishments for everyone.

The young lovers flee to Sicilia, followed by Polixenes, With Autolycus' help, the old shepherd and his son follow and reveal how they found Perdita and adopted her. The Court realizes that Perdita is Leontes' long-lost heir. At Paulina's home, the statue of Hermione is unveiled and miraculously comes to life.

Comedy or Tragedy:

Well actually, neither. It's a romance. The modern term (not a classification in Shakespeare's time) refers to a hybrid play, with comic and tragic elements. The four such plays commonly grouped as romance are Pericles (1607-1608), Cymbeline (1609-1610), The Winter's Tale (1610-1611), and The Tempest (1611).

*Like a comedy, romance includes a love-intrigue and culminates in a happy ending.
*Like a tragedy, romance has a serious plot-line (betrayals, tyrants, usurpers of thrones); it is darker in tone (more serious) than comedy.

While tragedy emphasizes evil, and comedy minimizes it, romance acknowledges evil -- the reality of human suffering.

Characterists of a romance include:

*an enveloing conflict (war, rebellion, jealousy, treachery, intrigue) that may cover a large timespan (conflict begun a generation before events of play) and is resvoled at end of play
*happy endings to potentially tragic situations (i.e. apparent resurrection, sudden conversions, etc.)
*themes of transgression, expiation and redemption; villain(s) penitent rather than punished at end
*improbable plots, rapid action, surprises, extraordinary occurrences (shipwrecks, disguises, riddles, children/parents lost and found, supernatural events/beings)
*characters of high social class, rural and court settings, extremes of characterization (exalted virtue and deep villainy)
*love of a virtuous hero and heroine, "pure" and "gross" loves often contrasted

More information about romances can be found at http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dschwart/engl339/romance.html.

Playwrights in the News

2008-05-05T14:07:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to some of our favorite Riverdogs! Perhaps you know these folks from The Evidence or goat show?

(First posted at http://news-releases.uiowa.edu/2008/may/050108kennedycnt.html)

May 1, 2008

UI students win awards at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival

University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts students Sean Christopher Lewis, Jennifer Fawcett and Jessica Dart won awards at the national American College Theatre Festival, held in late April at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Lewis won the Rosa Parks Playwriting Award for "The Aperture," Fawcett won the National Science Playwriting Award for "Twenty Moments in the Space Between" and Dart won the O'Neill Playwrights Conference Fellowship in dramaturgy.

The goals of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) are to encourage, recognize and celebrate the finest and most diverse work produced in university and college theater programs; to provide opportunities for participants to develop their theater skills and insight, and achieve professionalism; to improve the quality of college and university theater in America; and to encourage colleges and universities to give distinguished productions of new plays, the classics and experimental works.

Through regional and national festivals, KCACTF participants celebrate the creative process, see one another's work and share experiences and insights within the community of theater artists. The KCACTF honors excellence of overall production and offers student artists individual recognition through awards and scholarships in playwriting, acting, criticism, directing and design.

Since its inception, KCACTF has given more than 400,000 college theater students the opportunity to have their work critiqued, improve their dramatic skills and receive national recognition for excellence. More than 16 million theatergoers have attended approximately 10,000 festival productions nationwide.

The UI Department of Theatre Arts is among the most-honored programs in the history of the KCACTF, receiving many of the organization's highest honors in playwriting, design, acting and production. The UI was the inaugural winner of an award for support of student playwrights, administered by ACTF for the Association for Theatre in Higher Education.

Shakespeare's Globe and the Riverside Festival Stage

2008-05-01T10:51:00.009-05:00

I like to think that RTSF has a strong connection with the Globe Theatre in London. After all, the festival stage in Lower City Park was designed with the Globe in mind (see below). But here's one more connection. Among other shows in the upcoming summer season, the newly restored Globe in London will present King Lear and The Merry Wives of Windsor. (Sound familiar?) Not only that, but in an interview with Dominic Dromgoole (The Globe's Artistic Director) he talks about his penchant for disorder and chaos, calling Lear Shakespeare's "biggest and messiest". Perhaps they'll use deconstructed clothing as well? Well, it just goes to show that great theatre minds think alike....

A Brief History of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre:

The original Globe Theatre was built in 1599 for the Lord Chamberlain's Men in Bankside on the Thames. Although the Globe was rebuilt on the same site after a fire, it remained home to Shakespeare's company until the closure of all theatres by England's Puritan administration in 1642. In 1644, no longer in use, it was demolished.

Elizabethan playhouses were not truly circular; they were polygonal buildings. A small portion of The Globe was excavated in 1989 and researchers discovered it was originally a 20 sided building with a 100 foot diameter. The original Globe was three stories high and seated up to 3,000 people. The nobles occupied the preferred, most expensive seats in the covered galleries and on the stage itself. Below them stood the "groundlings".

The new Globe Theatre was built 200 yards from the original. Founded after 25 years of work by Sam Wanamaker, it opened in 1997. The working replica seats 1,500 people between the galleries and the groundlings.

The Riverside Festival Stage is loosely based on Shakespeare's Globe Theatre of 1600. Festival Stage designer, Paul Sannerud, (also designing this summer's productions of The Comedy of Errors and The Winter's Tale) used elements such as the flag flying overhead (the Globe's way of announcing a performance), the circular configuration of the building, the open acting platform with a balcony above, and the positioning of the audience around the trust (3/4 round) stage. The major difference between the Globe and the Riverside Festival Stage is the use of lighting. The Elizabethan theatres performed their plays in the afternoon because the sun was all they had to light the outdoor stage.

A Virtual Tour of The Globe Theatre: While it makes me a little dizzy, it's very cool.

Shakespeare Purists Beware

2008-04-30T10:59:00.010-05:00

An interesting blog popped up today in my *Arts Journal daily email. Clicking on "Shakespeare's Words Made Poorer - The Guardian (UK) 04/29/08" took me to an article called "Lose the language and you lose Shakespeare", a rant in response to a recent book release called "To Be or Not To Be, Innit?" Satirist Martin Baum has rewritten 15 of Shakespeare's plays, described as "yoof speak". (To be honest, I'm not sure what this is or how to describe it but if you go to the website, that should give you a pretty good idea). Hamlet becomes 'amlet, The Two Gentlemen of Verona becomes Two Geezas of Verona, you get the idea.

This is nothing new. Movies through time have taken their own cultural spin on the classics (i.e. Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet). And on a personal note, my brother, at age 11, rewrote A Midsummer Night's Dream (did you see the production at the Englert?)

Another Riverside tie-in. Remember Jackson Doran? He's in a production at Chicago Shakespeare Theater called "Funk It Up About Nothin'". This "ad-rap-tation" is created and directed by GQ and JQ. In anticipation of "The Comedy of Errors", check out this YouTube video of their production of "The Bomb-itty of Errors".

Whether you're a total Shakespeare purist or love the humor in it all, there's no doubt about the relevance of Shakespeare in modern culture.

*www.artsjournal.com is a website dedicated to the "daily digest of arts, culture and ideas". It's a fantastic website, one I get a lot of inspiration from.

Shakespeare's Influence

2008-04-29T14:36:00.010-05:00

Bet you weren't aware we borrowed Shakespeare's words...

If you've ever been footloose and fancy free

If you've ever thanked someone from the bottom of your heart

If you've ever been left high and dry

If you ever took a test that you thought was a piece of cake

If you've ever refused to budge an inch

If you've ever been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hood winked, or

If you've ever knitted your brow, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, stood on ceremony, laughed yourself into stitches, or had short shrift, cold comfort, or too much of a good thing

If you've ever cleared out bag and baggage because you thought it was high time and that is the long and short of it

If you've ever believed the game is up, even if it involves your own flesh and blood

If you ever lie low, till the crack of dawn, through thick and thin, because you suspect foul play

If you've ever had your teeth set on edge, with one fell swoop, without rhyme or reason

And finally, if you now bid me good riddance and send me packing

If you wish I were as dead as a doornail

If you think I am an eyesore, a laughingstock, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded, or a blithering idiot, well then, by Jove, O lord, tut tut, for goodness' sake, and what the dickens!

It is all one to me, even if it's Greek to you, for you are quoting Shakespeare!

We got this from a former RT board member and lover of the bard...

Use the following site to discover where these words and phrases (and more!) came from:

cold-blooded ("King John", Act III, scene i)
hobnob ("Twelfth Night", Act III, scene iv)
puking ("As You Like It", Act II, scene vii)

Here's more than you'll ever need to know! Enjoy!

RiverMail

2008-04-28T12:30:00.008-05:00

I spent a large majority of this morning working on "RiverMail": our monthly email newsletter. I love the process of the writing these emails, which begins with compiling information from the staff about upcoming events, needs, stories, whatever! These emails draw to my attention the number of things going on at the theatre at all times. At any given time, the staff is booking host homes, making sponsorship calls, scheduling interviews, selling tickets....

But you'll read all about this in the May "RiverMail". If you're not on the mailing list, it's easy to sign up. (We promise we won't bombard you with junk!)

1) Hop on our website, www.riversidetheatre.org
2) Type in your email address in the lower left hand box titled "Join our Email List"
3) Follow instructions from there

(See, I told you it was easy...)

Our Passionate (and Long Winded) Shakespeare Actors

2008-04-25T12:08:00.004-05:00

I've just returned from delving into the mind of actors - it was a scary thing! No, I'm just kidding. Actually, I was sorting through the answers to some publicity questionnaires that I sent to the actors. They were asked basic questions about their favorites plays, roles, first acting experience etc. I wasn't expecting to get back such fascinating stories and anecdotes although some of the actors are quite long winded - no, I won't name names! You can read whole deal at http://www.riversidetheatre.org/currentseason/actors/actors.htm

A few things I noticed:

1) These actors have modest beginnings. Cristina Panfilio's first acting experience was a musical called When the Hippos Crashed the Dance! Aaron Graham's was a Fourth of July variety show called "American Pie" where he danced a number from Fiddler on the Roof.

2) Looking for a good read? Favorites plays that came up more than once: Hamlet. Macbeth. August: Osage County. Arcadia. And many of the actors listed Richard III as a role they're dying to play.

3) My favorite responses, however, were to the question "Why does performing Shakespeare interest you?" These actors have a way with words! (I think that's a good thing for their chosen profession...) Love for the language, the depth of its character and the challenge it presents to the actor were highest on the list. Aaron compares it to learning a unique form of music. Martin Andrews talks about the intimiate relationship with the work, a "one night stand" just won't cut it.

What's clear from these responses is passion for the craft. These actors love what they do and I think you'll see that on stage.

Major Brownie Points

2008-04-24T14:42:00.002-05:00

Usher at the Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival!
A note from Nan in the box office...

Riverside Theatre is seeking volunteer ushers for the upcoming Shakespeare Festival performances of The Comedy of Errors and The Winter’s Tale, June 13 – July 13. Get together with a group of friends, co-workers or family members and enjoy a FREE evening of theatre at the Riverside Festival Stage in Lower City Park, Iowa City. In exchange for a four hour time commitment, each volunteer is guaranteed a seat on the show date of your choice, even if it’s a sell-out. You pay nothing for the seats and get oodles of brownie points for helping Riverside Theatre. Feel free to wear matching t-shirt to advertise your business or group – over 400 theatre patrons will know what a swell person/group/business you are!

Interested? Call Nan Martin at the Riverside Theatre box office at (319) 338-7672, Monday through Friday from noon to 4 pm to find out what nights are still available.

From Iowa and Beyond

2008-04-23T14:38:00.003-05:00

You've heard us time and time again. The Shakespeare Festival brings together local artists as well as artists from across the country. Ever wonder exactly where these actors are coming from?

Check this out.

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ElenaP: Behind the Scenes

2008-03-24T10:30:00.000-05:00

Home stretch!

We’re just one week away from opening the show, which means a few things:

1) I will spend most of today wandering around my apartment, muttering, “This time next week! This time next week!” This will upset the cat.

2) Somewhere in Iowa City, Tim Budd is lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out how to make one of his acting moments even smoother than it already is.

3) None of my friends will answer my calls, for fear that I’ll entreat them to “run lines” with me…AGAIN (thanks Ryan, Courtenay and David!)

4) It’s time for press interviews galore! My fellow castmember Jim Kropa will be on the “Culture Crawl Show” (FM88.3) this Friday at 10:20AM; Herr Direktor Ron will appear on the world famous Dottie Ray show (AM800) at 8:45 on Friday, and both Ron and I will tackle the Stephen Grace show (AM800) at 9:00AM on Monday. Tune in, whydoncha.

5) The next few days will be spent undergoing the harrowing process we all know and love called TECH. Starting on Easter Sunday, the cast, crew and designers will slowly weave the lights, set, props and costumes into the mix of the play we’ve been rehearsing. This means a lot of stopping and starting and, usually, quite a bit of laughing, too. In tech, acting rehearsals essentially come to a close. We actors really must hand the show over to its tech requirements for a few days, focusing not on our personal thespian journeys so much as hitting the right marks at the right time in the right outfits. After all, what good are actors if you can’t see or hear them? By Tuesday, however, we’ll be running the show at full steam: lights, sound, acting-- the whole nine. Just in time for opening weekend.

6) And speaking of opening weekend, let me invite you Riverdogs (and also any Rivercats, Riverferrets, Riverhawkeyes, and Riverpolarbears in the blog-o-sphere) to our opening weekend. If you’ve never seen a show on opening night, it’s usually a pretty special evening, charged up with a fresh, palpable buzz. I think the whole run is going to be pretty cool, but the first night is always extra special. Not to mention, you can tell all your friends you saw the show first! So make your reservations for March 27th to catch the opening night fever.

6) I should really be studying my script rather than blogging right now. Because this time next week…

ElenaP: Behind the Scenes

2008-03-14T13:25:00.001-05:00

Ah, costume fittings. In my ten years of working in theatre, I’ve done approximately nine kabillion shows, and each experience of getting clothed for each production has been unique. I’ve had fittings in bar bathrooms and restaurant kitchens and in the living rooms of people’s houses (while the designers kids sat there, watching TV as I stood in my slip). One period show required me to stand completely still for what felt like three hours, in a corset and pumps, while a team of seamstresses literally sewed me into my dress. I locked my knees and passed out halfway through.

But never in said nine kabillion years did I have the costume experience that I just had for 3A.

Thanks to a real costume coup, 3A designer Lindsey Robinson won’t have to build or hunt through the stock to find Annie’s contemporary, business-woman-on-the-go costumes. All of her costumes are coming straight from one of Iowa City’s coolest boutiques—TEXTILES! On Wednesday, I got to walk into a store I love and shop for my character.

Lindsey simply pulled shirts, skirts and dresses right off the racks and, in the comfort of their cute dressing room, I tried on these (designer) dresses, and then twirled around in the three-way mirror so Lindsey could decide whether or not she liked them. It was so cool! Kind of like one of those movie montages where the awkward wallflower gets taken under the wing of some fashion-forward best friend and then gets a sassy new wardrobe that turns her into a super-diva. Cue the upbeat montage music!

What makes this partnership with Textiles an even bigger deal is the fact that Annie’s costume requirements are kind of complex. Not only must they give off the impression of a successful, somewhat style-conscious TV fundraiser, they must also be theatrically functional. The show spans a week in Annie’s life, but is written without “blackouts” or scene changes. If those were in the script, I could run offstage and put on a new outfit, but no dice. So, all the costume changes must happen onstage, and, due to the fluid nature of the script, they must happen very quickly. This means I’ll probably be “underdressed”—wearing entire outfits underneath each other, dropping layers as the show progresses. Thus, in addition to being chic, the costumes must lie flat and not make me look like the Stay-Puffed Marshmallow Woman. Tall order, huh? Makes me glad I’m not a costume designer.

Lindsey hasn’t totally decided what outfits are going to work yet, but the pieces she’s selected so far are pretty dang cool. They’ll also, in their progression, support the emotional journey of this character, as she moves from heartbreak to hysteria to an entirely new page in her personal and emotional life. Who knew a few yards of fabric could do so much work.

More to come (of course!)

ElenaP

p.s. I also had a great time chatting with Riverside’s board at their meeting this week, and, as I told them, Annie’s mix of songs (for which I solicited suggestions in last week’s blog) looks sadly thin so far, with only TWO songs. So, unless more people submit ideas for Annie’s character “mixtape,” I’m going to be sitting in the dressing room, listening to Ron’s suggestion (Peter Frampton!) on repeat before every show. This could affect my performance in frightening ways, people. So don’t be shy! Submit a song that makes you feel like Spring, that makes you feel thoughtful, or that makes you feel like a 30-something PBS fundraiser. Annie (and maybe even Peter Frampton) will really appreciate it!

ElenaP: Behind the Scenes

2008-03-07T14:10:00.003-06:00

Last night, we finished blocking the play! We now have a rough sketch of each character's movements from curtain up to curtain down, a sketch that we'll now spend the next two weeks coloring, polishing, and filling in.

It's funny, but the first week on stage always feels like fumbling in the dark for a lightswitch. In many respects, the components we now have are the same things you'll soon be watching from those cushy red Riverside seats. You'll see the same people, uttering (essentially) the same lines, in (essentially) the same order. But its not a play yet, you know?

My fellow actors and I are still wandering, still searching-- finding the speed of the funnier lines, the tonality of the weightier ones, all the while aquainting ourselves with the rhythm of each reaction in our bodies. In short, blocking rehearsals are a lot of fun (we've laughed A LOT this past week as we've gotten to know both the play and each other) but the whole show still feels nebulous. We can feel the frame and structure of the wall surrounding us, but have yet to locate the smaller, integral switchplate that will illuminate the room in which we stand.

What's got my attention more than anything this week is another common byproduct of the first rehearsal week: seven days into the process, the character I'm playing is still a little under-lit, too. There are already moments where I think I can see Annie as plain as day: staring out the window on page 6, laughing at a story on page 40, threatening to punch someone on page 18. But there are moments in between where I'm not 100% sure how to play her. When Annie says "I don't know what I want to know anymore" is she feeling sarcastic or scared? When she admits that she doesn't know how to waltz, is she embarrassed? When she tells her lover that she never went to her Senior Prom, might she be lying just to get out of telling a racy story?

While some might find these uncertainties unsettling, I find them delicious! I love the detective work of theatre-- the slow, multi-pronged process of discovering a person who only exists on paper. There's lots of ways an actor can bring a character to life for herself. I read once that, Kate Winslet never feels in-character until she finds the right bra. Johnny Depp blasted a different kind of discordant music in each ear to feel more like Hunter S. Thomspon. And, of course, there's Spencer Tracy's more laissez faire approach: "just say your lines and don't bump into the furniture."

Me? I like to make mix CD's-- compilations of songs that my character (even if she exists in an era before recorded music) might enjoy listening to, or might respond to, or might find resonance in. I listen to these mixes before rehearsals or during warm-ups, or at random points in the process when I need to get in the mood.

And since this blog is all about inviting you Riverdogs into our rehearsal process, I thought YOU might want to give me a hand...

What songs might you associate with a girl like Annie? I'd describe her as a savvy 30-something PBS employee who is a little too passionate for her own good. She's an idealist, but also a little sarcastic, having just been dumped. When the play opens, she can feel both her faith--and her sanity-- slipping away. So what would you suggest? The Dixie Chicks? Mahler? Gloria Gaynor? The theme from Rocky? I'm totally open to your suggestions, folks. Character building can be collaborative! Post your songs suggestions in the comments link below, or email them to me at elena-passarello@uiowa.edu. I'll post the playlist next week. And who knows-- if I'm feeling industrious, maybe I'll make a few mixtape copies to distribute among the most faithful "ElenaP Behind the Scenes" readers.

More soon,

ElenaP

ElenaP: Behind the Scenes

2008-02-29T11:36:00.000-06:00

Hello, Riverdogs! Hope all is well in your igloos! Here’s what’s been on my mind this week.

Some may describe it as kismet, others fate; a few characters in Apartment 3A might go so far as to call it a “miracle.” I prefer to call it CONTROLLING THE WORLD WITH MY MIND. No matter which word you use, a certain thing happens to the universe of an actor about the time her rehearsals commence.

When you’re about to enter the “world” of a particular play, weirdly congruous things start happening in the real world. Maybe a song that’s mentioned in the stage directions will be on the radio when you turn on your car, or maybe the classic movie channel will decide to air a weekend of flicks all set in the same time period as the script you’re diving into. In this particular case, shortly before rehearsals started, I was going about my Sunday-in-Winter ritual:

1) Dig out the Sunday Times from its landing spot in the snowy yard.

2) Remove paper from wet and/or frozen bag.

3) Arrange sections in order of interest to me-- Arts and Leisure, Magazine,
Books, Travel, Style, Week-in-Review.

4) Line the cat box with the rest.

There, above the fold of what is my front page, was the headline: IS PBS STILL NECESSARY?

I couldn’t believe it! Annie, my character, is a fundraiser for PBS. She considers herself one of the few remaining true believers in the power of public television, even though, at the top of the show, her faith in the network (and every other aspect of her life) is slipping. Freaky, huh?

This article goes on to report that every year of his presidency, the Bush administration has threatened to cut PBS’s government subsidy by half, thus forcing PBS to petition like crazy, and putting the livelihoods of their affiliates (and thus, their employees, like Annie) in jeopardy every twelve months. The article adds that, as if that fiscal pressure weren’t enough, PBS now has 400 cable channels to compete with, as seen in Apartment 3A, where Dal, the super (played by Riverside veteran Jason Grubbe), refuses to click over to Annie’s Public TV station due to his obsession with the Disney Channel.

Well, PBS might not be necessary anymore, but weird moments like this are, at least for me. The play takes place in a Midwestern town during Lent, and so I now have an immediate sense memory that Annie can use—trudging through the late-winter slush in my pajamas and snow boots, opening a newspaper in my empty apartment and feeling Annie’s lonely, private outrage upon realizing that something she believes in is once again in peril. I can feel her anger as she reads that even the more widely-viewed PBS programs get less of the Nielsen share than “Friday Night Smackdown.” Grrrr. Well, bad news for PBS, good news for my process!

But enough “An Actor Prepares” mumbo-jumbo. I’ll write more in a few days about how we’ve spent the first few rehearsals (five words: sex scene in a church). For today, the only preparing this actor is going to do is choosing an outfit for tonight’s Walking the Wire opening. I hope to see all of you there.

ElenaP

ElenaP: Behind the Scenes

2008-02-18T11:49:00.004-06:00

Hello Riverdogs!

The Riverside crew has asked me to post a weekly blog as the rest of the Apartment 3A team and I investigate, rehearse, and prepare Jeff Daniels’ smart and sweet script for its March 27th opening.

I’m really excited to get started on this piece, which is chock full of emotional layers and iced with really, really funny jokes. I’m equally excited to work at Riverside, a theatre that I consider to be one of the crown jewels of Iowa City! So check back here every week for inside info, musing, ramblings, and a running tally of the myriad occasions in which I fall on my butt (I’ve never been known as a graceful actress, and there’s a scene in 3A with some serious acrobatics).

Back in the fall, Ron and Jody let me know that I was cast in the role of Annie. In the months between the audition and the first read-thru, I’ve bided my time doing two things:

1) Reading through the script--throughout which Annie talks incessantly, shrieking, HOW IN HEAVENS NAME AM I GONNA REMEMEBR ALL THESE LINES!, then calming myself down with a gin-and-tonic.

2) Explaining to friends and family that, yes, this play was written by that Jeff Daniels (or, as my stepfather insists on referring to him, “Dumber”).

Jeff Daniels the “theatre person” has always been a bit of a buzz word in my house. My boyfriend, David, is an actor-turned playwright, like Daniels, and a “Michigander,” like Daniels. All of Daniels’ plays have seen their debut at his Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea, Michigan. David’s parents have seen quite a few of these productions. They’ve decided that Daniels should become their son’s best bud, despite the fact that Daniels and he have decidedly different aesthetics.

They say things like, “Oh, David, you should call up Jeff Daniels and ask him to put on that play you wrote about the murderous 18th century vampires” or “we went to see a Jeff Daniels play that was just like that one you wrote about the West Virginia trailer park! Only this one was set in the city and everybody worked for Public Broadcasting.” These statements are even funnier if you imagine them spoken in very thick accents.

“Dumber” though he may be, Daniels’ plays have received increasing amounts of positive attention, and not just from David’s folks. 3A played off-Broadway last year, and Escanaba in da Moonlight was made into a feature film. And there’s just something so cool about a man who could easily spend his free time lounging in Beverly Hills, collecting residual checks from The Squid and the Whale, Terms of Endearment and, yes, Dumb and Dumber, but who instead chooses to make art in his little Midwestern hometown. Sounds like Daniels might fit right in among the Riverdogs, huh?

When Ron and Jody gave me this script, I read Annie’s first monologue out loud and was immediately struck by this very funny and very emotionally real woman that Daniels created. Before reading any further, I put the script down, turned to R and J and said, “please tell me everything turns out okay for this woman.” She was that evocative. In Annie, Daniels has created a character I found myself instantly caring about, which is no small feat. I hope that, in a few weeks, you all will have the exact same experience when you meet her.

I’ll write more once we start rehearsals next week. Until then, stay warm!

ElenaP

Doubt

2007-12-04T13:07:00.000-06:00

Consider the silent “b” in the word “doubt.” It is a little speck of dirt left over from the past--a quiet reminder that words have histories. The word shares a root sense with a cartload of words based on the notion of “doubleness.” “Doubt” describes the action of wavering between two alternatives. As the history suggests, this movement between two poles is a dynamic condition, not a static one. Contrarily, words such as “sure” or “certain” rise from roots that suggest stasis—something like “safe from cares” in the first case and “already decided” in the second. In this light, “doubt” might be seen as precondition for action or change, while “surety” suggests a hiding place from which one dare not move.

Shanley’s play Doubt is set in a Roman Catholic church and school in 1964. The plot treats the prospect that an adolescent boy has been abused by a priest. “Been there. Done that,” you say. Perhaps not. Shanley didn’t win the 2005 Pulitzer Prize by rehashing headline news. Here he seems almost disinterested in exposing failings of the Church or in flaying the priest. True to his title, he invites questions not pat answers: How does one make a moral choice in an uncertain situation? How many of the comforts of security can be risked in pursuit of an uncertain good?

Setting the play in 1964 is a canny choice since this was a hinge year in our contemporary history—a year in which the many comforts of the post-war and “Camelot” eras began to give way to the changes and uncertainties we usually associate with “The Sixties.” Civil Rights workers die. Race riots erupt. Viet Nam blows up. The Beatles go on TV. Bob Dylan sings, “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” As we recall the difficult but generative uncertainty of that time, we might recall, too, the wisdom of Voltaire: “Doubt is painful. Certainty is ridiculous.”

-Bruce Wheaton
Director, Doubt

Doubt at Riverside Theatre runs January 25 - February 17. Tickets are $24 and are available at the Riverside Theatre box office at (319) 338-7672 or online at https://amber.he.net/~riverdog/buyticketsnow.php.

Goats and Dreams

2007-11-16T11:19:00.001-06:00

Ten years ago, I was in my early 20’s, just out of college and wanting desperately to do something more than just go to auditions and wait for my agent to call (typical daily life of an actor). goat show came out of an exercise in an acting class in which each person had to tell a story about their life. I had waited until everybody else in the class went, hoping that we’d run out of time before my turn came. My life was so boring – I hadn’t had any interesting adventures like these other people. When it came to be my turn I went up, not knowing what would come out of my mouth. What I said was, “I grew up on a goat farm…” And that was the beginning of a very long story.

Although I started writing the show about my own experiences, I soon learned that there was another story that had been going on around me that I, as a child, had been only vaguely aware of. The experience of becoming farmers and forming a goat’s milk company with their closest friends, and then having to leave all of that behind, has left an indelible mark on my parents. They are now in their 60’s, still married and still very invested in that marriage, but there are some scars and what is most important to me, not just as their daughter but as a person who also wants to have a long and satisfying relationship, is seeing how love can survive through those difficulties.

Ten years have passed since I first wrote and performed goat show and I am now the age that my parents were when their adventure in farming began. I am still pursuing my dream of being a theatre artist, a dream that has brought me to Iowa City from Toronto, Canada. While here I have met people that I want to form a company with, including the director of this show, Sean Lewis. Granted this is a theatre company, not a goat’s milk company, but in the large picture that seems like a small difference. The words I say on stage have developed another resonance; not only am I saying the imagined words my mother said to my father, I am saying the words I have said to Sean. To start a company in any business is a risk. It not only demands time and money (and lots of both) but a belief that all of this work is going to be worth something. This belief, this trust, is what will most likely to be battered by the realities of economics, trends, etc, but it is also this more than anything else that will get us through.

To a child, adults seem capable of anything; that they could doubt their decisions or make mistakes seems impossible. At the end of the show I talk about feeling “not grown up yet.” And that’s true – I still don’t, if feeling grown up is feeling sure. But I don’t know if I ever will feel grown up in that sense. Maybe being grown up isn’t about being sure; maybe it’s about believing in risks, in which case it’s closer to childhood than I thought. There’s a very satisfying circuitry behind goat show: to follow my dreams, I wrote a show about my parents following their dreams. Now I’m doing the show as part of a new company, as the next step of following my dreams. And maybe someday I’ll have a child who will be inspired by my story and will decide its worth the risk to follow their dreams.

-Jennifer Fawcett

goat show at Riverside Theatre runs November 23 - December 2. Tickets are $15 and are available at the Riverside Theatre box office at (319) 338-7672 or online at https://amber.he.net/~riverdog/buyticketsnow.php.

Show me show me show me....

2007-10-03T14:14:00.000-05:00

I thought about what I would “blog” for Riverside, what aspect of creating and teaching puppetry would be most interesting or important to share. Most often when I try to write, it comes out like verbal vomit, I am much better at interpretive dance, hence why I am a movement theatre artist. But I realize what I do say a lot at rehearsals is for the students to show me the specific thought with the puppet. What we tell the students over and over is that the primary objective is to show the audience the puppet’s idea. Like in mask work, the movements need to be specific and economical in nature. If a puppet needs to hit another puppet, it can’t simply turn and smack quickly. That action would be too sudden and muddy for the audience to soak in, not because the audience is dim, but because the subtle nuances that humans can add to that action (furrowed brow, eyes widened, nostrils flared, snarl on face) is not available to the mask of the puppet. For this reason you need to break down the action beat by beat. In order for a puppet to hit they would need to, turn head to the other puppet, take a big “angry’ inhale, look at hand, pull that arm back followed by a slight twist in the torso, look at the puppet being hit, exhale as the hand leads elbow and shoulder towards the “soon to be hit” puppet. Then the puppet receiving the action needs to react to the punch to “sell” the hit. Easy right? Nothing to it. Actually it becomes second nature to break down the movements as you get used to the style. The students have picked up the physical timing and run with it.

There has been a world of change since the first week of rehearsal (and only 4 weeks in that is incredibly impressive). Every nudge, look, and tap is tied to a specific want. It is exactly what acting requires, but easier to see how necessary it is in puppetry. I feel I have become a better actor since studying puppetry, because it has taught me that every action has an absolute, required need of a reaction from the other actor in the scene. Now don’t go and tell my acting teachers that a puppet taught me what three years in their classes couldn’t nail into my noggin. It is simply that with a puppet you can’t fake it half way. It is all or nothing. The scene will scream that it isn’t working if the puppet isn’t specific in thought and action. Just a little bit of muslin and fiberfill can say it all…if that isn’t a title for a book I don’t know what is. Ahh, maybe it will make a blog entry one day instead (wink wink).

I want to thank Ron, Jody, and Mark for involving me in this wonderful opportunity and to the students who keep giving me nothing but their best and complete focus. They will knock your socks off…so wear shoes (my joke telling is another reason why I am a non verbal movement theatre artist-just ask my husband).

Enjoy the show,
Stephanie Braun Jacobson

If only life were a musical...

2007-08-31T15:12:00.000-05:00

A young man steps out of Panchero’s and begins to bellow “Tonight, tonight, won’t be just any night . . .” Across the street a middle-aged banker hurries toward the ped mall holding forth with “I’ve grown accustomed to her face . . .” In front of Prairie Lights, a cop stops traffic with “I got the horse right here, his name is Paul Revere . . .” And in a finale, the Hawkeye Marching Band pours out of the Union Bar playing “Seventy-six Trombones!”

If only real life was set to music.

In fact it is. All those people you see with their lips moving as they sit out a stop light? They are not ALL on cell phones or schizophrenic. Lots of them (us) are singing with the radio or are doing a mighty a capella rendition of “I Will Survive.” Or check out the urban kids that hang out doing beat box on street corners. Their musical predecessors were the do-wop quartets that sweetly harmonized under an overpass for that powerful reverb. Even those who are shiest among us sing in the shower. So why does it seem mysterious or unrealistic that people burst into song onstage?

When the human heart is so enthralled with emotion that speech is not adequate, there is no other choice but to sing. Still not convinced? Take this test: close your eyes and remember your first junior high dance, the people that were there, what refreshments were being served, what you were wearing and simplest and best of all – the music that was being played. Don’t resist. ADMIT IT! You want to hum or sing right now. You are 14 again, your heart is on your sleeve, ultimate truths are found in the top 40 and you NEED to sing to really express yourself.

I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE is all about the most basic need and joy of all – to be loved and love back in what is the perfect romance in that moment. Singing is not a choice but an imperative. Come sing along with us.

Ron Clark

COLLECTED STORIES FEATURES SHAMIS BECKLEY

2007-03-14T13:45:00.000-05:00

Most actors spend so much time and energy simply trying to get work, that when they finally do “book” a job, they often experience a surprising amount of panic. As the reality sinks in that they’re responsible for creating a character, and then translating that character honestly to an audience, an inevitable amount of self doubt usually begins to creep into the process. I had the privilege, when I was in college, to study with Philip Seymour Hoffman. He told our class that when he books a part, he spends at least one day worried, wondering why he was cast, sure that a mistake has been made. So, when I find myself in this position, I’m assured that even the best actors feel this way, that it’s not just me, and then, I go to the text. I really, truly feel, that the text can save you as an actor. The text is your safety net.

Before the first rehearsal I always read the play three times. Once for the story, once to achieve a better understanding of the relationships at work in the play, and once for my character. I try to have a sense for the play on multiple levels so that when I begin the rehearsal process I can make choices that are helpful not just for my character but for the play in its entirety. As rehearsals progress, I keep the script close. I’m constantly going back to the play, looking at each moment, discovering how my character moves forward. Why does my character say that next line? Is it inevitable? The rehearsal process always seems to fly by, so I try to take advantage of every available second. While I’m in the process of going through the script, and discovering things, I don’t try to memorize my lines. I try to learn them emotionally. It’s necessary to do this, I think, because it helps me find the important moments for my character, and justify the emotional beats.

Since, I’m an actor who works from the text, I feel privileged to be working on a Donald Margulies play. Collected Stories is an exceptional, complicated and thoughtful piece, and I was excited to tackle Lisa. My boyfriend is a writer at the Writer’s Workshop, so I had an immediate familiarity with the life of a writer. Still, I found the role fascinating and challenging, not simply for the moral questions in the piece, but because she is an interesting character who grows substantially during the play.

I’m thankful to the Riverside Theatre for allowing me the opportunity to play such a complicated woman in such a wonderful piece. I have had a fantastic time and I hope our audiences do too!

- Shamis Beckley

2007-02-02T09:54:00.000-06:00

From Ron Clark (Marvin in Guys on Ice)

So the question arises from insiders as well as interested patrons: “Do you have to prepare as seriously for a comic role like Marvin in Guys on Ice as say the title role in King Lear? The simple answer is, “yes” and “no.”

I always think it’s a huge mistake to not think about the inner life of a character no matter what the genre. In a play like Guys on Ice it is essential that the actor find the heart of the character and explore it with as much empathy as you can muster. The temptation is to just play the jokes without thinking about the true life that generates them. Once you go over the top and lose the characters intentions, goals or objectives (choose your noun depending on where you went to acting school) the audience can tell and will no longer care about the stage action. As an old director/friend of mine used to say, “They’ll be playing mah jong in the back row if you keep that up!”

But doesn’t Lear require more truth? I don’t know – it requires a hell of a lot more work. He speaks over 20% of the lines in one of Shakespeare’s longest plays, so the sheer energy required is extraordinary; it’s even tougher than singing and doing a soft shoe number in L.L. Bean snow boots. Lear as a human being is certainly more complicated than Marvin the ice fisherman, but Marve deserves just as much truth in the telling of his story.

See ya on de ice.
Ron Clark

2007-01-31T14:35:00.000-06:00

Dis ain’t yer basic buddy story, no sirree!
Riverside delivers buddy play with heart and humor
Theatre review by John Busbee - Art Scene

The formula is tried and true: begin with an easy-going script with all the charming appeal of a Currier & Ives snowfall, blend in some jokes, an instinctive trio of actors, and serve with well-crafted production elements. Serve on ice. Let the fun begin.

Riverside Theatre’s “Guys on Ice: An Ice Fishing Musical Comedy” reaches well beyond the guffaws and chortles its humor and jokes elicit, and delivers a harmonious buddy story that evokes as much warmth as a soothing cup of mid-winter hot cocoa – with an occasional shot of fortification. Achieving the same standards of excellence that any Riverside production achieves, “Guys on Ice” will surprise many, successfully straying from their more traditional fare of serious, classic and edgy material.

Longtime pals Lloyd and Marvin convene in their ice fishing shanty, keeping the northern chill at bay through their mutual appreciation for good bait, cold beer, and the Green Bay Packers. While Marvin awaits his fifteen minutes of fame in an on-location interview on a cable TV fishing show, both attempt to divert Ernie the Moocher from their beer stash and bait. Numbers like “Ode to a Snowmobile Suit” and “Fish Is de Miracle Food” add a charming musical zest to the show.

Director Sean Paul Bryan takes a deeper route than this show’s humor and jokes may tempt with other directors, drawing upon the natural stage chemistry of veteran actors Ron Clark and Christopher Merrill. The results are a delicious blend of belly laughs and richly intimate human insights. Tony Zabka provides a scenic palette upon which the action unfolds, with the centerpiece ice shanty interior that would make any ice fishermen burst with pride.

John Watkins as Ernie the Moocher – with a dead-on dialect straight out of the movie, “Fargo” – crafts one of the most original pre-show speeches ever seen. He continues his audience interactive shtick during the special intermission show. During the play, his delightful interludes pepper the script with outrageous behaviors, town gossip revelations and a gasp-producing “cold one” chug-a-lug.

The heart and soul of this show are entrusted to the masterful talents of Ron Clark (Marvin) and Christopher Merrill (Lloyd). Their lines are submersed in the dialectic lilt of the northern states. Their on-stage bond (this is their fourth Riverside show together) is rich, textured and sublime. In one scene, their reciprocal gifts of fish sandwiches (one walleye, the other trout) reflect their deep friendship. The long waiting for that big fish to bite is often punctuated by their love of the Green Bay Packers and their jokes, leading one to the correct conclusion that catching fish is perhaps not the greatest reward, or even goal, of ice fishing.

For a great escape, take time to experience the charismatic and comic “Guys on Ice.” You’re sure to catch your limit of laughs and rewarding storytelling, leaving you in a warm, feel-good comforter of time well spent.

Order tickets on-line at www.riversidetheatre.org

Call the box office at 319-338-7672

SMALL MIRACLES HAPPEN EVERY DAY

2006-11-17T13:55:00.000-06:00

By Ron Clark

Playwright and performer of Small Miracles

Showing at Riverside Theatre December 9-10

There we were, hand in hand, walking to our favorite restaurant in Wilmington, North Carolina and a young man smoking a cigarette stepped in front of us.
“I am the street corner poet and I have identified you two as the people most in love on this entire street. I have a poem for you.” He then recited a very original (if somewhat corny) love poem. His voice was low and breathy and generated a sense of urgent intimacy. I can’t remember a single word or verse, but rather only that confused but delightful feeling one gets when serenaded by a Mariachi band in a colorful Mexican café.
He finished his sonnet and flashed a broad grin showing lots of gold and white teeth. I dug into my pants and gave him a buck. He said, “Thank you sir and I hope you continue to fall in love with this beautiful woman the rest of your life.” And he was gone down the street looking for his next set of lovers.
That’s a true story. It happened to Jody and me as we were celebrating our 22nd anniversary last April. But what value does it have to you? What is the importance of me telling it to you?
As I prepare to present Small Miracles once again, the thought occurs to me: “Why do I keep telling these stories and why do people keep coming to listen to them?” and even stranger, “Why do some people come to listen to them more than once?”
To answer: No, I don’t change the stories from one Christmas season to the next. It is a set piece of literature that has been recorded on compact disc and presented in many different locations. So, if you are considering buying a ticket as a repeat attender and expecting something new . . . sorry. But . . .
I love Jean Sheperd’s classic film A Christmas Story and apparently so do millions of other people because TBS shows it for a solid 24 hours every year. I also watch my own DVD of It’s a Wonderful Life (IN THE ORIGINAL BLACK & WHITE) every year and I cry every time at the same places; how can you resist?
And every year millions and millions of people remember their own sacred stories that range from Aunt Dorothy’s fruit cake that went round the world to Uncle Howard getting drunk and falling into the Christmas tree to the birth of Christ to the marking of Passover and Hannakah . . . the list never ends when we consider the stories we NEED to make sense of where we started, who we are now and who we aspire to be in the future.

Order tickets here

THE SACRIFICE OF THE TAYTOS

2006-11-08T15:31:00.000-06:00

By Jody Hovland-Director of THE LONSOME WEST

The prop and technical requirements for THE LONESOME WEST are a bit daunting – an exploding stove, the nightly breakage of multiple plaster saints and food fights. But it was TAYTOS that kept me awake at night.

The script refers specifically to this Irish “crisp” throughout the play, so there’s some artistic obligation to use the real thing – which I found could be ordered online at foodireland.com! But they’re pricey. And we’re cheap – and have already spent $150 renting the plaster saint molds from Milwaukee Rep. So I lie awake nights doing Tatos calculations: how many bags does Tim Budd [playing Valene] need to bring in from the store? How many need to be destroyed each night? Can we reuse the bags, refilling them with non-Tato chips? Can John Watkins [playing Connor] crumble the bags instead of opening them and pouring out the chips?

During rehearsals we played with other brands (nope – too visible in our intimate space), altered stage business to preserve the bags (nope – it really is important to see the chips scatter), calculated and recalculated (usually when I should have been sleeping).

Arghghghghghg. Let’s just order the darned chips!!!!! So online I went, and soon 72 bags of chips were arriving by UPS (20 rehearsals and performances with the real thing, allowing 3 bags to be sacrificed every night, with some left over for backup). Pretty spendy @ $1 a bag – but seeing those goofy TATOS bags onstage just makes me happy every time. And finally I can get some sleep.

THE LONESOME WEST-A DARK SUCCESS

2006-11-02T09:29:00.000-06:00

By Marcella Lee
Freelance reviewer
The Gazette

The Lonesome West, now playing at Riverside Theatre, is the third in a trilogy of plays written by Martin McDonagh, the angry young man of Irish playwrights show has achieved phenomenal success in recent years. Dubbed by one critic as "in-yer-face theatre," it is a dark comedy at times violent and shocking, uncompromising in its exploration of human relationships.

The lonesome west of the title refers to the bleak, isolated counties of northwest Ireland. Here two brothers bicker constantly in the aftermath of the supposedly accidental shooting of their father. arguments over who should get the potato chips escalates to more serious charges of wrong-doing, resulting in all-out physical attacks on one another. Violence alternates with farce.

The brothers, played brilliantly by Tim Budd and John Watkins, have taken on the brogue and mannerisms of the Irish working class like second skins. As siblings diametrically opposed in personality, they are equally strong in their individual portrayals.

Fine support is given by the other two members of the cast, Kehry Anson Lane as Father Welsh, the feckless priest who tries in vain to bring peace between the brothers; and Leslie E. Koppenhaver as Girleeen, a young woman from the village who shows an interest in the priest and attempts to tease some life into him. If ever a girl looks like a typical Irish colleen, it has to be Koppenhaver, with her red hair and high color.

Jody Hovland directs The Lonesome West with skill and sensitivity. There are some scenes in this unique play that are hilarious-such as the second act when the brothers start apologizing to one another for the dirty little tricks they have played on each other in the past. In other scenes you fear for what on character is about to do to the other. This is the stamp of McDonagh's work. He is a great story-teller and a creator of fascinating characters. These two elements alone guarantee an absorbing evening in the theatre

The Lonesome West will continue at Riverside Theatre through Nov. 19.

PLAYING THE ROLE OF GIRLEEN: A smart-talking, foul-mouthed, moonshine-dealer who shakes up the scenes of The Lonesome West

2006-10-30T11:30:00.000-06:00

By Leslie Koppenhaver

I studied abroad at University College Cork in Cork, Ireland, from January to May 2006. I took six classes from January to March, my parents came and we spent a week traveling around Ireland, and then I spent the month of April traveling around Europe before coming back for exams in May.
Cork is located close to the southern coast of the Republic of Ireland, about a four hour bus ride from Galway on the western coast (The Lonesome West is set near Galway) and a similiar distance from Dublin on the eastern coast. My friends and I did a lot of traveling on the weekends and we took several days in May to visit Galway and the Aran Islands. Galway was beautiful -- lots of tiny pedestrian lanes lined with shops and paths along the river. In Galway more than anywhere else, I felt the presence of music. There seemed to be someone playing the fiddle or accordion on every corner at night!

The second part of our trip west was a ferry ride to the largest of the Aran Islands. We rode bikes around the entire island and walked around the ruins of forts still left there from earlier centuries. Since the Aran Islands are the western-most part of Ireland, they were the last places to be conquered by Britain, and there are communities where people still speak Gaelic as their primary language or simply Irish, as the Irish themselves called it.

There were a lot of things about my experience in Ireland that I'm trying to draw on for my role of Girleen in The Lonesome West. I was cast in a show in Cork called Shakers, which is where I made my closest Irish friendships. There were several scenes in the show when the three other actresses spoke in incredibly thick Cork accents. I spoke in a thick Southern accent as the American counterpart. the exaggeration of those accents made it easier for me as an American to pick out defining characteristics. I would hardly have been able to tell a British accent from an Irish one before I studied there, but after an informative session with my friend Paula, who explained the finer points of Donegal vs. Dublin vs. Galway vs. Cork, I'd say I could hold my own in a name-that-dialect contest.

I also talked to Paula on the phone after being cast to ask about more specific dialect questions. Some of the most defining things about Ireland for me were the feeling of history -- the gothic architecture of institutions and close spacing of all other buildings seemed to be from another century, the presence of music -- both in language and in song, and a tremendous pride and attachment to family.

Although I'm not Catholic myself, I did attend Mass on campus a couple times. UCC had Mass once a day in the Honan Chapel right next to the student center and I heard a lot about my Irish friends experiences in all-girl Catholic secondary schools. I also saw plenty of girls around St. Patrick's Street (the main drag/downtown) in matching sweaters, skirts, and tights -- usually blue or green. I've never had a school uniform before, but my observation of those girls proved that you can be wearing the same thing as your classmate and still give it your own rumpled flair.

I am intrigued by Girleen's combination of school-smarts and street-smarts. She's intelligent and ambitious, she can handle herself around older men, and although she's selling her father's potato moonshine, she knows she's destined for bigger and better things.

Buy Tickets to The Lonesome West here!

https://amber.he.net/~riverdog/buyticketsnow.php