NUTCRACKER -- Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota School of the Arts
Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts presents The Dance Repertory Company
Artistic Director and Choreographer: Allen Fields
Production Coordinator: Christine Martin
Addition Staging and Choreography: Jessica Draskoci-Johnson
Scenic Design: Lawrence P. Gorrell, Jim Hibbler, and Kit Mayer
Lighting Designer: Fluffy Blake
Production Stage Manager: Daniel Munson
Dancers: Jessica Draskoci-Johnson, Kaitlyn Vietor, Keegan Eide, Alyssa Schneider, Zach Ruben, Allen Fields, Rebekah Mulkey, Katie Roy, Marta Johnson, Heidi Draskoci-Johnson, Dana Eide, Karen Sullivan, Pam Simon Salwey, Jim Bruner, Jeff Eide, Bill Ruben, Floyd WhiteEagle, Chris Bernard, Jeremiah Munson, Danielle Schleich, Kyle Schneider, Claire Smart, Lexy Valentine, Adelle Vietor, Dot Armstrong, Katie Harbinson, Kate Bruner, Sydney Larson, Drew Melius, Brianna Morgan, Hannah Nagel, Colette Penic, Michaela Peplinski, Amanda Weatherhead, Anna Wolner, Maria Appicelli, Pippa Armstrong, Dona Bowler, Taylor Cada, Harriet Flinsch, Ellie Kiese, Rebekah Nagel, Hanna O'Neill, Skyla Swain, Calli Jo Wagner, Erin Wilson, Katie Bowler, Jasmine Boynton, Clara Bruner, Piper Grubb, Paige Melius, Haley O'Neill, Olivia Polachek, Jillyan Salwey, Emily Smith, Renee Sullivan, Hayden Stark, Madeleine Bryant, Lydia Feuerhelm, Caitlyn Kaman, Kate Larson, Katie Nurmela, Augusta Rodgers, Ashley Lafferty, Daniel Whitehead, Lindsey Babekhl, Trisha Crichton, Meghan Timm, Lars Johnson, Nancy Harms

MCA's biennial production of the classic holiday ballet.

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This year's MCA production of the Nutcracker was more theatrical, and had more acting work, but the quality of the dance was much lower than what I saw two years ago. The story was modified by Allen Fields, with some new elements added, but these were not necessarily worthwhile changes. Perhaps if the dancing was stronger, the new elements would have had a stronger effect.

Over all, a disappointing production.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL -- Commonweal Theatre Company

script: Charles Dickens
adaptation: "the Commonweal"
director: Alan Bailey
cast: Anna Grace Bingham, Amanda Davis, Scott Dixon, David Hennessey, Eric Knutson, Matthew Luck, Simon Cropp, Magnolia Decker, Elsa Hennessey-Barnes
scenic design: Joel Sass
costume design: Greta Raatz
lighting design: Patrick Strain

Charles Dickens' classic tale of a curmudgeon who, after being visited by ghosts, becomes a loveable philanthropist.

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I will say, straight up, that I don't care for this adaptation. I first saw this two, maybe three years ago, and was utterly devestated that I had brought a group of young cub scouts, who were thoroughly bored. This adaptation is, in my opinion, readers theatre. The cast tells you what happened or what will happen, how a character felt, and then they act out a little bit. This is not why I go to the theatre -- to have someone tell me a story.

Why did I bother going, then? I went because the new director for the production is a friend of mine, and hopefully, bias aside, I can admit that I enjoyed this production more than I have in the past.

There is still a "reader's theatre" quality to it, that I don't care for, but much of that sense has been removed and the actors actually get to show us their emotions and the story, rather than tell much of it.

Director Alan Bailey keeps the story moving along well, and works the small cast through a large number of roles quite well. The action moves quickly and there is no change for the audience to be lulled to sleep.

The set is beautiful, and very functional for this version.

If you want to see something at the Commonweal, this is probably the company at their best. Unfortunately, I still can't recommend it as outstanding theatre.

JAMES SEWELL BALLET -- Saint Mary's University Page Theatre Professional Series

Three dances.

KLEZMER DANCES
music: Giora Feidman
choreography: James Sewell
lighting: Kevin A. Jones
costumes: Amy B. Kaufman
dancers: Penelope French, Brittany Fridenstine, Chris Hannon, Justin Leaf, Nicolas Lincoln, Sally Rousse, James Sewell, Emily Tyra

A beautiful piece. Innovative choreography that blended so nicely with the unique music and the gorgeous costumes. Easily the best number of the evening.


BRAHMS DUET
choreography: Sally Rousse (in collaboration with Mariusz Olszewski)
music: Johannes Brahms (Piano Concerto No.1 in D Minor)
dancers: Sally Rousse, Mariusz Olszewski
lighting: Kevin A. Jones
costumes: George Tachet

The words I hear from nearly everyone are, "I could have done without this one."

There was nothing particularly wrong with it, but it didn't seem to move anyone. It wasn't tremendously beautiful or touching. I got no sense of storyline. It was just a dance to a typical, slow, Brahms duet.

I could have done without this one.


GUY NOIR: THE BALLET
characters created by: Garrison Keillor
storline: James Sewell and Sally Rousse
narration: Garrison Keillor
choreography: James Sewell
dancers: James Sewell, Emily tyra, Justin Leaf, Penelope Freeh, Nicolas Lincoln, Brittany Fridenstine, Sally Rousse
music: Richard Dworsky and The Guy's All Star Shoe Band, Chopin, E.H. Hagen, Horace Silver, Billy Strahorn
lighting: Kevin A. Jones
costumes: Mary Hansmeyer
properties: Kevin Jones, Mary Hansmeyer

This was the reason we were here. We wanted to see the Guy Noir ballet. It was ambitious, with moments of wonderful creativity, humor, and exellent dance, but over-all it lacked a cohesive focus. Sometimes I thought people were just wandering around the stage for no reason, distracting from what was going on elsewhere.

This particular performance was riddled with prop problems, but that aside, I felt that the storyline needed more of Sewell as Guy Noir dancing, and less attempt at establishing a plot.

This had/has potential, but perhaps it needs an outsider's eye to let Sewell and Rousse know how to fix it.

THE GOD OF HELL -- Saint Mary's University of Minnesota School of the Arts

script: Sam Shepard
director: Dr. Gary Diomandes
cast: Casey Howe, Peter Snell, Melissa Kaffine, Andy Greene
scenic designer: Fluffy Blake
lighting designer: Fluffy Blake
costume designer: Br. Thomas Houde, FSC
sound designer: Jimmy Iddins
stage manager: Melanie Reuvers

The U.S. government invades rural Wisconsin.

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This is not one of Shepard's best.

At the beginning of this long one-act, I felt as though I could have been watching a Pinter play -- the clipped language, a husband and wife not really listening to one another but managing to communicate, a stranger, perhaps two, invading their home. It sounds a little like Pinter's The Birthday Party. But this piece goes off on a Shepard rampage against the Bush administration's use of patriotism to throw out the American Constitution and do whatever the hell it pleases.

The play hits you over the head a little too much with its message, which makes it comical. And by being comical, we lose any sense of fear and horror and revulsion at what is being done.

The idea that the stranger in the basement had received so many shocks that he carried electricity within him, was great, and the sense of his being tortured i nthe basement was sickening and compelling. But as soon as he made his appearance onstage and received a shock, it could in no way match the degree to which the actor could play it unseen.

I'm still not sure why the farmer, who begins to convert to the patriotic agent's ways, reacted as he did to the shock treatments. I don't believe that there was enough time for him to have been subjected to the tortures.

Some of the dialog seemed just wrong. The Wisconsin born and bred, farm wife, reacts to the torture by commenting on how the wires are attached to the man's penis. She must say "penis" four or five times. I couldn't imagine her doing that. And then, after having said this much, she then refers to it as, "His ... thing." NOW she can't say "penis?"

The cast did a decent job with a difficult, less than stellar play.

SHAKESPEARE'S R&J -- Off-Ramp Theatre

produced by: The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

script: Joe Calarco (adapted from the play by William Shakespeare)

director: Paul Mason Barnes

cast: Daniel Zaitchik, Bobby Steggert, Chris Landis, Bob Braswell

scenic designer: Scott Neale

lighting designer: Mark Wilson

costume designer: Garth Dunbar

sound designer: Tori Meyer

vocal coach & combat director: Bruce Longworth

stage manager: Kathryn Ballard

Four boys from a private school escape to the attic each night to revel in the words of Shakespeare, acting out the roles (and living the lives) from Romeo and Juliet.

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This was a really nice production. The acting was terrific, the setting beautiful. I didn't get entirely wrapped up in the characters, however. By the time I understood who they all were, I was beyond caring about any of them. Did they all know that the two were lovers? Did it only come out through the course of their reading R&J?

I don't think that the adaptation was as tight as it could have been, and perhaps the direction could have made it a bit more clear.

I felt that the lighting was not helping the story at all. It seemed to change for no reason. If we're going to have lighting changes for the imaginary world the boys are living in, then it should be made clear that the lighting is for the play world. But when it resembles the real world outside the attic, then I simply got confused as to where we were supposed to be. The very fact that I felt the need to mention the lighting signifies that it did NOT do it's job well.

An interesting production. I was not familiar with this adaptation. Tight acting really made me stay focused on it.

2006 LIT MOON WORLD SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL -- Santa Barbara, CA

I wanted to take a moment to look at the festival as a whole. In addition to the six plays I saw, and the one rehearsal, I attended an art gallery which displayed sketches for theatre scene and costume design, puppets, set models, and other theatre related items.

I attended a lecture “Continental Shifts: Shakespeare in Central and Eastern Europe” moderated by Professor Simon Williams, Chair of the UCSB Department of Dramatic Art and featuring Dennis Kennedy, Samuel Beckett Chair of Theatre at Trinity College, Dublin.

Easily, my favorite production was the Polish Othello, followed by the Bulgarian Puppet Theatre's production of As You Like It, and very closely followed by the Bulgarian Romeo and Juliet.

Strangely, and somewhat sadly, the English language productions this week were the weakest. UCSB's Timon of Athens was a good show, but lacked the spark that the European productions had. The Canadian Juliet and Romeo was unique, but lacked spark and purpose. It had some great mask work and interesting uses for its set, but never followed through on any of it.

My good friend's production of King Richard II was interesting, with some great looking tableau's, but his deconstruction of language didn't work well at all in the vast space of the cathedral. It seemed out of control and never brought the audience in to the show the way it intended.

However, based on the rehearsal I saw, I had high hopes for the production of The Tempest. It might easily have stood next to the European productions in terms of story-telling and mood and effect.

I was very glad I was able to get to this festival, and it makes me yearn to attend some of the European theatre festivals.

It is obvious that great theatre work is being done, but not necessarily here in the States. Why?

A large part of it, I think is that the European theatres are largely state funded. (In conversation with the good people of the Bulgarian Puppet theatre, I learned that the Bulgarian state pays all the salaries and that they are only required to pay for everything else through ticket prices (a very reasonable solution, I think). Whereas in the U.S., theatres are forced to play to a lower common denominator in order to ensure that tickets will be sold so that there is enough revenue to continue a season.

I applaud John Blondell and the Lit Moon Theatre Company for this venture and for bringing these wonderful European theatre companies to the U.S. I hope that the trend continues and that I can attend more great festivals like this one.

ROMEO AND JULIET -- Bulgarian National Theatre "Ivan Vazov," Sofia, Bulgaria

script: William Shakespeare
director, production adaptation, musical setting: Lilia Abadjieva
cast: Vladimir Karamazov, Silvester Silvestrov, Vasil Ryahov, Yulian Vergov, Zakhary Baharoff, Kalojan Lenkov
set and costume design: Vassil Abadjiev
titles: Ivan Abadjiev
stage technicians: Stiliyan Penev Penev, Slavchco Dimitrov
sound technician: Valentina Matteeva

Shakespeare's tragedy of young lovers from rival families, as told by a cast of men, in Bulgarian. In the rain.

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This production seemed to create the most interest among the people of Santa Barbara, CA and the 750 seat theatre was sold out for every performance.

It was a remarkable work, a lot of fun, and I am very grateful for the inclusion of credit for an "adaptation." Like many of the works I saw this week, few were Shakespeare's play, but rather adaptations of Shakespeare's play.

This one managed to hold quite well to the story, but there was a fair amount of extra material here.

There was incredible energy with this cast, and from the opening sequence of carefully choreographed movements to a techno-fusion score, this show grabbed our attention at a high level, and never let us down. The sense of humor among the tragedy was brought out at every opportunity, and yet we somehow never lost the sense of the drama.

As the death scene approached, I wondered where they would go with it ... how could they top the energy of what they'd already been doing.

And then it rained.

And rained.

And rained.

It rained on the indoor stage, and must have rained for nearly fifteen minutes. The entire death scene took place in a downpour, creating the absolute perfect mood for this tragedy. But, in keeping with the rest of the production, even the death scene took on comic overtones as Romeo and Juliet took turns dying ... repeatedly. Rolling around and splashing in the pool of water that was being formed.

And the ending, which in Shakespeare leads one to believe that some goodness might come from this tragedy, was an incredibly high energy dance among all six men, in the rain, with strobe lighting effect, to loud, techno-pop-fusion music. It seemed to be the only way to top what they had already done, and it worked perfectly.

In the lobby after the show I heard someone exclaim, "They captured the mood of the show perfectly. It's the first time I ever felt anyone got it just right."

Well... I don't necessarily agree that it's the only time anyone got it "just right," but I do think that this production conveyed the mood of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet quite well, and that perhaps that was their intention. This production seemed to be a paraphrasing, capturing essence and mood extremely well.

English subtitles were displayed above the performance, but again, I found I didn't need them much (occassionally I read them in the scenes that were unique to this production).

The high energy performance from this cast was a perfect way for me to end my visit to the festival.

I would definitely recommend this production to anyone who has the opportunity of seeing it.

THE TEMPEST -- Lit Moon Theatre Company

script: William Shakespeare
director: John Blondell
cast: Stanley Hoffman, Peter john Duda, Victoria Finlayson, Kate Louise Paulsen
original music: James Connolly
scenography: Milon Kalis
costumes and masks: Lesley Finlayson
lighting design: Jonathan Hicks

Shakespeare's magical tale of enchantment and romance.

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It is unfair of me to review this show as I didn't actually get to see a performance, but instead was invited to attend a rehearsal, and even at that, it was more of a spacing rehearsal for the company's first time in the theatre, rather than a run-through rehearsal.

However, what I saw, I enjoyed immensely. It was much more attainable than the company's production of King Richard the Second, which I saw a few nights earlier. I think, in part, that the smaller container of space that they inhabit in the theatre, as opposed to the great openess of a cathedral style church, works in their favor. This company needs containment to remind them of their purpose. More space and they lose control.

The setting, stalks of bamboo hung from the grid above, work perfectly to convey the sense of remote island, and their movement flow nicely with the actors working in and around them.

I really liked what I managed to see, and only wish that I could have stayed long enough to attend an actual performance.

AS YOU LIKE IT -- State Puppet Theatre, Bourgas, Bulgaria

script: William Shakespeare
director: Hristina Arsenova
cast: Iroslav Petkov, Nedilina Mladenova
scenography and puppet design: Emeliana Panayotova Andonova-Toteva
lighting design: Nikolay Koychev Kyuchukov
sound design: Svetlin Ivanov Petkov

WORLD PREMIERE

Shakespeare's frolicsome romantic comedy, as told by puppets. In Bulgarian.

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This was a whole hell of a lot of fun!

First, I was very surprised at the nature of the puppeteer/puppet aspect of the performance. I was expecting strictly a puppet performance, with puppeteer visible. But in fact, the two puppeteers were also characters in the play, as well as controling certain puppets and even, at times, being extensions of the puppets.

The puppets were not marionettes, nor were they traditional hand puppets, but some kind of unique mix. Control was made mostly by grasping the back of the head of the puppet, but at times they stood rigid, alone, and often they were moved about in a very flowing manner. I'm certain that there was something used to keep them straight, but I never saw what it was or how/when it was attached.

The puppets and scenography were brilliant in design! Emeliana managed to pack the entire set into a rough-shaped ball about the size of a laundry basket, which opened and became a myriad of different things.

The work of the actor/puppeteers was great. Iroslav Petkov was immediately loveable and a perfect comic foil (imagine Steve Martin in his prime, working with puppets). Nedilina was no less talented, but was definitely overshadowed by Iroslav's comic manic-ness (mania?).

English subtitles were projected on a screen above the performers, but I found that I didn't pay much attention to it. In part, I know the script well enough that I didn't need to see it, word for word, and also, like the Polish Othello, they managed to tell the story clearly enough that one didn't need to understand every word.

I had the good fortune to spend some extra time with this company -- drinks with the director and scenographer the evening of their arrival, and dinner and drinks after the first performance. They were incredibly charming and unpretentious. I was surprised to learn that the performers were required to study acting before they could study puppeteering. I shouldn't have been surprised, judging by the show, but I don't think that the same holds true here in the West.

A total delight and a highly recommended show.

KING RICHARD II -- Lit Moon Theatre Company and Westmont College, Santa Barbara

script: William Shakespeare
director: John Blondell
cast: Heather Bancroft, Michael Conrad, Sumner LeVeque, Nolan Hamlin, Carlo Moss, Mitchell Thomas, Victoria Finlayson, Zak Landrum, Kate Louise Paulsen, Casey Caldwell, Stanley Hoffman, Amber Angelo, Erin Brehm, Peter John Duda
original music: James Connolly
costumes, masks, and scenography (Acts 1 & 3): Lesley Finlayson
costumes and scenography (Acts 2 &4): Yevgenia Nayberg
lighting design: Jonathan Hicks
assistant director: Rose Elfman
stage manager: Suzanne Galletly
stage technician: Christianna Stuart

Shakespeare's political tragedy about the death of kings.

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Staged in a grand, classical Episcopalian church, the opening tableau for this piece, complete with incredibly beautiful masks, was incredibly beautiful. (See first photo in this blog.)

And then the show began.

Oh this piece was dreadful. I hate to say it, as the director is a very good friend, but it was agony to sit through this.

Although spoken in English, I never understood a moment (except for the challenge between John of Gaunt and Bollingbrook -- and that went on way too long) of this piece (unlike Othello, which was performed in a language I didn't know, but a piece in which I understood every moment).

Having the audience move to different locations for the different acts was a nice touch and helped to give this work a unique flavor, but rather than including us in the piece, as I believe it was intended to do, I believe it actually distanced me. Because there was action going on all around me, I couldn't take it all in, and therefore I was left to choose where my attention would go, which made me an observer, rather than a participant. Being an observer at a play is fine (it's expected!), but when the action places the observer in the middle, the expectation is that the audience becomes a part of the action. And that never really occurred.

I don't really remember where, or when I heard the comment (it may not have even been directed toward this production) but someone said, "It was obvious that the actors were having some 'moments' that were very special and important to them, but they never let us in on them." And that is exactly what I felt about this show. There was lots of something special going on, but it was intensely personal to the performers.

There was too too much shouting. Mitchell Thomas as King Richard seemed to shout constantly. It never seemed to make him powerful, angry, strong, or anything other than an actor who can't find any other way to convey an emotion. I actually sat watching, tuning out the words because of the shouting, and thought, "The Europeans would never resort to this. Their character's strength and madness come from the inside, not worn on their sleeve this way."

And strangely enough, one of the things that irked me th most was the only touch of humor that found its way in to the show. The Dutchess of York actually shrieked the line: "What ho, my liege! For God's sake, let me in" in a most annoying, and totally out of character fashion (it was the only time they did something of the sort) and the following line from King Henry was, "What shrill-voic'd suppliant makes this eager cry?" It felt as though it were done just for the laugh (which it got) and was incredibly out of place.

Stanley Hoffman as the Duke of York was the only performer who managed to find a character and convey it to the audience without any momentous internalizing or vehement shouting. He simply was, living in his own moments, which is what helped me find him.

Sadly, a show that obviously meant something to those involved, but the audience was never let in on it.

JULIET & ROMEO -- Canis Tempus, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

script: William Shakespeare
director: Andrew Culk
cast: Julie Lowe, Andrew Culk
costumes and sets: Sirius Morillo
lighting design: Alex Geng
sound design: Peter Alec Fedun
mask design: Lesley Finlayson
fencing masks: Valerie Viertel
stage manager: Jim Melvyn

Shakespeare's tragedy of young lovers from rival families, told in gender twisting fashion.

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This was a very interesting production, and more along the lines of what I was expecting to see at this festival (Lit Moon World Shakespeare Festival).

Sparse, with two persons performing all the roles (all those that weren't cut in this one hour production), and with two folding ladders for all the scenery, this show managed to remain faithful to the language, but I'm not sure how true it was to the intentions of the story.

I never did decide why the genders were switched. Why was Andrew playing most of the female roles, and Julie playing the majority of the men's parts?

The actions were interesting, and the use of the ladders was good, but not complete. Each time they started something new, I felt that they never quite finished it.

The story lacked the passion between Romeo and Juliet that is so necessary for making the tragedy work. Was this a result of the gender switching? Can a thirtysomething male possibly portray a teenage girl in love?

I got nothing from this show (I saw it twice -- in part because I could, and in part because I was so incredibly exhausted the first night that I wanted to give it a better chance and see it with fresh eyes). I didn't come away with anything new or even with a different perspective on the story. There were some nice "looks" to it, but not enough to make it worth the effort.

A disappointment.

OTHELLO -- Teatr Modjeska, Legnica, Poland

script: William Shakespeare
adaptation: Krzystof Kopka
director: Jacek Glomb
cast: Przemyslaw Bluszcz, Rafal Cieluch, Pawel Palcat, Bogdan Grzeszcak, Aleksandra Motorniuk, Tadeusz Ratuszniak, Pawel Wolak, Malgorzata Urbanska, Magda Skiba, Ewa Galusinska, Katarzyna Dworak, Justyna Pawlicka, Anita Poddebniak, Lech Wolczyk
scenography: Malgorzata Bulanda
stage movement: Leszek Bzdyl
music: Kormorany
lighting design: Wladyslaz Sajda
sound technician: Andrzej Janiga
director's assistant: Olga Nowakowska

spoken in Polish

Shakespeare's tale of a strong and honorable leader, betrayed by his own men and tricked into believing the worst about his own wife.

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Wow.

This production took my breath away. I've seen it twice now and come away from it with such powerful emotions and the feeling that I've just seen some of the best theatre I may ever see.

Spoken almost entirely in Polish, I didn't understand any of the words, and yet in this play, I knew absolutely everything that was happening. Perhaps that's a good indicator of a truly well done play?

Although based on Shakespeare's Othello, we never forget that this production has someone credited with the "adaptation." This Othello is the captain of a ship, and the entire play is staged aboard its cramped quarters. With some variation from Shakespeare's story, this works quite well, and the set is brilliant with its simplicity and the remarkable blend of realism and experimental qualities.

The lighting is bare and sets a bleak tone for this voyage. Well crafted and executed.

The sound is performed live and is (pardon the pun) instrumental for invoking the mood throughout the play.

Costumes are brilliant -- nothing stands out as being inappropriate and everyone on stage seemed quite comfortable and natural with what they were wearing.

The performances.... Here, above all, they shine. To the smallest detail, these fine actors brought us aboard their ship and did not let us go until the voyage was over. Whether it was the constant, slight rocking they did, reminding us of the roll of a ship's deck, or their climbing in the riggings and hoisting sails, or the shedding of clothes and dragging themselves about as the ship floundered and they began to lose hope and respect, this cast held us enchanted throughout the journey.

It is hard for me to describe just what they did that made this so special, because each time I try to say what they did that was so wonderful, I realize that this is the goal for every actor, in every play, and it sounds rather corny.

This cast never broke character. there were no sly winks amongst themselves. They never seemed to be putting on a show or just saying their lines. I lived and breathed every moment with every character. Even those in the smaller roles I watched more closely the second time, and they each went about their business as if this ship and it's voyage were real.

Przemyslaw Bluszcz as Othello was perfect. Small in stature, he had a commanding presence every time he entered the stage. I think that the entire audience would have done whatever he told the to do, simply by the power of his presence. The ship lived and died by him, and so this tragedy rests solely on his shoulders.

I can't recommend this play highly enough. I would see it again without hesitation, and I most certainly would like to see anything at all by this remarkable company.

TIMON OF ATHENS --Theatre Artists Group and USCB Dept. of Dramatic Art & Dance

script: William Shakespeare
director: Risa Brainin
cast: Irwin Appel, Mike Zlotnick, Collin Tongue, Justin Gillman, Aja Naomi King, Jeff Mills, Zachary Appel, Richard Klautsch, Alexa Kahn, Martha Mintz, Ty Uranga-Foster, Ryan Lockwood, Shannon Sullivan, Shaun Hart, Amy Gumenick
scenic design: Tal Sanders
costume design: Dianne Holly
lighting design: Vickie Scott
composer/sound design: Brad Carroll
choreography: Christopher Pilafian
stage manager: Wendy Jones

Shakespeare's story of a philanthropist who believes the best in everyone, until his fortune runs out and he seeks a little help from his friends.

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This is not one of Shakespeare's finest stories -- there are problems throughout the plot, and underused characters (what is the purpose of Apemantus' character?), but it is always nice to see a good production of a Shakespeare play that is not generally so well known.

I have had the opportunity to see this play before (Broadway, with Brian Bedford in the lead role) and in many respects, this production was much better.

Director Brainin did a superb job of making this script accessible. It was quite easy to follow what was going on, and the hip, techno-style movements in the beginning did a nice job of setting the time and location for us. Some of her decisions seemed questionable, though ... why the obvious, stereo-typed salon scene? It felt very out of place with the rest of the scenes.

Most of the cast, as college students, did a fine job. Richard Klautsch,a guest artist, as Apemantus, was quite superb with what little he had to play with. Irwin Appel (also a guest artist), in the title role, seemed to be playing for a television camera -- he looked good, and he sounded good, but I never felt anything from him.

For the most part, the set worked well, though some of the shorter scenes seemed to require the most work in set change.

Costuming was wonderful.

This was the first play I managed to see as part of the Lit Moon World Theatre Festival. I thought it came across as a good college production (which, for the most part, is what it was), but hoped for much more from some of the other shows during the week.

ROBIN HOOD -- Missoula Children's Theatre

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts at the Valencia Arts Center
director: Melissa Carroll
tour actor: Renee Roberts
cast: Austin Lubinski, Madeleine Bryant, Alli Wildenborg, Elisabeth Frederickson, Audrey O'Keefe, Amanda Anderson, Christopher Bernard, Raizl Campbell, Sydney Dean, Hannah Dunsmoor, Mitchell Essar, Orion McCullough-Smith, Katie Prinsen, Haleigh Riggall, Emily Smith, Michael Todd, Nick Arnold, Christian Deranek, Becca Geisler, Samantha Johnson, Rebecca Munson, Adrianna Rackow, Cora Arnold, Ceci Bernard, Sophia Piano, Sofie Underdahl, Rosemary Flanagan, Cross Korder, Kailey Kronebusch, Jeremiah Munson, Mac Whaley, Libby Crigler, Hannah Essar, Anthony Henderson, Summer Lawson, Carl Rackow, Melanie Anderson, Mary Arnold, Aidan Beckman, Andrew Behling, Myles Dean, Olivia Flanagan, Nathan Graff, Samuel Graff, Aaron Munson, Chloe Paino, Wil Prinsen
accompanist: Aleah Zuccarelli
conceived, written, and composed by: Michael McGill

A new look at the Robind Hood tale.

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The Missoula Children's Theatre program is a relatively new program to me (although I'm now familiar with at least two companies working this way). Basically, the company sends two "professional" actor/directors to a city, auditions are held and the show is cast with anywhere from 50-80+ children, and the show is rehearsed and then performed all within one week's time.

No one attends a performance like this in order to see theatre. Attendance is generally only family of the children in the show. The "purpose" of this kind of theatre is to give children a chance to "be in a play." Opportunities for children to participate in theatre are rare, as states cut more and more arts from schools. The question I ask, though, is: Is this theatre? I've auditioned and cast students in 9th grade who are completely surprised by a "real" rehearsal schedule and demands because they've never known anything but this kind of theatre. They've also never had to take it seriously -- it's just for fun.

For some, this is, sadly, the only theatre they will ever experience, and for that there is a purpose. I happen to not think too highly of this kind of program. Yes, my children did participate, but I also know that my children have an understanding of "real" theatre, having seen me at work.

This show lacked a story and music, even more than most of this sort. What it did have going for it, was a better than usualy "look." The costumes were nicer than I've seen with other, similar, companies, and the set actually had some kind of set, rather than just a few drapes.

I've posted this here because I did attend the performances, but it's certainly not worth watching if you don't have family participating (and even then it's questionable).

CYMBELINE -- Great River Shakespeare Festival

director: Doug Scholz-Carlson
cast: Jacob Bell, Jennice Butler, Andrew Carlson, Dane Clark, Kylie Edmonds, Adam Habben, Rachael Jenison, Amy Malcom, Marianne Miller, Eva Nelson, Lucinda Rogers, Michael Rubke, Christopher Thompson, Max Wojtanowicz

Shakespeare's rarely performed fairy tale.

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This was performed by GRSF's Acting Apprentice company (generally college students) and, while generally fairly good, certainly had the feel of a good college production.

There were aspects of the direction that made me wonder just what the heck was going on (the marching upstage of the action was distracting and out of place).

The script has problems (how can you not laugh when, in Act V, Scene V, as all the confessions are being made and identities being revealed, Cornelius says, "I left out one thing...") -- a lack of focus and a too convenient wrapping up of revelations. Sometimes it's nice to see that even the greatest playwright who ever lived managed to write some less than stellar work.

Even so, there manages to be some kind of a power that Shakespeare has and it is a joy to listen to his words (when done well).

I did find it curious that it was billed as a "tragedy." There really are no tragic elements in this, and when I asked the director, he said they did so because it was titled as a tragedy in the folio from which they took this work. Curious. I appreciate their deire to be as authentic as possible, but it actually seemed to add to some confusion (on my part, at least).

DROPS & DRAMA II-- Theatre du Mississippi

cast: Lauren Berlin-Burns & Julie Frederickson
voice overs: Jacob Bell, Michael Rubke, Lucinda Rogers, Jennice butler, Amy Malcom, Christopher Thompson, Eva Nelson, Max Wojtanowicz, Kylie Edmonds
narration written by: Kathy Peterson

A unique presentation of one of the most complete and historic collections of hand-painted scenic drops, designed by Thomas G. Moses, in the Midwest.

1) Roman Ruins Scene: Julius Caeser by William Shakespeare, I,ii (4 drops)
2) Ocean Scene: Moby Dick, Chapter 1, by herman Melville (4 drops)
3) Medieval Camp Scene: The Once & Future King by T.H. White (4 drops)
4) Summer garden Scene: Kew Gardens by Virginia Woolfe (4 drops)
5) Hell Scene: The Divine Comedy: Part I by Dante Alighieri (4 drops)
6) English Manor Scene: The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (3 drops)
7) Treasure Room Scene: Ali Baba from 1001 Arabian Nights (3 drops)

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The presentation is done in a very amateur way, but the flats themselves are most certainly worth seeing. Having someone pretend to be Thomas Moses and/or his assistant is a nice idea, but having it be two high school aged girls just didn't work. However, since they were only segues in to the next set of drops, it didn't really matter.

The drops themselves are quite remarkable. Beautifully painted, in such a way that we could see that some care and great craftsmanship went in to their painting. The fact that they are still in a condition that can be flown and shown in a theatre testifies to the Masonic Temple's preservation skills.

Part of the remarkable-ness of these drops is not just the actual painting skills and the detail in which they were painted (which was quite remarkable) but the number of drops. These paintings were done at a time when the scenic elements called for more than a simple backdrop, and hence there were legs and teasers that were done to match the elegant backdrop.

Most impressive was the "Hell Scene" for The Divine Comedy, Part I. As the narration mentioned, Moses used a very new technique (perhaps his own design) of including bits of crimped tin foil among the paint so that it would reflect the lights, and would change the appearance slightly as the lights changed. Remarkable!

Worth attending next season as well!

TWELFTH NIGHT -- Great River Shakespeare Festival

Great River Shakespeare Festival
script: William Shakespeare
dir: Alec Wild
cast: Erik Paulson, Christopher Gerson, Rob Eigenbrod, Brian Frederick, Shanara Gabrielle, Jack Sanderson, Michael Fitzpatrick, Carla Noack, Marcus Truschinski, Laura Coover, Doug Scolz-Carlson, Kim Martin-Cotten, Jonathan Gillard Daly, Jacques Roy, Jason Michael Spelbring
set design: Takeshi Kata
costume design: Rosemary Ingham
light design: Kenton Yeager
composer: Josh Horvath
sound design: C. Andrew Mayer

A shipwreck separates brother and sister twins, each thinking that the other has perished. The sister, Viola, disguises herself as a man to gain employment, and falls in love with her boss, while the woman her boss loves falls for Viola (posed as the man). A comedy.

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I'd seen this play only from a variety of videos, and was never very interested in it. This production, however, was quite outstanding.

The play flowed well, with constant movement on its very fluid-looking set. There were no gaps between scenes.

Director, Alec Wild, caught the humor of the play quite well, and this is where I feel that other productions I have seen have fallen flat. They key, in my opinion, is the role of Feste, the fool. While we certainly have to see that he really is smarter than most of the people on the stage, we also have to see that he knows his role as the fool, otherwise he comes across as arrogant and not at all funny. This was well played by Doug Scholz-Carlson.

The stakes that each character had set for him/herself, were appropriately high, and by letting us see and know these stakes, we appreciated the humor more and saw the love that they had for one another. This idea of setting the stakes high is essential for good theatre.

While I liked the basic set, I felt that the placement of a lone tree was quite odd and actually made a statement about solitariness that seemed inappropriate. I think that I personally would have placed the tree off to the side where it could be used, but would have left the stage feeling much more open.

A wonderful production.

ROMEO & JULIET -- Great River Shakespeare Festival

Great River Shakespeare Festival
script: William Shakespeare
dir: Paul barnes
cast: Jacques Roy, Christopher Gerson, Jason Michael Spelbring, Brian Frederick, Jonathan Gillard Daly, Michael Fitzpatrick, Kim Martin-Cotton, Carla Noack, Rob Eigenbrod, Jack Sanderson, Shanara Gabrielle, Doug Scholz-Carlson, Marcus Truschinski, Laura Coover
set design: Takeshi Kata
costume design: Rosemary Ingham
lighting design: Kenton Yeager
composer: Josh Horvath
sound design: C. Andrew Mayer

The classic story of two lovers from rival/warring families. A tragedy.

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A remarkable production, which, while unedited, does not feel as though it's three hours long. It moves well from scene to scene and holds our interest well.

For those who don't study or teach it, the actual production of Romeo & Juliet often comes as a surprise -- there are fight scenes, there is humor, all within this tragedy. This production plays all of it well, which is incredibly important -- if you can't laugh or get excited, than the tragic parts have less impact. When we like these characters and can laugh along side of them, they become real and their deaths carry much more weight.

There are two scenes in this production which did not work well for me. First was the "Queen Mab" speech. It was the only time I was bored, and quite frankly it does not move the story forward. I would have been in favor of that portion being cut.

The other part that didn't work as well as I think it was intended, was the rope ladder down from the balcony. I liked the idea, and I could see what the director was going for (using the the length of the stage to imply the great height of the balcony), but it didnt work for the very simple reason that they had already broken that barrier earlier when Romeo leaped up, grabbed the railing and hoisted himself up to give Juliet a farewll kiss. If the balcony was that low to the ground that he could jump and pull himself, then why did he need a 30' length of rope later (other than that the lines called for it)?

Still, an over-all excellent production, and worth seeing.

PETER PAN -- Home and Community Options

directed by Larry Gorrell
music directed by Harry Mechell
cast: Alyssa Schlageter, Jordan Smith, Rachel Crawford-Miller, Hunter Tibor, Frank Merchlewitz, Debbie Berhow, Cory Franson, Keley Bates-Franson, Mary Hansel Parlin, Lydia Feuerhelm, Michael Deranek, Debbie Berhow, et al
music: Mark Charlap
lyrics: Carolyn Leigh
additional music: Jule Styne
additional lyrics: Betty Comden and Adolph green

This is the classic, musical stage version of the play, made popular by Mary Martin years ago, and Cathy Rigby more recently.

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I found this play to be wanting in so many areas. It was hard to believe that it was rehearsed as long as it was, based on what was on stage.

The actress playing Peter did a fine job, but the Darling children were seriously lacking in any charisma.

"Hook" was just fine -- appropriately evil and powerful.

My favorite part of the show was the dance that "Tiger Lil" performed with her fellow Indians. However, even Tiger Lil could have been much more animated.

I consider director Larry Gorrell a friend, but it felt that he was spending his time playing crowd control, rather than actually directing this piece.

WHEN WE DEAD AWAKEN -- Commonweal Theatre

by Henrik Ibsen
Three Act play
directed by: Lisa Weaver
cast: Patrick Bailey, Amanda Davis, Joe Schermann, Mike Long, Christine Winkler, Katie Woodzick
sets: Kit Mayer
costumes: Janice Martin
lights: Jack Hamilton

An artitist, sculptor, feels as though he has awakened from the dead and is able create art again when he renews a relationship with his former model.

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I liked the script, the story, which was not one that I was familiar with. It spoke well to the artist, though perhaps it wouldn't reach the average theatre-goer.

The set was quite nice and crossed over from functional realistic to representational nicely.

Costumes were beautiful and set the the tone for the era of the show.

Unfortunately, despite these positives, the directing and acting brought this show down to the level of "competent community theatre."

While I quite like Patrick Bailey as a performer, his obvious British accent was quite glaring set against the very American accents of the rest of the cast and in this play set in Norway. It jarred me initially, but I was able to over-look it later.

Amanda Davis, as the female lead, acted so modern ... 21st Century modern, which went against the look for the rest of the show. She appeared to be a typical teen today -- trying new things and bored with her stuffy, ol' husband, and while the script may well have suggested this, if it's going to be set in the 1800's, she needs to find the way to portray that. Instead she just acted like a modern girl wearing an old fashioned dress.

Christine Winkler as the sculptor's former model was just...well...odd. She acted half dead the entire time, and I never once saw anything about her that would make me believe that the sculptor ever saw her as perfection and would be willing to cast off his current young wife to rekindle a relationship with this dead spirit.

Katie Woodzick had only one line in the entire play (the last line) and not a single person in the theatre understood it. In the discussion after the show, she was asked what she said (turns out it was a Latin phrase, but no one understood even that much).

Mike Long, as the bear hunter, looked good for the part (thanks, in large part to the costume), but was never quite threatening enough. To be the polar opposite of Bailey's character he needed to be much more of a physically threatening presence on the stage, and that just never came through. A deep baritone voice and a slight swagger were not enough to convince me that he might take Davis, sexually, on the mountain side.

And while I make these comments as faults of the performers, I do believe that the director is largely responsible, especially in a company which makes claims at being professional. The director should have defined the era in which the play was set an seen to it that Davis was acting within that period. The director should have seen the need to make the bear hunter and the sculptor as opposite as possible and done whatever possible to make that happen.

Characters as representational are okay, but if, even after the play, we can not understand what a character was representing (Woodzick), then the director missed the mark.

I think that this could have been a really wonderful production and could have shown that Ibsen is so much more than A Doll's House and Hedda Gabler, but instead it served only to show that the Commonweal is getting stale.

I think that Commonweal Theatre truly needs to take a serious look at it's company and shake things up a bit. I don't enjoy going there to see shows any more. The acting and directing is all much the same and I know what kind of performances I'll see, and it isn't great.

CINDERELLA -- Ballet

Page Theater -- Saint Mary's University
Produced by the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts at the Valencia Arts Center
Guest Artist: Richard Isaacs as The Prince
student, Alyssa Schneider as Cinderella
Artistic Director: Tammy Schmidt Perry

The Classical ballet featuring music by Prokofiev.

This was a very nice staging of the ballet. Tammy Schmidt-Perry added her own mark by giving some of the Fairies and Corps new choreography to go along with some of the original staging.

Richard Isaacs showed why he is a professional, as his leaps and turns were so much smoother and higher than any of the students. Miss Schneider did a fine job of holding her own alongside a professional and through such an intense performance schedule (Schneider, only 15, was on stage dancing most of the show, with numerous solos and Pas de Deux).

A very good show.

{My three children were in the show, two as Trolls and one as a Dragonfly.}

VARIETY SHOW

Rushford-Peterson High School

Last night was the third annual variety show hosted by the R-P Drama Club. These kids do a pretty good job getting together and getting something done.

The show itself was "okay." As expected, it featured a lot of piano recital pieces, a couple of speeches from speech team members, and a baton-twirling exhibition from the little kids. The theme around the show was a mystery which the Drama Club put together. It was a neat idea, well performed, but not necessarily well thought out.

A pleasant evening, though not exceptional in any way.

THE CASHORE MARIONETTES

A PAGE Series Event
Page Theatre - Saint Marys University

This was a phenomenal program! Only a little more than an hour in length, but Joe Cashore is truly a remarkable puppet-master! My entire family was completely enthralled with this, even though the show is not considered to be for young children.

It's hard to pick a favorite piece that he performed, but I'd lean toward the last puppet, which climbed up the puppet-master himself and settled on his arm. Top do this, the master had to work the controls from up above and behind his head. Incredible!!!

Go see this show if at all possible!

MICHAEL COOPER: MASKED MARVELS AND WONDERTALES

A PAGE Series Event
Page Theatre -- Saint Mary's University, Winona, MN

A master mime and mask-maker entertains with a series of skits, sketches, and vignettes.

This was a fantastic show. What an artisan! Cooper clever opened his show with a mime piece that had him wearing an over-sized baby-head mask. Half-way through the selection, he opened the baby mask (which then, swadled, became the baby) to reveal an old man mask.

Other sketches included a cowboy taming a horse, his impression of various animals (some with and some without masks), a fish fishing for a human, an audience participation piece in which he taught some children how to look like they were going down (and up) on an elevator and on stairs, and a coup de gras with a story about a dancing troll, in which he danced in stilts, wearing a troll mask and costume.

My children were completely entralled by this show, and my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it as well.

I had two, small, reservations about the show. First, I did feel that Mr. Cooper worked a little too hard to try to get some reaction and enthusiasm out of the stodgy, mid-western, Scandinavian-descendant audience. We're generally a pretty reserved bunch, so trying to get us to yell out comments during a show goes against our nature. It seemed as though his show is geared toward trying to get the audience to "ask" for things, which we generally just don't do.

And some times I thought his miming, while certainly competent, was less than spectacular -- specifically his mime of sitting in a chair. Hey...I understand the whole aging/weak knees thing, but if you can't get your butt a little more parallel to the floor, then I'm not going to buy that you're sitting in a chair. The first time he did it, I wasn't even sure that's what he was miming.

Still...a really tremendous show, with a hearty two thumbs up from me!

MANY MOONS -- Winona State University

by Charlotte Chorpenning
based on a story by James Thurber
1 hour long children's play
directed by Vivian Fusillo

A Princess is ill , and only her heart's desire will make her well. The three wisest men in the kingdom can't fulfill her heart's desire, but the simple Jester can.


It's so hard to speak ill of anything directed by Vivian, one of my favorite instructors and directors of all time, but this play just fell flat -- it did not keep the interest of the kids in the audience.

There is a nice story in there, but it got lost somehow. Fifth graders were commenting that it was hard to follow, so I can only imagine what the younger grades thought.

I'm not sure if it was the staging or the iritating, incessant music that followed each character on, but the story was lost. It was never absolutely clear that the Jester was smarter than the three wise men in figuring out how to please the Princess. And the Jester was wiser because he would simply ask the Princess rather than trying to decide what she might want.

Instead, this became a play about silly walks and leaps, constant sound, and affected speech, none of which had anything to do with the actual story.

The problem, I think, is that there was no build to the story. Everything was at one pace -- so much so that when we should have been listening to the coniving and plotting, we weren't (which is why it was hard for the 5th graders to follow) -- so much so that the ending swept in so quickly that we didn't know it was done until the cast started to bow.

Oh how my heart aches to see a Vivian play not be a remarkable work of art. The costumes, the set, the leaping and silly walks, the affected speech, are all trademarks of a fantastical Vivian show, but I've always thought she new how to pace well, too.

Not a recommended play.

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO

A PAGE Series Event
Page Theatre - Saint Mary's University

A musical performance by the South African vocal group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Their sound is incredible. Most people would be familiar with this group from their appearance on the Paul Simon album, Graceland.

While it is easy to listen to them again and again, their concert grew just a little long. For the most part, they stood at microphones and sang for the two hours, with very occassional movements (dance?) to very few phrases in a few songs.

I enjoyed it, as did my wife and kids (though one slept through most of it), but do wish that there was a little more than just sitting in theatre seats and listening.

OLD MINNESOTA: SONG OF THE NORTH STAR -- Big Top Chautauqua

A Page Series Event
Page Theatre, Saint Mary's University
Winona, MN
dir: Warren Nelson
band director: Don Pavel
vocal director: Ed Willett
cast: Warren Nelson, Don Pavel, Phillip Anich, Cal Aultman, Severin Behnen, Bruce Bowers, Bruce Burnside, Betty Ferris, Jack Gunderson, Sally Kessler, Scott Kuester, Cheryl Leah, Tom Mitchell, Rowan Nelson-Ferris, Ed Willett

A history of Minnesota in song and sketches.

I really enjoyed the music and vocals in this production. Both were quite strong and very good. The history was evidently thoroughly researched, and I certainly learned a thing or two during the performance.

And while I was watching it, I thought to myself, "I'm enjoying this...why?" And really it was only because of the music and vocals. The actual writing of the piece was weak, and the lyrics of the songs seemed strained much of the time.

I give Mr. Nelson credit for doing a fine job and for his persistence in getting this show performed. However, a "fine" job is not the same as a "great" job, and this is the kind of production that will forever be relegated to touring schools in Minnesota (of course the subject matter alone will prevent it from having much of a life). There's certainly nothing wrong with touring schools, but I get the sense that this gentleman is doing his best, which just isn't on par with most professionals.

I am reminded of my college days, where a bunch of us sat on stools on the stage, our scripts and scores in front of us on music stands, and we "performed" an original musical work by a fellow college student. This show had much that same feel (they all sat on stools with their music on stands in front of them), except that all involved are well past their college days.

I'm glad I went, I would consider seeing it again with my older children, I might even buy a CD of the music if one existed, but I can't recommend that you rush out to see it (though if it's in your town and you're looking for a night out, certainly it's worth the time).

MSHSL 2006 State One Act Play Festival

The best plays from each of the eight, class 1-A sections across Minnesota perform this one day.

The schools represented this year were: Maple River, Mapleton; Eveleth-Gilbert; St. Charles; Norwood-Young America; Russell-Tyler-Ruthton; Bagley; Wadena-Deer Creek; St. Paul Academy & Summit School

The plays presented were:
"Oscar" -- Brian Nissen
"Two Rooms" -- Lee Blessing
"Line" -- Israel Horovitz
"The Rough Face Girl" -- Kevin Spencer
"The Lottery" -- Brainerd Duffield
"Masterpiece" -- Nathan Metcalf
"Clown of God" -- Jay W. Patterson
"The Sandbox" -- Edward Albee

Over-all, I was under-whelmed with the days' offerings. Nothing really stood out as being exceptional.

"Oscar" was a well-acted piece, had some nice stage pictures, but I thought that they did not need the expansive set that they had (most of the action took place off the set, in a cramped, down-stage space -- however, the set did include a doorway for some of the downstage action). The material was a little boring for me, and certainly didn't keep me totally interested. I think it was good that they went first, or I might have had a harder time focusing on them.

"Two Rooms" seemed very topical, although, as a the judge later pointed out, was written nearly twenty years ago. Again, I felt the staging was wrong. Though the action took place in two different locations, they used a small square for both locations, having the actors go on or off to indicate 'their' scene. At times both actors were in the space and it was difficult to determine who's space it was. I think they might have done better to have two, independant, adjacent spaces, and then they could have met in the middle when they had 'dream sequences' together. There was lightening and thunder cues throughout much of the show, which I found quite distracting. The acting was fair.

"Line," which I thoroughly enjoyed two weeks ago, was still a strong favorite here, but they had made some changes, and not for the better as far as I'm concerned. They added more violence to their action, more 'rough' language, and for some damned strange reason they lowered the lights and used a spotlight for two occassions, which totally did not work but added to confusion if anything. Performances were still quite strong.

"The Rough Face Girl" was a horrid little piece and makes one wonder what the rest of their competition must have been like. Although the direction was carefully choreographed, the acting weak and the story maybe weaker, the ytried to do some interesting theatrical, dance-like movement. The pacing was very one-note and boring. This was actually rather embarassing.

I found it interesting that "The Lottery" was nowhere properly credited as being based on the Shirley Jackson short story. I liked the visual imagery in this piece -- black, white, and shades of grey only...except for the blood red mark on the piece of paper. The acting was mostly quite good, although when you have such a large cast there is always the danger of a few weaker performers. Not surprisingly, most of the high-schoolers I saw with this just loved the piece, while the adults all thought it was much too dark and depressing. I thought that the "stoning" was well done, though the very ending was wrong -- first, don't have students shouting in a blackout things like "she's still moving!" and speed up the lights back up on the empty stage -- most people thought it was over before the final tableau.

I liked the ideas behind "Masterpiece," but the actual performance lacked energy. I asked my friend Kootch how it compared to the original production done last year and he said that the blocking, sound, etc was nearly identical. I asked because I had gotten that impression. It felt like a copy, rather than a unique work. Some actors quite strong, but some quite weak. Not a consistent piece.

"Clown of God" was a dreadful work. Too many themes trying to come together. I'm not sure what "God" had to do with any of it, or why the clown was in a church. Why the medieval-looking costumes for the fair-goers, WWII bomb images, and Nazi/MIB/Matrix-looking men? The eras didn't match up. The young man who played the clown in the bathtub did a good job, but this piece was a something that many of those around me slept through.

Albee's "The Sandbox" is a classic, and one I've considered doing, but it's never struck me as appropriate. This production didn't do anything to change my mind. The biggest mistake for an absurdist play, is to play it FOR laughs, which is what they did here. The performances were okay, but the direction seemed totally wrong.

It's difficult to choose a favorite for the day. Three plays stand out as being better than the average for the day -- "Oscar," "Line," and "The Lottery". Each had some strong acting with some strange directing choices, but none stood out as being 'the best.'

MSHSL Section 1-A One Act Play Festival

The top two winners from the Sub-Section contests compete for the chance to move to the State festival. Participating schools were: Dover-Eyota; Fillmore Central; Kingsland; Rochester Lourdes; St. Charles; Stewartville; Triton; Zumbrota-Mazeppa.

Plays performed were:

Wiley and the Hairy Man -- Jack Stokes
Under Jeckyll's Hyde -- Tim Kelly
The Cry of Crows -- James Lee Bray
Amber Waves -- James Still
Line -- Israel Horovitz
Viet Rock -- Megan Terry, adapted by the cast and crew
That Was No Lady, That Was a Private Eye -- Dennis Snee
The Ugly Duckling -- A.A. Milne

Wiley and the Hairy Man was an interesting cross between theatre and reader's theatre. It was well done, but the very nature of the piece probably kept it from being outstanding in any way.

Under Jeckyll's Hyde looked like an embarassing romp. Most of the actors couldn't be understood, they seemed to try too hard to be funny, and they seemed to run around without purpose. The lead role did well as Mr. Jeckyll, but was much too stiff as Dr. Hyde.

The Cry of Crows was a powerful piece, well performed. The high school students did a remarkable job with an attempted rape scene, making many of us in the audience feel uncomfortable. The acting was extremely good, and certainly put this in contention for top spot.

Amber Waves was an interesting play about the death of farms in the 1980's. The acting was mostly good, but the writing lent itself to a one-note performance. The set was nice, but over-done. Rear-screen projections kept us occupied during scene changes (of which there were too many).

Israel Horovitz is a recognizable name for decent theatre, and his play Line was certainly one of the better written pieces. It also happened that it was one of the best performed as well -- a nice combination. Only five performers (four of them male!) and smooth direction had this play a crowd favorite. If I have any problem with Horovitz it's that I feel he writes stock characters, all of which were immediately recognizable to me on the stage here.

Viet Rock was an ambitious work, done in a style that I think is tailor made for State, avant garde theatre. I was impressed with the number of men in the show (seven), and their attempt to push themselves to doing something "different." I give them points for their attempt and goal, but at times what they were doing fell flat. Not surprisingly, much of what they were doing was a hit with the students that went to see this with me.

That Was No Lady, That Was a Private Eye was an attempt to combine humor, mystery, and feminism all in one. Unfortunately, nothing hit any strong moments, except for the stage hand who controlled the plant that withered and died on stage.

The Ugly Duckling looked lost on the larger, university stage. The role of the king was still strong, as in last week's performance, but the rest of the cast and staging got lost in the much more open stage.

My guess at the outcome was that it would be a toss-up between Line and The Cry of Crows. Acting and directing was strong in both. I was leaning toward Line because it was a stronger script.

Actual outcome -- a tie for first place, which then went to judges' preference, which meant: 1st place - Line; 2nd place - The Cry of Crows.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM -- Rushford-Peterson high School

playwright: William Shakespeare
director: Daniel Munson

Shakespeare's classic story of crossed lovers and an ass.

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A delightful, abbreviated production by high school students.

MSHSL Sub-Section 1-A One Act Play Festival

Six, one-act plays, produced and performed by area high schools as part of the Minnesota State High School League One Act Play Festival. The schools are: Chosen Valley; Fillmore Central; Houston; Kingsland; Mabel Canton: Rushford-Peterson. The plays are:

The Betrothed -- Jerome McDonough
The Ugly Duckling -- A.A. Milne
Juliet's Ghost -- Kenneth R. Preuss
Under Jeckyll's Hyde -- Tim Kelly
A Midsummer Night's Dream -- William Shakespeare
Time Flies & Lives of the Saints -- David Ives

The Betrothed was a dreadful work. As staged by this school, it was very unclear as to what was happening and who the people were. Poorly paced and an unfocused script this play was clearly the worst of the lot. The director could have done a much better job making the ideas clear and the cast most definitely could have used more rehearsal time.

The Ugly Duckling was well staged, and the cast did an admirable job. I felt that it lacked energy from many in the cast, though I respected the work done by the lead ("King"). The character of "Dulcibella" was well defined and maintained.

Juliet's Ghost was a meandering work that really lacked focus. There seemed to be no direction -- groups of kids gathered in clumps in the center of the stage and would step forward to deliver a line. I normally don't mind having females play male roles (it is often necessary in high school theatre), but why choose a play that requires six men to play boyfriends when you only have one boy in the cast? I would have seriously considered a different show seeing who I had audition.

I did not see Under Jeckyll's Hyde, though I heard it was quite good.

I directed the production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, so it is difficult for me to be objective regarding the performance. I did think that my cast rushed through it much too quickly. A total of four minutes off their average time. Some were WAY too fast ("Oberon" and "Puck" in particular), but over-all I thought they did an very good job.

Time Flies & Lives of the Saints was a very interesting production. There actually seemed to be three short plays put together. None of them was really very interesting and relied too much on a one-note joke. The acting was fair and the direction fair. Nothing outstanding and nothing dismal.

Based on what I saw and taking in consideration my own bias, I would have chosen Midsummer for 1st place and Duckling for 2nd. Actual outcome: Jeckyll/Hyde - 1st; Duckling - 2nd.