COCK-A-DOODLE DANDY -- Rushford-Peterson Elementary School

R-P Elementary Spring Vocal Concert

"Cock-A-Doodle Dandy" -- Grades 1,2,3
director: Diana Poppe
1. Fabulous Day!
2. Cock-A-Doodle Rap
3. Make Him Stop Today
4. Sign On The Line
5. Standing Side by Side
6. Reprise: Fabulous Day!

Grades 4,5
director: Burton Svendsen
"Carlotte-town"
"Al Shlosha D'Varina"
"Johnson Boys"
"O Desayo"
"Pat Works On the Railway"

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Another typical, well-done spring performance done by the elementary school. The younger grades offer simple acting and solo singing opportunities to some of the youngsters with the use of an actual story line. The older students perform concert-like songs.

Well done. Enjoyable.

HAPPY SPRING! -- Rushford-Peterson 5th-6th-7th-8th Grade Band Concert

Rushford-Peterson Public School Spring Band Concert

directors: Burton Svendsen & Jacob Olson

5th Grade Band:
"Regal March"
"When The Saints Go Marching In"
"Battle Creek March"
"Rockology"

6th Grade Cadet Band:
"Prelude To A Festival"
"Grandfather's Clock"
"Even Now"
"The Blue Rock"

7th & 8th Grade Jr. Band:
"The Eagle's Triumph"
"Stormy"
"Red Rock Canyon"
"Crystal March"

6th, 7th, & 8th Grade Band:
"Strike Up The Band"
"Gaslight Gaities"

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A delightful evening of good music.

I feel that the quality of music coming from these youngster is every bit as good as some of the music I heard from the high school band two or three years ago.

I have heard that the middle school band instructor has been very pleased with his 6th grade group (which is larger than the 7th 7 8th grade combined). let's hope that they can continue to improve and impress.

TWELVE AT SIX -- Rushford-Peterson High School

The RPHS Jazz Band in their Spring Concert

director: Burton Svendsen
saxophones: Carl Schiltz (alto); Kevin O'Donnell (alto); Kristen Ostrem (tenor); Phillip Nitecki (baritone)
trombones: Justin Brown; Melissa Smith
trumpets: Steve Ahles; Levi Brown; Zach Miner; Ryan O'Shaughnessy
rhythm section: Carin Hyter (drum set); John Klungtvedt (piano); Tony Russell (electric guitar)

"Night Fever" (arr. Tony Femiano)

"Here's That Rainy Day" (arr. Bob Lowden)

"blues for clyde" (arr. Sammy Nestico)

"Gospel John" (arr. Bob Lowden)

"Malaguena" (arr. Bob Lowden)

"California Dreamin'" (arr. Jerry Nowak)

"Don't Cry For Me Argentina" (arr. Jerry Nowak)

"Johnny B. Goode" (arr. Jerry Noak

"Theme From New York, New York" (arr. Jerry Nowak)

"The Funky Turtle" (arr. John Morris)

"Under The Sea" (arr. Mark Taylor)

"Danger Zone" (arr. Jerry Nowak)

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I've not always been impressed with the music programs offered up at the RP High School, but this particular instance was very good.

It was obvious that these were students who really wanted to be there, making music, and not there because they had to for their class. The talent was strong and the music was good.

In particular, the young woman on drums was quite impressive.

A worthwhile concert that deserved to have a bigger audience.

COMPANY -- Saint Mary's Univeristy

book: George Furth
music & lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
director: Judy Myers
stage manager: Timothy Markus
conductor: Tony Freeman
costume design: Janis Martin
choreographer: Christine Martin
lighting designer: Walt Claassen
scenic designer: Kit Mayer
sound designer: Alex Downes Borowski
cast: Peter Snell, Whitney Rappana, Mark Skrade, Jeff David, Bernadette Raspant, Patrick Mack, Rachel Crawford-Miller, Sarah Jane Engle, Alex Gorgone, Kristina Perkins, Danny Pancratz, Ali Fisch, Erin Hendricks, Alyssa Schlageter

The musical comedy of a single man, surrounded by married friends.

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This college production was very well done. A very talented cast that mostly performed very well. Lots of strong voices made the songs a treat to listen to.

Lead, Peter Snell, was very good as Bobby, though he did seem a bit one-dimensional as the play went along. Alyssa Schlageter as "Marta" was tremendous -- her singing voice strong and her looks perfect. Aside from the good looks and hip costuming, she had an incredibly strong singing voice.

Probably the best performance of the evening was put in by Kristina Perkins as "Joanne." She seemed to have the most, best-defined character and managed to maintain it all the way through. She had just the right bit of drunkeness and bitterness and lovability and honesty to keep us liking her.

The direction was a tad boring, even though the set managed to offer multiple levels.

The lighting was somewhat dull, but the costumes were incredible. I actually gasped as I saw the color-scheme and how well it all blended together.

A very well done performance.

JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH -- Winona State University

script: Richard R. George (based on the book by Roald Dahl)
director: Vivian Fusillo
cast: Kerry Danielson, Lisa Michaels, Eve Cowan, Peter Armstrong, Anthony Giebel, Allison Sweeney, Rachel Muonio, Daniel Evashevski, Brian Rice, Caitlin Puckett, Thomas Brunner, MaKenzie Birchell
technical director: Jim Danneker
set design: Peggy Sannerud
lighting design: Peggy Sannerud
sound design: Nicole Volner
costume & makeup design: Erin Dostal
stage manager: Eileen Moeller
assistant stage manager: Katy Stein

With the help of some magically enhanced (or nuclear enhanced) gems, a giant peach grows in James' yard, complete with human sixed bugs. Adventure ensues.

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Oh, how sad. This play lacked everything. With some wonderful opportunities for wild action, this play delivered up nothing but static dialog delivery. When the most enjoyable part of a performance is the delightful characterization of the two aunts (wonderfully, wickedly played by Lisa Michaels and Eve Cowan), then you must realize that something is horribly wrong.

Ginat insects, inside a giant peach! And yet by being confined to the limiting set, these giant insects never got to display and character. They stood around and talked and worried about things, so that James could solve their problems.

Where is the action in a play like this? There was none. The action consisted of talk. In an adult play, this is not unusual. In a children's play, it's highly boring.

Costuming was okay, but it still would have been better served to display something even more. Why didn't we see any sea gulls? Why only two sharks (rather lamely identified)? The earthworm looked like what he probably was ... a man in a multi-colored sleeping-bag.

I once adored Vivian's children's plays. The last few that I've seen have been a colossal disappointment. Has she lost her touch? Judging by what I've seen lately...yes.

PUBLIC LECTURE BY JAMES DELGADO -- Minnesota Marine Art Museum/WSU Lyceum Series

Somsen Auditorium, WSU
Presented by the Minnesota Marine Arts Museum
"Dr. Delgado will speak on his visit to the shipwreck RMS Titanic and the discovery of RMS Carpathia."

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This was a fascinating, multi-media lecture by James Delgado, the executive director of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and host of National Geographic and History Channel's The Sea Hunters.

Mr. Delgado is very charismatic, a wonderful public speaker. He spoke of the human aspect, of the lives lost, of the Titanic, and how he thought about the individuals as he navigated among the ruins of the sunken ship.

He showed photos that he took through the windows of the submersible he was in, and also showed video footage of the Carpathian wreck.

My nine-year-old son attended the lecture with me, and was completely absorbed by it. He said that the 90 minute program felt like it wasn't even an hour long, and that it got him "right here" (as he pointed to his chest).

A wonderful lecture.

STORY THEATRE -- Rushford-Peterson High School

directors: Elizabeth Wessa & Kathryn Edson

A collection of short skits, together for a "Story Theatre" production.

"The Little Peasant"
"The Bremen Town Musicians"
"The Robber Bridegroom"
"Henny Penny"
"The Master Thief"
"The Fisherman and His Wife"
"The Golden Goose"

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This production was slightly better than I expected.  I'm not too big on fables/fairy tales as theatre, but the students did a good job of playing 'real' characters rather than being goofy because they were embarassed.

This is generally what I expect to see when I watch high school theatre.

CAMELOT -- Ordway Center for the Performing arts

Book & Lyrics: Allan Jay Lerner

Music: Frederick Loewe
Additional Materials: Michael A.M. Lerner
director: Glenn Casale
cast: Michael York, Rachel York, James Barbour, Shannon Stoeke, Time Winters, Eric Anderson, Tavis Danz, Stuart Ambrose, Daniel Guzman, Robert J. Townsend, Shannon Warne, Suzanne Carlton, Venny Carranza, Sandi DeGeorge, Sandy Hawker, Joanna Louise, Monica Louwerens, Grant Rosen, Joseph Stark, Leah Seminario, Megan Swanson, Jill Townsend, Alan M-L Wager, John B Williford, Vincent Zamora
set design: John Iocavelli
costume design: Marcy Froehlich
lighting design: Tom Ruzika
sound design: Julie Ferrin
fight direction: Sean Boyd
wig design: Mitchell Hale
orchestra direction: Craig Barna
choreography: Dan Mojica

The classic musical detailing the fall of Camelot and its principle architects, Arthur, Guenevere, and Lancelot.

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While the sets and cotumes were bright and colorful and everything a delightful musical should be, the staging and acting lacked color.

James Barbour as Lancelot, and Rachel York as Guenevere, both had nice singing voices, but the acting couldn't have been much more wooden. I'm not certain this was the actor's fault, but director Casale's lack of imagination and strength.

Blocking was incredibly static, and the extent of Michael York's acting was a clenched fist and short arm movement which served for both "frustration" and "joyous" emotions.

The pacing was hectic, perhaps to not give us time to reflect on how dull the previous scene was. But by moving along too quickly, we enever got to enjoy any of the show. Would it be too terrible to laugh at "C'est Moi" or "Take Me To The Fair"? If not, then why not play up the humor a little? Let the actors act a little and play with the song? Instead, they sang through their pieces as if at a recital... good strength and volume, but no emotion.

Not helping the work was the awful sound. The orchestra drowned out Michael York in his opening song, establishing a terrible precendent. We should be able to chuckle at what Arthur is singing about, but since we can't hear the words, we aren't able to be drawn in. Then, though the orchestra did pull back near the end of the song, the sound quality on York's mic always came across as slightly muffled and too obviously amplified.

The worst part of the show, however, was the make-up and hair. Michael York's make-up couldn't have been blander. I realize he's probably trying not to look his actual age, but he still needs definition over the base. He was a pinkish-orange bowl. There was nothing to bring out his eyes, his cheeks, or in any way define any of his fetures. I was sitting only six or seven rows from the edge of the stage, and if I had a problem with this, I can only imagine what those in the balcony seats were seeing.

And the hair .... I don't have a problem with anyone having a mohawk, though it did strike me as odd -- it seemed so "native american" for a Dark Ages knight, though. Then there was the knight whose hair looked SO much like the movie/comic book character "Wolverine" from the X-Men -- sort of a flat top which feathered out to wind-blown spikes along the top sides. And Sir Lionel, whose long hair, some in tight braids, was constantly in his face. And Mordred. First, he wore a strange little hat the first few times we saw him that was the exact color of his hair, and actually made it look like he had one of the oddest hairdos I've ever seen. Interestingly, it was my first thought that it was his hair style, and after the show, my wife made the same comment about Mordred's odd hairstyle. It really was so odd that I wasn't paying attention to the character or what he was doing -- I was trying to understand what was on his head. Then, in a later appearance, the hat was gone, but he still managed to have an unusual hair style in which his hair seemed to be feathered back so that it creted a "ridge" at the back of his head.

One should never notice hair and make-up in a play. It should be just a natural part of each character and compliment the costuming. That I noticed it at all is not a good sign. That I noticed and even dwelled on it shows a lack of director control over the show's "look." The fact that I noticed it and thought how awful it was speaks poorly for the production.

Despite all of this, I think that my children enjoyed themselves. It is always good to get children out to see plays other than their local high school productions. Too bad it couldn't have been a more stellar production.

MSHSL 2007 State One Act Play Festival

The best plays from each of the eight, class 1-A sections across Minnesota perform this one day, at the College of St. Catherine’s O’Shaughnessy Auditorium in St. Paul.

The schools represented this year were: Ada-Borup; Delano; Sauk Centre; Belle Plaine; St. Charles; Aitkin; Pipestone Area; Wadena-Deer Creek.

The plays presented were:

And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson -- Jim Leonard, Jr.
This is a Test -- Stephen Gregg
Good Mother -- Damien Atkins
A Bright Clear Sky -- Kristina Halvorson
The Bald Soprano -- Eugene Ionesco
The Greek(ish) Myth of Marcyonome -- Alan Haehnel
TV -- Jean-Claude Van Itallie
The Boat -- Jay W. Patterson

The first play of the day was the Jim Leonard, Jr., piece, And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson. This was a tough play to start off the day. An "issue" play about the effects of polio -- the effects, not physically, but the emotional and sociological effects of having the crippling disease. The cast managed to keep high energy, and there were some real nice tableau pictures (specifically the preacher, congregation, and the girl staring out, and the holding up of the metal legs). However, there were some problems here. The change of characters was confusing. I thought that the lead boy was revisiting, through flashbacks, an event in his life, when actually he was playing multiple roles. The girl with polio was incredibly bland. The father was a cardboard character. Overall, and uneven work that had potential.

This is a Test by Stephen Gregg, was an outstanding comedy. The choreographed timing and the small details helped to make this piece really flow. Sound effects were carefully timed and used well. The only down-side to this piece was the young lady who played the role of the teacher. She didn't understand how to wait for the laughs before beginning her next line, and we lost a lot of what she had to say. A really, really good production.

Damien Atkins' Good Mother was another "issue" play. At issue here was the effects of a stroke on the matriarch of a family. I felt that the lead actor did a pretty good job as the mother with the stroke, but her character before the stroke lacked any compelling characteristics. The gal who played the nurse was good, and the boyfriend was very believable, but over-all I was underwhelmed.

A Bright Clear Sky by Kristina Halvorson was a refreshing change from the issue plays of most high school dramas. This story centered around an extended immigrant (Norwegian) family through the hardships of a fierce midwestern winter. Overall I thought that the acting was pretty good, and very consistent. I did think that there was too much crying and wailing by the women on stage when the men were about to head off into the storm, and I felt that the script itself was somewhat weak. A good job of acting and a decent job of directing. Could have used a better script.

My favorite, Eugene Ionesco, was here again with the production of The Bald Soprano that I quite enjoyed at the Section contest. The play lacked the spark that I saw last week, but still managed to hold its own. I still disliked the giant ear and the dancing chicken/cuckoo.

The Greek(ish) Myth of Marcyonome by Alan Haehnel was a new work to me, and I rather enjoyed it. Though it had a certain element that made it a "high school" piece rather than a stronger, professional-type play, I thought that it was mostly well done. I did have trouble hearing some of the chorus' lines, and I thought that the role of Marcy was inappropriately cast, but I laughed in all the rights spots, thanks to a cast and direction that seemed to get what they were doing.

I'm familiar with the works of Jean Claude van Itallie, and you're not likely to find me doing any of his works. His TV was an ambitious work that didn't quite manage to pull off what the school was likely going for. I liked the idea of the dichotomy of what was going on on the large television as to the hum-drum goings on in the studio control room (?), but there was so much going on that it was difficult to focus. The cast managed to keep a very high energy level throughout, for which I applaud them. The idea behind the set was quite creative. The challenge of the piece was laudable. The presentation of the work has to be in question, though. What was the studio that the three people were working in? What was their relationship? Why did the tv get quite sometimes when the volume knob was turned, but not always? The work should speak more politically and socially. What did it mean when the people on tv came out to invade the world? A clearer concept could have helped this piece a lot.

The Boat. By Jay W. Patterson. Oh, god. It is almost an exact copy of the production that this school did last year, called The Clown of God. Same school. Same original author. Same damned set. Same direction. Same boring shit. ...Sorry. I just cringed when I saw that the set was nearly identical. Exzcept that instead of a bath tub center stage, in which a character sat and never left, this time it was a boat center stage, in which someone sat. I disliked last year's play, and I disliked this year's play. It was a "tear-jerker." Or supposed to be. Instead, it comes across as didactic and melodramatic. And, as with last year's, the judges seem to like it. Which only goes to further my point that the judges aren't qualified to judge crap.

Overall, I once again felt that the level of productions was not nearly as impressive as they should be. The plays in our Section competition were altogether on a much higher level than these at State. Why is this?

I have nothing to gain by not liking these plays. In fact, I'd really like them to be outstanding so that I can show my student actors the reason that they don't move on. To give them something to shoot for. Instead, we all wonder what we've done that could possibly be considered inferior.

MICHAEL COOPER: MASKED MARVELS AND WONDER TALES

Ronald McDonal ARTS for Young America -- Viterbo University, Lacrosse, WI

This production was nearly identical to what we saw a year ago in Winona, MN. The kids enjoyed it so much that we got tickets again for this production. The only thing different, for us, was that my youngest son was chosen to go on stage and was the one picked for the "wacky" elevator ride sketch (last year, my older son was chosen). The show didn't hold quite the same magic for us, certainly because we knew what to expect, but it was still an enjoyable show.

Below is a copy of what I wrote last year.

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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!

MSHSL Section 1-A One Act Play Festival 2007

The top two winners from the Sub-Section contests compete for the chance to move to the State festival. Participating schools were: Byron; Fillmore Central; Grand Meadow; Rushford-Peterson; St. Charles; Stewartville; Triton; Wabasha-Kellogg.

Plays performed were:

Wade the Bird -- Trista Baldwin
A Mother's Story -- Sandra Miller
Cannibals -- Heather Dundas
The Cards of Fate -- Ed Monk
A Danish Soap or The Danes of Our Lives -- Peter Filichi
The Bald Soprano -- Eugene Ionesco
I Never Saw a Moor -- John Schreiber
Normal People -- Mike Willis

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I cannot comment on the first three plays of the day. I directed Cannibals and was back stage during the performance, but from the parents who'd seen ever production said that it was the best yet.

But because we were third in line, we were preparing during the first two shows. As I had already seen Wade the Bird at sub-section, I didn't need to see it again. I am sorry I missed A Mother's Story.

The Cards of Fate, by Ed Monk, was an interesting show. The premise was interesting -- a game show in which the contestant's answers had consequences FAR beyond the television studio, and included life and death for some. The set and costumes for this production were extravagant. The acting, sadly, was mostly a pastiche of caricatures. While the script is written in such a way that the characters are a bit over-the-top, making them a little more real to the audience might have helped it to get across better. It came across as melodrama, rather than a dark comedy.

Peter Filichi's A Danish Soap or The Danes of Our Lives, depends, as you can imagine, on a series of puns relating to Shakespeare. I thought that the script was quite funny but that the staging of the play was absolutely dreadful. Some of the dialog was moderately funny, but again, that was largely due to the script, and not the performances, which I felt were wooden.

What can I say about The Bald Soprano, by my hero, Eugene Ionesco? It's done fairly often, but I thought that some of the choices for this productions where quite fun. I liked, specifically, the costuming. The choice of color coordinating, along with wildly colored hair, was quite nice. The timing was very good, and I really appreciate high school students who aren't afraid of the pause. Especially in a show like this. The maid was overly-annoying, the cuckoo in the clock was not absurd, but ridiculous, and the giant ear was ... what the hell was it?! It's not in the script. Still, the commitment to the piece by the cast was really tremendous.

John Schreiber's original piece, I Never Saw a Moor, was deathly dull, and only moderately well acted. This is an "issue" play, and lord knows we see an awful lot of those at the high school level. The difference is that it's not about AIDS or the holocaust or teen suicide. This time it was about epilepsy. Sorry, but issue plays drive me crazy.

The final play of the day, Normal People, by Mike Willis, was another "issue" play. This time about AIDS. A high school student contracts the HIV virus through a blood transfusion and gets full-blown AIDS and then ostricized by her classmates and school -- except by one boy, a high school football player who everyone thinks is a bit dull and a jerk. The acting was monotone and boring. Strange costume choices had matching boys and girls wearing matching, vivid color outfits. Why? Were we really not going to get who was dating whom? Did it matter? This was my choice for worst production of the day.

My prediction was that Bald Soprano would get top prize. I thought that 2nd place could go just about any way, depending on the judges. I was hoping ... perhaps even expecting ... that our production of Cannibals would place in the top four.

Final result:

1st place: The Bald Soprano

2nd place: A Mother's Story

...

5th place: Cannibals

DON QUIXOTE -- Moscow Festival Ballet

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota School of the Arts
Page Series
dir: Sergey Radchenko
principal dancers: Grigorieva, Olga Tchemalina, Marianna Usina, Goukhar, Daev, Alexander Kazatsky, Anatholiy
soloist dancers: Alexy Lisitsin, Viacheslav Aksenov, Galina Glovanova, Andrey Chudin, Maria Barkova, Maria Socolnikova, Victoria Krakhmaleva, Alexander Rupishev, Anna Nekhlyudova, Yan Samigullin, Ekaterina Egorova, Alexander Pinugin, Maria Klueva, Irina Ivanova, Elena Khorosheva, Almaz Kalel, Timur Kinzikeev, Andrey Tarchokov, Yulia Kormishkina, Alina Dokuchaeva, Evgeniya Matyushina, Yulia Gridina, Yulia Proshkina, Victoria Kershis, Denis Sdvizhkov, Ivan Kaoitorov, Juhko Tanaka, Evleniya Sukhareva, Sofia Tomilina, Vitaly Zabelin, Denis Morozov, Taliana Suetina, Oksana Bondareva, Dmitriy Dmitriev
music: Leon Minkus
choreography: Marius Petipa
choreographers: Yurly Vetrov & Maria Bilova
sets: Lev Solodovnikov
costumes: Lev Solodovnikov
light designer: Maria Borodina

The Classical Ballet, as performed by the touring Russian company.

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It was rather fortuitous that I got to see this ballet. I'd wanted to go but hadn't gotten around to getting tickets, and then it was sold out. The morning of the show, however, I received a call from an old friend who said that she had an extra ticket and would I like to see it. Turns out that my friend had the prime, center seats, usually reserved for the university's president.

I enjoyed the ballet quite a bit (though I'm not at all sure what the hell it has to do with the story of Don Quixote) -- unlike many ballets which have graceful, slow-moving sections in which women in tutu's dance lithely around, this show was filled with a fair amount of men dancing. And quite frankly I enjoy the strength of male ballet dancing much more than the female dancing in most ballets I've seen.

Again, I'm not sure how anyone could possibly see that this is based in any way on Cervantes' classic novel, other than by having Don Quixote wander through each scene (yes, the character was there, but he never actually danced at all).

The dancers all seemed to be strong, though so many of them looked incredibly young, and as my friend pointed out, they were probably students out on their first tour.

The scenery was stunning and very ambitious for a small traveling company.

Over all, a really great experience and well worth attending.

MSHSL Sub-Section 1-A One Act Play Festival 2007

Seven, 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: Rushford-Peterson; Kingsland; Houston; Chatfield; Fillmore Central; Spring Grove; Mabel-Canton.

The plays performed were (in the order that they were presented):

The Dining Room by A.R. Gurney
The Ugly Duckling by A.A. Milne
Cannibals by Heather Dundas
Why I Am A Bachelor by Conrad Seiler
Final Dress Rehearsal by Jack Frakes
Wade The Bird by Trista Baldwin
Chipped by Forrest Musselman

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When I first caught a glimpse of the list of shows to be performed, I wondered why anyone in their right mind would choose The Dining Room. I first read this A.R. Gurney play when I was in college, and it has stuck with me as the most boring piece of theatre that I've ever come across. This production did little to change my impression. Although well directed and moderately well acted, the choice of material comes into question. I did come to understand some things about the play that I don't think I understood when I read it 25 years ago, but I still had the feeling of... "So what?" It never engaged me. It never drew me in or gave me any interesting insight. There's definitely a talented cast here that needs some real help with their focus. The premise for the show is one dining room that we see through the ages, by the different families that have used it, and what they have used it for.

The Ugly Duckling by A.A. Milne was an interesting choice for this competition because the same show was performed last year (successfully) by one of the other schools. This was the only production of the day that I did not get to see. What I heard was that this production had a western theme setting (last year's was a fairy-tale kingdom setting).

As I directed the production of Cannibals by Heather Dundas, I cannot comment on it without bias. It was a very good production, well performed, though with room for improvement.

Why I Am A Bachelor, by Conrad Seiler, was an amusing work with a lot of potential. This production could have used a little tighter direction. The "Lecturer" was funny, but wandered aimlessly a little too often. The "couple in love" were a bit stiff and the young man seemed very uncomfortable on stage The "mother," "aunt" and "little sister" were all fine. The two" stage hands" also seemed to be uncontrolled and therefore distracted rather than added to the production. And...it's a small thing, and probably a matter of personal taste, but if I had a performer with a tattoo on his/her body and it was not appropriate for the part, I would have dressed the character differently or at the very least had him/her put a bandage over it. The "aunt's" tattoo above her ankle was not appropriate for the character and very distracting. The story of the play was a man lecturing on the benefits of being a bachelor by showing how dreadful marriage was, and how man usually got into such a predicament.

The Jake Frakes play, Final Dress Rehearsal, was another play that could have used some tighter direction to keep the play in focus. I think that plays which have a lot of apparent chaos need to be even more tightly directed to LOOK chaotic, and not left up to the actors (especially high school student actors) to run around randomly. This performance had just enough of the "run around" feel to it that it lacked cohesion. This is too bad because it certainly had what was probably the strongest male performance in the character of the "Director" as played by Derek Mulhern. The story was, as titled, supposed to be the "final dress rehearsal" of a sure-to-fail performance of Cinderella.

Wade The Bird, by Trista Baldwin, was a very high school appropriate show. In competition, it is nice to have students playing roles that are not really much of a stretch for them. Playing characters who are in high school is helpful. The direction here was nice, with some really great tableaux images and some great sound effects. Here, too, some of the staging could be tightened up. The 30+ second schene change in total blackout was WAY too long ... and unnecessary. Either give them a little light, or find a way to use a different area of the stage, rather than trying to clear and reset it. The story revolved around "Wade" who was kicked out of school for setting fire to something in school, then talked about killing himself, and dreams a female friend was having of Wade as a bird. If Derek Mulhern from the previous show was not clearly the best male actor, it would be because of the tremendous performance put in by Alan Wiltgen as "Wade."

The final performance of the day was Chipped by Forrest Musselman. This work is a pastiche of computer-related items (eBay, on-line relationships, viruses, spam, etc). I thought that the play had a lot of potential, and this school actually did one of the best jobs that they've done in recent years, but, like many of the plays during the day, lacked tightness, focus, and relyed on the script to carry them. When discussing this play with my own students later, their consensus was that the play was out-dated. I agree, but I did think that it could still have been staged in such a way as to have winning potential.

I actually had a hard time predicting how the judges would go with this. I did think that we were clearly the best ensemble cast, but then I guess I feel that way every year. I did think that Wade The Bird was well performed, though it was a little bumpy here and there, and that Final Dress Rehearsal had some really great performances (amid some really cheesy performances). I thought that Cannibals, Wade The Bird, and Final Dress Rehearsal would fight for the top two spots.

And I was correct.

1st place: Cannibals
2nd place: Wade The Bird
3rd place: Final Dress Rehearsal

These competitions are fun to watch and to see the level of talent in our high schools. Those shows that don't do as well, in my opinion, are those whose schools which are using directors who aren't familiar with theatre.

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.