News From the Festival
Festival Announces 2023 Directors
By Liz Armstrong
Traveling from across the country, seven talented directors are coming to the Festival for its sixty-second season.
Interim Managing Director Michael Bahr offers a warm welcome to these creative individuals:
“We are overjoyed to welcome our directors for this upcoming season. They are stellar artistic leaders from all over the country. I know our Festival audiences will love their work,” Bahr said.
Britannia Howe:
The Greenshow
“I’m thrilled to return to writing and directing the Greenshows for the Festival,” Howe said. “This year’s Greenshow scripts are full of nostalgic folk songs and stories with opportunities for audience members to participate with the actors in the storytelling!”
This is the director’s fourth season at the Festival. She directed The Greenshow in 2018, 2019, and 2021, as well as Cymbeline in 2021. She has also worked at Illinois State University, Utah State University, and Illinois Shakespeare Festival, to name a few. Howe received the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival National Directing Fellowship in 2011, and she has teaching credits from Illinois State University, Southern Utah University, and Utah Shakespeare Festival Playmakers and Actor Training.
Howe received a Master of Fine Arts in Directing from Illinois State University, as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Classical Acting and Theatre Education from Southern Utah University.
Howe excitedly announced that the free family-friendly 30-minute shows will be England Regency Garden and Appalachian Night themes. The third rotating theme will be produced by the local Paiute Tribe.
“England Regency Garden is inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma, playing in the Randall L. Jones Theatre, and it is a garden party,” Howe said. “Appalachian Night will include bluegrass music with myths of fairy folklore, influenced by themes in A Midsummer Night’s Dream playing in the Englestad Shakespeare Theatre.”
For more information on Howe, follow her on Instagram @howetelling.
Geoffrey Kent:
The Play That Goes Wrong
“I am delighted to bring comic chaos to the Randall,” Kent said excitedly.
This is Kent’s fourth season back at the Festival, with three seasons under his belt as an Actor and Fight Director here. He was Oliver in As You Like It (2017), Billy Bones in Treasure Island (2017), and the Prince of Arragon in The Merchant of Venice (2018), to name a few. He has also worked at DCPA Broadway, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, and Arvada Center. Kent received a Henry Award for Excellence in Fight Direction. His teaching credits include University of Northern Colorado, University of Denver, and Asolo Conservatory.
For more information on Kent, visit his website at geoffreykent.com or on Instagram @geoffreykent.
Jessica Kubzansky:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Kubzansky is the Artistic Director of Boston Court Pasadena, where she has worked on world premieres of Kit Steinkellner’s Ladies, Sarah B Mantell’s Everything That Never Happened, Stefanie Zadravec’s Colony Collapse, and more. She has also worked on The Father at The Pasadena Playhouse, Othello at A Noise Within, and Hold These Truths at San Diego Repertory Theatre. Awards include Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle’s Margaret Harford Award for Sustained Excellence in Theatre.
Kubzansky teaches graduate playwrights and directors at University of California Los Angeles. She received a Master of Fine Arts in Direction from the California Institute of the Arts after obtaining an undergraduate degree in Creative Writing from John Hopkins and Harvard University.
For more information on Kubzansky, visit her Performing Arts Center website bostoncourtpasadena.org.
Derek Charles Livingston:
A Raisin in the Sun
Currently the Interim Artistic Director and Director of New Play Development at the Festival, Livingston also acted as Thurgood Marshall in the Festival’s 2022 production of Thurgood. He has also directed Polar Bears, Black Boys, and Prairie Fringed Orchids at the Festival’s 2022 Words Cubed reading. He has also taken on roles in productions at other theaters of Thurgood, The Pillowman, and The Whipping Man to name a few.
Livingston was awarded the New Hampshire Drama Award for Best Actor, as well as the LA Stage Scene Awards for Best Director. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts from Brown University, as well as a Master of Fine Arts in Film Production and Direction from the University of California- Los Angeles School of Theater, Film, and Television.
Betsy Mugavero:
Romeo and Juliet
“Directing Romeo and Juliet at the Englestad is a dream come true,” Mugavero said. “I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to work with some of the most talented collaborators in the country on a play that is so very dear to me.”
Mugavero is a familiar face at the Festival, having been in 21 productions since 2008. She was in Romeo and Juliet (2017), Peter and the Starcatcher (2013), and Shakespeare in Love (2017). She has also performed at The Folger Theater, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, and Great Lakes Theater to name a few. She was also Producing Artistic Director at the Southwest Shakespeare Company from 2018 to 2020. She received the Broadway Cleveland Award of Best Actress for her role in As You Like It.
The director received a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California Irvine after getting a Bachelor of Arts from Temple University. She has taught various master classes at several universities.
“We will see this familiar story told in a truthful, heartfelt and robust way and honor Shakespeare’s timelessly poignant words,” Mugavero added.
For more information on Mugavero, visit her website at betsymugavero-com.webs.com.
Lisa Peterson:
Timon of Athens and Coriolanus
Peterson is a two-time Obie Award-winner for her productions of An Iliad and Light Shining in Buckinghamshire. Recent credits include Shipwrecked, Motherhood Outloud, and The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek. Shakespeare productions include Antony and Cleopatra at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Hamlet at Oregon Shakespeare Theatre, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Hartford Stage.
She has also directed at the Mark Taper Forum (where she was Resident Director for ten years), La Jolla Playhouse (where she was Associate Director for three years), and Guthrie Theatre, to name a few. Peterson is also a member of Ensemble Studio Theater and on the executive board of Stage Director and Choreographers Union.
For more information on Peterson, visit playwrightshorizon.org.
Valerie Rachelle:
Jane Austen’s Emma the Musical
Rachelle is returning to the Festival, having been the Assistant Director for All’s Well That Ends Well. She has also worked at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Syracuse Opera, and Utah Festival Opera to name a few. She is currently the Artistic Director at Oregon Cabaret Theatre.
She boasts teaching credits from the University of California Los Angeles, PCPA, and Southern Oregon University. She received a Master of Fine Arts in Directing from the University of California Irvine after a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from the California Institute of Arts.
For more information on Rachelle, visit her website at valerierachelle.com.
“We are thrilled to welcome those coming for their first time and those that are returning,” Bahr said. “It will be an electric season.”
Tickets are now for sale for the 2023 season and may be purchased by visiting bard.org/plays/ or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.
Our Cornerstone: Four Shakespeare Productions In 2023
By Liz Armstrong
“It’s a season to stimulate minds and hearts in ways in which only Shakespeare can.” - Derek Charles Livingston
The first season of the Utah Shakespeare Festival in 1962 featured three of Shakespeare’s plays. With his works as our cornerstone, each season that followed produced the same number. Thirty years later, 1992’s season was the first time a fourth Shakespeare play was added. Since then the number of the Bard’s works has always fluctuated between three or four on our stages.
Let’s take a look at what Shakespeare productions have been chosen for the upcoming 2023 season, as well as what Interim Managing Director Michael Bahr and Interim Artistic Director Derek Charles Livingston have to say about them.
Bahr noted that this season is keeping the flame alive that founder Fred C. Adams lit long ago, “full of bright, resonant, and connective productions that share relatable themes to today.”
“This season affirms the Festival’s strong commitment to Shakespeare’s work, both the popular and lesser known plays,” Bahr said. “This is why we have lasted for 62 years, because of our commitment to produce Shakespeare’s timely work for today’s audiences!”
Livingston added to the statement, encouraging patrons to attend the productions.
“Our choices this year provide our audiences a great opportunity to see how Shakespeare could brilliantly take various theme and create masterful works,” Livingston said.
Shakespeare’s Works in the Festival’s 2023 Season
Englestad Shakespeare Theatre
June 22 – September 9, 2023
Directed by Jessica Kubzansky
This luxurious tale of fairies, dreams, and moonlight is Shakespeare’s most popular comedy. “The course of true love never did run smooth” and when the feuding king and queen of the fairies interfere in the mercurial romances of mortals, the result is magical mayhem. Leave it to the roguish Puck, impish fairies, young lovers, and bumbling would-be actors to create pure pandemonium!
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream reveals the humor, antics, and ultimately, love that exists in a world filled with magic and hope,” Livingston said.
Englestad Shakespeare Theatre
June 21 – September 8, 2023
Directed by Betsy Mugavero
A timeless tale of “star-cross’d lovers,” Romeo and Juliet tells how two young people rise above their families’ hatred and find love. The price is tragic, and its lesson is what makes this one of Shakespeare’s best-known, most-loved, and more-enduring tragedies.
“Romeo and Juliet dramatizes the perils of young lovers’ passion that strives to persist in an animosity-filled world,” Livingston said.
Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre
July 15 – October 7, 2023
Directed by Lisa Peterson
An arrogant, proud, and hot-headed military hero, Coriolanus is seduced by the notion of becoming Rome’s ruler, but he must go among the “commoners” he disdains to win their votes. His loathing becomes public, and the people drive this skilled general from Rome and into allegiance with a sworn enemy. Coriolanus now threatens to attack those whom he sought to rule. This rarely produced play’s themes of ambition, love, family, and power will crackle in our intimate Anes Theatre.
“Coriolanus reveals how a man’s misanthropy is his fatal flaw,” Livingston said.
Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre
July 14 – October 7, 2023
Directed by Lisa Peterson
Timon’s compulsive generosity makes him the most popular man in Athens. The people flatter and praise him, all the while accepting his gifts. Timon is everyone’s best friend—until his wealth is suddenly gone. Destitute and disillusioned with so-called friends who have abandoned him, he turns his back on the world. A play for our times, Timon of Athens is hilarious, satiric, and deeply moving as it explores friendship, wealth, and the foibles of a materialistic society.
“Timon of Athens shows the pitfalls of a man who loves his fellow humans too deeply,” Livingston said.
Bahr described the productions as a “kaleidoscope of choices.”
“This year we have a Shakespeare feast: a brilliant buffet of compelling plays for every palette,” Bahr said. “We get to dive deep into the fun, frivolity, pathos, and passion all within the same year.”
Contrasting with three other popular and profound productions this season––Jane Austen’s Emma The Musical, The Play That Goes Wrong, and A Raisin in the Sun––Bahr noted that Shakespeare’s plays will provide social commentary in ways that only the Bard can.
To purchase tickets, go to bard.org/plays or call 800-PLAYTIX.
Ten Things You May Not Know about A Raisin in the Sun and its Playwright
By Liz Armstrong
In honor of Black History Month, let’s dive deeper into A Raisin in the Sun and its inspirational playwright Lorraine Hansberry, as well as the impact she had on the Civil Rights Movement.
Inspired by playwright Lorraine Hansberry’s personal experience as a child when her father purchased a house in a predominantly white neighborhood, A Raisin in the Sun reflects historical significance. The Hansberry family won their right to be heard “as a matter of due process of law in relation to the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, reflecting the familial success and unity that is highlighted in A Raisin in the Sun.
Perhaps just as interesting as the success of the play was the life of its’ inspiring and legendary playwright Lorraine Hansberry. For more information on the playwright, click here.
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This was the first play to be produced on Broadway written by an African American woman – Lorraine Hansberry.
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The title of the play was inspired by the poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes. He wrote: “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?”
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Hansberry knew Hughes personally, as her family was often visited by the poet, along with other prominent figures, including professor W. E. B. Du Bois, political activist Paul Robeson, musician Duke Ellington, and Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens.
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Hansberry’s father purchased a house in the Washington Park Subdivision in the South Side of Chicago – and many of their white neighbors were angry, an uncanny parallel to the plot point in her play.
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The play was adapted into a film in 1961, including actors from its original Broadway production: Signey Poitier, Ruby Dee, Claudia McNeil, Diana Sands, Ivan Dixon, Louis Gossett Jr., and John Fiedler. Hansberry wrote the screenplay. Poiter and McNeil were nominated for Golden Globe Awards in this film.
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Publications including The Independent and Time Out have listed A Raisin in the Sun among the best plays ever written.
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A musical version of the play ran on Broadway from October, 1973 to December, 1975. It was written by Hansberry’s former husband, Robert Nemiroff. The show won the Tony Award for Best Musical.
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In addition to being the first play written by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway, it was directed by actor Lloyd Richards– the first African American to direct a play on Broadway since Ernest Hogan in 1907.
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It took producer Philip Rose 18 months to raise enough money for the play to hit Broadway, and it was considered a risky investment. However, A Raisin in the Sun was met with flaming success, and in 1983, The New York Times wrote that the play “changed American theater forever.”
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Hansberry’s play appeared in London’s West End at Adelphi Theater in 1959. A Raisin in the Sun was also adapted into a 1989 TV film, receiving three Emmy Award nominations. Other adaptations included a 1996 and 2016 BBC Radio play, 2008 TV Film (watched by 12.7 million viewers), 2004 and 2014 Broadway revival, and 2010 Manchester production.
About Lorraine Hansberry: The Playwright of a Raisin in the Sun
By Liz Armstrong
Lorraine Hansberry was the first African American woman to write a play produced on Broadway. A Raisin in the Sun opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway in March, 1959 and was extremely successful.
It tells the story of the proud Younger family as they grapple with different definitions of the American dream and how to achieve it, while battling racial discrimination, financial pitfalls, and relationship challenges. These threaten to pull the family apart and push their dreams out of reach.
Hansberry won a Drama Desk Award for her debut play. After receiving this award, she sat down for an interview in her home in Chicago.
“I believe that one of the most sound ideas in dramatic writing is that in order to create something universal, you must pay very great attention to the specific,” Hansberry said.
But let’s backtrack before diving into Hansberry’s success as a playwright. Born May 19, 1930 in Chicago Illinois, Hansberry proved to be passionate about writing at a young age. In high school, she was drawn to theater.
The playwright attended the University of Wisconsin from 1948-1950 and was briefly enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago and Roosevelt University. To focus on her writing and further her skills, Hansberry also studied at the New School for Social Research. While attending this school, Hansberry wrote for the Pan-Africanist newspaper Freedom, working alongside intellectuals Paul Robeson and W. E. B. Dubois.
A Raisin in the Sun tells the story of a lower-class African-American family set in 1950s Chicago, so Hansberry took experience from her own life – depicting the struggles this family faced in a realistic (and heartbreaking) way. This is reflected in a letter Hansberry wrote.
“As one raised in a subculture experience (I am a Negro) where those within were and are forever lecturing to their fellows about how to appear acceptable to the dominant social groups, I know something about the shallowness of such a view in and of itself,” Hansberry wrote.
“What ought to be clear is that one is oppressed or discriminated against because one is ‘different’, not ‘wrong’ or ‘bad.’ This is perhaps the bitterest of the entire pill,” Hansberry continued.
A Raisin in the Sun was later adapted into a film, released in 1961, starring Claudia McNeil and Sidney Poitier. At age 29, Hansberry received the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, the youngest playwright to do so. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play.
Although A Raisin in the Sun was the first play she wrote, it wasn’t the only one. In 1964, she penned The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, a play following the story of a man named Sidney, focusing especially on his struggles in Bohemian culture. It included themes of race, suicide, homosexuality, and coping and navigating life. Other works included The Drinking Gourd (1960) and What Use are Flowers? (1960).
In 1963, Hasberry met with Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, a meeting set up with the famous American writer James Baldwin. The meeting was an attempt to improve race relations in the United States, resulting in a positive turning point in Kennedy’s attitude toward the Civil Rights Movement.
Hansberry passed away at the young age of 34 on January 12, 1965 from pancreatic cancer. Of her death, James Baldwin said, “It is not at all far-fetched to suspect that what she saw contributed to the strain which killed her, for the effort to which Lorraine was dedicated is more than enough to kill a man.”
Four years later, Robert Nemiroff, Hasberry’s husband of 11 years, produced To Be Young, Gifted, and Black on Broadway. It was the longest running Off-Broadway play of the 1968/69 season. A selection of Hansberry’s writings, the play was adapted and published in book form in 1970.
Through her writings, Hansberry explored her identities as a writer, lesbian, feminist, black woman, and part of a heterosexual marriage. Her works challenged themes of segregation, racism, oppression of homosexuality and focused on African struggles for liberation and their impact on the world.
Of Hansberry, Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Her creative ability and her profound grasp of the deep social issues confronting the world today will remain an inspiration to generations yet unborn.”
2023 Education Classes at the Festival
By Liz Armstrong
Shakespeare himself once said, “Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.” What better way to gain knowledge than to take an educational class here at the Festival?
There are a variety of courses, targeted toward aspiring actors as well as teachers and simply those who want to get more out of their attendance at the Festival’s shows. These interactive courses allow lovers of the arts to explore the world of theatre while gaining valuable skills and insights.
Associate Education Director Stewart Shelley noted that the camps and classes for youth students are an extraordinary opportunity to experience intensive training.
“Our students are able to work with professionals and network with others who share similar interests while fine tuning their individual craft,” Shelley said. “Our teachers are able to earn continuing education credits for re-licensure, and lane change opportunities while adding tools to their teaching toolkit and enhancing their student’s classroom experience.”
For youth:
PLAYMAKERS SUMMER CAMP
June 12-24, 2023
Age: 5-17 years old
Tuition: $150 (includes T-shirt and 1 play ticket)
Registration closes June 2, 2023.
Taught Monday-Friday from 2-4 p.m., this class is a two-week course that concludes with a Saturday performance. Focusing on Shakespearean scene work, music, and dance, it includes lessons on improvisation, collaboration, movement, voice and more. The course also includes a T-shirt and a ticket to a play. Register here. Some scholarships are available, apply here.
JUNIOR ACTING TRAINING
July 24-29, 2023
Age: 12-14 years old
Tuition: $1,200 ($600 without dormitory accommodations)
Registration closes July 14, 2023.
Taught by Festival actors and teaching artists, students will experience training in voice, stage combat, improvisation, and scene work. Tuition includes dormitory accommodations, all meals, and tickets to seven plays at the Festival. Register here. Some scholarships are available, apply here.
For older students:
ACTOR TRAINING
July 17-22, 2023
Age: 15-18 years old
Tuition: $1,200 ($600 without dormitory accommodations)
Registration closes July 7, 2023
Taught by professional Festival actors and teaching artists, this course is focused on developing auditioning and acting skills in Shakespeare. The class also teaches text analysis and performance techniques. Tuition includes dormitory accommodations, all meals, and tickets to seven plays. Register here. Some scholarships are available, apply here.
SHAKESPEARE SURVEY
June 21 - October 7, 2023
Tuition: $130 (does not include play tickets)
Registration closes October 3, 2023.
Credits: 1 SUU Professional Development credit
A self-paced, individualized learning course, patrons receive one Southern Utah University credits by attending two plays, pre-show orientations, and post-show seminars. Students will also provide feedback through online forms. Play tickets must be purchased separately. Register here.
SHAKESPEARE FORUM
June 21 - October 7, 2023
Tuition: $260 (does not include play tickets)
Registration closes October 3, 2023.
Credits: 2 SUU Professional Development credits
Patrons complete similar requirements as in the Shakespeare Forum class, but are asked to attend four plays instead.. Students will earn two SUU credits for completing this course. Play tickets must be purchased separately. Register here.
SHAKESPEARE SEMINAR
June 21 - October 7, 2023
Tuition: $300 (does not include play tickets)
Registration closes October 3, 2023.
Credits: 3 SUU Professional Development credits
Patrons complete similar requirements as the Shakespeare Forum class, but are asked to attend six plays. Students will earn three SUU credits for completing this course. Play tickets must be purchased separately. Register here.
For educators:
THEATRE METHOD FOR THE CLASSROOM—ELEMENTARY
June 28-30, 2023
Age: Educators in Elementary setting
Tuition: $300 (includes 3 play tickets)
Registration closes June 26, 2023.
Credits: 3 SUU Professional Development credits
Register here.
THEATRE METHODS FOR THE CLASSROOM—SECONDARY
July 5-7, 2023
Age: Educators in Secondary setting
Tuition: $300 (includes 3 play tickets)
Registration closes June 23, 2023.
Credits: 3 SUU Professional Development credits
Register here.
In these professional development courses, topics being taught will include instructional games, script adaptation, and tips on how to produce a play with limited time and resources. It explores methods of developing and implementing Shakespeare and theatre arts programs as a tool for varied curricula. Tuition includes classroom material, special sessions with Festival actors, and tickets to three plays. Those in attendance may also earn three SUU Professional Development credits.
TEACHING SHAKESPEARE
July 17-20, 2023
Tuition: $300 (includes 4 play tickets)
Registration closes July 7, 2023.
Credits: 3 SUU Professional Development credits
This course will cover active and engaging classroom approaches to those who teach Shakespeare’s text and explore theatre techniques to aid in student engagement. Tuition includes tickets to four plays, and those who complete the class will receive three SUU Professional Development credits. Register here.
TECH FOR TEACHERS
July 24-26, 2023
Tuition: $300 (includes 3 play tickets and the opportunity to watch post-production changeovers)
Registration closes July 14, 2023.
Credits: 3 SUU Professional Development credits
This course offers the opportunity to acquire necessary tools to present plays from the technician’s point of view. Participants will use hands-on experiences to learn to teach designing, building, and running a production. Tuition includes three play tickets, as well as the opportunity to observe post-production changeovers. Those who complete the class will receive three SUU Professional Development credits. Register here.
For questions concerning any of the classes listed above, please email usfeducation@bard.org or call the Festival Education at 435-865-8333.
For more information on these classes and to register, visit bard.org and click on “About Us” then “Education” and “Camps and Classes.”
The Month of Romance: How Shakespeare Has Influenced Modern Day Rom-Coms
By Liz Armstrong
It’s the month of romance! Happy February. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we thought it would be fun to share how William Shakespeare’s works have influenced our modern day romance movies.
It’s no secret that Romeo and Juliet is the original and best-known romance of Shakespeare’s, and that this play has influenced many movies, such as Disney’s Lion King II: Simba’s Pride and Gnomeo and Juliet. The popular play West Side Story, adapted into a 1961 and 2021 film, is another obvious retelling.
However, let’s focus on just romantic comedies, and maybe you and your Valentine will want to snuggle up and watch one of these light-hearted and fun movies in a new light – knowing now that it was The Bard himself that influenced them.
10 Things I Hate About You: The Taming of the Shrew
This classic 1999 rom-com featuring Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles follows the plotline of The Taming of the Shrew almost spot-on. Patrick Verona is trying to convince Kat Stratford to go out with him, persuading her to do normal “girlfriend” things like go to the Prom. Although Shakespeare was going for more “housewife” in The Taming of the Shrew the similarities are there.
Just like Shakespeare’s play, Kat’s sister Bianca can’t start “courting” until her sister agrees to date as well.
Additionally, the characters last names are Stratford (Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon) and Verona (many of his works are set in Verona, Italy). If that’s not Shakespeare-inspired, we aren’t sure what is.
She’s The Man: Twelfth Night
Featuring Channing Tatum and Amanda Bynes, this soccer-focused rom-com is one of the funniest out there. When Viola (Amanda Bynes) disguises herself as her twin brother Sebastian to attend a boarding school and join the men’s soccer team, she finds herself falling in love with her roommate, Duke (Channing Tatum).
So where’s the Shakespeare inspo? Let’s state the obvious. They use the same names: Duke, Viola, and Sebastian. And although Viola pretends to be a man in both the play and movie, the reasoning is a little different. In Shakespeare’s version, Viola does it to protect herself and receive love from Duke Orsino. In the 2006 film, Viola just wants to play soccer, and when her women’s team gets cut, disguising as her twin brother seems to be the only option.
Get Over It: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
This 2001 film might be a little too obvious, but we can’t deny that the inspiration was there. The star-crossed group of high schoolers do, in fact, star in a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Besides putting on their own rock-version of Shakespeare’s play, the movie is a pretty loose adaptation of his work.
Starring Kirsten Dunst, Ben Foster, and Mila Kunis, Shakespeare would’ve been the most appreciative of Martin Short as the theater director– as we all know The Bard would have appreciated his humor.
What are your favorite romantic comedies or Shakespeare romances? Please share on our Instagram or Facebook page @utahshakespeare. Happy Valentine’s Day from us to you!
We’ve given you an idea for a date night, but if you’re still on the hunt for a gift, signing your significant other up for an education class or purchasing them a gift certificate to see a play this season may be the perfect solution. Click here for more information on the 2023 education classes.
Meet the Team: Every Brilliant Thing to Tour 2023-2023
By Liz Armstrong
CEDAR CITY, UT – Offered free by the Utah Shakespeare Festival to every public high school in the state of Utah, the life-affirming play Every Brilliant Thing will tour once again this year. Sponsored by the Utah State Legislature, this production aims to address the extremely high suicide rate among Utah teenagers.
“Every Brilliant Thing follows the experience of one person dealing with how his mother’s depression and suicide attempts affect his life,” Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox said. “It is a poignant, moving story with the potential to reach students who may be personally coping with mental illness or who are witnessing its impact within their family or social network. Using the arts as a platform to discuss this devastating issue allows students to safely learn how to approach the topic and where to turn for help.”
Starting this February, the show will tour across the state of Utah to bring the heartwarming and comforting message to secondary school students. To reach as many schools in Utah as possible, the tour will continue in spring 2024, as well.
“Our 2019/2020 tour was a wonderful success,” said Tour Manager Jordan Simmons. “The tour allowed students to start important conversations with parents, school counselors, and local mental health professionals.” The play provides a framework, resources, and tools for a positive and interactive discussion about suicide and depression.
The Plot
The story begins when, at seven-years old, the lone character learns that their mother is in the hospital after her first attempt to take her own life. Afterwards, they begin a list. A list of everything brilliant about the world. Everything worth living for. With humor and inventiveness, the story explores depression and hope, uncertainty and change, relationships and solitude, risk and resilience, guilt and forgiveness.
Meet The Team
Cordell Cole – Director
Previously at the Festival, Cole held roles in Richard III, Pericles, Ragtime, and Macbeth. Additionally, he acted in the Every Brilliant Thing tour the last time it went out.
He has also taken on Othello in Othello at the Texas Shakespeare Festival, Nick in Nick’s Flamingo at Alliance Theatre, and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet at American Shakespeare Center.
Jordan Simmons – Tour Manager
Simmons received a Master of Fine Arts in Arts Administration from Southern Utah University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design and Technology from Utah State University.
He was the production assistant for Every Brilliant Thing and Twelfth Night at the Festival. He has also been the production assistant for The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Mamma Mia at Pacific Conservatory Theatre and the stage manager for Part of the Story for Salt Lake Acting Company.
“I was one of two tour managers on the 2019/2020 Every Brilliant Thing tour,” Simmons said. “I’m excited to again watch students realize that it’s okay to talk about what they’re experiencing, even if what they’re experiencing is difficult.”
Kathryn Whilden – Stage Manager
Whilden received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Spanish from Wofford College. Previously at the Festival, she was the assistant stage manager for The Sound of Music.
Whilden has also worked for Cape Fear Regional Theatre, Triad Stage, and Clinton Area Showboat Theatre.
Meet the Actors
Kat Lee
Lee received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Otterbein University. Previously at the Festival, Lee acted in Intimate Apparel, Ragtime, and the 2019/2020 tour of Every Brilliant Thing.
Additionally, she played Martha Cratchit in A Christmas Carol at Denver Center for Performing Arts, Savannah in Freaky Friday for Lyric Repertory Company, and Lorrell Robinson in Dream Girls at Short North Stage.
Jeremy Thompson
Thompson received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Puget Sound and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Idaho. Previously at the Festival, he was in All’s Well That Ends Well, King Lear, and the 2019/2020 tour of Every Brilliant Thing.
He also has taken on roles at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Island Shakespeare Festival, and Idaho Repertory Theatre.
“I’ve been lucky enough to reconnect with some students who saw the first tour and hear how the show stuck with them, especially through the uncertainty and anxiety of the 2020 school year,” Thompson said. “I’m very grateful to be able to bring this story to a new generation of young people.”
Funded by the State of Utah, the production is free to any secondary education school in Utah that is interested. The tour will begin February 13, 2023, and will run through the end of April. If you would like Every Brilliant Thing to come to your school or community, please complete this form: Tour Request Form.
“Young people need the affirmation that they are not alone. Each and every student that will watch this production will be reminded that they are needed, they are loved, and they belong here,” Governor Cox said.
For more information on the play, access the study guide at bard.org.
For questions, contact Simmons at 435-299-0567 or brillianttour@bard.org.
Festival Honors Beloved Actor Carole Healey
By Liz Armstrong
Carole Healey was involved with the Festival for over two decades. A teacher, actor, and director, she was extremely talented. She passed away on January 9, 2023, after a valiant battle with cancer and will be lovingly remembered.
“The Festival was so blessed to have Carole perform for so many years,” Interim Managing Director Michael Bahr said. “Not only was she an incredible performer, but she was a generous artist who graciously taught acting workshops and mentored numerous actors within the company.”
Healey’s first season at the Festival was in 1991, when she took on the role of Katherina in The Taming of the Shrew and The Woman in Death of a Salesman. Other notable roles included Regan in King Lear (1992), Portia in Julius Caesar (1992), Mother Marguerite de Jesus in Cyrano de Bergerac (1992), and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth (2004). She was also in Blithe Spirit (2004), The Tempest (2007), The Matchmaker (2007), The Moustrap (2007), and Fiddler on the Roof (2008). Her last season at the Festival was in 2011, when she played Duchess of York in Richard III and Mrs. Paroo in The Music Man.
The actor is also known for her roles in the films “The Understudy” (2008) and “Tender Loving Care” (1998), as well as in the television series “Law and Order” in 2001.
In addition to Healey’s love for theatre, Bahr noted that she had an affinity for nature.
“She epitomized Mother Earth, planting gardens across from her apartment, hiking the local canyons, and opening her home and heart to nurture others and sharing her craft with both patrons and artists,” Bahr said.
Fellow actor Carey Cannon played alongside her in King Lear, as Regan to her Goneril.
“She was one of the finest actors I ever had the privilege of working with, and I got to do it right there at the Festival in King Lear,” Cannon said. “It was a thrilling production . . . and Carole was a true great lady of theater. I feel blessed to have been able to share the stage with her.”
In addition to her talent onstage, Cannon noted that she was proud to be a part of the venerable tradition of storytelling, and that she created a community wherever she went.
Artistic Director of Northlight Theatre BJ Jones was a close friend of Healey’s and seconded Cannon’s remark. He reflected fondly on the evenings she curated, noting that she was a superb mixologist of people, always with generous inclusion.
“Her gatherings were a mix of the sublime, intoxicating and exotic folks, who quietly and without realizing it, became an ensemble of friends that would last long after a visit to Carole’s porch,” Jones said.
According to Jones, the electricity generated at her gatherings carried into each rehearsal and performance, “lighting up stages across the country, warming all of our hearts long after her leaving.”
Festival's Shakespeare in the Schools Othello to Have Public Performance in Cedar City
By Liz Armstrong
CEDAR CITY, UT – Each year the Utah Shakespeare Festival presents a Shakespeare in the Schools tour to bring quality performances and workshops to schools and communities throughout the West, and has been doing so for twenty-nine years.
This year, the condensed 75-minute performance of Othello will allow students and teachers to experience professional theatre and to interact with and learn from the tour’s company members through workshops and talk-backs.
“We are very excited about sharing Othello with audiences,” Associate Education Director Stewart Shelley said. “This is the first time we have toured this show and in an increasingly divisive world, this production is incredibly valuable. It serves as a springboard for further discussions including the value of communication; the dangers of jealousy, rage, and hatred; and the importance of love and trust in any relationship.”
Cedar City Public Performance
Before Shakespeare in the Schools takes the timely message of Othello across Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah, there will be a public performance on January 27 in Cedar City.
At 7:30 pm, the performance will be held at the Southern Utah University Auditorium Theatre, located on the southwest corner of University and 300 West. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children over age six. To purchase tickets, go to bard.org/othellotour or call 1-800-PLAYTIX. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.
About the Touring Team
“Director Cordell Cole and a talented team of designers and actors have created a visually stunning, aurally impactful production of this classic tragedy. It is one not to be missed,” Shelley said.
In addition to Cole as director, the production team consists of Technical Director April Salazar, Tour Manager Abby Nakken, and Stage Manager Lindy Rublaitus.
Cordell Cole • Director
Cordell Cole previously toured with the Festival’s 2019 productions of Macbeth and Every Brilliant Thing. Previous mainstage productions include Ragtime, Julius Caesar, Pericles, and Richard III. He has performed all over the country and other favorite productions include Into The Woods, Spamalot, Something Rotten, The Seagull, and As You Like It.
April Salazar • Technical Director
April Salazar received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with an emphasis in Design and Technology from Texas A&M. She was the technical director for the 2022 Much Ado About Nothing tour and worked as an electrician and spotlight operator during the 2022 season at the Festival. She has also worked at Laredo Theatre Guild International, Santa Fe Opera, and Tuacahn Center for the Arts.
Abigail Naaken • Tour Manager
Abigail Naaken received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Classical Acting from Southern Utah University. Previously at the Festival she has been in the 2019 tour of Macbeth, Cymbeline, Shakespeare in Love, Romeo and Juliet, and Fiddler on the Roof. She has also performed with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and Kentucky Shakespeare Festival.
Lindy Rublaitus • Stage Manager
Lindy Rublatius is currently earning a Bachelor of Arts in Communication-Theatre-Teaching and was a teaching artist at Black Hawk Children’s Theatre in Iowa. She was an assistant stage manager for As You Like It at the University of Northern Iowa, stage manager for Clue at Waterloo Community Playhouse, and properties head for Blood at the Root at University of Northern Iowa.
About the Actors
Darin Earl II • Othello
Darin Earl II received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Journalism from Rider University. He has teaching credits from Writers Theatre of New Jersey, Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey, and Mount Saint Dominic’s Academy. Earl was an understudy on Off-Broadway in Ye Bear & Ye Cub at 59E59 Theaters and played Damian in Inferno: A New Work About Sin at The Flea Theater. His film credits include “The Dennis Boys,” “852 Forest Road,” and “Foul Play.”
Ian Geers • Iago
Ian Geers received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from Boston University and was a teaching artist at Montana Shakespeare in the Schools, National Players, and Performing Arts Center Chicago. He has acted at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Michigan Shakespeare Theater, and Virginia Stage Company. Geers has also been in the television show “Chicago P.D.”
Rachel J. Jones • Desdemona
Rachel J. Jones received a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music. She has played Lady Macbeth in Macbeth at Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, Marianne in Constellations at Liberty Exhibition Hall, and Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music.
Nazlah Black • Emilia/Bianca/Others/Intimacy Captain
Nazlah Black received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from the Cornish College of the Arts. At Emit Theatre, Black played Viola in Twelfth Night, Cordelia in King Lear at Barefoot Shakespeare, and Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night at Match:Lit. They also played Rosalind in the film “As You Like It,” presented by Shakespeare in the Woods.
Noah Ratgen • Cassio/Others/Associate Fight Choreographer/Fight Captain
Noah Ratgen received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from Shenandoah Conservatory. He has acted in many roles at Children’s Theatre Company, was in A Christmas Carol at Guthrie Theatre, played Malcolm in Macbeth at Hoosier Shakespeare Festival, and was Iachimo in Cymbeline at Nashville Shakespeare Festival.
Nic Sanchez • Roderigo/Others
Nic Sanchez received a Bachelor’s Degree from New York University. He has taken on a plethora of roles at American Shakespeare Center, played Lucio in Measure for Measure at Smith Street Stage, and portrayed Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night for Shakespeare in the ‘Burg.
Shay Jowers • Brabantio/Montano/Lodovico/Others
Shay Jowers is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They have played Renfield in Dracula: Mina’s Quest and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Nebraska Repertory Theatre.
The Utah Shakespeare Festival’s production of Othello is part of Shakespeare in American Communities: Shakespeare for a New Generation, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts Midwest. It is also sponsored by Ally Bank, POPS Utah State Office of Education, and Southern Utah University.
If you have any questions, contact the Utah Shakespeare Festival Education Department at 435-865-8333 or usfeducation@bard.org, or visit bard.org/othellotour.
Festival Announces New Education Director Katherine Norman and Associate Education Director Stewart Shelley
By Liz Armstrong
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is thrilled to announce their new Education Director and Associate Education Director. Katherine Norman has been hired to fill the position of Education Director while Stewart Shelley, who has been serving as Interim Education Director, will be the new Associate Education Director.
Interim Managing Director Michael Bahr said these individuals illustrate the Festival’s commitment to education and in cultivating the future through theatre and Shakespeare.
“Norman’s extensive experience as a theatre educator, director, and Shakespeare scholar is a guarantee that our education department will continue the great work that has distinguished it for the last two decades,” Interim Aristic Director Derek Livingston said.
“And the elevation of Stewart Shelley to Associate Education Director, after his tenure as the Interim Education Director, ensures that our Education Department will flourish as a jewel of the Festival’s offering.”
Education has been a fundamental part of the Festival’s mission since the beginning, and Bahr believes Norman and Shelley will solidify its educational legacy and provide a catalyst and vision for continued growth.
Education Director Katherine E. Norman
Katherine Norman is the new Education Director at the Festival. She has an immense amount of knowledge and experience in theatre and arts in education that will greatly benefit the Festival.
Norman received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and began performing, teaching, and touring after earning her undergraduate degree.
“That’s when I really fell in love with the educational side of [theatre],” Norman said. “I was driven to understand theatre and education and the truly unique impact I saw arts education having on so many students I got to work with.”
Norman then received a Master of Science in Educational Neuroscience and a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Theatre with a focus on theatre with youth from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her education didn’t stop there, however, and Norman is finishing a PhD in Educational Psychology with a focus on arts and cognition and learning from the same university. She will be defending her dissertation later this year.
“My path has [always] been focused on the goal of better understanding and advocating for arts in education,” Norman said.
After years of seasonal and contracted work, teaching in the theatre department at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, and serving as the Education Director for Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, Norman is excited to take this new position at the Festival.
She was drawn to the Festival because it “blends professional theatre with educational content that focuses on bringing students here for camps, classes, and the competition while also sending tours out to schools.”
Norman also has room to conduct research because the Festival is housed within Southern Utah University. She believes this future research could benefit work at the Festival as well as contribute to the national conversation about arts in education.
“[That’s in addition] to the work that is done here with students and teachers and professional development,” Norman said. “I don’t think those three parts – theatre, education, and research– exist anywhere else but in this magical place [at the Festival].”
Norman is ready to get to work and plans to become familiar with the community, get to know the programming at the Festival, and form relationships with those involved in theatre and education.
“I am excited about bringing my experience of theatre spaces and research spaces and pairing it with Stewart’s experience in classrooms,” Norman said.
Asssociate Education Director Stewart Shelley
After serving as the Interim Education Director, for the past year and a half Stewart Shelley has taken the position of Associate Education Director and will be working side by side with Norman.
Shelley attended Brigham Young University where he received a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts Education, and later received a master’s degree in Education Administration from Grand Canyon University.
He spent 19 years as a high school theatre teacher. Stewart’s experience with the Festival runs way back, as he attended the Shakespeare Competition as a teenager and later brought his own students to the competition as a teacher.
Shelley is thrilled to be working in a very collegial environment with Norman.
“My knowledge of Utah, Utah schools, the geography is something I can help Katherine with, and her knowledge of research and her dissertation is something I look forward to learning more about,” Shelley said. “I think we complement each other very well.”
Shelley said this about the future of the education program at the Festival: “The programming that Michael Bahr created is really strong and rooted in the community. A lot of what we are currently doing we will continue to do, but we are both excited about this new collaboration and new ideas.”
Bahr agreed with Shelley, stating that Norman and Shelley will solidify the Festival’s educational legacy and provide a catalyst and vision for continued growth.