A Letter from Dan McCleary, Artistic Director |
|
Dear Friend,
We are about to go into rehearsals for our
production of Julius Caesar in much
the same fashion as I imagine William
Shakespeare might have when his Rose and
Globe Playhouses were shut down: with eight
actors, all of one gender, a reduced or
restructured script, no scenery, and using
the tiered platforming and luxurious chairs
of the County Seat, all generously provided
by the City Council and its administration.
It was an inexpensive way to travel the
countryside 410 years ago, and, I imagine, an
exciting way for audiences to hear the text
and get physically closer to the action of
the story.
We are producing this famous play, through
the generosity of The City of Germantown, by
way of a few philosophical encouragements:
* The play is less the political
masterpiece often taught in school and more a
public love story,
* Talented women actors deserve a chance
to play the great classical roles,
* Julius Caesar, the play, is not an
accurate recording of factual events,
* If the playwright could have put women
on stage, there would be more than just two
female roles in the play - both of whom are
notable for having their accurate instinct
roundly ignored by the men before Caesar is
killed.
And artistically for us, I want to see the
women we have cast, most of whom I have worked
with around the country, work on the story
as a group of actors, dancers, clowns,
musicians, and thinkers. This group of
gifted, intellectually inquisitive actors
excites me.
Shakespeare takes much of his play from
Plutarch's famous writing, including its
gossipy nature. He even puts a
clock in the play. We have taken his hints
and restructured the play for our production,
including an exploration of much of the text
in dance and movement, accompanied by live
cello music inspired by the works of Bach,
Kodaly, Philip Glass, and our own Iren Zombor.
With more women now than ever before in
powerful positions in politics, business, and
education, does it seem so strange to imagine
a society in which women are not only in the
census majority but the leadership majority?
Women love differently than men and hold
their personal and professional relationships
differently than men - important to note for
our play. And I wonder how these women might
handle the military violence and mob rule
prevalent not just in Rome over 2,000 years
ago, but, unfortunately, today in too many
parts of our own world.
As an audience member, you will have the
opportunity to sit in the Mayor's and
Aldermen's chairs as we play the story
in-the-round in a chamber that naturally
embraces a charged atmosphere for rhetoric
and debate, cheering and booing, and grave
responsibility for the welfare of a citizenry.
In short, we have the ideal theatre, with the
ideal actors, and the ideal play. You
probably won't see anything like this anywhere
else, and there are only 9 public
performances. See you in the chamber from
March 26 - April 11.
Much love,
Dan
|
Meet the women of JULIUS CAESAR |
|
Returning to TSC are NYC-based Vanessa
Morosco (Helena in TSC's A Midsummer Night's
Dream) as the scheming
Cassius and
Massachusetts-based
Caley Milliken (Peaseblossom in A Midsummer
Night's Dream) as Caesar's prized officer,
the spirited Marc Antony.
TSC Artist-Manager Brittany Morgan will play
Portia and
Decius Brutus, in addition to teaching
Playshops for middle and
high school students in the Memphis area.
New to TSC, but probably familiar to many of
you, is Memphian Emma Crystal, our dance
choreographer.
We are looking forward to
introducing you to Jennifer Drew from
Illinois as the mystical Soothsayer, New
Yorker Elizabeth Raetz as the heart-heavy
Brutus, and Tracy Liz Miller (also from New
York) in the title role.
From Oregon, Kerry Ryan with make
her Memphis debut as Casca and Calphurnia.
Irene Zombor, Assistant Principal
Cellist of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra,
will play live at each
performance. Compositions will include those
of Bach, Kodaly, Philip Glass, and her own.
Bruce Bui, resident designer at Ballet
Memphis, returns to design costumes.
|
All New - Dinner with Shakespeare! |
|
Back by popular demand - with a new twist
of the cork!
Join us for our new 2010 Dinners with
Shakespeare! Each
month we
will feature a new Shakespeare play, a little
trivia contest, and a three-course dinner
hosted by a different Memphis-area restaurant.
The Grove Grill will host our first fun event
on Monday, February 8. We'll play with
scenes from The Taming of the Shrew
and be delighted by Owen Tabor's renditions
of Cole Porter tunes on the keyboard. You
may even get a chance to sing along with
Kiss Me, Kate! Click
here to get your tickets.
Like last year, we'll start with music as you
arrive at 6:00 pm - but then we'll play in an
all new way!
During dinner, you and your table will test
your Shakespeare knowledge as a team and
compete to win great prizes. Topics range
from the play and its history, to
movies and music based on Shakespeare's
works. Don't worry, you don't need to be an
actor or an English major to compete or win.
Everyone will know something at your table!
Already have your team together? Buy all
your tickets together here,
or call us at 901-759-0604 to let us know who
you'll be playing with.
|
Show us your backside... |
|
.. of your car, that is!
Tennessee
Arts Commission, through a partnership
with ArtsMemphis,
is offering specialty
license plates
to help you show your support for the arts in
Tennessee. The funds from these three specialty
license plates support our local arts
community. TSC has received generous support
from both
organizations in the 2009-10 season.
As an added gift of thanks, stop by the
ArtsMemphis
office at 575 South Mendenhall or send them a
picture
of your car with an arts plate to receive a
complimentary ArtsMemphis membership, including
an ArtsCard (redeemable for 2-for-1 tickets
to many
venues across the city!). Remember to tell them
Tennessee Shakespeare Company sent you, and
please thank them for their continued support.
Tennessee remains the innovator and only
state to
raise arts revenue through specialty license
plates.
It's easy to order, and only $35. Click
here
for detailed
instructions on how to get your own!
|
|
JULIUS CAESAR March 26-April 11 Buy Tickets Now |
|
Elizabeth Raetz, Brutus in Julius
Caesar
Elizabeth is delighted to be working with
TSC. Her theatre credits include Shakespeare
& Company: Twelfth Night (Olivia),
Hamlet (Ophelia); Long Wharf Theatre:
The Tempest with Olympia Dukakis
(Miranda); Shadowland Theatre: How I
Learned to Drive (Li'l Bit), All My
Sons with Paula Prentiss and Richard
Benjamin (Ann); Artists Repertory Theatre:
The Seagull (Nina); Chenango River
Theatre: A Shayna Maidel (Lusia),
Talley's Folly (Sally); A.C.T.: Les
Liaisons Dangereuses (Cecile); and New
Harmony Theatre: The Philadelphia
Story (Liz Imbry).
Elizabeth has studied at the Public
Theater/NYSF Shakespeare Lab and at the
Upright Citizens Brigade. She is also a
graduate of the American Conservatory
Theater's M.F.A. Program in San Francisco.
Find out more....
|
|