The Grassroots Shakespeare Company's Blog

OPEN AUDITIONS: MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR

2011-12-09T13:53:00.001-07:00

OPEN AUDITIONS:
THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR
Monday, Dec 12th
UVU campus rm. GT627
4pm-7pm

Bring a one-minute classical monologue

Fast-paced rehearsal process: Only 8 rehearsals between Dec.17th and the 28th. (no rehearsals Sundays, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or the day after Christmas)

Performance dates: Dec. 29th, 30th, 31st and Jan. 2nd at locations in Provo and Salt Lake City

For more info on our audition and casting process, check out:

A Peek Inside the Grassroots Audition

MACBETH--Company Bios

2011-10-24T02:13:00.000-06:00

DAVEY MORRISON DILLARD
Musician

Davey Morrison has been working with Grassroots Shakespeare since the beginning, and has loved every second of it. Davey played Dogberry in GSC's 2009 production of "Much Ado About Nothing," in the 2011 summer tour he played Touchstone in "As You Like It" and Hermia in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and he's excited to be back to help as a musician for "Macbeth." Davey has performed at the Hale Center Theater Orem, the SCERA Center for the Arts, BYU, and New Play Project; some of his favorite roles include Kilroy in "Don't Drink the Water," Seymour in "Little Shop of Horrors," George Spelvin in "The Actor's Nightmare," Mr. Martin in "The Bald Soprano," and Dromio of Syracuse in "The Comedy of Errors." Davey will be graduating from BYU in April 2012 with a degree in film.

TOPHER RASMUSSEN

Malcolm

This is Topher Rasmussen's first Grassroots Shakespeare show, and he is loving every second of it. Topher is currently studying theatre at UVU. Recent credits include Demetrius in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (DAC), Brian in "Borderlands" (Plan-B Theatre Company), The Artilleryman in "Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds" (The University of Utah), and William Holloway in Ray Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes" (Utah Valley University). Other favorites include Leonardo in "Blood Wedding", Benedick in "Much Ado About Nothing", Autolycus in "A Winter's Tale", and Tiresias in "The Burial At Thebes". He would like to thank his friends and family for their support, and especially Javen Tanner for his brillince and mentoring through the years.

WES TOLMAN
Witch/Murderer

Wes Tolman is excited to be a part of a Grassroots Shakespeare mainstage production once again! He was a member in the Original company when it was founded several years ago and has participated in many workshops since. Wes graduated from UVU last year with a Bachelors in Performing Arts. Most recently, you may have seen him as Gangster #2 in "The Drowsy Chaperone" at the Hale Center Theater. He has a great love for Shakespeare's works and hopes to do them all his life! Much thanks to my teachers and mentors over the years, namely Chris Clark and John Graham, and my parents for always supporting me in every role I take.

CAMERON BENCH

MacDuff

Cameron Is excited to come play with Grassroots at long last. He is from Orem, Utah and is currently studying theatre at BYU. Recent credits include Louis XIII in "The Three Musketeers," Curtis in "Yellow," and Romeo in "Romeo and Juliet;" as well as directing "The Importance of Being Earnest" and "All's Well That Ends Well."

ZOE WILDE
Porter/Gentlewoman

Zoe Wilde is thrilled to be apart of her first Grassroots Shakespeare Company show! Zoe is a Sophomore at UVU majoring in Theater Performance and has been seen in "What the Moon Saw," at the Edinburgh Scotland Fringe Festival, Pimple in "She Stoops to Conquer," at UVU, and Adelaide in "Guys and Dolls" at MVHS. She thanks her fellow cast members for all their brilliance and her family for the never ending support. Enjoy the show.

DAVE MORTENSEN

Co-Producer

Dave is an independent producer and advocate for Utah theater based in Salt Lake City. He holds a BA in Theatre Studies from Brigham Young University with an emphasis in directing and dramaturgy. During the past 5 years, he has produced 19 plays including 11 new works by local playwrights. He is a co-founder of Mortal Fools Theatre Project in Provo, and the founder of UtahTheaterBloggers.com. Directing credits include LITTLE HAPPY SECRETS, and WITHOUT FEAR.

NICOLE ALLEN
Musician

Nicole Allen has a BFA in dance from Brigham Young University, where she performed and choreographed with a modern dance emphasis. She is not an actress, but loves all things Shakespeare and especially Grassroots. She has had a blast working with this cast, and playing around with the music. May the Bard be with you.

HEATHER MURDOCK

Lady Macbeth

Heather Murdock loves theater, especially Shakespeare. Her first performance was in "Twelfth Night," and she has been hooked ever since. Heather has been participating in Grassroots from the moment she heard about them. In their 2011 summer touring company she played Rosalind in "As You Like It," stayed involved as an ensemble member during "Midsummer," and stepped into the role of Lady Capulet in the remount of "Romeo & Juliet." Heather is delighted to be a company member in Grassroots' Halloween production of "Macbeth," and hopes that you enjoy the show. She would like to thank the UVU Theater Department for all the support they have given over the last four years. Especially, Christopher Clark who has been an incredible mentor and friend.

ROBBIE X PIERCE
Witch/Muderer

Robbie X Pierce is delighted to be returning to the Grassroots Shakespeare Company after having performed in Romeo and Juliet. He is a founding member of Laughing Matters Sketch Comedy. He recently played Julien in UVU's "Tea With Mint or Lemon" and Ralph in "Frozen" and will next be seen as Ben Weatherstaff in UVU's "Secret Garden." He wants to thank an awesome company. This process has been insane and endlessly rewarding.

JORDAN KRAMER

Witch/Murderer

Jordan Kramer is super stoked to be a part of such an amazing production. He has spent the last year working with Grassroots' sister company, Utah Shakespeare in the Park, where he performed in "Romeo and Juliet" (Peter), "Uncle Vanya" (Serebrekov), "The Importance of Being Earnest" (Algernon), and "the Merchant of Venice" (Shylock). Other favorites include "Urinetown" at UVU and "Aida" at the Scera. Jordan would like to thank the entire Grassroots family for all their love and support! *Sparkles*

ALEX UNGERMAN
Co-Producer

Alex is one of the founding members of The Grassroots Shakespeare Company. He has been seen onstage in Company shows as Benedick, Lord Capulet, Orlando, Titania/Hippolyta, and Peter Quince. Other Shakespeare credits include: Orsino (TWELFTH NIGHT, Utah Valley University), Gonzalo/Stephano/Caliban (TEMPEST, UVU), Pericles (PERICLES, BYU Young Company), and Baptista (TAMING OF THE SHREW, Utah Shakespeare Fest. Touring)

NICK GROSSAINT

Banquo

Nick Grossaint couldn't be more excited to be in another Grassroots production. Nick enjoys loud music, fun, and a good party. After 4 years and 15 shows Nick will be graduating from Utah Valley in the Spring. Nick thanks his friends and family for getting on this rollercoaster with him and enjoying the ride.

LILY HYE SOO DIXON-GEELS
Lady MacDuff/Fleance/Doctor

Lily Hye Soo Dixon received her BFA in classical acting at SUU. Recently she was involved with The New York Theatre Int. & EST. Shout out to my husband Eric and to our son Lennon! Love!

ANATASHA BLAKELY

Ross

Anatasha Blakely has a BFA in classical acting from Southern Utah University and has recently been seen at The Neil Simon Festival, The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company and The New Conservatory Theatre of San Francisco. Bam! Shakespeare!

LEVITICUS BROWN
Duncan/Siward

Leviticus Brown is the largest of the grassroots company. You may have seen him in the summer tour as Oberon, Theseus, William, and Charles the wrestler. His other production credits include, Othello (Othello{understudy}), Twelfth Night (Sir Toby Belch), She Stoops to Conquer (Tony Lumpkin), Holiday Night LIVE! (Various), and many more. Leviticus is currently finishing his BA in Theatre Arts at UVU, and would like to thank his instructors there for the support and mentoring they offer. He hopes that you all have a wonderful time and remember, "Prose before hos."

ERIC D. GEELS

Macbeth

Eric D. Geels is excited to be joining the cast of Macbeth as his first Grassroots Shakespeare show. Since 8th grade, when Eric was first introduced to theatre, he has had an undying passion for the arts and the role they play in every persons life! Eric has been seen in roles including Beethoven from "Dog Sees God", Malcolm in SUU's production of "Macbeth"' and Dexter in "Darkly Dreaming Dexter". He would like to thank his wife Lily Hye Soo Dixon-Geels for loving and supporting him in everything he chooses; and to their son Lennon for being the greatest thing that has ever happened to him. Also, I love you buddies!

Why Be a 'Groundling'

2011-10-14T23:51:00.002-06:00

So, you are going to come and see Macbeth by the Grassroots Shakespeare Company. There’s no question about that. But why should you buy yard tickets and come as a ‘groundling’ and stand the whole time? Well here are

Nicole Allen’s Top Ten Reasons Why You Should See Macbeth as a ‘Groundling’:

10. It’s cheaper. In this economy? seriously.

9. You are literally inches away from the actors and all the action.

8. Audience participation. You can’t avoid it when you are leaning on the front of the stage.

7. You’ll be perfectly situated to throw bread and rotten fruit at your least favorite characters.

6. Its COLD outside. Why not stand close to your fellow patrons and actually stay warm?

5. You stand up at rock concerts don’t you?

4. You’ll be in spitting distance. Everyone loves the splash zone at Sea World don’t they?

3. You’ll be called a ‘groundling’. Seriously. How cool is that?

2. Ever wanted to look into the eyes of a murderous lunatic? You’ll get you chance! (without the real danger of actually getting murdered)

1. Feel like you want to take part in the ‘Occupy Wallstreet’ protests, but can’t? Come be like the 99% of Shakespeare’s day, and stand brother to brother, while getting entertained!

Convinced? Here’s how you get tickets!

Go to www.grassrootsshakespeare.com/macbeth and click on the ‘Buy Tickets’ link.

Not convinced? Then there are still seated gallery seats as well, for the weak of heart.

The Skinny on Auditions: MACBETH

2011-09-06T18:27:00.000-06:00

What you should know:

We're an original practice company--this means we're exploring producing and performing Shakespeare the way it would have been done in his day. How does this apply to our upcoming production of Macbeth?

CASTING

We Have No Director. Directors didn't show up on the scene until two hundred years after Shakespeare kicked the bucket. Macbeth will be produced and staged entirely through the collaborative efforts of the Company.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Hold on a minute--how will the show be cast?" Open auditions will seen by current members of the Grassroots Board of Producers, who will make a preliminary determination as to who will be invited to callbacks.

Callbacks: Actors invited to callbacks will have the opportunity to participate in a series of exercises designed to approximate the experience of being a member in the collaboratively staged production.

Voting: At the end of the callback, ballots will be distributed and each participant will be asked to nominate 10 of their peers present at the callback to join the company.

The Tally: The 10 actors receiving the most votes from their peers will be asked to join the company of Macbeth.

Assigning Roles: The newly formed company will meet to conduct readings for specific role assignments in the play. The final cast list will be determined by several rounds of reading, voting, and discussion.

REHEARSALS

The Crunch: Historical documents indicate that renaissance companies had very little rehearsal time. In some cases, it appears that the actors opened a show without ever having rehearsed that show together before, having learned their lines independently and coming together only to run the fights or music on the morning of the performance.

12 Rehearsals: In an attempt to recreate some of the madcap frenzy of creativity and collaboration that would have existed under such conditions, we will rehearse Macbeth in just 12 short rehearsals.

Con Your Lines: Actors come memorized to the first rehearsal. Casting is completed two weeks prior to allow time for learning the lines.

Collaborative Staging: Actors come prepared to the first rehearsal with a fully-fleshed out rough draft of their performance. Rehearsals are the time for coordinating those choices and for developing relationships as a company that will translate into performance.

Try it Once: All members of the company are expected to contribute to developing the show through assertive input and feedback. If one actor suggests an idea to another actor, he or she is obligated to try it at least once in rehearsal to see if it works for them. Final decisions regarding all choices are left to the individual actor. Call it 'cooperative anarchy'.

Actor as Artist: Actors are responsible for the creation of their own characters, including costuming. This is an opportunity for actors to express their vision of the character and their position in the unique world of the play independent of an over-arching concept or design. Costumes and props are all furnished by the actors and are often anachronistic or atypical.

PERFORMANCE

A Stone 'O': Performances will take place at the Castle Amphitheatre in a set-up reminiscent of The Globe theatre. Two types of tickets will be available: standing tickets for the yard, and limited ticketing for seating in the galleries.

Lose the Fourth Wall: This production will be highly interactive and engaging for all members of audience, but especially for the groundlings who will be mere inches away from the action.

AUDITIONS:

Open Auditions:
Tuesday Sept. 13th
4pm-7pm
UVU rm. GT631

Please come prepared with a one minute monologue from Shakespeare.

If you are unable to attend during the open audition, please email:
Bard@GrassrootsShakespeare.com
to schedule an appointment.

For further insights into the Grassroots Casting process, check out:

A Peek Inside the Process

and

Taking Risks and Open Auditions

The Grassroots ethos in action

2011-08-25T03:53:00.002-06:00

At the end of our penultimate rehearsal, mere days away from opening night, we were gathered into a huddle to hear some news and make a decision. There were a couple faces looking worried and stressed, and it seemed like there must be something really bad about to happen. Did the park revoke our permission to perform? Did somebody’s relative die, and they have to be at the funeral?

Turns out that one of our own, the fabulously talented Holly Davies (who has created perhaps the sexiest Puck in the history of the world) has been offered the most tremendous opportunity. She’s been given a role in a BBC pilot without even auditioning! (yep, she’s just that good.) There’s just one problem:

Filming goes late into the night on both Monday and Tuesday, our scheduled opening night and second performance. She hasn’t told them yes, because she wanted to talk to all of us first. She didn’t want to let us down.

We all looked at Holly. There were tears in her eyes as one of her cast mates held her shoulders and we all cried out how marvelous! How amazing! Congratulations! Eve spoke perhaps for all of us when she said, “It never even occurred to me that you wouldn’t TAKE it! Of course you should do it! We’re all behind you.”

That’s Grassroots. That’s the magic of a group of people working for free at what they love, with people they respect, with this as the highest aim: to make great theatre from scratch with nothing but the script, the company and the passion we all share, and bring it to the people of London because it’s what we love to do.

We’re all behind Holly 100%, with pride far outweighing any envy or sadness because we’ve also decided we’re not canceling. Oh no, not Grassroots. We’re going on! We’re putting off opening until Weds, and performing Monday and Tuesday as open dress rehearsals with our friend Adam Elliot standing in as Puck. At the end of these previews there will be a chance to get feedback from the audience and a Q & A about Grassroots and “original practices”. In losing Holly for those two performances, we’ve all gained a deeper sense of community and support, a serious pride in our cast mate’s brilliant gig, and the chance to “perform” for an audience while still rehearsing!

How did that happen? We ALL won!

And this, perhaps, is what I love most about Grassroots. When 12 gorgeous and talented people have your back, you go out feeling like a champion and knowing that your world will be rocked by the people you’re playing with. You go out expecting surprises and gifts, spontaneity and wonder and damn fine work from all your fellows. When 12 generous and creative performers have your back, you’re safe to open your heart or even fall on your ass. You’re even safe to leave, knowing it won’t be the same without you but that you’re also not letting us down.

I call that magical. I call that one of the best things I’ve ever been a part of.

Thank you, Grassroots Original London Cast, for being who you are. Congratulations Holly, we love you and will miss you and will do our best to rock those shows in your honor. Thank you in advance to the audiences who watch us wrangle with an unexpected situation and still come out punching!

And while we’re at it, thank you Mr. Shakespeare. You wrote a damn fun play.

-Ponder Goddard

A peek inside the Grassroots audition process!

2011-07-27T05:22:00.001-06:00

We all know what a typical audition entails; you walk onto a bare stage, introduce yourself to a vaguely discernible casting director sitting somewhere out in the fourth-wall ether, and then (if you're lucky) launch headlong into a monologue that you have spent weeks preparing. Almost immediately, you finish, head out the door, and await the results with baited breath for days, sometimes weeks. Grassroots auditions are... different.

From the very first moment of auditions, you are part of an ensemble. You're encouraged to give and take feedback from your fellow auditioners. You're urged to speak directly to them during your performance, and to notice and use the surrounding environment effectively. In some ways it's a bit daunting, trying to stand out and be heard in the middle of a vast park, and having your audition piece openly scrutinized by strangers. But in other ways, it can be quite satisfying to let the energy of an audience enliven your performance, and to foster a sense of community with your peers. Auditions are never easy, but Grassroots auditions are, at the very least, unique.

The most difficult, and perhaps the most important part of the Grassroots auditions, is the voting. After devising a few scenes in small groups, and performing them for each other, the recalled group of actors write up confidential ballots, listing the people they would most like to work with. After that, a simple tally determines the company. For those who, for whatever reason, don't make the final cut, it can be pretty disappointing. But those who do make the company find an instant network of supportive, trusting, enthusiastic friends, each of whom are there because of each other's votes.

The instant bond created by this exciting, if harrowing process, allows us to jump straight into rehearsals. And for Grassroots, that's an absolute necessity. We only have ten days, after all. There's no time for trust-falls or bridge-building. The connections have to be there from day one. If we're trying to approach Shakespeare the way his original players did, then we need an incredibly cohesive, tight-knit group, like they had. So, although it can be dispiriting for those who feel rejected by the voting (and the difference between total validation and total rejection is often just a single vote), it is incredibly beneficial to the creation of an enthusiastic and sincerely collaborative ensemble.

If you like what we do, please help us by sharing with your friends and family! In England, follow us at Grassroots Shakespeare · London on facebook, or @grassroots_lon on twitter. Our upcoming production of A Midsummer Night's Dream promises to be a surprising and enchanting event!

The First Blog Post of the New Grassroots British Shakespeare Company

2011-07-24T10:14:00.001-06:00

The First Blog Post of the New Grassroots British Shakespeare Company

It’s been an interesting road to get to this point. I’ve never gone through an audition process quite like this: so relaxed, open. From the instant we all met, the method seemed almost designed to make us into a company. Performing monologues in front of each other was an audition experience I’d had only once before, auditioning for drama school (at the end of which, I got in). It’s amazing the difference it makes to your performance to have a supportive audience. Nerves melt away with the laughter or rapt attention that accompanies the performance. By the end of the day, I felt like I knew everyone and they al l knew me. There was no worry about who would get in and who wouldn’t because we all felt we’d been given an equal opportunity. We knew that no matter what, whoever made up the company would be talented and fun to work with.

I could talk about the recall but I would basically be repeating myself: the exact same enjoyable experience except with fewer people. By the end of it, however, there was an excitement: only thirteen of us could make it and every one of us (you could tell) desperately wanted to get in. Not just to act but because it would be so much fun to act with these people.

And so it was with much joy that I discovered I was to be part of the group. Additionally, I would be fulfilling a life long dream of mine: to perform Shakespeare in London in the open as Shakespeare intended. From a very young age, I have enjoyed Shakespeare’s work and wanted to perform it in the country of its origin. That’s why I went to drama school here and it is the reason I decided to start my acting career here. A year out of drama school, doing mostly film work, I am now back doing what I love - Shakespeare’s theatre - and I cannot think of a better company with which to start.

We had our first meeting as a company last week and it felt like I was meeting old friends. We all indicated openly the roles we wanted to play and quite naturally it seemed that everybody got what they wanted.

So as I eagerly embark on our first week of rehearsals, I am full of confidence, not just in myself but in the whole group. I already feel trust in every actor and that together we will create something truly amazing.

Aaron Tavaler

2011 London Company Announced!

2011-07-20T17:08:00.003-06:00

After careful deliberation (read: playing in Hyde Park) and much reflection (read: chatting at Starbucks), Grassroots Shakespeare · London is pleased to announce almost the entire cast of our upcoming production of A Midsummer Night's Dream!

Oberon/ Thesus - Noah Young
Titania/ Hyppolita - Ponder Goddard
Lysander - Eve Winters
Demetrius - Harrie Hayes
Helena - Jennifer Dawn Williams
Hermia - Sarah Jayne-Harris
Bottom - Aaron Travaler
Quince - Grace Kennedy
Snout - Liam Webster
Starveling - Siobhan Daly
Snug/ Egeus - Cornelia Baumann
Flute - Mark Oram
Puck/ Philostrate - Holly Davies

Keep reading over the coming weeks to learn more about this wonderful troupe of actors! They are delightful, talented, and a bit mad - they're London's first Grassrooters!

American Shakespeare Center Intern

2011-07-06T16:46:00.003-06:00

Hi Grassrooters,

Thanks to all our fans for such an incredible season. I still think about it everyday. What a wonderful opportunity it was to be involved with such talented performers, and enthusiastic audiences.

I love what we do so much, I just had to get out to some of the other places that do Original Practice. The big epicenter in the States is the American Shakespeare Center where they have a recreation of Shakespeare's first indoor theater, the Blackfriar's, so named because it was built inside a monastery. I'm here this summer doing an internship on Early Modern Theater Structures. So it's my job to learn everything I can about the playhouses of the period. No small task, because Londoners loved the theater, and wanted as much of it as they could get... Well kind of. There were also those who snubbed the Playhouses and wanted to shut them down all the time. Which is where we get most of our information really; legal documents and contracts from the likes of Philip Henslowe.

I'm especially excited to do a little more research on the touring operations of playing companies of the period in lue of our touring season. Our wine barrel based stage could be among the more authentic touring stages in the world.

Thanks again for a wonderful season, and I hope to find lots of good facts for ye Shakespeare lovers.

TRIPLE HEADER: Summer Tour 2011 Finale!

2011-06-22T15:21:00.001-06:00

You asked for it, and we're giving it to you! By popular demand, we're adding one more blowout show to finish off our smash hit Summer Tour! Triple Header--come see one, come see two, or if you're feeling really adventurous then come see all three shows in one night!

TRIPLE HEADER
Castle Amphitheatre 1300 E Center St. Provo
Monday, June 27th

7:00pm 'As You Like It'
8:30pm 'Midsummer Night's Dream: All-Male Cast'
9:45pm 'Romeo and Juliet: Encore'

Each show runs ~1hr 15min

ADMISSION:
$7 for all three!
$5 for one or two!

Here's what audiences have been saying:

"Amazing. I haven't laughed that hard in a very long time!"

-Katie Fullmer

"I've never enjoyed Shakespeare quite like I did last night at Liberty park."

-Karli McKinnon

"Romeo and Juliet plus A Midsummer Night's Dream at Liberty Park tonight: ...Probably the best free entertainment available. And better than stuff people pay for, too. Keep up the excellent work my friends!"

-Jason Kelly

"Absolutely top notch stuff"

-Randall McNair

More details HERE.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

2011-06-10T16:15:00.000-06:00

We made the paper!
Read the full story at Deseret News Online!

FULL TOURING SCHEDULE

2011-06-07T08:00:00.005-06:00

Wednesday, June 1,

6 pm 'As You Like It'

Eagle Mountain Arts Fest

Friday, June 3,

7:30 pm 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Provo Tabernacle Park

Saturday, June 4,

6:15 pm 'Romeo and Juliet'

8 pm 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Orem Community Park

Monday, June 6

7 pm 'As You Like It'

Kiwanis Park Provo

Wednesday June 8

1 pm 'As You Like It'

UVU Quad

Friday, June 10

7:30 'As You Like It'

Orem Summerfest

Saturday, June 11

6:15pm 'Romeo and Juliet'

8pm 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Liberty Park SLC

Monday, June 13

7:30 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Rock Canyon Park- Provo

Wednesday, June 15

11 am 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

UVU Alumni House Lawn

Friday, June 17

7:30 pm 'As You Like It'

Pleasant Grove Strawberry Days

Saturday, June 18

6 pm 'As You Like It'

7:30 pm 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Logan Summerfest

Monday, June 20

7 pm 'As You Like It'

8:30 pm 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Orem Center Park

Friday, June 24

7:30 pm 'As You Like It'

9 pm 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Nielsen's Grove Park

Saturday, June 25

7:30 pm 'As You Like It'

9 pm 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Kaysville Heritage Park

Monday, June 27th
TRIPLE HEADER!
7:00pm-'As You Like It'
8:30pm-'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
9:45pm-'Romeo and Juliet'
Castle Amphitheatre Provo
(Ticketed Show)

All shows ~1hr 20min

FREE ADMISSION

(Suggested Donation: $3)

Check out the events on Facebook:
'As You Like It': http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=187577517959272
'A Midsummer Night's Dream': https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=217717948250120
'Romeo and Juliet': https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=101617536597681

Three Shows About to Hit the Road!

2011-05-30T08:22:00.001-06:00

Summer Tour 2011:

Good Times Great Shakes

2011-05-15T12:03:00.002-06:00

Things are looking good for us as we prepare to rehearse our second show: A Midsummer Nights Dream. We've had so much fun with rehearsals for As You Like It, and we're excited to show everyone what we've got come May 30th. I feel that our hard work is really paying off, and to the blogging world out there, I'd like to give a fresh view of how we work and how we play.

In a conversation with Davey I realized that we're putting in a work load somewhere between a full time and a part time job. We've spent 4 hours every week night on rehearsal, anyone who's been available has been working on building the touring stage during the day, and of course we've all spent lots of time outside rehearsal anxiously memorizing. At the end of week two we were all pretty exhausted. Never fear however, we're taking the weekend to recover, and we'll be back at it.

But, just to catch you up, here are a few of the adventures we've had so far:

-A few of us celebrated "Cinco de Mayo" by going out to Del taco after rehearsal. It was then that Robbie challenged me to eat a dozen tacos, with the promise he'd pay for them if I managed to eat them. Naturally I accepted the challenge, and to the general astonishment of those present I proceeded to down a dozen tacos. The taste Del Taco cheese seems to linger in my mouth still.

-As we were leaving Del Taco, the employee's stopped me for a picture. I'm still not sure why, it might have to do with the sombrero I was wearing. So the group all huddled up for Cinco de Mayo picture with the Del Taco stuff. Cinco de Shakespeare!

-Dan, Aubrey and I listened to Ray's cowboy poetry at village inn

-We fell in and out of love with the new Theater behind the Orem City Library. We took our rehearsal there for shelter from the rain, and we've rehearsed there every day since. It's nice, but a little tricky on the acoustic end. We're excited to perform there this summer, but we're starting to miss the sunsets at Scera park and our Grassroots tree.

-Thursday's rehearsal was great. We had a lot of enthusiastic bystanders watch parts of the show. One I remember in particular was an old man, with an even older man in a wheel chair. Greg's sister-in-law commented, "That was the most entertained I've ever been watching Shakespeare." They really enjoyed our rehearsal and we enjoyed having an audience.

So grassroots fans, our shows are on their way. We're having lots of fun and we know you will too. We'll have our schedule out to you soon, so you can plan on seeing all three of our shows and bringing all your friends, family, extended relations, and co-workers!

See you soon.

Day 1: As You Like It

2011-05-03T15:52:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was our first rehearsal for "As You Like It" and rehearsing once again in the park felt a bit like coming home.
When we first started this crazy experiment that has become the Grassroots Shakespeare Company we took to the free and open space of the public parks out of necessity--we had nowhere else to rehearse and nowhere else to perform, but now we embrace the advantages of public spaces by choice.
We arrived at the park to discover that there was some sort of volleyball tournament happening with two or three volleyball courts set-up all around our usual rehearsal spot.
No matter. We unpacked our set and with volleyball games happening on either side of us, we got down to business blocking our show.
The rehearsal went pretty smoothly, and although we're still in the mode of remembering and rediscovering our old process, we fell into a nice rhythm by the end of the night that we can only hope will continue.
We were also graced by Master Christopher Clark--without whom we would not exist and who has done much to support our company. Chris taught us a bawdy 3/4 jig that we're sure you'll find to be rollicking good fun. (provided we ever get the sequence down)
Between dodging stray volleyballs and the unfortunate dimness after sunset caused by loss of one of our worklights, we managed to make pretty good progess: Our script has been cut down to a lean 75 pages, and we almost met our goal of blocking through 25, but had to end at 22.
Perhaps by the end of May we'll have improved both our diction and our return serves!

Happy Birthday Mr. Shakespeare!

2011-04-23T12:24:00.000-06:00

Today we celebrate Mr. Shakespeare's 447th birthday!
Also, as of today, The Grassroots Shakespeare Company is an officially recognized and legally qualified non-profit organization!

Huzzah!

2011 Summer Touring Shows

2011-04-13T08:00:00.003-06:00

This Summer we aim to be more ambitious than ever before.

We're going to assemble two shows in May and perform them in Rep throughout June.
On top of that, we'll be attempting a remount of last year's production of Romeo and Juliet.
It's going to be a whirlwind ride and there's always the distinct possibility of epic failure.

Our season isn't determined by an artistic director, a producer, or even a director. Our shows are picked by the company who will perform them. That's our philosophy--get the right people on board first, and it doesn't matter so much what show you end up doing, because you'll already have a talented and committed group of artists ready to tackle just about anything.

Last week we assembled our company in a most unusual manner. We let everyone who attended callbacks vote on who they thought should join the company.

Earlier this week, we met for the first time as an ensemble and voted on which shows we should produce.
There were a lot of great suggestions and even more good arguments:

The Main Show
We've got nine men and five women in the company this year. We decided that the main show should offer ample opportunity for the women to showcase their talents, as the Second Show we're doing will, in the spirit of true original practices, feature an all-male cast.
We threw around a lot of titles, but the main contenders were:
The Winter's Tale
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Twelfth Night
As You Like It
Hamlet
As Hamlet offers few parts for women, it was out of the running almost immediately. We gradually narrowed it down to Winter's Tale, Midsummer, and As You Like It, and after much deliberation on the merits of each work, settled on As You Like It for it's accessibility, broad appeal, numerous female roles, and strong ensemble characters.

The Second Show
This is new territory for Grassroots. We've never done an all-male show before, and carefully weighed the pros and cons of each possible title. Those most in the running were:
Hamlet
Taming of the Shrew
Twelfth Night
Merry Wives of Windsor
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Macbeth
Hamlet and Macbeth both offered the possibility of strong dramatic female roles. Taming of the Shrew and Merry Wives of Windsor both came with the added bonus of advertising a show with references to women in the title--who would be played by men! Twelfth Night carried the fantastic challenge of a man playing a woman playing an man and the comic confusion that audiences both modern and Elizabethan would have delighted in. After talking things over, the vote came down between Merry Wives and Midsummer: Merry Wives being a strong choice for lovable Falstaff and the intrigue of seeing Mistress Ford and Mistress Quickly being played by men, and Midsummer offering accessibility and stronger name recognition.
In the end we went with Midsummer because it will resonate with audiences who have likely seen it before and will be familiar with the story, but in a new way--as we will wager that few have seen it staged with an all male cast.

The Remount
Of all our plans, this one will likely be the most challenging to pull off. We'll have to work hard to get as many of our former company members together again for a short rehearsal process--perhaps only 2 or 3 evenings. And this will be on top of an already crammed schedule. All the same, we're going to go for it! Hold us to it!

2011 Summer Touring Season:

As You Like It

A Midsummer Night's Dream--All Male Cast

Romeo and Juliet: Encore Presentation

All performances in June.

Taking Risks: Open Auditions and Trusting the Crowd

2011-04-12T01:04:00.004-06:00

Back in the Day

Actors in Shakespeare's day were able to put on ten or more different plays in the space of two weeks. There are several factors that could have made this possible:

1. They had a large volume of plays in their repertoire--and while they rarely performed the same title on two consecutive days, (Or even in the same week) they did on occasion resurrect a popular popular show for an encore performance.

2. The actors consistently played similar types. We know that Will Kemp played such foolish clowns as Dogberry in Much Ado, Peter in R and J, and Launcelot Gobbo in Merchant, while Richard Burbage was known for playing strong leads such as Othello, Richard III, Hamlet, and Lear. If an actor was accustomed to playing a specific type, it would have required much less time and effort for him to learn and develop the part.

3. The actors worked under a company system, and were used to working closely and cooperatively with one another. They must have had an enormous trust and confidence in one another's abilities in order to produce with the speed they did and under the rigorous conditions they worked in.

What does this mean for Grassroots?

Well to begin with, we do not have a large repertoire, but we will be attempting to remount last year's production of Romeo and Juliet in the spirit of those early companies.

Second, we will be casting our shows democratically--which tends to favor and encourage the sort of type casting that would have been prevalent in Shakespeare's day. More on that in another post.

Third, while we do our best to work under a company system, our track record thus far has been less than ideal. At the beginning of our second year, we had only two of our original twelve company members return for our second season. This year is a little better: We have six of last year's thirteen coming back for another season.

Our first two companies were hand-picked by the producers. This was done in an attempt to ensure that we were getting actors who were not only talented, but had somewhat of a history working together.

This year, in an effort to be more open and inclusive of all hoping to join the company, we held our first ever open auditions. This is a huge risk for us, as speed of rehearsal and production is of the utmost importance for us.

We've planned just ten short rehearsals for each of our new shows this Summer.
How will we beat the steep learning curve that accompanies the rehearsal process for actors unaccustomed to working with one another?

We've decided to take a bold risk in a gambit to build maximum company solidarity in the shortest possible amount of time.

Open Auditions and Callbacks

We held our open auditions and were pleasantly surprised by the volume of interest from the community. We ended up inviting back about twenty-eight people for callbacks.

Here's where things get interesting:

Many of our former company members were among those who auditioned and were invited to callbacks. No one got a free pass. This year instead of inviting everyone back, we invited back no one. Everyone, including former company members had to prove themselves valuable and committed to the group.

Callbacks were full of great energy and competitive talent right from the start.
We were interested in seeing how well people could work together under limited time, so we randomly divided into groups and gave each one a copy of Sonnet 29 and allotted ten minutes of rehearsal to develop the text into some sort of performance.

Some groups focused on choral reading and movement. Other groups divided up the lines and worked on characterization. Each piece was unique and fascinating to watch. Things were off to a great start.

We then switched gears to give every individual present a chance to show their stuff.

Each participant got one minute to perform a Shakespearean monologue we had asked them to come prepared with. Then the entire crowd gave feedback: everyone raised their hands and the person performing was allowed to choose three people to deliver feedback or suggestions. After hearing suggestions, the performer was given thirty seconds to incorporate the suggestions in performance. It was fast-paced, energetic and full of creative choices on the parts of both performers and crowd. We saw some of the most entertaining and colorful performances I've ever seen in a callback. Everyone was given the chance to shine and most did so in a way that delighted and surprised all present.

The Vote

Then came the hard part. Everyone had performed and seen every performance. It was all out on the table. There was no director there to impress or perform for, and no committee to make the decisions. At this point, we passed out ballots to all the performers present at callbacks and instructed them to vote for the ten individuals who gave the strongest performances and worked best with the group.

The Talley

As we collected ballots, I thought: "I've been a part of this company for two years now. What if I get voted out?"

And that was both terrifying and exhilarating. All the members of the board had agreed that this was the system we would use to determine the company, and no one would be given special treatment.

It was an agonizing evening as we all waited for the results to be calculated.

Finally, when all the numbers were added, we had some pretty definitive results. Most of our former company members who auditioned made the cut, but we did lose one, and that was painful. But there's also a huge payoff here. Everyone who made the company made it because they were voted in, and there's a sense of gravity to that. There's also an automatic sense of camaraderie because when it comes down to it, I'm here because you voted for me, and you're here because I voted for you. There's no director or producer to owe, only a sense of collective obligation and respect for one another from the responsibility that comes from mutual selection.

The Payoff

So when does the payoff come? Well we sat down and had our first company meeting this week, and it went better than planned. There's already a great chemistry and excitement in the group that we can only hope will endure and increase.

But at the end of the day, the payoff can only truly be measured by the quality of our product. If our company puts on a good show, then and only then can we know that we're a good company.

2011 Touring Company Announced!

2011-04-08T04:36:00.001-06:00

The GSC is pleased to announce the ensemble cast for 2011:

Davey Morrison
Cherie Julander
Daniel Anderson
Leah Williams
Robbie Pierce
Jessamyn Svensson
Kyle Oram
Daniel Whiting
Leviticus Brown
Greg Larsen
Aubrey Bench
Nick Grossaint
Heather Murdock
Alex Ungerman

Thank you to everyone who auditioned!

(If you would like to be notified of future auditions, performances, or workshops, like us on Facebook.)

Auditions for Summer Touring Co:

2011-03-29T11:46:00.000-06:00

More details here.

RICHARD III: Play-in-a-Day Success!

2011-03-28T17:45:00.001-06:00

Our lastest Play-in-a-Day endeavor was another smashing success!
A big round of applause for our fantastic cast that brought the show to life:

Kyle Oram

Brett Merritt

Chelsea Frandsen

Annie Pulsipher

Haleigh Cole

Leviticus Brown

Zoe Wilde

Lianna Manibog

Paul Wuthrich

Katie Sue Sullivan

Ellesse Hargreaves

Aaron Gaines

Mara Davi Gaines

Kat Webb

Amy Smith

Greg Larsen

Bonnie Larsen

Eric Phillips

Matt Carlin

Alex Ungerman

Daniel Whiting

Aubrey Warner

BRAVO!

We'd also like to acknowledge those behind the scenes who put in some serious blood, sweat, and tears pulling this all together:

Script Editors:

Trevor Robertson

Kyle Oram

Daniel Anderson

Alex Ungerman

Jessamyn Svensson

Casting:

Kyle Oram

Trevor Robertson

Alex Ungerman

Daniel Anderson

Costuming/Props:

Daniel Whiting

Alex Ungerman

Registration:
Elisa Bushman

Fight Choreography:
Matt Carlin

Catering:
Elisa Bushman
Eric Phillips

Photography:
J Kelly Oram
Elisa Bushman

To see more pics of this epic show, Check out
our album on Facebook!

And last but not least, thanks to the great audience that turned up to see the show!

Grassroots: The UK experience!

2010-09-12T10:16:00.014-06:00

Grassroots... hmm... where to start? Well I suppose a lot of fun would be a good way to describe the whole experience for me. From start to finish, I have enjoyed this exciting and vital approach to Shakespeare. I was a tad worried from the outset about not having the usual guidance of a director and his or her 'vision'. However, the absence of a director made the experience much more rewarding. Each member of the ensemble had a creative stake in the piece and we all stumbled together towards the creation of our production. My friend put the question to me that maybe a modern day theatre goer demands more than that of the Elizabethan audience. Perhaps that might be true but this kind of theatre is unburdened by saying something or anything in particular. It is about being as engaging and entertaining as possible, a very valid concept in my opinion.

Of course this is all very good in theory and I can't deny that I was little bit petrified about performing Romeo and Juliet on the Saturday considering we hadn't even cast the play on Monday morning! Nevertheless it actually made it much more exciting because we didn't have time to agonise over decisions and we simply had to jump straight in. There was no preamble and we had to throw it on the stage, literally.

This has helped me to more properly appreciate the wonder that it is the Ensemble! We came together as a unit from Romeo and Juliet through to All's Well That Ends Well, working seamlessly together for the greater theatrical good..... or at least that's what we tried to do. I think the more we worked together, the more we established our own tone. It makes it easier to understand how an Elizabethan troupe could just turn over so many shows in such a short period of time. They knew each other so well, they could always jump straight in, take risks, experiment, and simply go for it! During one moment of All's Well, Melissa and I realised that due to the doubling up of characters, two actors would have to leave the stage, get dressed and then return; leaving a small intermission.

We took it upon ourselves to fill this small interval with some impromptu kazooing followed by a food fight involving Murray mints and Werthers originals. This sort of improvisational hoohah(for lack of a better word) would be unacceptable in a 'polished' play but it is the true vitality and improvised nature of this work which is so exciting. Anything can and probably will happen! Someone might forget to enter a scene, someone might say 'Get you to Manchester', Someone might forget which character they're supposed to be but hey that's Grassroots for you!

Once More Unto the Breach, Dear Friends!

2010-09-08T01:47:00.000-06:00

Enrollment now open for
Henry V: Play-in-a-Day
Join us onstage as we rehearse and perform Shakespeare's beloved history!
If you can commit to memorize a scene or two, we'll send you a script and give you a part in what may prove to be the merriest and most entertaining Battle at Agincourt you'll ever see!

To sign up, send us an e-mail at:
Workshops@GrassrootsShakespeare.com

or head over to our flashy new online sign-up form at
GrassrootsShakespeare.com

Once upon a time....

2010-08-08T06:08:00.008-06:00

Once upon a time in a large, smoky metropolis, there sat a young, enthusiastic actress at a laptop.

"Dearest Google-on-the-wall, I've been cast in a show at something called the Exeter Fringe Festival. Tell me more about these festivities."

Well Google, being the swift dutiful little oracle that it is, promptly returned with a list full of exciting information.

"Hmm", said the actress, "the Bike Shed Theatre. That's where the revelries will be taking place. I wonder what else will be happening there?"

And as she looked over the names of productions happening in this shed of theatricality, one in particular stood out. Romeo and Juliet. Actually, in her eyes it stood out rather more like ROMEO AND JULIET. She stopped right there, as she particularly loved The Bard.

"How wonderful!", she exclaimed, "This festival must be of particularly good taste if one of our greatest plays is being performed. It's being produced by a company called Grassroots Shakespeare. I must find out more!"

So back she went to Google, who led her to a wonderful site, telling her all about the marvellous values of this wonderful troupe of actors, who dedicated themselves to performing Shakespearian works as the great man himself would have seen.

"Well this sounds fantastic! Just my sort of thing! I wonder if I could get involved..."

And this is how she ended up sending an electronic letter to the players and found herself, one Saturday morning, far away from the big city, across the country in an ancient town called Exeter, with a group of people she had never met before, prompting them on their Shakespeare.

It would appear that any great, fortuitous encounter requires a mythical backdrop and that is rather how I feel about the great luck I've had in finding Grassroots Shakespeare. From a personal perspective, I feel like I'm on a lifelong learning journey about Shakespeare, but there was something about Grassroots that instantly appealed to me. There was, and is, something breathtakingly genuine about a group of people who were committing themselves to a challengingly short rehearsal time in order to give the audience as authentic an experience as possible. The RSC have great long rehearsal periods, where you're encouraged not to know the text in advance and you spend weeks working on movement and text, but here were actors, throwing modern convention to the wind in order to get back to basics. That is admirable. Learning pages and pages of lines in only a few days is in my opinion nothing short of miraculous, and yet Grassroots achieve this, seemingly with ease.

I've seen some great onstage moments, with "Get thee to Manchester" (instead of Mantua) being one of my favourites. You could almost hear the audience saying "Oh, they've updated it to modern Britain! How clever!", while we were all trying to stiffle giggles, but being true professionals, soldiered on! I loved the casting of Lord Capulet as a woman and Lady Capulet as a man, as it brought so much out of the text I hadn't considered before, particularly what an abusive household poor Juliet had been raised in. It was truly horrible watching Lord Capulet trying to restrain herself from beating her daughter. It has also been amazing to see what can be achieved with little money for props or costumes, and the fact that it really doesn't make a difference to an audience's enjoyment. After all, it is the stage, and imagination is what it is all about.

I've now completed my second show with Grassroots, All's Well That Ends Well, and I can say I've loved every action-filled minute of it. As the on-stage prompter (a common feature of the Elizabethan stage, you know), I get to see all the action and to admire the actors, their decisions, their accents, their passion, their triumphs and their difficulties. I get to see how wholeheartedly they throw themselves into every moment on stage and how they strive to produce the best performances possible, not because they long for fame or huge pay cheques like many who aspire to our profession do, but because they long to reach the audiences, to produce something beautiful, memorable and moving. This for me is the highest aim for an actor and something that Grassroots embodies.

I've made some great friends through Grassroots and I loved being involved with their work. May Grassroots live long and prosper :)

Siobhan studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and King's College London. She has performed in a number of roles from Sister Sarah in Guys and Dolls to Daphne Bridges in ITV's The Battle of Britain. She has sung at the Dominion Theatre, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and the Palace Theatre and worked as a backing singer, including for ITV's The X Factor. She performs regularly with the BBC’s Radio Theatre Group, recently creating the role of Fliss in the new work ‘Flying Solo’ and Eliza in 'Cupidity'. She acts, directs and produces and has recently been presenting red carpet interviews for an online entertainment website.

The Two Noble Comedies of Errors

2010-07-21T18:28:00.004-06:00

Several weeks ago, my wife Stephanie and I went to Regent's Park in London to see some Open Air Theatre. Their production of Comedy of Errors was big - like, a cast of 21 people on a huge stage in front of a gigantic billboard welcoming us to Ephesus big. That big.

A week later, we found ourselves in a park in Taunton, seeing Shakespeare's Globe on Tour, also performing Comedy of Errors, and their production was really small. Like, a cast of 8 people on a tiny stage in front of a shabby-looking tent small. That small.

While both productions were well-acted and full of comic moments, the Regent's Park show felt a bit lumbering at times. Its pace was just a bit too slow, and as a result, nearly every joke fell flat. And I honestly think it had something to do with the scale of the production, because where the Regent's Park version struggled, the Globe's pared-down version soared.

Ralph Alan Cohen, founder of the American Shakespeare Center (and my friend on Facebook!), argues that original practices can free actors from the fetters of modern theatrical conventions. In his view, all those fancy lighting cues, concepts, set pieces, and so forth, can actually detract from the storytelling process. Think about it - these plays were written for a particular kind of theatrical experience - one in open-air, with natural light, surrounding a small and sparsely-decorated cadre of performers on a simple scaffold. Perhaps the plays actually work better under these original conditions?

Well, I found that such is the case, at least with these two productions. The Globe's touring version is every bit as vibrant and memorable as Regent's Park's behemoth, but it has something more. It has the life and energy of original practices - the fast pace, the genuine audience interaction, the lightness and freedom of play.

Take-home message: smaller can be better!

And that's the aesthetic that the Grassroots Shakespeare Company was born to embrace. The small, simple, and unpretentious feel of an Elizabethan touring company. Simply a group of actors who come together and offer what they've got, creating something that lives most vividly in the collective imagination of the audience, the actors, and the playwright.

How Grassroots Workshops Began: Throw a few cue scripts out and see what happens

2010-07-18T05:05:00.000-06:00

Who in their right mind wouldn't want a crack at playing Hamlet?

Last summer, during our tour of Much Ado About Nothing we found ourselves with an open week in the middle of June. Several of our cast members had committed to other projects and were unavailable to perform and we had all this great momentum coming off our first two weeks of shows. We were so excited about the response Grassroots was receiving, and we wanted to keep the excitement up in any way we could.
The following is a gChat brainstorm between Mark Oram and myself where we discuss how to get the word out about Grassroots during our week without shows.

6/10/09
8:27 PM
mark: i want to organize some kind of advertising blitz. see if we can get fans to help spread the word... so if you think of any ideas along those lines, let's talk about them. i was thinking maybe another event, uploading some posters and flyers to the blog, and urging people to help us get our name out...a grassroots campaign, if you will. thoughts?

alex: hmmm.

an event this week is out--unless we combine it with one of the shows at one of the fests...

we could have some sort of non-performing event next week...?

mark: oh, i just meant a facebook event, but a bbq or something for the fans could potentially be fun, although probably not cost effective.

unless we made it a fundraiser too...

alex: what if we held some sort of workshop for people who were interested

mark: ooooooh, that's a cool idea!

alex: I've had a lot of people come up to me at shows saying "I want in, how can I get involved?"

mark: yeah! same. we could totally do something like that... throw a few cue scripts at them and see what happens...

alex: yeah, that could be super fun to try out another one hour cutting via cue scripts...

really time intensive to prepare, but it could be a blast

and could help us fill that dead week

mark: right. right.

alex: and cast attendance would of course be voluntary

mark: yes. (totally unrelated ps)\ - did you watch this yet? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS6G1vkhc9Y&feature=player_embedded

it's hilarious.

anyway, i think we should do this. totally.

alex: what if: we get a list of people who would be committed to participating, and divvy-ed up the script and had each person only memorize one scene--switch out roles every scene.

(watching)

that's a riot

mark: it would be easier to hand out cue scripts at the event, but it would be more fun if we had committed people who could come memorized... do you think we could get such people?

alex: if they only had to memorize one scene--yes

mark: okay, let's try it.

alex: but for that to work, we need to either a) get a LOT of committed people so that we'll have enough for everyone to play one scene or

(more likely) b) we'll have them memorize some of the more exciting/memorable scenes from the play and just fill in the others on book.

by the by--if you have any down time at work, there's a book you've GOT to read

it's worth ordering off amazon

Peter Brook's 'The Empty Space'

just brilliant, you'd love it.

he's a former RSC director and the book is a collection of lectures he gave on the nature of theatre--really incredible insights

mark: thanks for the recommendation, i'll look it up!

also, b) sounds like a good mix.

alex: yeah, I think that could work.

I think it could be fun to pick a tragedy

mark: i was thinking the same thing.

alex: awesome. I knew there was a reason we were friends.

mark: hamlet, othello, lear?

alex: what about a week from thursday, in the evening. 6-10

mark: let me check that date...

Yep, June 18th looks good for me.

alex: just thinking out loud--a week day could be better than a friday or saturday evening because no one wants to give up date nights

mark: yeah, i think you're right.

alex: and good luck doing anything with a large group of people on sat afternoon--it's the default scheduling landfill of the week

selection...hmmm

what about trying a lesser known

there's so many that I've never even seen before

I'd love to expand the repertoire

and workshop could be a good time to do it

mark: sure, but we don't want to spend all our time untangling a plot at the expense of fun characters...

alex: true true

so true

mark: so histories are out.

alex: for sure

what about winter's tale?

on second thought--hamlet could be a great draw

who in their right mind wouldn't want a crack at playing one scene as hamlet

in fact what if we only gave out hamlet's lines to memorize?

everyone else plays auxillary lines on book

mark: that sounds GREAT. also, gender-blind okay with you?

alex: absolutely! that's what would make it fun!

mark: fantastic.

alex: also, what if we ask Chris Clark if we could have permission to use the Young Company cutting of hamlet?

mark: good call, that would save untold hours.

alex: so we can spend our time on cue scripts versus cutting

mark: yeah.

alex: I'll bet we can get all the c-web kids in on this

fading flower cast members too.

mark: Absolutely. Yes. Oh, this is going to be good.

alex: we should try to extend individual invitations too before we send out an e-blast

could help our attendance

mark: for sure.

alex: ring. "Hello?" "hi! we want you to play hamlet!"

who wouldn't bite on that?

mark: agreed. it's a great draw. i'll get that script from Chris and start the cue scripts cooking. tonight we could get cast members calling around, and then this weekend we could create that e-vite to get everyone else...

alex: SO

let's start calling/messaging peeps and see what kind of a response we get

then we'll distribute cue scripts on monday(?) to give everyone enough time to memorize a scene for thursday

mark: hopefully i can get them out before then, but yeah, monday is a good deadline.

alex: and on second thought, perhaps we should try to get entire scenes memorized--I mean all the parts--it would work so much better for a workshop format

that way we can actually block and tweak some scenes

AND get through the whole play

mark: it would definitely work better. are we supposed to cast it, then?

alex: let's see who we can drum up--and then draw names out of a hat

I don't know

mark: :) casting is always the best part.

alex: yeah--let's cast it

we know we want to.

mark: alright, and depending on interest, we have a different cast for each scene? or at least different principles?

alex: yes--I think that's a great idea

mark: alright. let's get our list of takers, divvy up the parts, and make it happen.

alex: done and done.

now to figure out how to sell it...
9:16 PM

And that was the beginnings of our workshop experiences. Hamlet turned out to be such a great success that we kept on doing workshops all year long, following with A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, and Julius Caesar.
Last week we opened enrollment for our eighth Play-in-a-Day production by revisiting A Midsummer Night's Dream in a new workshop cutting--which will rehearse and perform on Saturday July 31st.
Participation is, as always, open to all.
Come play with us!

Check out details for A Midsummer Night's Dream on Facebook, then sign-up here to participate as an actor!

Grassroots grows in England!

2010-07-10T05:53:00.000-06:00

This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle,

This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,

This other Eden, demi-paradise,

This fortress built by Nature for herself

Against infection and the hand of war,

This happy breed of men, this little world,

This precious stone set in the silver sea,

Which serves it in the office of a wall,

Or as a moat defensive to a house,

Against the envy of less happier lands,

This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England!

-William Shakespeare (Richard II; 2.1)

It's official. The Grassroots Shakespeare Company, Utah's only free outdoor Shakespeare troupe offering "original practices" theatre, has started a new troupe in Exeter, England. We couldn't be more thrilled!

See, I'm across the pond studying Shakespeare at the University of Exeter, and during my summer break I wanted to see if the Grassroots seeds we sewed last May in Orem would grow here on the Bard's home turf as well. So, on a bit of a whim, I contacted the Bike Shed Theatre and arranged to perform as part of the first-ever Exeter Fringe Festival. They were delighted.

As the festival grew near, we assembled a cast, picked a play, and began rehearsals. This was on a Wednesday - our first performance was to be that Saturday. You can see where this is going.

After four short rehearsals, Romeo & Juliet opened in Exeter. Of course, the Grassroots troupe in Utah had been performing the same play... but ours was a bit different. Juliet/Mercutio, for example, was played by Tom:

This, and other experiments with gender-blind casting, gave the show a very playful feel. And with only a few hours of rehearsal, our performances stayed nice and loose as well - just the way we like it.

We had a successful run, with highlights including the words "live long and prosper," and "Isengard" being seamlessly integrated into Friar Lawrence's torrents of bad advice.

We also had some pretty legit fight choreography, courtesy of a couple local professionals who generously donated their time and talent on our behalf.

And finally, we had an onstage Prompter, played by our lovely RADA grad Siobhan, who kept the audience apprised of scene changes, entrances, and in one particularly awkward moment - exits as well.

Happily, our audiences took the journey with us. The show was funny, unpredictable, and always fresh. As we vacated the stage after our first performance, someone in the audience offered the first review of Grassroots in the UK: "That was the weirdest Shakespeare show I've ever seen."

Much obliged. :)

As a result of our first show in the UK, we've been invited to perform an outdoor comedy in Kingsbridge later this month, and to produce a Grassroots version of King Lear for Exeter College in September! Look for it!

Can Grassroots grow in England?

Forsooth, we can!

An Actor's Dream: or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Bard

2010-06-22T01:23:00.004-06:00

It's the classic actor's nightmare--the performance is about to start, you've never been to a rehearsal, and you don't know your lines. Most actors I know have had it. I certainly have. Last night I lived it.

I showed up at the Castle to watch Romeo and Juliet, and, roughly thirty seconds after setting foot in the amphitheater, Alex asked me if I wanted to play Lord Montague. This is what I love about Grassroots. I said yes. Of course I did.

Ten minutes to the scheduled performance--Robbie, still dizzy from blacking out and vomiting during the last show (but still sticking it stalwartly through to curtain call), walks me through his blocking. My blocking. I write all my lines down on a little piece of paper, strategically folding it up into segments arranged by scene. And I laugh at how ridiculous this all is. And awesome.

Robbie gives me a hat, a belt, and a little strip of red cloth that acts as a tie for my costume--I put this on over my street clothes. A hammer is my weapon. A hammer. OK, I'm starting to get a feel for this Montague guy. "I play him kind of like a viking," says Robbie. OK. A viking. Great.

I'm still backstage--scribbling my lines as fast as I can while Robbie dictates--when the rest of the troupe starts playing music, doing dances, juggling, singing the alphabet, anything to give us the couple minutes more we need before the play starts. Prolonging the inevitable. Bless them.

And, before I know it, I'm onstage, in front of an audience, performing Shakespeare.

When you do a bit of performing, it's easy to lose that butterfly-in-the-stomach feeling--that sense of nervous, giddy anticipation, just before walking out on stage, like the moment when you reach the top of a roller coaster and realize just what it is you've gotten yourself into, and maybe wonder what you were thinking. But it's that excitement--that hope, that prayer that you're going to make someone smile or laugh or cry or simply feel something, that you're not going to make a complete imbecile out of yourself--for me, that's what performing is all about. The hope that tonight, somehow, is going to be magical.

Well, that feeling's here right now. In droves. I hope I don't look too ridiculous. But if I do--well, at least I won't go down without a fight.

Onstage, I try to be in the moment. I watch the other actors, I listen, I respond. They're the only clues I've got, and I'm desperate. Offstage, I read the lines on my paper, over and over again, trying to split my attention between not missing a cue and drilling these words into my head--there aren't too many of them, but the clock's ticking. Little snippets of dialogue drift through. "Palm to palm is holy palmer's kiss." "Wherefore art thou Romeo?" "Holy St. Francis!" It's a little surreal.

And I've never experienced anything like it. Memorizing all my lines, trying to create a character, and performing it for an audience, all within the space of an hour and a half, the time chopped up into entrances and exits--and, of course, the moments between. It was an entire rehearsal and run--a process that normally takes months--in less than two hours. To say it was exhilarating would be an understatement. To say it was daunting would be self-explanatory. To say it was one of the most thrilling experiences I've ever had as an actor would be pointless. Well duh it was.

It's hours later, and I still can't sleep from the adrenaline. I love all the members of this cast that I got to be a part of, even if it was only for a night. I was able to work with people I both respect adore, in a show I didn't think I'd be able to be a part of, reciting some of the most immortal words ever committed to paper, taking part in one of the craziest and most imediate performative processes imaginable.

Nightmare? It was a dream.

And I guarantee that it's the sort of dream that could only happen with Grassroots.

What You Won't get at a Grassroots Show

2010-06-18T02:46:00.000-06:00

Has the following ever happened to you?
You pay an exorbitant amount of money for a little slip of paper. On this little slip of paper is the written the location of a single seat in which you must sit for several hours. It's sort of like timeout, except you are expected to come dressed up. A man takes the little piece of paper you just paid a lot of money for, and he tears it in half. You go and sit in your timeout seat and they turn off the lights. You sit in the dark and think about what it is you've done to deserve this. Then, a group of people appear in some light at the distant end of the room. Sometimes it's hard to see them because they're so far away. They pretend to be somewhere else. They pretend like you don't exist and will ignore you if you try to speak up. They also expect you to be totally silent and not to cough or shift in your seat because it will distract their delicate pretending. They will also expect you to pretend like you're not there either. (At this point everyone is pretending they're not there. Or at least wishing they were somewhere else) Then, the lights will come up again for a bit, and you will be allowed to wait in line to use the restroom and spend four times the normal price for junk food. But you must be quick about it, or they might not let you back into the dark room. Also, if you lose your ripped up paper slip, you might not get back in. But if you do, you'll get to sit quietly in your special seat again, until the people up front are done pretending to be somewhere else and finally choose to acknowledge you. They'll bend at the waist and expect you to show your admiration and gratitude by slapping your palms together like a walrus. They may run on and off their platform several times, or hide behind some velvet fabric that comes up and down from the ceiling until all the people in the room are done acting like walruses. Then, if you're really lucky, as you're leaving you'll have the opportunity to pay fifty bucks for a t-shirt with the special people's faces on them. The pretenders will pretend the same thing in exactly the same way every night for years on end and will ignore the watchers in exactly the same way. If you pay money to come to timeout again, you will probably see nearly the same thing every time.
...
Yes. This is bad theatre. Theatre that is dead. That has lost any semblance of being responsive or sensitive to the audience. Is all modern theatre like this? Of course not! We love theatre of all kinds, shapes, and types! Sometimes we even like the above experience! But at the same time we realize that this sort of an experience is pretty weird when you think about it.
We promise that when you come see a Grassroots show, you'll probably be in for a pleasant surprise as to how something so crappy and low budget can be so entertaining at the same time.
Our idea of the word "Play" might be a little different:
We show up at the park. Or the festival. (where else but the park if you're going out to play?) We set up a makeshift stage. It looks a little funny, and people walk by and ask us what on earth we're doing. We invite them to stick around and find out. We come out wearing things we found in our closets or bought at DI. We've spent the absolute minimum time we possibly could in rehearsing the show. It appears to be a nightmare. But people like watching a train wreck. Or at least they're fascinated by the potential of one. So they stick around and watch for a minute. Dan is wearing a dress and a wig. He comes out plays the accordion. He teaches everyone a song. We talk to the audience and are sure to let them know that they can actually throw rotten fruit at us if they don't like the show. They laugh, but they're still afraid/intrigued by our yardsale appearance. Things progress from there and the rest is magic. Our shoddily clothed actors are beneath their makeshift trappings master showmen. They are equipped with a lightning fast one-hour cutting of one of Shakespeare's greatest works and they know how to use it. They speak directly to the audience members. They walk in and out of the crowd. The audience speaks back. They listen. They respond! We all laugh. We tell a story together and then we dance a jig. No one has paid a dime because we'd do it whether we had the money or not, but we ask the audience to contribute a dollar or two after the show because with a little padding in our pockets we're able to play a little more. And they do. Our audiences are incredibly generous in support both fiscal and non. We couldn't be happier.
So what are you waiting for!? Come on out and play with us!

Review from Utah Theatre Bloggers Association!

2010-06-15T00:49:00.000-06:00

Utah's premier online theatre review journal had this to say about our show on Saturday in Kaysville:

"Romeo and Juliet

by the Grassroots Shakespeare Company

isn’t just a play

or a show;

it’s an

experience."

Check out the full review on their website!

On the Road!

2010-06-14T03:47:00.000-06:00

The first four shows of our summer tour have been a blast and we're just getting started!
Here's a quick recap:

Opening Night: Eagle Mountain Summer Fest 6/4
We got lost on the way there. It was cloudy, then sunny and hot, then cloudy again.There was nowhere to park. The rides were noisy and the wind picked-up, blowing our traveling stage over before the show began! But after a little bit of good, old-fashioned, carnival barking, we drew a small but interested crowd of around 40 or so. After Act I, the wind really started blowing and it our actors backstage had to hold onto the ladders to keep them on the ground. Eventually, we decided to tear down our curtain, which was acting like a giant sail. Pause.
Here's where you ask--how is this in any way a success?
For many reasons.
First off--the show was still great! There was a gaggle of first graders in the front row who sat entranced the whole time. Things were crazy and we had more than a few curveballs to deal with, but that's half of what made things interesting and entertaining! Actors in Shakespeare's day had to deal with just as much, if not more, and there are countless stories of how this made their shows memorable. We left Eagle Mountain confident that we could draw a crowd even in the midst of a hundred competing attractions, and still show the audience a good time even in a wind storm. We're just as much about the adventure as anything else that comes along with it.

BYU Botany Pond 6/7

We invited a few local FHE groups and had about 120 people show up! The weather was perfect and after battling the elements at Eagle Mountain, we felt like we were sprinting after a long jog with weights. Benvolio climbed a lamp post while looking for Romeo, Nurse played the accordion, and several people in the audience shouted suggestions during the scenes--just how we like it! We're all about audience interaction! But aside from the show being an absolute blast to perform, there's not much else of a story to tell you. We're saving the good stuff for the recount of our next show...

Orem Summerfest 6/11

It rained on us for nearly every show last year during our tour for Much Ado. Some of that rain came back to haunt us at Orem Summerfest this year, but we came prepared with a gigantic over-sized tarpaulin to lay down to keep our groundlings dry! Our audience also came prepared with umbrellas and ponchos--which came quite in handy when the light sprinkle became somewhat of a pour during the 4th act.

Shakespeare's actors would have been a bit luckier, as the original Globe theatre had an awning which covered the stage--but his audience, as ours, would have to have been prepared to get a little wet if the weather kicked up during a show.
Romeo raised his deathly poison up against the winds, cursed the stars, and died soaking and miserable by Juliet's side. The Montagues and Capulets rushed in to find the ground soaked with blood and rain, and Prince, silhouetted against the darkening clouds, delivered a somber epilogue we'll never forget. Then we joined hands and danced a jig in the rain!
All in all, we had a great time, and our audience did too! (Or at least they led us to believe so with their applause)

Kaysville Tabernacle Park 6/12

Several of our cast members are from Kaysville, so when we were putting together our itinerary this year, we made sure to make Kaysville a prime stop--and what a great crowd they turned out to be!
Eariler in the day, the weather was still dour, and we kept up on the hourly forecast to see if an outdoor show would even be possible. We can handle a fair amount of rain, but we'd rather not deal with the wind again--and we've yet to figure out how to keep our set on the ground in a gale.
But everything worked out better than we could have hoped. The skies cleared and nearly 60 enthusiastic audience members turned up to see the show. They were our smartest and most responsive audience yet--picking up on a lot of the humor some others had missed. We can't wait to come back to Kaysville next year.

So our tour is off to a great start, and we've still got 9 shows to go!
Later today we'll perform at Canyon Glen Amphitheatre up Provo Canyon--7:15pm. If you haven't seen the show yet, bring a blanket and some friends! You won't regret it!

Photos courtesy Tim Sondrup, Kaysville Show--6/12

Open Rivals! (Secret Friends)

2010-06-10T18:33:00.004-06:00

Shakespeare's London was full of acting companies vying for an audience. The Southbank theatre scene was often the setting for many fierce rivalries between players, writers, and entire companies!
The Grassroots Shakespeare Company is proud to announce that we too have rivals! How exciting is that!?
(We may secretly be friends as well, BUT when the plagues forced theatres in London to close, actors and companies often banded together and did whatever was necessary to survive--so there is a precedent!)
If you're looking for some fun, free, open-air theatre this weekend, we'd like to suggest that you check out two of our favorite rival's productions--both performing this week!
Check out:

Clue!

June 10, 11 & 12

8:30pm

Canyon Glen Amphitheatre

Provo Canyon

Featuring:

Pierce Barney
Maggie Boughton
Jamie Denison
Donna Hatch
Brittany Hemsath
Brian Kingery
Eric J. Laflamme
Benjamin Lewis
Taylor Jack Nelson
Bryn Dalton Randall
Lisa Russo
Kacey K. Spadafora
Check Out: Clue! for more info!

And:

Much Ado About Nothing

Utah Shakespeare in the Park

June 11 & 12

Memorial Park

Provo

7:30pm
Featuring:
Emily Foster
Peter Layland
Christopher Davis
Bryan Bowerman
Sarah-lucy Hill
Jennifer Chandler
Jackie Johnson
Matt Christensen
Chad Whatcott and
Melanie Adams
Directed by Anne Shakespeare

Check out: Utah Shakespeare in the Park for more info!

And of course, you really can't miss our show either!

ROMEO and JULIET

The Grassroots Shakespeare Company

Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays

June 4th-July 5th

Featuring:

Daniel Joseph Anderson
Matthew R Carlin
Erin Crabtree
Becca Ingram
Greg Larsen
Amos Omer
Jack Kyle Oram
Eric Phillips
Robbie X Pierce
Trevor Robertson
Amy Smith
Jessamyn Svensson

Alex Ungerman

Check out the Grassroots Facebook Page for all the latest updates on our summer tour!

Come see us! Come see our rivals!

SUMMER TOUR 2010

2010-06-02T00:00:00.002-06:00

ROMEO & JULIET coming soon to a park or festival near you!

Fri June 4th
Eagle Mountain: Pony Express Days Summer Fest
Nolan Park--7780 Sparrow Hawk Way, Eagle Mountain
7:15pm

Mon June 7th
BYU Duck Pond
800 N 450 E Provo
7:15pm

Fri June 11th
Orem Summerfest
City Center Park 100 N 300 E Orem
7pm

Sat June 12th
Kaysville's Barnes Park
Barnes Park--Southeast Lawn
7:15pm

Mon June 14th
Canyon Glen Amphitheatre
Provo Canyon
7:15pm

Fri June 18th
Pleasant Grove Strawberry Days Festival
Downtown Park--200 S Main St. Pleasant Grove
7:15pm

Sat June 19th
Logan Summerfest
Tabernacle Square 100 N. Logan
7:15pm

Mon June 21st
Castle Amphitheatre--Double Header!
1300 E Center St. Provo
7pm + 9pm

Fri June 25th
SCERA Park
Southwest Lawn--699 S. State St. Orem
7:15pm

Sat June 26th
Cedar City
Main Street Park
7:15pm

Mon June 28th
Thanksgiving Point Gardens
3900 N. Garden Drive, Lehi
7:15pm

Sat July 3rd
Rock Canyon Park: Pre-Fireworks show
2620 N 1200 E Provo
8pm

Mon July 5th
Nielsen's Grove Park
1931 S Sandhill Rd. Orem
7:15pm

Bring a blanket and a friend to this fast-paced, funny, and touching one-hour abridged version of Shakespeare's beloved classic romance tragedy Romeo and Juliet.

The Grassroots Shakespeare Co. performs in open air with free admission and is made possible by the generous patronage of everyday people like yourself. Suggested Donation: $3

In fair Verona where we lay our scene

2010-05-30T08:56:00.014-06:00

Imagine it's 1591 or so, you are William Shakespeare, and you've decided it's time you wrote a decent love story - a tragedy. Your last tragedy, Titus Andronicus, was set in Rome. It was well received by the bloodsport enthusiasts
among the London theatergoers and your popularity as a playwright is growing with each new play. Giving thought to the best setting for a love story, you have an artistic epiphany and decide on Verona.

Now, about 420 years later, the Grassroots Shakespeare Company is bringing you his brilliant and lamentable tragedy: Romeo and Juliet. The images displayed on this page are from that "fair Verona". A popular spot known as Juliet's balcony, (above left) a distant view of a Roman amphitheater dating from 40 A.D., (above right) and a quaint chapel rooftop (left) give us a sense of the romantic scenery in which these "star crossed lovers take their life."

Over the past few weeks we've been having a royal time creating our own little Verona. Of course our tight budget compels us to build our Verona out of the characters, rather than elaborate set pieces or costumes, and we wouldn't have it any other way. Our Verona emerges out of the characters we've been exploring, and their relationships to one another.

For example, Verona became real to me during one particularly memorable rehearsal in which we enjoyed an hour of character interviews. One by one, the members of our cast took the stage and we proceeded to ask them questions. "Juliet, how old are you?", "Romeo, How do you feel about the Capulets?", "Lord Capulet, why do you hate the Montague's?", "Tybalt, have you ever been in love?" etc. To these questions each actor playfully and enthusiastically responded, and block by block our Verona began to take shape.

Our Verona is a world with a 45-year-old friar turning the cogs, mischievous teens, a sweet (albeit masculine) Nurse, and animosity between Capulets and Montagues. WE still have lot's to explore, but no matter what we do, Verona just won't be Verona without YOU. You, our audience, are the final piece to the puzzle.

So come play with us! Bring a date, bring your friends, and get into it. Pick your family, be it Capulet or Montague, and cheer them on in the infamous Veronan street brawls. If an actor asks you a question, go ahead and answer it. Remember the "fourth wall" wasn't invented until centuries after Shakespeare, so feel free to respond, react, cheer, boo, hiss if you must. We love it all.

It's a Shakespeare Miracle!

2010-05-23T10:46:00.004-06:00

It's been a great couple of weeks for the Grassroots Shakespeare Company. Our efforts to bring you an outstanding summer tour are yielding more and more fruit every day we rehearse. However, this year has also presented it's share of challenges. Shortly after our casting meeting we lost two of our most experienced performers, leaving our touring troupe with just two players from the original Grassroots cast...

Cue Shakespeare Miracle number one: In minutes we contact two talented players who are thrilled at the opportunity. They agree to do the show, we make an adjustment to our casting and by our 3rd meeting we have our full cast. Rehearsals begin, and we start exploring our characters and blocking as we try to wrap our minds around the unique rehearsal process of the GSC.

May I emphasize how unique that rehearsal process really is. Imagine, for example, that 14 artists from different stylistic periods come together to paint a popular mythical scene. Some of the artists are from the Renaissance, some from the Baroque period, a couple impressionists, a futurist, and a Dadaist for good measure. Now suppose, that there is no one in a position to oversee the whole project. Instead the artists are to collaborate together to make a unified and gripping final product. Things could get messy unless each artist learns to trust in the ability of the others involved as well as in his own. That trust can be hard to find. It was for us. Last year the cast was already well acquainted, having performed together before. This year many of us hardly knew each other, so trust had to be developed during the rehearsal process.

Shakespeare Miracle number two: "I don't know. It's a mystery." Somehow things begin to work out. As we get to know one another our trust grows and the resulting collaboration is ingenious and intuitive. The show begins to take shape and every rehearsal seems to add a new and exciting level. We have a good, albeit chilly, rehearsal the Friday before we open. When things seem to be rolling along we get hit with some bad news. Eric, the resident athlete among us, has gone off and twisted his knee all to pieces at an intramural game!

Shakespeare Miracle number three: Eric shows up the next morning in good health. His knee is only sprained, much to our relief. With his distinct squinty-eyed smile he said, "It's a Shakespeare Miracle!"

If you believe in Shakespeare Miracles, why not help support us this summer! Invite everyone you know to come to our shows, and consider making a contribution. No amount is too small, no amount is too great. Give us a couple bucks, or be our wealthy patron. We love what we do, and it's only possible thanks to you.

-Share the Grassroots, share the love!

New Website Up and Running!

2010-05-21T12:21:00.001-06:00

Check out our new website! Same Address:

GrassrootsShakespeare.com

New layout and information!
Take a look and send us some feedback.
What else would you like to see included on our Website?

Et tu Brutus?

2010-04-08T16:33:00.003-06:00

Our thanks go out to all of our brave actors and audience members who endured the chilly spring air to commemorate with us the Ides of March and Julius Caesar's tragic downfall.

The workshop was one of our best, and even featured renowned Shakespearean scholar and director Christopher Clark!

Professor Christopher Clark joined the action to share his insights on what acting was like in Shakespeare's England

Skies were clear for our open-air workshop and performance

Julius Caesar the seventh workshop of this type produced by The Grassroots Shakespeare Company, which was founded to promote the exploration of theatrical practices and techniques utilized by actors in Shakespeare's day. These workshops allow participants to try their hand at acting a variety of roles from some of the Bard's greatest masterpieces.

Participants received scripts on Tuesday evening, just four short days to memorize before meeting on Saturday for the performance.

Shakespeare's actors would have received a handwritten, incomplete copy of the script to memorize. Each actor received only the lines he spoke, and the end of the preceding line from the character who spoke before to cue him.

Actors gather in the park Saturday evening for a single rehearsal before performing. Just as in Shakespeare's day, there is no director. Actors work together to collaboratively stage and rehearse the material.

At the Globe, actors probably received line readings from a coach as they memorized, but typically only gathered for rehearsal on the day of the performance to practice any staged combat or dancing.

The workshops are open enrollment and are supported by donations and a small cover fee. Seasoned actors and first-timers alike are all welcome to join in the adventure and exploration of Shakespeare's brilliant works.

The Globe Theatre in London was closer to a small, open-air arena than to the indoor, climate controlled theatres of today. Our workshops are rehearsed and performed outdoors whenever possible--even when it is a bit chilly.

Costuming in Shakespeare's day was rarely accurate according to time and place, but often an amalgamation of contemporary garb layered with accents suggestive of character and setting.

Our actors are invited to bring any costume pieces that suit their roles, and in addition, we supply simple accents that denote character and provide some continuity for the audience.

Women were forbidden from the base and vulgar profession of acting in Elizabethan England, and as a result, all roles were played by men.

To experience what sort of interest, spectacle, and humor this situation can provide, our workshops are cast gender-blind.

If you are interested in participating in one of our upcoming workshops, send us an e-mail at:

Workshop@GrassrootsShakespeare.com

More pics here!

A Grassroots Actors' Workshop: JULIUS CAESAR!

2010-03-13T11:51:00.008-07:00

Have you always dreamed of performing in a toga? What about warning someone to "beware the Ides of March?" Or perhaps stabbing Julius Caesar in cold blood?

Well NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!

Sign up for the Grassroots Shakespeare Company's next workshop, JULIUS CAESAR, today. Just send an email to workshop@grassrootsshakespeare.com and we'll take care of the rest!

Whatever your experience level, you're invited to come and try your hand at one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies. Chris Clark, professor of theatre at UVU, will be there to give us the skinny on Elizabethan acting, and Matt Carlin, our resident fight choreographer, will be sharing his expertise as well. We're working hard to make sure this is our highest quality workshop to date, so make sure to come and invite your friends and family!

Now, if you're new to this whole "grassroots" thing, let me explain:

We're crazy. Once you know that, the rest of it makes a lot more sense. See, we're trying to produce Shakespeare plays in a process similar to that used by Shakespeare's original actors. They only had a couple weeks to memorize their lines, and a few hours of group rehearsal, before performing their furiously fast and witty plays. Our workshops approximate that process. You are given a few roles from different scenes, which you memorize on your own. Then, on the day of the workshop, you simply come play. It's fast, fun, improvisational, and unique. And it's totally safe. Go big, and the audience will love you for it. Fail big - they'll love you for that, too.

If you're interested in learning more about us, email me at Mark@GrassrootsShakespeare.com and I'd be happy to answer any of your questions.

Go Grassroots!

Twelfth Night: Success!

2010-01-18T01:13:00.002-07:00

Special thanks go out to:

Our Audience--for laughing with us and at us. We are nothing without your continued support!

Our Participants--for being ready to take a risk and step on stage. For memorizing, Our participants this time around were probably more memorized and prepared than they had ever been before! And for giving us such a great show!

Daniel Whiting--You never would have known it, but this was Daniel's first time running the workshop. And he did a marvelous job!

Julie Garbutt--for finding us a place to hold the workshop! We could not have done it without her!

Jyllian Petrie--for outstanding work on costuming and props! and much help in organizing!

Jordan Vance and Becca Ingram--For tackling the arduous task of casting 24 people in 60 roles! No easy job!

Kyle Oram--for help co-ordinating, advertising, organizing, and excessive awesomeness. Not to mention excellent work on the guitar.

Jason Sullivan--for handling our donations and finances, and for contributing in our preparations!

Matt Carlin--for superb work keeping us both safe and entertained during our stage fights!

Jordan Campbell--for taking our show to the next level with some great music!

Mark Oram and Alex Ungerman--for an excellent and timely cutting! And for writing lots of e-mails and fielding correspondence.

Bill Shakespeare--for writing some great plays.

Kate McPherson--for being our champion and Resident Scholar (and excellent solicitor of donations) We would not exist without her influence.

Trevor Robertson--for advertising and flyers and consistent reliability.

Adam Decker, Claudia and Emily Dorsey, Michael Nagro, Miranda McPherson--for consistently and continually signing-up and contributing great performances!

Mel Leilani Larson--for encouraging her students to come!

Again, Our Audience--for being wonderfully supportive, patient, understanding, and encouraging. We had 75 turn out to see the show! That's fantastic!

Our next workshop is already in the works--join us on our Facebook fanpage to receive updates on developments as they are hatched!

Workshop Enrollment Now Open!

2010-01-05T20:55:00.002-07:00

TWELFTH NIGHT--workshop January 16th

e-mail:
workshop@grassrootsshakespeare.com
to enroll.

This is how it works:
1-You sign-up via e-mail. Just send us a message and let us know you want a piece of the action.

2-We randomly assign parts. You recieve a few scenes from us about 4 or 5 days before the workshop. You memorize your lines.

3-You show up Saturday January 16th at 5pm ready to work hard and have a good time. You've read a synopsis of the play, you've done a bit of homework, and you've memorized your lines.
We rehearse for a few hours, then we play.

4-You perform a fast paced and furiously funny one-hour cutting of Twelfth Night. All your friends and family come to see you perform. Good times all around.

SIGN UP TODAY TO RESERVE YOUR SLOT!

questions? Send them on over to bard@grassrootsshakespeare.com

Meanwhile, in England...

2009-11-23T09:34:00.004-07:00

This weekend, while the Grassroots Shakespeare Company performed its EPIC original-practices treatment of Romeo & Juliet, I found myself experiencing a strangely similar theatrical adventure: a 24-hour Shakespearean marathon beginning with the random selection of a Shakespeare play, and culminating in a fully-staged, uncut, off-book performance of that play. This nod to original-practices at the University of Exeter is called "Shake-in-a-Day."

As fate would have it, the play that was randomly selected on Friday was Two Noble Kinsmen. The reason you've never heard of it: there's not a more obscure Shakespeare play that actually shows up in the Complete Works. Act 1 and Act 5 were written by the Bard, but the middle was actually penned by a guy named Fletcher. The story is based on Chaucer's Knight's Tale, and the play basically fits in the "Romances" category, with Pericles, The Winter's Tale, Cymbeline, and The Tempest. It's essentially a story of courtly love gone awry, when two noble kinsmen (the title is so apt) both fall in love with the same fair maiden, and end up being forced to duel to the death for her hand. There's also a crazy girl, a dancing troupe roaming the forest, and a baboon. It's a rare gem.

The play was cast, and parts were given out at 7pm on Friday night. Then, rehearsing scene by scene, the show was blocked over a roughly 18-hour process. When you weren't on stage, you were memorizing, and when you weren't memorizing, you were fading in and out of consciousness. Yes, it takes a special kind of insanity to enjoy this.

Unlike our Grassroots workshops, this play was cast in the typical fashion, with any given role being played by a single actor, and plenty of doubling. Also, the rehearsal process was overseen by the "Master of the Play," a term taken from Shakespeare's day to describe someone roughly responsible for stage management. On the Shakespearean stage, a different play taken from the company's repertoire was performed nightly, with a new play being introduced every couple of weeks, and there was very little company rehearsal - probably 9am to noon at best. Those rehearsals were less about simple staging, and more about fights, dances, and other group scenes. These rehearsals were overseen by different people, including a "prompter," who had a full copy of the script, and probably acted like Peter Quince in A Midsummer Night's Dream, who seems to manage the "mechanicals'" rehearsal. That was essentially the role of our "Master of the Play."

As night turned imperceptibly into a dreary, stormy day, rehearsal continued, until finally we reached the last scene. Then, after having run each scene a few times in rehearsal, it was time to put down the scripts and run the show. This is where, as you can imagine, things get interesting.

There is no way to memorize 15-25% of a Shakespeare play in 24-hours. Not word-for-word, anyway. So the run-through, and the performance at 7pm on Saturday, became a raucous, improvised, interactive experience much like a Grassroots workshop strung out on Thrillionaires. It was by turns a delightful, obscene, hysterical, and even touching evening of theatre, in much the same spirit as I believe Romeo & Juliet was played that same night.

This riff on original-practices further confirms my notions about its relevance in today's postmodern theatre landscape. It's not necessarily about a reconstructed Elizabethan space, authentic Early Modern clothing and instruments, or facsimiles of Folio texts. While those things are all really fascinating , I think original-practices is really about the spirit of play, of collaboration, of experimentation and improvisation in a safe, supportive setting, employing some of the foundational practices of English drama, not as a constraint, but as a context.

But what do you think? Do you feel like Grassroots is providing that kind of experience? What do you like about what we do, and what can we improve on?

ROMEO&JULIET

2009-11-19T22:48:00.002-07:00

Fast-paced, funny, thrilling, and touching!
Come see the one-time only performance of The Grassroots Shakespeare Company workshop production:

ROMEO&JULIET:remixed

It's the culmination of a manic
3 hour rehearsal process
involving 31 actors,
61 parts,
and a 1 hour cutting
of a 400 year old play.

You've never seen Shakespeare done quite like this before!

PERFORMANCE:
Nelke Theatre
Harris Fine Arts Center at BYU
9pm

ADMISSION: Free!
(Voluntary Donations will be collected after the show)

Co-founder gets hit by Emma Thompson!

2009-11-11T13:49:00.007-07:00

Emma Thompson, one of the great Shakespearean actors of our time, hit me in the gut last week. As part of a visit to the University of Exeter, Emma gave the MFA students in Staging Shakespeare a wonderful two-hour workshop, during which we explored a couple of key scenes from Romeo & Juliet. As part of an exercise designed to unleash the monsters within us, she walked around hitting each of us in various places, inviting us to let that "hurt" develop into a monstrous, deformed character. As you can imagine, it was a memorable day.

But there are only a few insights from the workshop that I think will be of interest to the Grassroots lot. The first of which is a little gem of wisdom, stated simply enough by Ms. Thompson, "whenever you can use modern intonation while speaking Shakespeare's lines, do it!" In other words, communicate.

I'm going to write, now, as if I know everything. Please, read this with a grain of salt, and understand that it's only out of pure excitement that I tell you these things. Take the good stuff and chuck the rest.

When actors received their cue scripts, they typically had a couple of weeks in which to memorize their part. From this script, they had everything they needed to inform character choices, including rank and status, emotional developments, and relationships. They didn't agonize over a character's background or subtext or motives, they simply let the text guide them. If the text was especially grand, staccato, or full of exclamations, they knew that the scene demanded heightened emotion. If it was low, or silly, or meandering, or menacing, it informed their performance directly. So, when they all got together to rehearse (for what few hours that rehearsal may have been) their characters were probably as fully developed as they would ever be.

What does this mean for us grassrooters? To me it means: trust the text. If you're getting a sense of panic, a sense of superiority, a sense of bawdiness, or a sense of cruelty from a particular line or thought, commit to it 100%. And when you do, you'll be reflecting the text in the same way that Shakespeare's players did, and you'll be amazing.

Now back to Emma's notion of speaking with "modern intonation." Of course this assumes the actor understands what he or she is saying. If you find yourself getting lost in a speech or scene, check out sparknotes. They're a great resource when you need a quick, literal translation into plain, present-day English. But the key - what I'm really trying to say - is that simply understanding what you're saying isn't always enough! You also need to say it in such a way that your meaning is easy to follow. Try not to speak as if you're speaking Shakespeare. Whenever you can, try to say things as you would in real life.

Simple, I know. But it's not as easy as it sounds. Nor is it a better or worse way of doing Shakespeare than any other way. But for grassroots, it seems appropriate, because we are indeed trying to "bring Shakespeare back to the common man" as Mel Sundquist observed. So try it. Follow Emma Thompson's advice, and "speak the speech" with the same fluency, meaning, and intonation with which you typically speak English. As you do this, you'll notice that the text will really start to inform your character, and your performance will rock.

Of course, to do this in the grassroots workshops, you'll need to be nearly off-book. So please take some time to memorize! Your experience at the workshop, I guarantee, will be vastly more rewarding if you do.

Now, on to the second observation from Emma Thompson. Go for the bawdy, the surprising, and the fun. Follow your instincts, banish your inhibitions, and just play.

If original practices has one truly rewarding aspect, it is the absence of a director. Rather than letting this scare you, let it free you! Indulge in the sudden ideas, the impulses, and the feelings that grow from the text. Latch on to meaningful words and see what they can do for your body, your blocking, and your voice. Don't be afraid to fail big. The most memorable moments from our past workshops have been the big, outrageous choices, rooted in the text, and totally committed to by the actors.

Alright, let's review:

Shakespeare should be understandable for everyone. Whenever you can use modern intonation, do it!
Shakespeare should be vibrant. Whenever you can make brave choices on stage, do it! Stay rooted in the text, of course, and present with your scene partner/audience. But go big or go home.

Those are the two main lessons I got from Emma, that I felt could benefit the Grassroots Shakespeare Company. Her workshop was great, and she was remarkably gracious and genuine. Truly a delight!

Spread the word.

Spread the love.

Spread the grassroots.

Enroll Today:

2009-11-06T16:11:00.001-07:00

ROMEO&JULIET: Remixed

2009-10-28T21:42:00.003-06:00

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
E-Mail: GrassrootsShakespeare@gmail.com to participate!

So....What is this?

-This is an open-enrollment workshop immersion in "original-practice" Shakespeare--That means no director, no designers, and minimal rehearsal!

-Actors will receive scripts and roles six days prior to rehearsal and performance.

-On the day of performance, actors will meet for an intensive three hour rehearsal which will culminate in the performance of an abridged, one-hour cutting of the play.

-The process is fast, demanding, and rewarding.

-Your job: Sign Up. Memorize. Show up.

You MUST email us at:
GrassrootsShakespeare@Gmail.com
if you want to participate as an actor.
Workshop cost is $5, payable on the day of performance.
An optional meal will be provided at an additional minimal cost.

TIMELINE:

Saturday November 14th:
Registration Deadline

Monday November 16th:
You will receive your casting assignment, and your very own cue script.

Saturday November 21st:
Rehearsal -- 5:00pm to 8:00pm.
Dinner -- 8:00pm to 9:00pm
Performance -- 9:00pm

Come join us for food, fun, and friendship -- a taste of fast-paced collaboration that the Bard would have loved!

BUT REMEMBER:
If you want to be involved, you MUST email GrassrootsShakespeare@gmail.com ASAP!

COME PLAY WITH US!

Enrollment for MACBETH opens today!

2009-09-08T11:57:00.005-06:00

The next Grassroots workshop, MACBETH, is going to be a bit special. First of all, it's my farewell to all you Grassrooters, as I'll be moving to England just a few days afterward to begin a two-year MFA in Staging Shakespeare. So, tender moment! But still, let's not make this a long, drawn-out affair, let's just remember what we had. And second, we're going to make this the biggest, craziest, and funnest original-practice Shakespeare workshop Utah County has EVER SEEN! Invite your friends, come to the 8pm Barbecue, wear crazy costumes, bring fake blood!! Whatever you can do to help make this the most engaging, creative, and surprising version of MACBETH we can possibly imagine, you do it!

Now, for those of you who are new at this, here's the skinny:

1) You sign up for the workshop by emailing grassrootsshakespeare@gmail.com on or before the 12th of September, whereupon you will receive part of a script, with lines which you will be required to memorize!

2) You arrive at SCERA Park in Orem, just off 600 N and State St., at or before 5:00PM on September 19th. There, we shall rehearse. We'll warm up, play with scene and character choices, and basically throw it together like a hot Elizabethan meat pie!

3) You eat at the delicious Barbecue, provided by the GSC for a mere $5, and talk with your comrades about how awesome you all are.

4) You perform your 1-hour cutting of MACBETH, start to finish, for a real live audience. You stun the world. You go on to greatness. Our lives are changed forever.

That's basically it. Sound crazy? It is. But hey, that's how they did it back in the day, and we think it makes for a supremely entertaining, educational, and enjoyable evening for everyone involved. So sign up, invite your friends, and let's go play in the park!

who are we now?

2009-08-27T11:32:00.006-06:00

This summer, theater students from UVU and BYU teamed up to create the Grassroots Shakespeare Company. Originally, their goal was to create an original-practice production of a Shakespeare play. After the unexpectedly brilliant success of that little venture, a few of the grassrooters wanted to share the original-practice experience with everyone! So, the GSC became an educational experiment as well. On a monthly basis, Grassroots now produces workshops in which literally anyone can explore what it was like for actors in Shakespeare's day to perform. They memorize cue scripts, rehearse for a few hours, and perform to outdoor audiences for free. It's lively, fast-paced, and a little motley, but most of all, it's fun.

As you can probably glean from the reviews, the news, and the photos, we're having a good time playing with Shakespeare's original performance methods. And we're all about inclusion, so if you have ever had a desire to step on stage and try your hand at acting, or even if you just want to watch some very entertaining theater, check us out! We send out regular updates to our fans on facebook, and special workshop invitations to our email list, so join both today!

So far, our workshops have included Hamlet, The Winter's Tale, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and we plan to produce a Macbeth workshop in September! So check out the photos, send us an email, and become a fan on facebook. And let's play!

A Midsummer Night's Dream - ONE NIGHT ONLY!

2009-08-07T17:27:00.005-06:00

Thaaaaat's right, ladies and gents, we're doing it again. On Saturday, August 29th, the Grassroots Shakespeare Company is performing a one-night-only showing of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and you're invited to participate!

Try your hand at original practices, and be a part of the fastestand funniest rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream since 1595!

HOW TO GET INVOLVED:

1) If you'd like to participate, email grassrootsshakespeare@gmail.com immediately. If the workshop fills before you sign up, you are invited to come observe the process, but you might not be on stage.

2) If you sign up and pledge a $5 dollar contribution before Saturday August 22nd, you'll receive your very own cue script, taken from a particular scene in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Memorize it. I can't stress this enough. In order for original practices to work, you've got to be memorized before our first and only rehearsal.

3) Arrive at Scera Park at 5:00pm SHARP on Saturday August 29th, memorized and wearing whatever costume you'd like. You'll then participate in the most invigorating and collaborative rehearsal ever. With the others in your scene, you'll figure out your relationships, your place in the play, your blocking, and everything else about your performance. It's fun, fast-paced, and so 400 years ago!

4) At 8:00pm, we're going to take a little break to enjoy a delicious barbecue! So bring your appetite!

5) At 9:00pm, we will run the entire 1-hour show, from beginning to end. Your scene will fall somewhere in there, so you'll need to be listening for your cue line!

6) Casting is gender-blind, just as it was in Shakespeare's day (because only men were allowed to perform), and you are encouraged to invite friends/family/lovers/bosses to come see your show!

SPREAD THE WORD.

SPREAD THE LOVE.

SPREAD THE GRASSROOTS.

The Winter's Tale - This Thursday Night ONLY!

2009-07-13T10:16:00.005-06:00

This Thursday's performance of The Winter's Tale will feature seasoned actors, English teachers, novice performers, and everything in between. In a mere 3 hours, this motley group will conduct its one and only rehearsal, and immediately following that frenzied process, the show will begin.

And, believe it or not, that's how Shakespeare's original performances happened, more or less. The actors would get together with their own lines and cues memorized, and have an incredibly brief rehearsal. Then, they'd perform the show. There was no director. There were no designers. There were only the actors, the space, and the audience. That's the way we like it!

Now, in case you didn't know, The Winter's Tale is one of Shakespeare's "Romances," which essentially means there's at least one shipwreck, a plot spanning decades, and a very "deus ex machina" ending. You may recognize those plot devices from The Tempest, another of Shakespeare's so-called Romances. These plays were particularly popular duing the Jacobean era, and are known for thier perplexing mixture of deep psychological drama and light slapstick comedy. They also reflect the burgeoning popularity of the masque, and often contain elements of magic and redemption. So, look for that stuff.

Also, you should know that the Grassroots Shakespeare Company began in May 2009, and is funded solely by donations. If you like what you see, please consider making a contribution.

We'll see you on Thursday, July 16th, 9pm at SCERA park in Orem, for our One-Night-Only performance of The Winter's Tale!

The Winter's Tale: A Midsummer Workshop!

2009-07-06T12:28:00.003-06:00

Thaaaaat's right, ladies and gents, we're doing it again. Next Thursday, July 16th, the Grassroots Shakespeare Company is performing a one-night-only showing of The Winter's Tale, and you're invited to participate!

Try your hand at original practices, and be a part of the fastest and funniest rendition of The Winter's Tale since 1611!

HOW TO GET INVOLVED:

1) If you'd like to participate, email grassrootsshakespeare@gmail.com immediately. If the workshop fills before you sign up, you are invited to come observe the process, but you might not be on stage.

2) If you sign up and pledge a $5 dollar contribution before Saturday July 11th, you'll receive your very own cue script, taken from a particular scene in The Winter's Tale. Memorize it. I can't stress this enough. In order for original practices to work, you've got to be memorized before our first and only rehearsal.

3) Arrive at Scera Park at 6:00pm SHARP on Thursday July 16th, memorized and wearing whatever costume you'd like. You'll then participate in the most invigorating and collaborative rehearsal ever. With the others in your scene, you'll figure out your relationships, your place in the play, your blocking, and everything else about your performance. It's fun, fast-paced, and so 400 years ago!

4) At 9:00pm, we will run the entire 1-hour show, from beginning to end. Your scene will fall somewhere in there, so you'll need to be listening for your cue line!

5) Casting is gender-blind, just as it was in Shakespeare's day (because only men were allowed to perform), and you are encouraged to invite friends/family/lovers/bosses to come see your show!

SPREAD THE WORD. SPREAD THE LOVE. SPREAD THE GRASSROOTS.

spread the grassroots, spread the love!

2009-06-23T14:59:00.004-06:00

The following article was printed in the UVU Review on Monday, June 22nd. It appears here without permission, so if it gets taken down, that's why. Enjoy!

The Bard is Back
New Shakespearean company
uses old techniques
to make the story new

MEL SUNDQUIST
Culture Writer

The newly-founded Grassroots Shakespeare Company is a rare treasure of Utah Valley theater. Created and peopled by local college students, Grassroots uses the techniques that acting companies used in Shakespeare's day to create plays that are "fast-paced, funny, intriguing, and simple," according to grassrootsshakespeare.blogspot.com.

Grassroots is currently performing Much Ado About Nothing, one of Shakespeare's most loved comedies. All performances are outdoors in natural light. Check the sidebar for dates and times.

Utah Shakespeare fans have seen the bard's plays at the Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City, and among several traditional theater venues in Utah Valley. However, the Grassroots' production of Much Ado About Nothing is the most enjoyable Shakespeare production Utah theatergoers have had the chance to see in at least the last five years.

The actors are unapologetic. Generally, performing without a stage, so close to the audience, and with makeshift costumes and sets is too embarrassing for actors to handle. This embarrassment often comes across as a continual, agonizing apology to the audience for subjecting them to the performance. However, this particular group of young actors have chosen to perform under these conditions, and the jury-rigged, ad hoc design features serve the story surprisingly well.

The play has been shortened to run at a little over an hour. Despite the amputated script, the plot comes across with startling clarity. This simple coherence is thanks to the actors' denial of several theatrical traditions, specifically their rejection of a "fourth wall" between the stage and the audience. Here, the story is told to audience members, rather than at them, as plays that take themselves more seriously are wont to do.

Shakespeare's plays have in general become over-intellectualized and haughty. However, they were originally written to be enjoyed by all classes of society - from the poor and uneducated to Queen Elizabeth. The Grassroots Shakespeare Company has brought Shakespeare back to the common man - you don't have to ge an English major or an intellectual prick to understand and enjoy this story.

To read more reviews, or to write your own, check out the "Reviews" tab on our Facebook fan page!

Cast Biographies!

2009-06-22T11:08:00.006-06:00

Check out the accomplishments and aspirations of the Grassroots Shakespeare Company! We may look motley, but it turns out that most of us actually know what we're doing...

Alex Ungerman - Benedick Alex most recently appeared as Jacques in the Hale Center Theater Orem's production of As You Like it, as Orsino in Twelfth Night at UVU, and as the title character in Pericles, Prince of Tyre with BYU Young Company Shakespeare. He is currently pursing a BA in Theater Arts at Utah Valley University where he has been a four time Irene Ryan Nominee.

Becca Ingram - Hero/Watchman Becca hails from the far away land of Connecticut and has now made her way to American Fork, Utah. She is so excited to be living the dream with Grassroots and has been seen most recently as Rosalind in As You Like It (HCTO), Chris in Dancing at Lughnasa (BYU), and Hilda Manney in Room Service (HCTO). She loves her family...a lot.

Cherish Caldwell - Margaret Cherish hails from Sandy Utah where she first began performing and directing. She teaches Middle school and High school Theater at Meridian School as well as Liahona Academy. She has won many awards for directing and choreography at the Utah Shakespearean Festival. She Assistant Directed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland last summer and was nominated this year as a director with Meridian School. She has been the recipient of acting scholarships and two Irene Ryan nominations this year at BYU where she is pursuing a BFA in Acting.

Davey Morrison - Dogberry/Verges Davey has loved Shakespeare for a long time, and is delighted to be working with the Grassroots Shakespeare Company! Davey's most recent credits include lead and supporting roles in As You Like It, Room Service, and Don't Drink the Water, all at the Hale Center Theater Orem. Other favorite roles have been Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, George Spelvin in The Actor's Nightmare, Mr. Martin in The Bald Soprano, Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Dromio of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors. Davey and his lovely fiancee Bianca run a weekly playwriting workshop together at New Play Project (Thursdays from 7-9pm at the Provo Theater Company); he has also had a number of plays he's written produced with NPP. In addition to his work in the theater, Davey is an award-winning filmmaker, poet, artist, and musician; you can see his work at www.daveymorrison.blogspot.com.

Jason Sullivan - Conrade/Friar Francis Jason, from Orem, is a student in the Theater program at Utah Valley University, and an Irene Ryan finalist. He recently performed as Orlando in As You Like It at the Hale, and as Hutter in UVU's Nosferatu. He and Mark Oram rode the same bus to school for a while, but they never spoke, because they didn't know each other. Also, he's a big 24 fan, and allegedly freaked out a lot during season 3.

Joel Petrie - Don John/Sexton From Canada, Joel is a connsumate director, actor, and cinematographer. He recently worked as the technical director of UVU's nationally-acclaimed Nosferatu, and is producing a film project during the run of Much Ado About Nothing. He has also directed a mixed-media version of Romeo & Juliet, and performed as Gonzalo in UVU's The Tempest. He was a semifinalist in the Irene Ryan scholarship competition in 2008, and is excited to be performing with Grassroots!

Jyllian Petrie - Beatrice/Watchman Jyllian didn't want anyone to write her bio for her. I can tell you, though, that she's a very beautiful and talented actress, costume designer, and also a fan of 24.

Kacey Spadafora - Don Pedro Kacey recently performed with BYU's Young Company Shakespeare Troupe in Pericles, Prince of Tyre, and sometimes misses the good old days. He enjoys writing, can quote funny lines from Up, and recently turned 21.

Mark Oram - Claudio From Kaysville, Mark has a BS in English from Utah Valley University, and is moving to England in September to pursue an MFA in Staging Shakespeare at the University of Exeter. His recent credits include Touchstone in As You Like It at the Hale, Knock in UVU's Nosferatu, and Helicanus in BYU's Pericles. He is excited for his return to Sundance Summer Theater as Mortimer in The Fantasticks this August. Mark is also a two-time Irene Ryan nominee, and co-founder of the Grassroots Shakespeare Company. He wishes to thank this astonishingly talented cast, our gracious audiences, and his lovely and talented wife Stephanie.

Tyler Harris - Leonato/Boy A realtively recent graduate of Orem High School, Tyler has been acting for many years. He was most recently seen at the Hale Center Theater Orem as Silvius in As You Like It, in which he also played a pig, a sheep, a goat, and a dead deer.

Wes Tolman - Borachio/Messenger Wes heralds from Grand Haven, MI, where his acting career bloomed into something he would want to do the rest of his life. Shakespeare has always been a favorite playwright of his ever since reading/seeing Hamlet and he is very excited to be a part of Grassroots! He has lived in the Utah Valley for a few years and attends UVU pursuing a Bachelors in Theatre Arts, which he plans to complete next year! He has been in various productions while here, most at UVU, one of the most memorable as playing Bottom in A Midsummer Nights Dream last summer. After he graduates, who knows! "Hollywood here I come!"

Special Thanks:

Christopher Clark - Chris is a mentor/inspiration to each of us. He teaches acting at UVU, choreographed our Elizabethan jigs, and let's face it, gives us all a reason to live.
Kate McPherson - Kate was the Grassroots Shakespeare Company's first donor. She teaches English at UVU, and has been greatly supportive throughout our entire process.
Daniel Whiting - Daniel is the stage manager of our production. His help has been invaluable at every step.

The Show Must Go On

2009-06-18T13:04:00.003-06:00

Last Saturday night we had the first (and, I hope--and fully expect--only) performance of our run canceled. Here's a brief timetable:

Late Friday Night: Wes sends out a message to everyone informing us that he was feeling ill, and Without Voice.

Saturday Morning: The clouds gather--both literally and figuratively. Several of us debate via Facebook the pros and cons of going on with the show, and feel like Wes should probably make the final decision whether or not he feels up to it.

4:00PM: After an afternoon of uncertainty, a verdict is reached--we'll do the show, with our stage manager, Daniel Whiting, on book as Wes' characters.

4:30PM: We congregate at Wes' place for our pre-show barbecue, as planned. Wes decides he'll play Borachio, while Daniel will read The Messenger. The skies clear figuratively, if not literally.

7:00PM: It's time to ship out, and, two-and-a-half hours later, we still haven't generated enough of a flame for any of the hamburgers to cook (except for one lone, medium-well-done burger right in the middle of the grill, which may or may not have actually ever been eaten by anyone). We load everything up (including the grill) in the back of the truck and head over to the park by Springville High School where the Art City Days events are going on, to appease the Muse with our theatrical passions and our unfilled bellies.

7:15PM: Joel and I arrive first. We head on in to the festivities, and, after scouring the premises for twenty minutes or so, conclude that this thing is contained within practically a square foot--there's absolutely no place to set up and do the show, except, perhaps, on the perimeter by some parents enjoying a peaceful chat on a bench by the playground as their wee ones frolicked. That, or on the edge of a parking lot, with our audience sitting in the street, a chain link fence between us, and competing with a classic rock cover band.

7:30PM: We return to the Springville High parking lot, and report the bleak news to our comrades-in-arms. The more enthusiastic rally us round and convince us that the show must indeed go on.

8:00PM: After lugging my 40 lb. accordion for what seems like (and could possibly have been) a half a mile, we set up in the field just outside the festival, where our stage may or may not be invaded by either, a) some kids playing soccer, or b) some kids in a Shetland pony-drawn carriage. We struggle to find a spot that isn't either overshadowed by the giant glowing rollercoastery circle-of-wonder, or made up entirely of mud (since we also have an audience to consider--we hope), all while trying to make as much use as possible of the limited foot traffic we have.

8:15PM: Against all odds, the show begins.

8:30PM: Cue torrential downpour.

8:45PM: Our audience of ten-or-so stalwart souls cowered under umbrellas, the guitar getting soaked, the accordion having fled into its plastic case, those of us wearing glasses now rendered blind either with or without them (covered in obscuring droplets of water as they are), all of us freezing and those in dresses ultra-freezing, the tambourine incapable of producing a decent jangle because the head is so saturated from the moisture, we have, after a hard day's night of fighting the good fight against the anti-Shakespearean gods, finally been defeated. We gather behind the scenes and discuss the best plan-of-attack, and, at the conclusion of Wes and Joel's evil conspiracy scene, step out and thank the audience for their gracious weather-enduring--as we struggle to laugh in spite of the buckets of water being poured down our lungs--then let them know about our next show and where they can find our schedule online (i.e., here).

9:00PM: We retire to the parking lot, bruised, battered, beaten--and, by golly, very beautifully bonded by the shared experience of doing our darndest, by gum. Never has the phrase, "The show must go on" meant so much; and, oddly enough, never have I felt closer to all those in our wonderful little cast.

9:02PM: I search my drenched pockets frantically for five minutes, thinking I've lost my keys.

9:07PM: Phew. I drive home.

Help us advertise for the BIG SHOW!

2009-06-14T22:45:00.002-06:00

Do you love the Grassroots Shakespeare Company? Well, we're flattered, and we love you too. If you would like to show your love, enlarge this image:and then print a million copies of it to distribute - anywhere and everywhere! Do it this week, and let's see how many people we can entertain on the 22nd!

Thanks, friends! And as always, check our fan page and facebook event for more info!

Hamlet: One Night Only!

2009-06-12T08:22:00.003-06:00

That's right, friends. We're tired of having all the fun. We want you to get up on stage with us and try this! The Grassroots Shakespeare Company invites you to try original practices by helping us stage a 1-hour production of Hamlet in ONE NIGHT!

Here's the skinny:

1) If you'd like to participate, email grassrootsshakespeare@gmail.com immediately. If the workshop fills before you sign up, you are invited to come observe the process, but you might not be on stage.

2) If you sign up before Sunday June 14th, you'll receive an email with your very own cue script, taken from a particular scene in Hamlet. Memorize it. I can't stress this enough. In order for original practices to work, you've got to be memorized before our first and only rehearsal.

3) Arrive at Scera Park at 6:00pm on Thursday, memorized and wearing whatever costume you'd like. You'll then participate in the most invigorating and collaborative rehearsal ever. With the others in your scene, you'll figure out your relationships, your place in the play, your blocking, and everything else about your performance. It's fun, fast-paced, and so 400 years ago!

4) At 9:00pm, we will run the entire 1-hour show, from beginning to end. Your scene will fall somewhere in there, so you'll need to be listening for your cue line!

5) Casting is gender-blind, just as it was in Shakespeare's day (because only men were allowed to perform), and you are encouraged to invite friends/family/lovers/bosses to come see your show!

We hope to see you there! Even if you don't want to perform, it's incredibly entertaining and enlightening to watch this process unfold. Theater without a director is quite a sight. And Shakespeare in the park is certainly worth the price of admission: Free.

As usual, we will be accepting donations, and encouraging you to invite, invite, invite!

See who else is going to be there on our facebook event.

Mr. Shakespeare, or how we learned to stop worrying and love the cue scripts.

2009-06-09T11:45:00.009-06:00

There were a couple things about this project that were a bit of a tough sell. I mean, granted, I was asking a bunch of actors to completely abandon just about every notion they had about theater. No director, no design team, no full copy of the script, and no money... That's a lot to swallow, I get it. But I was still pretty surprised when the "cue scripts," one of the most exciting parts of "original practice" in my mind, was met with more skepticism than anything else.

But, in fairness, cue scripts can be really confusing at first. See, a cue script is nothing more or less than a) an actor's cue lines, b) an actor's own lines, and c) an actor's exits and entrances.

Here's an example from my script:

...

DON PEDRO
Why, how now, count! wherefore are you sad?

CLAUDIO
Not sad, my lord.

DON PEDRO
How then? sick?

CLAUDIO
Neither, my lord.

...

BEATRICE
Speak, count, 'tis your cue.

CLAUDIO
Silence is the perfectest herald of joy: I were
but little happy, if I could say how much.

...

DON PEDRO
County Claudio, when mean you to go to church?

CLAUDIO
To-morrow, my lord: time goes on crutches till love
have all his rites.

...

LEONATO
My lord, I am for you,

CLAUDIO
And I, my lord.

Exeunt

So, as you noticed, there are portions of text missing, in which Claudio says nothing, and therefore has nothing written in his cue script. As a result, there's no Act/Scene breakdown, and no overall sense of when lines occur in the play. Everyone's script is only as long as their part, so Beatrice and Benedick have about 20 pages, while someone like Antonio or Margaret has closer to 5. So, when an actor first picks up a cue script, it can be kind of jarring. Like, we're doing a 20-minute play, and I have every other line!?

The other hurdle was the actual creation of these cue scripts. Imagine taking all 22 characters from the play, one by one, and combing through the script to find their cues, lines, entrances and exits, then compiling them into individual cue scripts. All while distilling these 22 characters into 12 roles, and making sure that nobody ends up talking to another version of themselves on stage. It took a long time to do this. Luckily, I have one of those absurdly laid back day jobs, so in one 9-hour day, the cue scripts went from start to finish.

By the time I handed these out to the group, I was pretty attached to them. So when confusion began to set in amongst the actors, I assured them that it would all make sense during our first read-through. Then I prayed that such would be the case. Turns out, they work.

In fact, they're every bit as awesome as I hoped they would be. See, the idea here is that these plays were actually written with the whole "cue script" thing in mind, making it possible for the actors to perform the play with next to no rehearsal! All the relationships, all the entrances and exits, all the action and setting and time of day, are embedded within the lines of the play. So, as long as the actors showed up with their cues and lines memorized, the play could be performed on the spot! It just required heinous memorization skills, and intense listening from everyone. The result, of course, is an immediacy and freshness that helps make original practice so refreshing and energetic.

Our production, because we're good but not that good, was put up in 8 rehearsals. But in spite of all that preparation, the fact that we used cue scripts is pretty evident, at least to us, because they've given us a unique sense of the play's construction. For example, almost all of my entrances are cued by a line similar to "here comes Claudio!" Also, notice the blatant obviousness of the cue lines in the section of script above: "speak count, 'tis your cue!"

As I've rehearsed and performed this way, I've come to really appreciate just how flooded with cue lines and stage direction Shakespeare's text really is. They're everywhere! And they had to be, because in the absence of a director, the actors relied implicitly on the text to tell them what to do.

So, if you're looking for a unique and challenging way to enliven a Shakespeare play, try cue scripts. They're time-intensive, and a bit scary, but in the end they serve to galvanize the actors and enrich the overall experience immensely.

Opening Night

2009-06-06T00:17:00.003-06:00

Tonight's performance at the Riverton Arts Festival marked the beginning of an exciting and unpredictable month for our troupe. In less than two weeks, we have gone from the first read-through of our cue scripts, to the first performance of our show. And what a performance it was...

The biggest foe we faced tonight was the weather. Luckily, we avoided rain, but the wind was strong, loud, and constant. Worried that our audience would be unable to hear us, we essentially had to yell through the entire performance. It was an hour and ten minute fight with the elements, but the crowd definitely came along for the ride.

In spite of the stiff breeze, the performance was energetic, quick, and accessible, and the feedback we received from audience members and from the Riverton Arts Festival staff was overwhelmingly positive. Kids and adults alike were enchanted and surprised by our little show, and we had an absolute blast performing it!

So, here's to a few more weeks of successful shows! If you'd like to schedule us for your event, email us at grassrootsshakespeare@gmail.com, or contact us via our facebook fan page. And if you have pictures or video of our performances, feel free to send them our way too!

Down to the Wire: A Sneak Peek into the Company's rehearsal process

2009-06-02T00:53:00.004-06:00

It is both thrilling and daunting to think that after just nine short rehearsals the Grassroots Shakespeare Company will be premiering our first production this Friday.
The past week has been one of the most enjoyable and demanding of my life, and I can't wait to see what new discoveries our last three rehearsals will bring--The process has been richly rewarding.
Here's a sneak peek, in a nutshell, of what we have attempted so far:

1-Last Monday, we assembled our cast for a read-through to determine our estimated runtime and check the continuity of the cue scripts. Mark did a beautiful job assembling them and they read with barely a hitch. Our time came in at about one hour twenty minutes. Perfect.

2-On Tuesday we blocked the first third of the play.

3-Wednesday produced the middle third.

4-On Thursday we built a few set pieces. We replaced a cast member. We also got nearly through to the end of the play.

5-On Friday we trained a replacement, filled Wes in on the things he had missed on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and finished blocking the play.

6-Saturday was a long haul. We papier mached each other's faces to make masks for the doubled roles, had our first full run, enjoyed a barbeque dinner, began exploring orchestration, and cleaned the first third of the show.

7-Monday we were rained out and had to move from the park to the gym at Meridian School (many thanks to Cherish for procuring the space) where we cleaned the rest of Wes's scenes--we will lose him again until Thursday.

We are hoping to be totally ready before Thursday night. We have invited Chris Clark, John Graham, Kate McPherson, and Rosanna Ungerman--all local Directors, Professors, and Shakepearean Scholars to give us some feedback before we open on Friday.

I am amazed at how well our troupe has bonded and also at the level of trust and co-ordination this has produced. I had serious concerns going into this experiment about what sort of hang-ups could result from having anywhere between zero and eleven directors at any given moment--but the results have been marvelous and I think you'll see that our work will speak for itself. Our process has been similar for both blocking and cleaning scenes and has played out as follows:
--We run the scene once for sense, to get an idea of what we're looking at and what needs to happen. The actors follow impulses, explore, feel it out.
--Those who are offstage give feedback on what they saw, what they liked, and what could be toyed with. The scene is then run again from moment to moment until all of the pieces come together and everyone is satisfied with the agreed upon directions.
--The scene is then run a final time to "lock it in" and help the actors remember what was agreed upon.
There is surprisingly little disagreement in all of this. Everyone is respectful and patient. Ideas are freely shared and explored. The actors are trusting and open to direction. It's nothing short of magical, and so much more than gratifying.
When it comes down to it, I may miss this cast and our rehearsal process more than anything else. Our performances will just be icing on the cake.

"the play's the thing"

2009-05-31T10:01:00.003-06:00

It's difficult to describe the unique spirit of camaraderie that has developed this week within our company. The rehearsal process has been more of an exploration than a recitation, and each night the spark of creative ingenuity becomes brighter and more energized. We have constructed set pieces, explored blocking choices, glued wet newspaper to each other's faces, and grilled quite enough burgers to go around.

With a cast of only eleven actors, and without the help of a director, design team, or stage crew, we have begun to discover some of the surprising realities behind original practices. Each scene and each character, every night, are being imbued with more life and creative energy, as our eleven cast members share insights and ideas to help make the show as engaging and lively as possible.

The result, so far, is a truly vibrant work of collaborative art - a moving collage of colors, shapes, characters and time periods that seems to grow organically from the grass on which we perform. The enthusiasm is becoming infectious, and our company is increasingly unified by it. It's joyous, effervescent, and genuinely playful.

It is, after all, a play. And how aptly named. In fact, that may be the best word to describe this process: play. It is deep, childlike, adventurous play.

And the process has been so affecting, so liberating and fun, that I think it would indeed be a shame for anyone to miss out. Please, come play with us! Our first show is Friday at the Riverton Arts Festival!

To receive up-to-the-minute reports on our performance venues and times, become a fan on facebook and sign up for free SMS alerts.

See you at the play!

"here is a marvelous convenient place for our rehearsal!"

2009-05-26T11:00:00.007-06:00

Last night, the Grassroots Shakespeare Company met for its first rehearsal, in a small corner of Canyon Glen Park, just a few miles up Provo Canyon. This is a photo of the stage, discretely sequestered from the rest of the park, and nestled against a wooded slope with a few rows of gnarled benches for an audience. It was here that we met to explore our cue scripts for the first time, and I'm happy to report that, excepting two minor errors, they work.

Relying on cue lines alone to signal entrances, exits, and our own dialogue, each of us stumbled giddily through the play, discovering relationships and plot developments as they happened. Of course, some believe that Shakespeare's players performed in much the same way - discovering events as they unfolded - but with no rehearsal at all! They would simply memorize their cue scripts, arrive the morning of the performance for a quick fight call or choreography session, and then perform the play for the first (and often ONLY) time, right then and there!

Using cue scripts, you get a sense of just how much embedded stage direction exists in Shakespeare's work. His text tells the actor EVERYTHING they need to know about the action, the plot, and the characters, because the text is all the actors had! It's already been a rewarding process, just to explore the way these cue scripts work, and I think it will translate into a very immediate and fresh portrayal of Much Ado About Nothing.

If you're excited to participate in our production as an audience member, please share your excitement with your friends and family by sending them a link to this post, or to our facebook fan page! We hope to see all of you soon!

Our performances will be every Monday, Friday, and Saturday night in June, with the exception of the 15th, 19th, and 20th. We'll begin performances around 7pm, in local parks and at arts festivals. To stay appraised of our schedule, become a fan on Facebook, or email us at GrassrootsShakespeare@gmail.com.

Casting

2009-05-12T01:33:00.002-06:00

So now this great experiment has officially begun.
That was by far the most outrageous and fast-paced audition I have ever been a part of. For those of you who weren't there, it went something like this:
Fourteen actors and one patient stage manager gathered together on the top floor of the library at Ten 'o Clock. Some had prepared sides, others had not. Some were familiar with the text, some were not. Everyone was given a chance to read and then we voted. And voted again.
When the dust settled, we had a cast.
The process was both democratic and anarchical. A strange blend of co-operation, competition, and concession.
And boy was it entertaining.

If we can be just half that interesting when we get on stage, we'll have a fantastic show on our hands.

Who are we?

2009-05-10T14:33:00.001-06:00

Hello, world.

Or, to be more accurate: hello, Utah.

We are the Grassroots Shakespeare Company.

We are here to bring Shakespeare's plays to Utah's masses in their most accessible, and most authentic form.

We perform outdoors, in natural light, with hardly any rehearsal beforehand. Our plays are fast-paced, funny, intriguing, and simple. Just as they were in Shakespeare's day, four-hundred years ago.

You see, Shakespeare's players were an interesting bunch. None of them had a whole copy of the script, for one thing. Instead, they had "cue scripts," consisting only of their cues and their lines. This meant they had to listen extremely carefully to each other in order to perform their parts. On top of that, their rehearsal process was unbelievably short - in fact, some people believe they didn't rehearse at all!

Also, they had no director, no designers, and no "concept." Instead, the actors directed themselves, brought their own costumes and props, and relied on the sun to light them. As a result, the plays they performed were probably nothing like what you'll see today at, say, the Utah Shakespearean Festival. At the Globe, Shakespeare's plays probably had anachronistic costumes, very high audience interaction, and a lot of improvisation.

In the spirit of these original practices, the Grassroots Shakespeare Company was born to explore the text of Shakespeare's plays by performing them under similar conditions. We use cue scripts, we use the sun, we improvise, and we bring our own costumes and props. What you'll see, if you come to one of our shows, is a vibrant, high-energy performance of some beautiful language and fun music, probably in a grassy, sunlit park.

All of our performances are "Pay-What-You-Will," meaning if you hate the show, it's free! Our inaugural performance, appearing at local arts festivals during the month of June, is Much Ado About Nothing - a charming comedy with something for everyone!

If you'd like more information, or would like the Grassroots Shakespeare Company to perform for any reason at all - festivals, fund-raisers, company parties, drama/english classes - send your inquiry to GrassrootsShakespeare@gmail.com today!

The Grassroots Shakespeare Company's Blog

OPEN AUDITIONS: MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR

OPEN AUDITIONS:THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR Monday, Dec 12thUVU campus rm. GT6274pm-7pm

Bring a one-minute classical monologueFast-paced rehearsal process: Only 8 rehearsals between Dec.17th and the 28th. (no rehearsals Sundays, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or the day after Christmas)Performance dates: Dec. 29th, 30th, 31st and Jan. 2nd at locations in Provo and Salt Lake City

For more info on our audition and casting process, check out:

The Skinny on Auditions

A Peek Inside the Grassroots Audition

Taking Risks: Open Auditions

MACBETH--Company Bios

Why Be a 'Groundling'

The Skinny on Auditions: MACBETH

The Grassroots ethos in action

A peek inside the Grassroots audition process!

The First Blog Post of the New Grassroots British Shakespeare Company

2011 London Company Announced!

American Shakespeare Center Intern

TRIPLE HEADER: Summer Tour 2011 Finale!

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

FULL TOURING SCHEDULE

Three Shows About to Hit the Road!

Good Times Great Shakes

Day 1: As You Like It

Happy Birthday Mr. Shakespeare!

2011 Summer Touring Shows

Taking Risks: Open Auditions and Trusting the Crowd

2011 Touring Company Announced!

Auditions for Summer Touring Co:

RICHARD III: Play-in-a-Day Success!

Grassroots: The UK experience!

Once More Unto the Breach, Dear Friends!

Once upon a time....

The Two Noble Comedies of Errors

How Grassroots Workshops Began: Throw a few cue scripts out and see what happens

Grassroots grows in England!

An Actor's Dream: or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Bard

What You Won't get at a Grassroots Show

Review from Utah Theatre Bloggers Association!

On the Road!

Open Rivals! (Secret Friends)

SUMMER TOUR 2010

In fair Verona where we lay our scene

It's a Shakespeare Miracle!

New Website Up and Running!

Et tu Brutus?

A Grassroots Actors' Workshop: JULIUS CAESAR!

Twelfth Night: Success!

Workshop Enrollment Now Open!

Meanwhile, in England...

ROMEO&JULIET

Co-founder gets hit by Emma Thompson!

Enroll Today:

ROMEO&JULIET: Remixed

Enrollment for MACBETH opens today!

who are we now?

A Midsummer Night's Dream - ONE NIGHT ONLY!

The Winter's Tale - This Thursday Night ONLY!

The Winter's Tale: A Midsummer Workshop!

spread the grassroots, spread the love!

Cast Biographies!

The Show Must Go On

Help us advertise for the BIG SHOW!

Hamlet: One Night Only!

Mr. Shakespeare, or how we learned to stop worrying and love the cue scripts.

Opening Night

Down to the Wire: A Sneak Peek into the Company's rehearsal process

"the play's the thing"

"here is a marvelous convenient place for our rehearsal!"

Casting

Who are we?

OPEN AUDITIONS:
THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR
Monday, Dec 12th
UVU campus rm. GT627
4pm-7pm

Bring a one-minute classical monologue

Fast-paced rehearsal process: Only 8 rehearsals between Dec.17th and the 28th. (no rehearsals Sundays, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or the day after Christmas)

Performance dates: Dec. 29th, 30th, 31st and Jan. 2nd at locations in Provo and Salt Lake City