Summer Tour 2014 - Jessica Myer: "I’ve spent most of my life being apathetic about Shakespeare"

By Summer Tour cast member Jessica Myer:

I can’t write about Grassroots, I can’t fully express why I needed to be a part of this company without first confessing one of my deep, dark secrets:

I’ve spent most of my life being apathetic about Shakespeare. It wasn’t a question of being exposed to it. I read a children’s story version of The Tempest and A Winter’s Tale as a kid and enjoyed them. I mean, it wasn’t The Baby Sitter’s Club, but it was okay. I watched my high school’s production of Romeo and Juliet and couldn’t care less about the title characters. I acted out Caesar’s demise in my English class with a bunch of other students who didn’t understand 2 out of every 5 words they were reading and whose pubescent, ennui-laden readings were more than enough to earn them their participation grade. I landed the part of Viola in Twelfth Night at my Community College. There were like, three people in the cast who seemed comfortable with the material and I wasn’t one of them.

It’s a secret that’s admittedly more of a dramatic revelation among my theater friends than others. In my social circle, O Lord my Bard’s canon is to be respected, quoted, revered, and revisited in time of need. I knew my indifference made me  an oddity so I avoided the subject. I didn’t want to be the real-life troll playing devil’s advocate with the merit of something so universally loved. I didn’t want to seem like another proponent of anti-intellectualism.  However, I secretly figured that what most people meant when they said they loved Shakespeare was that they loved feeling superior to classless plebeians [like me] who didn’t. In my mind, if there was one author who didn't live up to his own hype, it was Shakespeare. Forgive me for applying an old cliche, but that version of me would have said that he's okay, but "He's not Shakespeare."

...Except that he is Shakespeare. THE Shakespeare. And, I could never shake the feeling that it didn't seem like a collective fluke that generations of people would re-read, re-mount, and re-imagine his stories, perpetually resurrecting his work with no end in site. Why has Shakespeare's presence in our cultural subconscious not gone the way of other Elizabethan practices like shaving your forehead into a five-head or eating roasted peacock? What makes Shakespeare’s works enduring aside from the fact that they’re royalty-free? I knew I that I must be missing something and I wanted to want to understand. You know, someday. I’m a busy girl.

Which brings me to how I stumbled on Grassroots. I can’t remember why my sister and I were at Nielsen’s Grove Park that Summer night in 2011. But as we walked by the players stomping around on a provisional wooden stage, the lure of a free play in the open air on a perfect evening was too tempting to pass up. There was nothing to do but cede to serendipity, sit, and watch. I didn’t have the benefit of hearing the play’s intro, so I didn’t know this was an original practice Shakespeare company. I didn’t know why the costumes looked all mish-mosh and anachronistic. I didn’t even notice that there wasn’t much of a set. But more importantly, I didn’t know ahead of time that when the actors rehearsed the show they had plebeians, like me,  in mind.

What I did notice was my own genuine belly laugh. I did notice that I effortlessly understood what the actors were saying without the benefit of reviewing the Sparknotes beforehand. I noticed children in the audience just as into it as I was. I was briefly scandalized by audience members booing and shouting answers at the actors onstage, but the performers appeared to relish these interactions, and the lines they recited in return seemed to anticipate the audience’s perceived harassment. I kept looking over at my delighted sister to make sure that she was seeing this brilliant thing happen the same way I was, that she understood it too. It wasn’t just me.

As the play unfolded so did a rush of memories from high school Shakespeare lessons detailing the messy rabble of unwashed groundlings, hecklers, the music, the poetic innuendo. The manic genius of everything washed over me. I had to see the magic to believe it, but at last, I was  in on it. The appeal of Shakespeare finally clicked for me and I knew that this was my ticket to understanding and appreciating the genius of these timeless works. I wanted to share this experience with my fellow man and give back what had been given to me. I wanted to be a part of it. I had to be a part of it.

...and now I am.

And it’s exhausting. We put two shows up in four weeks and I rarely feel sure of what I’m doing. And, for anyone who has spoken publicly in any capacity, the prospect of encouraging hecklers is terrifying. And, I can be kind of a princess in that I don’t  like being outside with the sun to burn me and the bugs to eat me. And I sweat a lot. I’m a sweaty, sweaty girl. And every time I get to As You Like It’s epilogue I’m completely out of breath from the break-neck, high-energy pace we maintain during our shows. But, I am having the time of my life. I have never met so many interesting, fun, talented, and creative people with such varied interests. I learned to crochet chainmail,  made a pipe-cleaner mustache, and saggy rice boobs. I’ve exhausted every creative reserve I have and still feel dwarfed by the skills of the people I’m on stage with. I’m so proud of these shows and so happy to be a part of this.

So, come and hear the words, for the first time or for the hundredth. My hope is that I can give to you what was given to me: A deeper understanding of humanity, a connection with great intellectuals who came before, and a damn good time.

And if you can, bring someone you think may not enjoy it. You never know….

About Jessica Myer:

This is Jessica’s first time appearing with Grassroots Shakespeare and she couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity. She’s been involved with community theater in Utah County for a few years now and has most recently appeared as Claire in Little Happy Secrets and Dolores in Blind Date. Her favorite Shakespeare plays are The Tempest, Winter’s Tale and As You Like It.

***Video featuring Jessica Myer coming soon. Check our facebook page later this week for the video, then come and see our shows! Details at www.grassrootsshakespeare.com and our Facebook Event. *** 

Summer Tour 2014 - Brooks Lindberg: "the only preparation you need to do before you see a Shakespeare show is have a heart."

By Summer Tour cast member Brooks Lindberg:

Anything needing to have been said of Shakespeare has been done already. You can follow all the letters of the world trying to understand him, disprove him, debate on the chronological order of his works... but that’s all noise and you can’t find or say anything that hasn’t been put forth already.

The rest of this reading then is selfish in that it deals primarily with me. Memories, like art, are meant most for those who create them. What I offer in the following is what Shakespeare means to me and a little rant at the end.

Twelve years old. My back is stained in purples and reds. I’m half way up a slot canyon being drained by the sun of my color about two miles outside of town all because my Grandma told me: “I think you could play a better Hamlet than James Dean.” I think she’s full of it, because Dean is near perfect but I don’t know who Hamlet is so I burn on and on, reading Caesar then MacBeth and then as shade forms in the crag I finish Hamlet.

Thirteen. My father’s sent me a letter full of lines and quotes from thinkers and writers that he won’t give parentheses to, because he wants to be them. He says, “to thine own self be true.” I know the line and the rest of the speech. I’ve been Polonius for my brother many times. I’ve bled with Laerates and I weep with Horatio for Hamlet in that silence after midnights.

Fourteen... eighteen and every year between... then on nights where I come home from college... my youngest sister half dreaming asks me while I am on her floor, “say that... ah?.. ‘honor’ speech?” and I’ll start with “my gentle Romans” and finish on “...this was a man.” She’s sleeping and I close her bedroom door and say “I love you.” And sometimes King Lear walks to his bedroom.

A young boy told me once that he had seen Hamlet. I figured there’s no way he got any of it. So I asked him what Hamlet is about. He said, “It’s about family.”

Another time I saw a gentleman get up just before the assassination in a production of Julius Caesar and say: “...ah ta hell with it.”

As a rule, I generally don’t know a lot... but when I think Shakespeare and I get away from my memories two things come to mind. One: the only preparation you need to do before you see a Shakespeare show is have a heart. The rest is taken care of because Shakespeare invented that part of it that causes it to pulse. Two: we’re nothing more than a collection of words, but we only have words after something has happened. We stub our toe and then curse. We bight down on the apple and then think “sweet.” We feel the burning sand in our eyes and then yawn “I’m tired.” If we are going to be filled up and be riddled by words, like characters in a text, then we best choose wisely. Our life is ink and we are given a page. Fill it up “too well.”

About Brooks Lindberg

This is Brooks’ first show with Grassroots Shakespeare. Brooks has been acting and directing for several years in places such as Snow College, various theatres in Salt Lake and everything else between Cache and Sevier County. He is a rebel and is pleased to be performing! He thanks his family, teachers und sein Lieblings.

***Video featuring Brooks Lindberg coming soon. Check our facebook page later this week for the video, then come and see our shows! Details at www.grassrootsshakespeare.com and our Facebook Event. *** 

Summer Tour 2014 - Daniel Fenton Anderson: "Why I Love Shakespeare: a Love Letter to the Bard"

Written by Summer Tour cast member Daniel Fenton Anderson:

Why I Love Shakespeare: a Love Letter to the Bard

William Shakespeare, AKA

Willm Shakp,

William Shaksper,

Wm Shakspe,

William Shakspere,

Willm Shakspere,

William Shakspeare, or however you choose to spell your name, or if you even exist (another post for another day),

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways... 

Don't worry, I won't wax poetic on you, as much as I love speaking your poetry, I'm not one for writing it. I'll leave that to you, which actually is one of the reasons I've fallen for your words. 

Despite having created these plays ages ago, for another world that went about their day to day in a completely different frame of mind than we do today, you've managed to create lives I completely understand and see around me. It's not just kings and politics, but the common man, the jealous spouse, the peacekeeper, the young romantic. And you infuse them all with so much humanity that all an actor needs to do is speak these words the stage is alive with ships, dungeons, forests, and mountains. 

I also love you for you comedy. Thank you for making me laugh in every play you write. I've seen productions of your shows where everyone is in gray, and speaks so "importantly" to capture your "pathos", and it makes me want to go insane. Your shows are saturated with passion and energy. With comedy and rage. Thank you for giving us all of those emotions in spades!

Thank you for playing such a huge hand in the addition of the English language. An example: I learned once that you are the one responsible for the word eyeball. Eyeball? I have used that word countless times, as have countless others. Faulkner and E. E. Cummings were wonderful, but they don't hold a candle to your perfection of the fluid use of English to convey understanding to the listener. 

I wish I could better express how I feel about you and the love that I have fostered for you since I first saw that 'Wishbone' episode of Romeo and Juliet, but I find that words simply don't do justice, which I guess is what this rambling letter is all about. You give me words. All the chaotic thoughts that crash and bang around in my mind are perfectly brought into order when I get to use your poetry. As the theatre world goes through it's trends of what's important and what's relevant, I will always know that my love for you is unchanging. And that this love is in others as well, I can see it in the eyes of audiences when I speak your words. I see it in the fact that I can be performing at a crowded park filled with helicopter rides, treats, games, and sudden windstorms, and we still have strangers staying to watch our show even though all the actors are literally holding up the stage so it doesn't blow away. Your words are ageless, your words are more powerful than the elements, and your words are a daily part of my life, a fact I will forever wear proudly for all to see.

Your humble servant

Daniel Fenton Anderson,

Baptista,

Richard III,

Nurse,

Don Pedro, 

Jaques, 

Demetrius,

Prospero,

Catesby,

Clarence,

Montano,

Falstaff,

Sylvius, 

Clown

And Snug the Joiner.

About Daniel Fenton Anderson:

Daniel is thrilled to return to the GSC Summer Tour and is exited to be in his third production of As You Like It! This Lindon resident is currently a student at UVU and is a founding member of The Grasroots Shakespeare Company. Some of his favorite roles include: 'Prospero' in The Tempest, 'Falstaff' in both The Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV part 2 , 'Giles Corey' in The Crucible, 'Senator Fipp' in Urinetown and 'Pap' in Big River. When not in school or on stage, Daniel loves composing (KCACTF National Finalist for Sound Design), cooking, accordion and violin. 
Find Daniel online at www.danielfentonanderson.com.

***Video featuring Daniel Anderson coming soon. Check our facebook page later this week for the video, then come and see our shows! Details at www.grassrootsshakespeare.com and our Facebook Event. *** 

Summer Tour 2014 - Dominic Zappala: "give theatre back to the people."

Written by Summer Tour cast member Dominic Zappala:

William Shakespeare is one of the most influential writers of the modern age of english. Having created many complex characters, infamous plots, and twisted hamartia, Shakespeare revolutionized storytelling in a way that has captivated audiences for centuries.

A well run urban myth goes that since the original opening of Hamlet, not a s single day has gone by where it has not played somewhere in the world. The legacy and universality of ‘The Bard’s’ work is forever ingrained and quite literally indoctrinated into each and every culture. And it is well said that the key to Shakespeare's long-living work lies within the language itself. Each page of text presents new metaphor, and each line of verse breaths a living humanity into the souls of those who listen.

The goal of the Grassroots Shakespeare Company is not only to live up to the glorious text itself, but to make the lyrical language of Shakespeare accessible to all. No longer being the language of the elite, but the tongue of the people, as it was meant to be. The Grassroots Shakespeare Company shifts from the high-brow aspect of Shakespearean theatre and brings new light to the subject bringing back the root of the story and the foundation in every word. Long gone is the ruse of bright lights and microphones and here to stay is truthfulness and honesty in acting and word.

While some may see the Grassroots Shakespeare Company as a childish game or a cheap show. I view Grassroots as an honor to the name of the Founder himself. By bringing back the lost arts of theatre we reinvent what it means to portray the characters so long loved over the past centuries. And therein, give the theatre back to the people.

About Dominic Zappala:

It’s been a full year since Zappala’s last Grassroots show, having premiered the grassroots stage on the previous Summer Tour, and now he is more than ready to perform as Oliver, Amiens & William in As You Like It and Duke of Orleans, Burgundy & Archbishop of Ely in Henry V. It’s a great relief for him to be exiting the high school drama scene -- his most prominent role being Lt. Cable in South Pacific -- and entering the professional arena. Previous Grassroots roles include Poins in Henry IV and Antonio in Much Ado About Nothing.

***Check out this video featuring Dominic Zappala then come and see our shows! Details at www.grassrootsshakespeare.com and our Facebook Event. *** 

GSC News: UVU's Summer University Performance

Photo Credit: Phil Varney

By McKelle George

Orem, UT May 20, 2014:

UVU’s Summer University, a three day event, is a chance for faculty and staff to bring their families to explore campus, have fun, and enjoy Utah Valley’s diverse facilities. A lot of Grassroots Shakespeare Company members are UVU graduates or students and Grassroots has formed some great relationships with the theater department there. Christopher Clark, the keynote speaker and professor of drama, has been a great mentor and teacher to many of us. His direction of Hale Center Theatre-Orem's production of As You Like It was a big inspiration to Grassroots founders Mark Oram and Alex Ungerman. Clark’s interactive address highlighted his passion and ours: Shakespeare.

Photo Credit: Phil Varney

Photo Credit: Phil Varney

The night before, families were given the option to watch Ender’s Game or Frozen on a big screen. That, in today’s world, equals entertainment. Tough competition for some dead playwright in the 17^th century, right? Clark asked members of Grassroots to perform scenes and monologues from a few of Shakespeare’s plays to demonstrate how Shakespeare can still be relevant and engaging—even to a young and modern audience. Grassroots Shakespeare Company specializes in performing via “original practice,” which means the play is experienced in a manner consistent with its creator's original intent. When all a young troupe can afford is Shakespeare’s original text, sometimes that’s when the most riveting performances emerge. In an original practice performance, live sound effects are created by the acting company, and the accompanying music is performed live. The actors talk directly to you, the audience, in much the same way Shakespeare and his acting company would have directly addressed Elizabethan audience members.

Photo Credit: Phil Varney

Whatever else Shakespeare did or did not do, he was—and is—the people’s playwright. He wrote the whole of the human experience for all humanity. And that means an audience of a few hundred in 2014—comprised of all ages—can connect with his words even without all the bells and whistles of an elaborate stage production. Amber Dodge performed a Paulina monologue from The Winter's Tale, the queen’s greatest defender and agent in a fairy tale about virtue and forgiveness.  Jason Sullivan and Davey Dillard performed Kate and Petruchio's first scene together from The Taming of the Shrew –an oft considered misogynist comedy that was hilariously offset and performed by two men, crossdressing just as Shakespeare’s original company would have, except to more comedic effect in our day. Dan Anderson performed a Prospero monologue from The Tempest, Shakespeare’s final play and his greatest argument that the arts are the world’s greatest magic.

Photo Credit: Phil Varney

Overall, the evening was a success. The audience enjoyed the small performances and got a taste for how engaging and fun Shakepseare can be, even (or perhaps especially) in a loose and informal way. To experience Shakespeare in “original practice” in its full glory, check out our current Summer Tour featuring 'As You Like It' and 'Henry V', touring around the state of Utah. Details at www.grassrootsshakespeare.com

Photo Credit: Phil Varney

Summer Tour 2014 - Kailey Green: "As we love our stories and our characters, our audience would love them too."

By Summer Tour cast member Kailey Green:

 

The Grassroots Shakespeare Company is an incredible and unique company and I loved working with them. As You Like It and Henry V are my second and third productions with the company and I hope to return for many more. For my blog post I want to share one thing I have learned from all three of my Grassroots Productions.

From The Winter’s Tale I learned there is no such thing as a stupid choice. Acting is a lot about following impulses and making choices for your character and I was extremely hesitant to make any choices because I felt inexperienced and inferior. But as I watched the rest of the much more experienced cast work together I realized that choices aren’t permanent. If something doesn’t work, try something else! The entire cast was incredibly encouraging, supportive, patient, and kind and I grew ten fold from that production because of them.

From Henry V I learned that love is contagious. Henry V is my number one favorite Shakespeare play, hands down. I was thrilled to be apart of the production. Okay, I was full on fan girling. But I knew other members of the cast were less excited. Through out rehearsals I spoke up for specific moments, scenes, and characters and I was thrilled to see other members of the cast become excited about, not only Henry’s journey, but their own character’s as well. I realized as we love our stories and our characters, our audience would love them too.

From As You Like It I learned… actually, I was reminded that ACTING IS HARD. Seriously, I applaud my entire cast for their incredible work because it’s hard! Especially with Shakespeare. My two characters in As You Like It are characters I had never come across before. One came easily, and the other was rough going. It took me a while to figure out who Audrey was within the Grassroots production, but when I finally found her Valley Girl voice she suddenly fit. And I love her in all her annoying silliness.

Adam... oh Adam. I adore him, but he is extremely difficult for me. Maintaining the physicality of an old man, along with an older sounding voice seems next to impossible some days. But, it’s a fun challenge and with the encouragement I received from the cast I always enjoy my time on stage as Adam.

To conclude (if you’re still with me), I want to just list five other qualities that I love about The Grassroots Shakespeare Company.

1. Grassroots makes Shakspeare fun and accessible for all ages.

2. I have made incredible friendships because of Grassroots.

3. The Board of Directors are extremely involved with the productions.

4. The Company is growing rapidly, not only in Utah but in Alabama and London as well.

5. I have somewhere I can go to be apart of a Shakespeare production, because I love Shakespeare.

Thanks for existing, Will, you’re the best.

About Kailey Azure Green:

Kailey Azure Green is most excited to be returning to the Grassroots Shakespeare Company Stage as Audrey and Adam in As You Like It and Chorus in Henry V, her favorite Shakespeare play. She was most recently seen in UVU's production of Lily's Purple Plastic Purse as Julius and Penny, and Grassroots' The Winter's Tale as Perdita and Mamillius.  Kailey totally rocked at those parts, and plans to knock your socks off again this summer. She is an avid reader, hairbrush singer, and a dashboard drummer. She would like to thank her roommate and best friend, Toria for writing this bio for her. Thanks Toria!

***Vido featuring Kailey Green coming soon. Check our facebook page later this week for the video, then come and see our shows! Details at www.grassrootsshakespeare.com and our Facebook Event. ***