In fair Verona where we lay our scene

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!

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!

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?

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!

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!

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!

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