Reclaiming the physical side of every story.
Fall 2014: "The Revenge of the Space Pandas" by David MametBack by Popular Demand!
It had been just long enough since the last one had been produced, so it was time to dust an old favorite off the shelf. As before, it was a smash hit! For this second run, more attention was given to the physicality of the production, and actors were reminded of the importance of physically staying in character at all times onstage, no matter how many lines they had! Notes A common question, particularly from the students themselves, is "Which one was better?" Anyone who has spent time in the theatre community can tell you that three different performances of the same show in one weekend can have drastically different results: someone nails a monologue here, but somebody else misses a cue in the next show, or the tech crew is just a little tighter during that production, etc. To compare two entirely different casts from years apart is even more complex. Suffice to say that every show, every cast, and every crew have their strengths and weaknesses, but ultimately it's the audience who decides whether they got their money's worth tonight..! |
Spring 2015: "A Midsummer Night's Dream, or, The Night They Missed the Forest for the Trees"Plot
We're in study hall where just about everyone is doing everything except studying for tomorrow's test on A Midsummer Night's Dream. That is, until Jessie gets an idea. In this rollicking adaptation of Shakespeare's play (wherein is examined the adolescent urges of just about everybody), teenagers, fairies, workers and royalty collide in a forest on a summer night and are bedazzled by a prankster. The fairy queen falls in love with an ass, the teens fall in and out (and in) love with each other, six well-meaning goofs stumble into their 15 minutes of fame, fairies weave magic to bring it all to a happy end as only Shakespeare can conjure the tapestry, and three streetwise storytellers pull the audience at breakneck speed toward the moon-drenched conclusion. Notes The physical challenge continued with this production, as students were tasked with playing two characters: their slumbering student selves at the opening of the show, and their Shakespearean counterparts within "A Midsummer Night's Dream!" Mark Johnson provided a beautiful set for us, and this is definitely one that will be played again sometime. |
Spring 2015 Collaboration with State Street Ballet's Library Dances: "A Midsummer Night's Dream"The Premise
Library Dances is an outreach of State Street Ballet here in Santa Barbara, where members of the company dance alongside students in local schools to bring a piece of literature to life. As it turned out, they had just completed AMND with another school, and an opening was still available in the schedule at SBJHS. A fantastic new relationship was born! Notes As with most other productions, the students had to study the material we were alternately performing and lampooning with our spring production. Weaving together their own roles alongside professional dancers into the classic ballet gave these students an extra lens to examine Shakespeare's beloved comedy through and revealed many insights they hadn't grasped the first time around. |