Ophelia’s Jump Presents OTHELLO & A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

27 Jun 2016 1 Comment

by Shakespeare in LA in Inland Empire, Pomona Tags: , ,

Ophelia's Jump 2016

Ophelia’s Jump’s Annual Midsummer Shakespeare Festival presents two Shakespeare classics beginning July 14. Performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (opening 7/14) and Othello (opening 7/15) will alternate each night in Pomona College’s Sontag Greek Theatre, a beautiful outdoor amphitheater originally built in 1910 and renovated in 1997. Prior to the performance, a 30-minute Green Show acts as an entertaining prelude to the main performance. Bring a picnic and don’t forget a small blanket or cushion for added comfort.

The productions will run through July 24 at The Sontag Greek Theatre at Pomona College in Claremont. The festival, co-sponsored by Pomona College, includes exhibits, arts and crafts by community businesses and organizations. Tickets are available at www.opheliasjump.org, or by calling 909-541-5850.

SCSF Presents Re-imagined Version of Shakespeare’s As You Like It

03 May 2016 2 Comments

by Shakespeare in LA in Inland Empire Tags: ,

As You LIke It

Director Stephanie Courtney puts a fresh spin on Shakespeare’s As You Like It for the Southern California Shakespeare Festival beginning September 8. French Court now becomes a private estate and the Forest of Arden a desert that surrounds it, where sibling rivalry boils over into treachery. Those banished by jealous relatives to the treacherous wasteland must discover a new way of life, explore new identities, and find the freedom to pursue love and a utopian existence among the quirky and charming native inhabitants of a strange and wonderful landscape.

The cast includes Natalie Roy Wilson as Rosalind, Sam Robinson as Jacques, Marissa Pitts as Celia, Andrew Wilson as Touchstone, and Linda Bisesti as Adam, with students and alumni from the Department of Theatre and New Dance at Cal Poly Pomona completing the ensemble.

Festival personnel also includes: Linda Bisesti (festival artistic director), Gaby Robles (set design and costume design), Clayton Fournival (lighting design), Gerard Marquez (sound design), Jackie Gill (properties), Kristy Priest (stage manager), and Joanna Lopez & Bianca Leanos (assistant stage managers). Marie Maslowski is the festival production manager and box office coordinator along with Spencer Saccoman/assistant festival production manager for SCSF.

Stephanie Courtney is a graduate of the prestigious Trinity Rep program with an M.F.A in Directing, and a B.A. in Theatre from CSULB. She is currently Producer/Artistic Director at Fortune’s Fool Productions in Dublin, Ireland and teaches at PCPA.

AS YOU LIKE IT
September 8 – October 9, 2016
Cal Poly Pomona, Studio Theatre
3801 W. Temple Ave., Building 25, Pomona, CA 91768
A gala reception follows the Saturday, September 24th performance.
Tickets go on sale June 3: (909) 869-3987 or 909-869-3900, or online at http://classcsupomona.tix.com
For more information: www.cpp.edu/~scsf/

Special added performances will take place Saturday Sept. 10 at 7pm. and Sunday Sept. 11 at 2pm at The School of Arts and Enterprise, 295 N. Garey Ave., Pomona, CA 91767. Tickets are available at www.saetix.com, and Friday, Sept. 16 & 17 at 7pm at the Mayfield Senior School, 500 Bellefontaine Street, Pasadena, CA 91105.

Ophelia’s Jump Opens Midsummer Shakespeare Festival with Twelfth Night

11 Jun 2015 Leave a comment

by Shakespeare in LA in Inland Empire Tags: , ,

Ophelia's Jump 2015
Ophelia’s Jump Productions will open its annual Midsummer Shakespeare Festival on July 16 with Twelfth Night, followed by Titus Andronicus the following night. Performances of both shows will continue running in rep through July 26 at Pomona College’s Sontag Greek Theatre, an outdoor amphitheater originally built in 1910 and renovated in 1997. The productions are directed respectively by co-founder Caitlin Lopez with Jenny Powell and founding artistic director, Beatrice Casagran.

Twelfth Night begins with shipwrecked twins, Viola and Sebastian. Believing her brother drowned and determined to survive alone, Viola disguises herself as a boy, Cesario, and enters the service of Orsino. Orsino sends Cesario to woo Olivia on his behalf. But Olivia becomes more interested in Cesario than Orsino and the play becomes a a merry-go-round of mistaken identities, high comedy, low tricks and desperate passion.

In Titus Andronicus, a veteran general and war hero returns to the city after a period of bloody conflicts with the Goths. Titus plans to bury several of his sons who have been killed in the conflict and spend his retirement with his remaining family including his only daughter, Lavinia. However, his unwillingness to depart from the dictates of the law and show compassion for a vanquished enemy, incites the ire of the defeated Queen of the Goths and initiates a vortex of revenge that ultimately swallows them all.

On Saturdays and Sundays, arrive early and enjoy local musicians, artists, and crafts before the show beginning at 5:30 pm. Each performance opens with a 30-minute Green Show. Bring a picnic and blanket or cushion for added comfort. Tickets and more information: www.opheliasjump.org.

Mosaic Lizard Theater Presents Movement-Inspired THE TEMPEST

02 Jul 2014 1 Comment

by Shakespeare in LA in Inland Empire Tags: ,

Mosaic Lizard Theater - Tempest

Mosaic Lizard Theater will incorporate a variety of movement disciplines into its upcoming production of The Tempest, directed by MLT Associate Director, Greg Langner. The Tempest will run August 8 – 17, and features a cast that includes Zack Guzman as Prospero, Lauren Estrada as Miranda, Lisa Lozano as Ariel, Josh Puga as Caliban, and Dominic Durran as Ferdinand, with Jessica Bernal (Alsonso), Mignon DeLarre (Antonio), Rachellynn Walker (Stephano), Bianca Gregory (Trinculo), Toby Guebert (Gonzalo), Jonathan Hull (Sebastian), and Summer Stratton (Boatswain).

In discussing the concept Langner says, “As a director, part of my background is in Postmodern Dance, Japanese Butoh, and East Asian arts/methods so a big part of the aesthetic of this piece will be the integration of text and subtext with these kinds of choreographed expressions.  More

Ophelia’s Jump Presents The Merry Wives of Windsor and Macbeth at the Sontag Greek Theater

30 Jun 2014 1 Comment

by Shakespeare in LA in Inland Empire Tags: , ,

Ophelia's Jump - Wives and Macbeth posterShakespeare’s hilarious, tongue-in-cheek comedy, Merry Wives of Windsor, and his cutthroat tale of corruptive power, Macbeth, will be presented in repertory at Pomona College’s beautiful Sontag Greek Theater in Claremont. Produced in cooperation with The Pomona College Department of Theatre and Dance, performances begin July 17 and will run through the 27, with founding artistic director, Beatrice Casagran directing Merry Wives and associate artistic director Kevin Slay directing Macbeth.

Set in the late 1960s, Shakespeare’s works will be given a fresh, colorful perspective in the amphitheater which was originally built in 1910 and renovated in 1997.

In The Merry Wives of Windsor, two married women (and their money) are pursued by the rotund and rambunctious Falstaff. But the ladies see right through his plots, and form a few of their own. Mischief and hysteria follow, with lovers and lechers chasing after what they truly desire.  More

IVRT to Present A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2014

28 Jan 2014 Leave a comment

by Shakespeare in LA in Inland Empire Tags:

IVRT seasonInland Valley Repertory Theater Company (IVRT) has announced its 2014 season, which will include a special production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream*. The company performs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays on the stage of the Candlelight Pavilion in Claremont.

“Because we perform on their dark nights,” says Donna Marie Minano, co-founder and executive director, “we work on the set of the show they are currently doing, and modify it to make it work for our production. For example, we presented Romeo and Juliet to full houses last fall on the set of Sweeney Todd. This season we are presenting A Midsummer Night’s Dream on October 1, 7, 8, 14 &15.”

IVRT received a $17,000 grant from the Los Angeles County Arts Commission to continue its mission of presenting high quality local theatrical productions to promote the talents of aspiring actors of all ages. The grant is awarded based on an assessment of artistic achievement, administrative strength, and fiscal stability. “This grant presents an exciting opportunity for IVRT to continue to attract top talent and produce great theater,” adds Minano.

The 2014 season schedule also includes Arsenic and Old Lace (Feb/March), Gypsy (April) and Songs for a New World (August). “Talk Back Tuesdays” will feature discussions with the director and cast members prior to the Tuesday performances. For tickets, full schedule and more information, visit www.ivrt.org.

*Actors wishing to audition for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Terre Gunkel, will find audition information on IVRT’s website at www.ivrt.org/auditions.php.