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.

Southern California Shakespeare Festival Presents MACBETH

03 Aug 2015 1 Comment

by Shakespeare in LA in Pomona Tags: ,

macbethSouthern California Shakespeare Festival will present Macbeth September 5 – October 4 in Cal Poly Pomona’s Studio Theatre. Shakespeare’s classic drama depicts a tale of better ideals overwhelmed by misguided ambition, and the runaway exercise of unchecked imperial power leading to extravagant bloodshed and then, revolution. The play remains popular because it resonates with 21st Century audiences. It will be costumed in modern dress, not tying it to any specific time period in a bid to universalize the action.

The production is directed by guest director David Fox who offers his thoughts about the play. “This is a war-weary society. The trauma of constant battle and death has taken an emotional toll on men, women, and children. The moral compass is broken. People are not thinking clearly. Suspicion and desperation permeate the air. Everyone is vulnerable to temptation, the solicitations of the subconscious and/or supernatural.”  More

Cast Announced for Cal Poly Pomona’s JULIUS CAESAR Starring Linda Bisesti

12 May 2014 Leave a comment

by Shakespeare in LA in Pomona Tags: ,

Julius Caesar Cal Poly Pomona
Southern California Shakespeare Festival has announced that it will present Julius Caesar Sept.13 – Oct. 5 at Cal Poly Pomona, directed by Josh Machamer. In this tenth anniversary production, the eponymous character will be played by the Festival’s artistic director, Linda Bisesti. Gender-bending in the casting is not new for the Festival; Lisa Wolpe portrayed Richard III in 2011. The Festival has consistently practiced non-traditional casting, and a number of the roles in the 2014 production have been cast without limitation by race nor gender.

Julius Caesar relates the fall of the Roman dictator of the title, murdered by conspirators before he can become absolute monarch of the Roman Empire by public acclamation. Only one of the assassins, Caesar’s beloved friend Brutus, acts in what he truly believes are the best interests of the Roman Republic.  More

Shakespeare Spotlight: What to See in 2014

05 Jan 2014 2 Comments

by Shakespeare in LA in Los Angeles, Pomona, San Diego, Thousand Oaks Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

SIt’s Shakespeare for the masses in 2014 as we celebrate the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth! In Southern California you’ll find more productions and events than ever so mark your calendar now for a big year ahead.

L.A. Theatre Works kicks off its 2014 radio theatre series with The Comedy of Errors starring Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Hamish Linklater, and Emily Bergl. Ferguson and Linklater delighted audiences last summer as Shakespeare’s Antipholus and Dromio twins in The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park production in New York. See the hilarity in person January 30 – February 2 when The Comedy of Errors is performed and recorded at UCLA’s James Bridges Theater for broadcast on public radio nationwide. http://latw.org

The Porters of Hellsgate begin their eighth season with Henry V, previewing on Valentine’s Day at The Whitmore in North Hollywood. Artistic director, Charles Pasternak, will direct and play the title role, one he received rave reviews for last summer at Shakespeare Santa Cruz. Leon Russom also returns to The Porters following up his role as Gloucester in King Lear with one of Shakespeare’s most famous narrators of all. I can hear “O for a Muse of fire…” now. www.portersofhellsgate.com  More

Ophelia’s Jump Announces Midsummer Elizabethan Festival in 2014

11 Dec 2013 Leave a comment

by Shakespeare in LA in Pomona Tags: , ,

Ophelia's Jump
Ophelia’s Jump Productions has announced a new partnership with the Pomona College Department of Theatre and Dance: Theatre for the Claremont Colleges, and a number of shows to be produced in 2014.

Shakespeare fans will be happy to note that next summer Ophelia’s Jump will inaugurate a Midsummer Elizabethan Festival in repertory as they present Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, directed by founding artistic director Beatrice Casagran, July 17 – 27, 2014 and Macbeth, directed by associate artistic director Kevin Slay, July 18 – 26, 2014. Performances will take place in the Sontag Greek Theatre. In addition, the company will present 33 Variations by Moises Kaufman September 5 – 14, 2014 in the Allen Theatre.

“This relationship ends our nomadic ways and gives Ophelia’s Jump an opportunity to produce our shows at venues matching the artistic and technical needs of our ambitious 2014 season,” says Casagran. “The collaboration also affords Ophelia’s Jump artists and Pomona College Theatre faculty the opportunity to collaborate on projects and community outreach thus making Claremont a hub of serious theatrical production and innovation for the east San Gabriel and Inland Empire regions.”

Ophelia’s Jump will also continue its partnership with dA Center for the Arts in Pomona. Their subscription series includes:

February 21 – March 9, 2014
BOSTON MARRIAGE
By David Mamet
Directed by Beatrice Casagran
dA Blackbox Theatre

May 23 – June 1, 2014
EURYDICE
By Sarah Ruhl
Directed by Doug Oliphant
Seaver Theatre, Pomona College

July 17 – 27, 2014
THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Founding Artistic Director, Beatrice Casagran
The Sontag Greek Theatre, Pomona College

July 18 – 26, 2014
MACBETH
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Kevin Slay
The Sontag Greek Theatre, Pomona College

September 5 – 14, 2014
33 VARIATIONS
By Moises Kaufman
Allen Theatre, Pomona College

For more information, visit www.opheliasjump.org.

Southern CA Shakespeare Festival presents A Midsummer Night’s Dream

03 Sep 2013 Leave a comment

by Shakespeare in LA in Pomona Tags: ,

Midsummer - Cal Poly Pomona

Southern California Shakespeare Festival, a professional company located on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona, presents Shakespeare’s comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, September 7 – 29. The play is an audience favorite, full of love and romance, comedy and laughter, magical creatures and mystical spells.

According to director Sam Robinson, “The approach is traditional with the setting in Ancient Greece, and includes touches of the classic culture of India and the ever-playful magical fairy world. Shakespeare was a master of weaving the present day into his plays, so we will incorporate both Elizabethan England and current modern day references. Shakespeare’s productions included only male actors, so there was a lot of build in humor with regard to the opposite sex playing the roles. We are honoring Shakespeare by casting some of the main male roles with female performers, including Oberon, King of the Fairies and Demetrius and Lysander, who are both vying for Hermia’s affection.”

The cast features Equity Guest Artists Annie Dennis, Marissa Pitts and Lena Solano, with Luis Arrendondo, Vanessa Babida, Job Barnett, Catherine Campbell, William Dinwiddie, Adriana Flores, Amy Hatfield, Andrea Lopez, Valerie Lopez, Andy Nguo, Tiana Parker, Dylan Parra, Ruben Serrano, Paula Solano and Alicia Joy Volinkski. Linda Bisesti is SCSF’s artistic director and the Festival production manager is Marie Maslowski.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
September 7 – 29, 2013
(Gala reception follows Saturday, September 7 performance.)
Studio Theatre, 3801 W. Temple Avenue, Building 25, Pomona, CA 91768.
(On the campus of Cal Poly Pomona)
Tickets: (909) 869-3800  http://classcsupomona.tix.com