One of my favorite letters of the year arrived this morning, from Heather Frederick.   Allow me to quote:
 ”Dear Jane and Chris and the entire stellar cast of ‘Twelfth Night,’
I simply had to write to thank you for all your amazing, inspired, fabulous, and thoroughly enjoyable production of ‘Twelfth Night’.  My 17-year-old son was home on […]

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 I overhead a woman in the lobby the other night trying to find her way.  The usher asked, “Which play are you here to see?”  She shook her head, “Ohhh, I don’t know.  I just have tickets to millions!  Millons!”  Had to laugh - after mounting three plays in less than a month, I think we’re all swimming a […]

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(short for Amy Freed’s The Beard of Avon and Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night)
{Orsino, Duke of Illyria (Brent Harris) professes his love for Olivia and instructs his servant Cesario (actually Viola in disguise, performed by Jennifer Lee Taylor) to deliver her flowers, but Viola’s heart breaks, for she’s fallen in love with Orsino, in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. […]

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After several days teching 12th Night, the cast of Beard of Avon changed their costumes and headed right into another round of technical rehearsals. Weary, but silly we launched into adding lights and sound, building the transitions between scenes, and figuring out how the play would best translate from the rehearsal hall to the […]

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{Edward de Vere (Brent Harris), Queen Elizabeth (Carol Halstead) and William Shakspere (Darius Pierce) in Amy Freed’s The Beard of Avon. photo by Owen Carey}
In rep, we’re op’ning two most exc’lent plays
We know you’re making plans to see them both
Mark these words my mouth doth happ’ly quoth
Make haste to buy your 12th/Beard […]

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So my last posting, about who actually wrote “Shakespeare’s” plays has drawn numerous comments.  Thought you might find a website dedicated to this subject of interest.  Go to:  www.shakespeare-oxford.com.  Happy trails.

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This is an action figure of William Shakespeare that you can purchase for a modest fee at Powell’s Books.  Who knew such inspiration was possible?
Beard Of Avon has me thinking daily about the question of who actually penned the plays we have come to know and love as “Shakespeare’s”.  For most of my life, I […]

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Let’s see - today is December 21st and we just ran the first act of Beard of Avon yesterday (well stumbled through is really the appropriate term at this point in the process).  I believe that 12th Night reviewed the entire first half yesterday as well.
 Last week we began by learning the songs in Beard […]

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Our Board/Cast dinner for Beard of Avon and 12th Night happened last night at the lovely home of Board Member Barbara Baker.  Barbara is Senior VP for Cultural Enhancement at Umpqua Bank - and is chairing our HR Committee.  (Cool cupcakes, huh?)

The dinner is an opportunity for board members to meet the cast of an […]

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The Beard of Avon and 12th Night began rehearsals on Saturday with a brief design presentation from Bill Bloodgood, the set designer; and Deb Trout, costume designer. Both sets use major elements of the same set and costumes, with variations for each. Kim Crowe, our dramaturg for both shows has created a website […]

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An incredible group of actors will be joining us for 12th Night and Beard of Avon after the new year. Some are faces you’ll remember, others you’ll just be getting to know.

Above: the wonderful Ken Albers (Tarleton from last season’s Misalliance) who will be playing the theatrical producer extraordinaire, “Heminge” in Beard […]

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First sketches and set ideas arrived last week for 12th Night and Beard of Avon.  Bill Bloodgood (Misalliance, King Lear) is designing. 

The idea is to create an “Elizabethan backstage” with properties hanging from the sky.

The large  beams shown will mirror re-construction of the new Globe in London.

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Just back from four days in New York, casting for The Beard of Avon and 12th Night.  Always a gas being in that city.  Though I was looking forward to a respite from our very rainy October, of course, the first two days in Manhattan provided torrential downpours.
When I go to NYC, my hotel of […]

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