Monday, July 25, 2011

Bottom to Ass to Bottom + an Ass in the Audience

MidSummer Night's Dream







official description...

AUI/AURA presents
Shakespeare's immortal tale of love among both mortals and fairies comes to the Lafayette stage in a bright, romantic staging by AUI/AURA.

The show features a cast of 30 actors, including young actors new to the stage and well-known theatre veterans of local productions. The core company consists of cast members in their teens and early 20s, who've been working together since the summer of 2010.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM after two highly praised 2010 productions – DR. HORRIBLE'S SINGALONG BLOG (Note: THE FROG's production - was left out, but it was played right before Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog & I saw them both & blogged on them earlier) and BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL.

Dates/Times...
July 23, 2011 / 7:00 pm Opening Night
July 24, 2011 / 3:00 pm
July 28 - 29, 2011 / 7:00 pm
July 30, 2011 / 7:00 pm
July 31, 2011 / 3:00 pm
Aug 4 - 6, 2011 / 7:00 pm Closing Night

Location...
Cite Des Arts
109 Vine St.
Lafayette, LA
291-1122.

Price...
$10.00
(Note: Wow--is that all?!)

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Facebook/Event page link...
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=131893180224382

The production is...

Directed by Cody Daigle and Cara Hayden. 
* thanks as always Cody, now I must meet Cara - the C's rule in drama looks like around these parts
------------
Set design is by Duncan Thistlethwaite,
* the marble looking steps all over/up & down helped a lot w/the feel of space
   & movement in this play
------------
Costume design is by Gina Baronne. 
* loved all the costumes, but who doesn't love fairies
------------
Hair Design is by Studio One 2 One. 
* Pucks hair with the branches must of been tough
------------
Original music by Mychael Zulauf and Kelly Griffin.
* didn't realize it was original music, liked the guitar playing - 
   but to keep with the period could of been nice to find a more ancient instrument


The cast is:


Theseus--Michael Munzing
Hippolyta--Kate Schneider
Titania--Ruth Diaz
Oberon--Mychael Zulauf
Egeus--Robert Sidman
Philostrate--Kay Manuel
Lysander--Phillip Spear
Demetrius--Nick Dooley
Hermia--Morgan James
Helena--Martha Diaz
Puck--Erin Segura                  * loved the Puck performance & the twigs in the hair
Bottom--Gerard Ducharme    * loved the Bottom to Ass ears, not to mention the d-r-a-m-a when back again to Bottom once more - does comedic moves well for sure
Snout--Jacolby Glaude          * if this is the 'wall' guy, then I met his parents & he would of done

                                                 'em  proud
Flute--Phillip Smith
Starveling--Marianna Piazza
Snug--Michael Mouton
Peter Quince--Joseph Diaz            * enjoyed leader of the play within the play group
First Fairy--Megan conner
Mustard Seed--Zachary Mishlove * think I actually know (of) his parents
Peaseblossom--Annette Diaz
Cobweb--Naomi Roberts
Moth--Hannah Corkern
Titania's Fairies--Cindy Hebert, Kelly Griffin, Annie Dronet, Shannon Kenast, Ali Roberts
Oberon's Faeries-- Kaan Dere, Cody Dunstan, Danielle Sowle Champagne










Gerard Ducharme, as Bottom, rehearses Tuesday evening for an upcoming performance of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at Cité Des Arts. 

Link to local article in The Advertiser Written by Matthew Jacobs...
(writer's contact e-mail: mjacobs@theadvertiser.com)
http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20110722/LIFESTYLE/107220340/Local-theater-troupe-brings-Midsummer-Night-s-Dream-Cit-des-Arts-stage

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Link to more pictures of the rehearsals...
http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=DG&Dato=20110721&Kategori=PHOTOGALLERIES04&Lopenr=107210804&Ref=PH
Note: #14 my favorite shot...of Bottom, Nick Bottom, turned into an Ass (some would say Donkey) with those Oh So Wonderful Ears?!


Leslie Westbrook, The Advertiser
Actors rehearse Tuesday evening for an upcoming performance of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at CitŽ Des Arts. By Leslie Westbrook July 19, 2011
(Note: Thank you so much Leslie for taking this photo?!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Link to learn more about the play/the movies...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Midsummer_Night's_Dream







Movie links...
1935 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026714/ (the) James Cagney was Bottom, The Weaver
1999 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0140379/ Kevin Kline played Nick Bottom & Stanley Tucci a perfect Puck



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Link to if you care to compare Shakespeare language to English (today)...
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/msnd/characters.html
Credit: Crowther, John, ed. “No Fear A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” SparkNotes LLC. 2005. http://nfs.sparknotes.com/msnd/ (accessed July 11, 2011).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A fav quote of Puck...

Puck:

Captain of our fairy band,
Helena is here at hand,
And the youth, mistook by me,
Pleading for a lover's fee.
Shall we their fond pageant see?
Lord, what fools these mortals be!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Link to Shakespeare Quotes...
http://www.enotes.com/shakespeare-quotes/lord-what-fools-these-mortals

A Midsummer Nights Dream Act 3, scene 2, 110–115

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reconstructed Globe Theatre in London
where Shakespeare would of performed his plays
back in ye olden days to the common
who could of paid a penny to stand in the pit below the stage
if ale & peanuts were sold one can imagine the noise from this section

(photo credit: thanks be to Wiki)

+ that Ass in the Audience

should I even mention him, is it worth the drama, to bring up that tiny spot of negative...
am thinking he'd started drinking (or ?) before he got there & on a Sunday afternoon as well...
made it unpleasant to sit next to him & behind him & me, 2 rows behind that - could hardly not notice his antics/his rudeness...

At times I feel like standing up & being the Mom, but not this time - they're all big boys, or as that saying goes if not then get off the porch (or out of your seat & call over the Usher man to come see the disturber out...)

Why do people come to a theater thinking they can act/sound like they're in a bar...
When did rude-ness overtake this person's sense of self worth...
or how could his friend he came with not notice & not say something, quietly to him...

Was equally amazed at the boy's calm & presence in front of my row to put up with it when directed at him, more than once - for the sake of his date maybe? then he's for sure a keeper girlfriend?!

Still thinking maybe someone shoulda put him in the corner with the Ass's ears on to see if he'd take the hint, but prob wouldn't have...

Of course all in all if this were Shakespeare's Theatre--there would be all kinds of such behaviours going on right if it were truly taken place in the Bard's time?! hmmm...but it's not, so let's not?!

So I may go again for Closing Night so I can enjoy the show on the stage more than the show 2 rows down from me...

And finally, do we want Cite des Arts to be an Alamo Drafthouse--I'm thinking 'not'?!
Please & Thank you?! (after the show, maybe - or on Indie Movie Night...)

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

Link to The Ind article about 1 more weekend of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' (am going to Closing Night next w/e or else...)
And if you'd wanted even more Shakespeare then 'As You Like It' was also on at AcA this w/e with the kids who took summer camp for 2 weeks - which was all the time they had to learn, build, make, act?!

http://www.theind.com/arts-a-entertainment/86-aae/8766-second-verse-same-as-the-first

(note: I think I'm a bit jealous of Anna Purdy, she's everywhere doing everything in Lafayette & getting to write about it as well in the local newspaper?!)




photo credit: thanks Wikipedia once again

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