A publication of the Shakespeare Theatre Company · PDF fileA publication of the Shakespeare Theatre Company ... of his 1956 musical Candide. ... ASIDES A publication of the Shakespeare

ASIDES2010|2011 SEASON • Issue 2

A publication of the Shakespeare Theatre Company

Experience “the best of all possible worlds” in Leonard Bernstein’s

Director Mary Zimmerman

Also featuring...

Black Watch

Candide

Candide

“Gorgeously imagined, sharply insightful…Candide is a grand

garden of delights!”Chicago Sun-Times

Presented by The HRH Foundation

Just in time for the holidays!Photo of the cast of Candide by Liz Lauren.

Leonard Bernstein’s

“Eye-poppingly lavish… an extravagant parade of wonders.”

Chicago Examiner

“Sheer perfection.” Around Town Chicago

“The best of all possible Candides.”

Variety

“Finely tuned, surefooted new spin

on Bernstein’s classic.”Chicago Reader

Welcome to Candide, the second play of the 2010–2011 Season and a

production touched by a host of noteworthy hands as it made its journey from

the mind of an 18th century philosopher to the stage of Sidney Harman Hall.

This incarnation of Candide is newly adapted from Voltaire’s novel by director

Mary Zimmerman, whose past productions at the Shakespeare Theatre

Company, Pericles and Argonautika, were extremely popular with our

audiences. Candide is also the first musical STC has staged at Sidney Harman

Hall, and I encourage you to experience it. It features Leonard Bernstein’s

score with lyrics perfected by a long list of contributors including Stephen

Sondheim and Dorothy Parker. Dr. Pangloss, mentor to our title character,

would surely consider this staging “the best of all possible productions.” I

hope to see you in the audience for this innovative take on a modern musical

classic.

The coming months will bring thousands of theatregoers to Sidney Harman

Hall and the Lansburgh Theatre. NT Live, a series of performances broadcast

in HD from London’s National Theatre, continues with William Shakespeare’s

Hamlet in December and the musical Fela! the following month. The STC

premiere of Cymbeline will begin January 18, marking the return of director

Rebecca Bayla Taichman to the Shakespeare Theatre Company. On January

26, The National Theatre of Scotland’s Black Watch will launch its international

tour at STC.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company remains committed to providing world-

class theatre to all members of the Washington, D.C., community. This season,

nearly 5,000 local children will attend matinee performances through the

SHAKESPEARIENCE series, which provides students and teachers with

subsidized reduced-price tickets, preparatory materials and in-school

workshops. For many of these children, this will be their first experience with

live theatre.

These productions and programs would not be possible without you. The

Shakespeare Theatre Company is fortunate to have many generous friends,

and we are deeply grateful for your ongoing support. As you make your year-

end giving plans, please consider becoming a Shakespeare Star or joining the

Artistic Circle.

Have a safe and happy holiday season. I hope to see you at our theatres.

Best,

Michael Kahn

Artistic Director, Shakespeare Theatre Company

Dear friend,

5

A publication of the Shakespeare Theatre Company

ASIDES Artistic Director

Michael Kahn

Managing DirectorChris Jennings

Director of Marketingand Communications

Darby Lunceford

Communications Manager Diane Metzger

PublicistLindsay Mady

Senior Graphic DesignerRicardo Alvarez

Associate Graphic DesignerNicole Geldart

Graphic Design InternRaphael Davison

Contributing WritersAkiva Fox

Tanya PalmerMarcy Spiro

Lansburgh Theatre450 7th Street NW

Washington, DC 20004-2207

Sidney Harman Hall610 F Street NW

Washington, DC 20004-2207

Box Office202.547.1122

Administrative Offices516 8th Street SE

Washington, DC 20003-2834202.547.3230

ShakespeareTheatre.org

Asides.ShakespeareTheatre.org

Cover photos: Photo of Geoff Packard and Lauren Molina and photo of Mary Zimmerman by Liz Lauren. Photo of

Richard Rankin as Granty in the National Theatre of Scotland’s production of

Black Watch by Manuel Harlan.

CONTENTS

31

32

33

34

6

8

9

15

16

20

22

28

14

12

10

Candide’s Travelsby Akiva Fox

Director’s Words

Candide Artistic Team

Candide Cast

Leonard Bernstein: Notes on a Legendby Akiva Fox

Creative Conversations

Shakespeare Stars and Artistic Circle

The Making of Voltaire’s Candideby Tanya Palmer

SHAKESPEARIENCE:Why William Shakespeare?by Marcy Spiro

Calendars

Harman EventsHappenings at the Harman p. 28Upright Citizens Brigade, RadioLab Live and Come Out Laughing p. 29Synetic Theater p. 30

Cymbeline

Black Watch

NT Live

Audience Services

4Facebook.com/ShakespeareinDC

For all its enduring qualities, however, Candide has become a classic only after what Bernstein called a “highly checkered career.” It began in the mind of writer Lillian Hellman, for whose play The Lark Bernstein had written incidental music. Hellman had long admired Voltaire’s work for its attack on “all rigid thinking… all isms.” This perspective seemed especially relevant in 1954, as Hellman languished on the Hollywood blacklist for refusing to name names to the House Un-American Activities Committee. Over the next two years, Bernstein and Hellman (along with a small army of lyricists, most notably the brilliant young poet Richard Wilbur) collaborated to bring Candide to the stage.

Candide opened on Broadway on December 1, 1956, in a lavish production directed by Tyrone Guthrie. Despite mostly admiring reviews, it closed after only two months. Perhaps this was due to the acidic satire of Hellman’s script, or to Guthrie’s over-stuffed production, or to the difficulty of selling a work billed as a “comic operetta,” but Candide failed to find an audience in its first incarnation. Once that original production closed, however, the cast recording unexpectedly became a best-seller. Listeners across the country fell in love with Bernstein’s thrilling and funny music and with the witty lyrics. By combining winning melodies with spot-on parodies of famous classical compositions, Bernstein had created a new classic of his own. To this day, the overture to Candide is a staple of the orchestral repertoire.

The decades that followed saw numerous attempts to translate the

magic of the songs to a complete production. In 1973, director Harold Prince engaged playwright Hugh Wheeler to rewrite Hellman’s script. Prince’s innovative production placed the action in the middle of the audience, and the delightful result ran for nearly two years on Broadway. However, much of Voltaire’s sharp satire was lost among the frivolity. Prince returned to Candide in 1982 at the New York City Opera and for a 1997 Broadway revival, substantially reshuffling musical numbers and scenes each time. A more successful version came from director and playwright John Caird, whose 1999 production at the National Theatre in London found a better balance between satire and humor, between music and words.

Now, with director and writer Mary Zimmerman bringing her own creative interpretation of Voltaire’s and Bernstein’s classic works to the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Candide remains as stunning and alive as ever. Few other pieces can match its mix of social criticism and raucous entertainment, of high and low on the same stage. No wonder it was its composer’s personal favorite.

For tickets cal l 202.547.1122 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org.Left photo of Geoff Packard by Liz Lauren. Above photo of Leonard Bernstein by Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1955.

Candide’s Travels by Akiva Fox, Literary Associate

6 7

“There’s more of me in

that piece than anything

else I have ever done,”

Leonard Bernstein said

of his 1956 musical

Candide. That is a

strong endorsement

indeed, coming from the

composer who produced

such American classics

as West Side Story

and On the Town. But

Bernstein’s charming

and revolutionary score,

so unlike anything

written for the Broadway

stage before or since,

has borne out that

endorsement. More

than 50 years after

its creation, Candide

continues to challenge

and entertain audiences.

I’ve always been drawn to adapt thorny, difficult, epic old texts. Voltaire’s Candide has that epic sweep and broad range of feeling that I like, and it is full of difficult things to stage, which I like as well. And then Bernstein’s music is so glorious.

It’s the story of a young man named Candide, who is the illegitimate nephew of a Baron in a small province called Westphalia. Along with the Baron’s daughter, he is tutored by a professor named Doctor Pangloss, who claims that Westphalia is “the best possible place in all the world.” When Candide falls in love with Cunegonde, his benefactors kick him out of the kingdom without a penny. The rest of the story follows Candide making his way in the world, having adventure after adventure. He is candid and honest and innocent, and he is mistreated and swindled over and over again. Cunegonde and her family also meet great misfortune in a war, so some of Candide’s adventures involve reuniting with her.

I read all the previous adaptations—the scripts for the musical—about three or four years ago, and then I stopped reading because I wanted to go back to Voltaire’s original novel. Some of the versions have big changes from the original structure of the novel, and the primary challenge for me in adapting it anew is that some of the songs have lyrics that are tied to events or circumstances that don’t exist in the novel. We want to preserve these songs in a context that makes sense, while trying to be as trusting as possible of Voltaire’s original structure and story.

Finding the tone is the most difficult key to Candide because terrible things happen to the characters, yet the novel is hilarious. What makes the play funny and absurd, I hope, is the way in which chance and mischance pile up so fast and furious, while the characters’ views of the world as “all for the best” remain absolutely unchanged in the face of all evidence to the contrary.

DIRECTOR’S WORDS Candide is a tougher text than people realize. It challenges some of our most cherished ideas—ideas about one’s own virtue and the virtues of one’s own home. I think this play is challenging in whichever country it is performed, because every country thinks it is the best in the best of all possible worlds. The novel and the play ask people to think about the fact that life is really complicated and that random, tragic things happen all the time. It suggests that blind optimism, or the idea that everything is part of a grand plan and that all is for the best, is not only absurd but also an excuse for inaction in the face of social injustice. Yet it also rejects blind pessimism, through the figure of Martin, the scholar who is as consistently cynical and depressed as Pangloss is buoyant.

I am hoping that audiences are swept away by the production, that they are extremely entertained and enchanted, but also attentive to Voltaire’s satire. Candide has gorgeous music and it is incredibly witty, both lyrically and musically. Voltaire’s and Bernstein’s works are both achievements of such high order that when combined, they remind us what people are capable of at their best at the very same moment they are showing us what is worst. And in this way, the work manages to be affirmative—even transcendent—in the face of its own cynicism and satiric edge.

Mary Zimmerman, Director and Adapter

Mary Zimmerman rehearses a scene with Lauren Molina during a rehearsal for Candide. Photos by Liz Lauren.

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers.

Music by Leonard Bernstein

Book Adapted from Voltaire by

Hugh Wheeler

Lyrics by Richard Wilbur

Additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim,

John LaTouche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker

and Leonard Bernstein

Directed and Newly Adapted from

the Voltaire by Mary Zimmerman

Original Orchestrations byBruce Coughlin

ChoreographerDaniel Pelzig

Music Director/ Additional Arrangements

and OrchestrationsDoug Peck

Set DesignerDaniel Ostling

Costume DesignerMara Blumenfeld

Lighting DesignerT.J. Gerckens

Sound DesignerRichard Woodbury

CastingAdam Belcuore, David Muse

and Alan Paul

New York Castingtelsey + company

Assistant DirectorJenny Lord

Literary AssociateAkiva Fox

Stage ManagerBeth Ellen Spencer*

Assistant Stage ManagerBenjamin Royer*

8 9

ARTISTIC TEAM

For tickets cal l 202.547.1122 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org.

1110

CANDIDE CAST

REBECCA FINNEGAN*BARONESS/VANDERDENDUR

TOM AULINO*BARON/MARTIN

JESSE J. PEREZ*SOLDIER/CACAMBO

LARRY YANDO*PANGLOSS

JONATHAN WEIR*SOLDIER/GOVERNOR

GEOFF PACKARD*CANDIDE

TEMPE THOMAS*QUEEN OF EL DORADO

ROB LINDLEY*ANABAPTIST/CAPTAIN

ERIK LOCHTEFELD*MAXIMILIAN

LAUREN MOLINA*CUNEGONDE

HOLLIS RESNIK*OLD LADY

TRACY LYNN OLIVERA*ORATOR’S WIFE

THOMAS ADRIAN SIMPSON*

INNKEEPER/SCHOOLTEACHER

CHRIS SIZEMORE*ORATOR/GRAND

INQUISITOR

JOEY STONE*SOLDIER/SEÑOR

MARGO SEIBERT*PAQUETTE

SPENCER CURNUTTSAILOR

GOVIND KUMARSERVANT

EMMA ROSENTHALBIRD

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers.

Production photos of Jesse J. Perez, Geoff Packard, Lauren Molina, Hollis Resnik, Larry Yando, Jonathan Weir, Tom Aulino, Rebecca Finnegan, Govind Kumar, Erik Lochtefeld and Margo Seibert by Liz Lauren.

For tickets cal l 202.547.1122 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org.12

1312

1918Leonard Bernstein is born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, on August 25.

1939Bernstein graduates from Harvard University, where he writes and performs several early compositions.

1940Bernstein studies conducting at the newly-formed Tanglewood Music Festival with Serge Koussevitzky, director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

1943Bernstein is named assistant conductor at the New York Philharmonic. On November 14, when the scheduled conductor of a nationally-broadcast concert comes down with the flu, Bernstein steps in to conduct on short notice and becomes a sensation.

1944Bernstein composes the music to Jerome Robbins’ exuberant ballet Fancy Free, about three sailors on shore leave in New York City. After the ballet becomes a runaway hit, Bernstein expands the idea into a Broadway musical, On the Town, which runs for more than a year.

1954Bernstein is nominated for an Academy Award for his score to Elia Kazan’s classic film On the Waterfront.

1958 Bernstein becomes principal conductor of the New York Philharmonic, a post he will hold for 12 years. On January 18, he broadcasts the first of his popular Young People’s Concerts on CBS television.

1971Bernstein’s Mass, a theatrical choral piece, premieres as part of the opening ceremonies of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

1990Bernstein dies on October 14 at age 72, only five days after conducting his farewell concert at Tanglewood.

1957Bernstein’s musical West Side Story, a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet created with director/choreographer Jerome Robbins, lyricist Stephen Sondheim and playwright Arthur Laurents, opens on Broadway. It runs for two years, and the 1961 film adaptation wins ten Academy Awards.

1956Candide, Bernstein’s satirical operetta with a script by Lillian Hellman, runs for only two months on Broadway, but goes on to produce a best-selling cast recording and several successful revivals.

Bernstein conducting the New York City Symphony (1945).

Photo of Bernstein conducting by Paul de Heuck, courtesy The Leonard Bernstein Office, Inc.

On the Town (musical) Original Cast Recording album cover (1960).

Bernstein conducting the Boston Symphony in a performance of Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony at Tanglewood, in 1970.

Photo of Lauren Molina by Liz Lauren.

Theatrical release poster.

Bernstein at the piano, making annotations to a musical score (1955).

Serge Koussevitzky.

Bernstein at rehearsal for West Side Story. Carol Lawrence is at his left, and Stephen Sondheim is playing the piano (1957). © The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Bernstein leading his orchestra in a rehearsal, New York, 1958.

Bernstein at Harvard graduation, 1939. Photographer: William Filene’s Sons Company, Boston, MA.

Bernstein ca. 1921 with parents, Samuel and Jennie. Photographer unidentified.

The cover of the published score for Leonard Bernstein’s Mass. Courtesy Boosey & Hawkes, Inc.

“Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable.”

Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein changed American culture in the 20th century, bringing classical music to a new audience by popularizing older composers, championing new ones and blending both old and new styles in his own dynamic compositions. This timeline shows the extraordinary career of this great American artist.

Leonard Bernstein:Notes on a Legend

14Photo of Christian Conn in The Liar by Scott Suchman.

To learn more about the Shakespeare Stars and the Artistic Circle,

visit ShakespeareTheatre.org/Support.

Running the nation’s foremost classical theatre

requires a cast of thousands. That includes

extraordinarily talented actors, directors, artisans

and designers—and the countless generous

donors who stand behind us year after year.

Each season, more than 3,000 exceptional

individuals become partners in our work with a

tax-deductible gift to the Shakespeare Theatre

Company. Their commitments ensure artistic

excellence on the stages of the Lansburgh

Theatre and Sidney Harman Hall, guaranteeing

a full season of outstanding classical theatre.

Their generosity touches every part of every

production, from the actors on stage to the sets

we build to the costumes we sew.

As you make your year-end giving plans, please

consider becoming a Shakespeare Star or

joining the Artistic Circle.

If you join before December 31, your tax-

deductible membership gift may significantly

reduce your income tax while ensuring that STC

continues to produce the outstanding classical

productions that set it apart. You will also enjoy

great members-only benefits that will enhance

your theatre experience.

If you are already one of our cherished donors,

please accept our humble and sincere thanks.

You are the reason we can do what we do, and

we are truly grateful for the role you play at STC.

Year-End Giving

Photos: Francesca Faridany and John Behlmann in As You Like It; Amanda Quaid and Elizabeth Ashley in Mrs. Warren’s Profession; Michael Hayden in Henry V; Erin Partin and Christian Conn in The Liar and Ted van Griethuysen and Miriam Silverman in All’s Well That Ends Well by Scott Suchman.

Creative Conversations for Candide

WindowsSunday, December 5 at 5 p.m.

The Forum in Sidney Harman Hall

Divining ShakespeareWednesday, December 8 at 5 p.m. The Forum in Sidney Harman Hall

Post-Performance DiscussionWednesday, December 8

after the performance, Sidney Harman Hall

Classics in ContextSaturday, January 8 at 5 p.m.

The Forum in Sidney Harman Hall

All conversations are FREE and open to the public.

Call 202.547.1122 or visit the STC Box Office to order your

gift certificate today!

Introduce a loved one to the arts with

a Shakespeare Theatre Company Gift Certificate!

{ }

Born François-Marie Arouet in 1694, Voltaire, who changed his name when he was 23, was the son of a successful lawyer. He claimed, however, that he was the product of an affair between his mother, who died young, and a nobleman poet. He was educated along with the sons of the French aristocracy at the College Louis-le-Grand and then went on to study law. But he soon abandoned his studies, defying his father who insisted that he find “a decent profession.” Voltaire responded, “I don’t want any other [profession] than that of man of letters.”

His skills as a poet and wit opened doors for him amongst the country’s elite. But those same skills soon landed him in trouble when a series of satirical verses he had written

criticizing the French Regent were made public. He was sent into exile in the provinces, and then a year later was thrown into the Bastille prison for further offenses against the Regent. In the midst of this conflict, Voltaire was quickly establishing himself as an important poet and playwright.

The Making of Voltaire’s Candide by Tanya Palmer, Goodman Theatre

17For t ickets cal l 202.547.1122 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org.16

All nature is but art, unknown to thee;

All chance, direction, which thou canst not see;

All discord, harmony not understood;

All partial evil, universal good.

And, spite of pride, in erring reason’s spite,

One truth is clear, Whatever is, is right.

It was around this time that Voltaire took on his new name, a move that led to his next skirmish with the French establishment. One night in February 1726, Voltaire crossed paths with the Chevalier de Rohan-Chabot, an aristocrat who reportedly asked the young poet whether his name was Arouet or Voltaire in order to expose the presumptuousness of the young man’s claim to a place among nobles. The young writer asserted that a new cultural and intellectual elite (one that presumably included Voltaire himself ) was poised to seize control from a nobility whose power was derived only from its bloodline. The Chevalier, not surprisingly, took offense. Voltaire was beaten for his trouble and landed once again in the Bastille. This episode is often seen as a turning point for Voltaire—he was forced to see the illusory nature of his early social ascendancy. When he was released from prison, he fled France for England.

Voltaire spent two and a half years in England, where he encountered the writings of several key Enlightenment figures, including poet/philosopher Alexander Pope and satirist Jonathan Swift. Though written more than 30 years later, Voltaire’s most famous book, Candide, is immersed in a conversation with the philosophy and stylistic approach of these important writers and thinkers. Beginning in the idyllic land of Westphalia in the castle of the Baron von Thunder-ten-tronckh, the book tells the story of a young innocent named Candide—the illegitimate son of the Baron’s sister—who grows up alongside the Baron’s daughter, the beautiful Cunegonde. Both are under the tutelage of Pangloss, who teaches them that they live “in this best of all possible worlds.” Candide believes

his tutor wholeheartedly, even when he is thrust from the castle and must travel the world from one horrible misadventure to the next, braving a seemingly endless series of man-made and natural disasters.

Subtitled “Optimism,” Candide grew out of an ongoing—and heated—debate about the existence of evil in a divinely created universe. The primary sources for much of the philosophical debate underpinning Candide are German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz and English writer Alexander Pope. It is from Leibniz that Voltaire borrows the phrase “the best of all possible worlds.” Leibniz argued that it was not in God’s power to create a perfect world, but among possible worlds, he created the best. He thought it inevitable that there would be things in the universe that would be painful or evil, but he claimed that pain and evil would only exist in order to make possible a greater good. Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Man, published in 1733, presents the argument this way:

Painting of Voltaire.

Photo of Lauren Molina and Geoff Packard by Liz Lauren.

Candide is presented by

The HRH Foundation

Additional support provided by

Maxine Isaacs and James A. Johnson

Media Partners

1918

Like Leibniz, Pope believed that evil existed as part of a larger plan that man could not fathom, but nevertheless was good insofar as it must exist for some purpose. And while Voltaire took exception to some of the assertions made by both philosophers, he expressed an essentially optimistic view of mankind and the universe in much of his early writing. However, a key turning point in Voltaire’s thinking came in November 1755, when much of Lisbon and the surrounding country of Portugal were destroyed by an earthquake. Killing between 10,000 and 100,000 people, it was one of the deadliest earthquakes on record. In the face of such destruction, Voltaire felt that it was ridiculous to argue that “all was well.”

Rather than taking a grim tone in his attack on optimism, Voltaire borrowed a page from another English writer and thinker, satirist Jonathan Swift. Swift’s works—such as Gulliver’s Travels and A Modest Proposal—combined darkly comic social and political satire with a playful approach to form, poking fun at the popular styles and genres of the day. In Candide, we see this approach at work: in addition to mocking swipes at Leibniz and Pope through the character of Pangloss, the philosopher who insists that all is well in the face of one terrible tragedy after the next, Voltaire constructs a tale that parodies novels themselves, in particular the heroic novels and romances characteristic of the 17th century.

But while some of the immediacy of the book’s historical context and references may have receded into history, the story’s power, appeal and comic energy have not abated. A best-seller from the moment it

was published in 1759, it continues to attract readers. It has inspired many adaptations, including Leonard Bernstein’s 1956 comic operetta. The book’s energy and humor have certainly contributed to its longevity, but so has the ongoing relevance of the book’s political and ideological debate. Voltaire’s targets—stupidity, war, fanaticism, dogmatism—never go out of style. By composing a tale that gleefully creates a world that is both full of hope and full of disaster, Voltaire crafted a story for the ages, one steeped in the ideas and events of his time that continues to speak to our lives today.

Voltaire at age 70. Engraving published as the frontispiece to Voltaire’s A Philosophical Dictionary, W. Dugdale (1843).

Photos of students at the All’s Well That Ends Well SHAKESPEARIENCE; students attending the As You Like It SHAKESPEARIENCE; Resident Teaching Artist Jim Gagne and Community Access Programs Manager Marcy Spiro warming up the SHAKESPEARIENCE crowd.

Each season the SHAKESPEARIENCE student matinee program welcomes between 3,000 and 5,000 students into our theatres to experience live theatre; for many of them it may be the first and only time that they will see a live performance of Shakespeare. Our hopes, however, are that we are developing our audience members of the future and that the students come away with the understanding that Shakespeare is relevant to their lives. The program includes subsidized, reduced-price tickets, preparatory materials, in-school workshops and a talkback discussion with the actors immediately following the performance. Supplemental materials are provided free of charge to all participants.

The pre-performance workshop is extremely important; it creates a dialogue between the Shakespeare Theatre Company teaching artist and the students before they see the production. During these workshops, students often ask, “Why are we learning about something that was written more than 400 years ago?” It’s at this point during the workshop that their pre-conceived notions about Shakespeare can be addressed. Students and teachers learn that many popular movies are based on his plays: Ten Things I Hate About You is a modern adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew, She’s the Man is a modern Twelfth Night and The Lion King is a Disney cartoon inspired by Hamlet. At this moment, students can begin to discover why Shakespeare is considered to be the greatest playwright, why his plays are still

performed all over the world today and, most importantly to students, why no matter what school they go to, they will have to read something by Shakespeare. Through the workshop they start to realize that the themes and issues found in Shakespeare’s work are still relevant; the play makes sense in their world.

Susan Allen, a teacher at Bryant Alternative School in Fairfax County, commented on one of the pre-performance workshops that her students participated in before attending Henry V: “My students were thrilled and excited, and actually didn’t want to talk about anything else the next day. I had them free-write in their journals about the experience. Several commented that it was the best day in school in their life. You certainly showed us that the arts can be such an essential element of education.”

So far this season, SHAKESPEARIENCE matinee productions have been scheduled for All’s Well That Ends Well, Candide and Cymbeline. We are extremely excited that students will have the opportunity to see Cymbeline, because it will be the first production of this play at the Shakespeare Theatre

Company. School groups will be a part of history as some of the first audience members to see this lesser-known play on our stage.

SHAKESPEARIENCE would not be possible without the generous support of our funders: the National Endowment for the Arts/Arts Midwest Shakespeare in American Communities, HSBC and the DC Arts and Humanities Collaborative. Miles Gilburne and Nina Zolt are Founding Sponsors of the education programs of the Shakespeare Theatre Company.

“Several

commented

that it was

the best day

in school in

their life.”Susan Allen, Teacher,

Bryant Alternative School

Why William Shakespeare? You have to “SHAKESPEARIENCE”

it to understand.by Marcy Spiro, Community Access Programs Manager

20 21

To find out more about the SHAKESPEARIENCE

Student Matinee Program, email [email protected]

or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org/Education.

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1 2 3H Happenings:

Congressional Chorus noon

4L Preludes: Duncan,

Sand & Chopin 7:30

5 6L Hal Sparks and

Finesse Mitchell 7:15 and 9:45

7H NT Live presents:

A Disappearing Number 2:00

8 9 10H Happenings:

Violin Dreams noon

11L Synetic Theater’s

The Master and Margarita 8:00



13H Radiolab Live

8:00

L Synetic Theater’s The Master and Margarita 2:00 and 8:00



15 16 17H Happenings:

Beau Soir Ensemble noon

L Synetic Theater’s The Master and Margarita 8:00

18H Candide

Meet the Cast 6:00 (STC Stars Only)


19H Upright Citizens

Brigade 7:30 and 9:30


20H Upright Citizens

Brigade 7:30 and 9:30




22 23 24L Synetic Theater’s


25 26H Candide 8:00


27H Candide

2:00 and 8:00


28H Candide 2:00


29 30H Candide 7:30

SPECIAL EVENTS

NOVEMBER

22

The Master and MargaritaSynetic Theater November 11–December 12Lansburgh Theatre

Radiolab LivePresented by NPR and WNYCSaturday, November 13Sidney Harman Hall

NT LiveA Disappearing NumberSunday, November 7Sidney Harman Hall

Upright Citizens Brigade Live Improv Comedypresented by DCComedy.orgNovember 19–20The Forum in Sidney Harman Hall

THANKSGIVING

23

FREE EVENTS

Happenings at the Harman Located in The Forum in Sidney Harman Hall. Seating is based on availability and is first-come, first-served. Artists are subject to change. Reservations not required.

STC STARS EVENT

Meet the Cast Meet the cast and artistic team of our productions while enjoying a glass of wine and a delightful reception with other Theatre donors. The director will talk about his/her vision for the play, followed by a presentation by the production’s designers.

For more information about Shakespeare Stars, visit ShakespeareTheatre.org/Support.

Photo of Lauren Molina and Geoff Packard by Liz Lauren.

H Sidney Harman Hall L Lansburgh Theatre

Dates and times subject to change; visit ShakespeareTheatre.org.

November 26, 2010– January 9, 2011

Candide

NT LiveHamletMonday, December 27Sidney Harman Hall

The Master and MargaritaSynetic Theater November 11–December 12Lansburgh Theatre

DECEMBERSUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1 2H Candide 8:00


3H Candide 8:00


4H Candide

2:00 and 8:00


5 6H Cymbeline Meet the Cast 6:00 (STC Stars Only)

7H Candide 7:45

8 9H Candide 8:00


10H Candide 8:00


11H Candide 2:00 and 8:00


12H Candide

2:00 and 7:30


13 14H Candide 7:30

15 H Happenings:

Encore Chorale noon

H Candide 7:30

16H Candide 8:00

17H Candide 8:00

18H Candide

2:00

H Candide 8:00

19H Candide 2:00

20H Candide 7:30

21H Candide 7:30

22H Happenings:

Brooke Evers noon

H Candide noon and 7:30

23H Candide

2:00 and 8:00

24 25

26H Candide

2:00 and 7:30

27H NT Live presents:

Hamlet 7:30

28H Candide 7:30

29H Candide 7:30

30H Candide 8:00

31H Candide 8:00

OPENING NIGHT

H Happenings: Charles Mokotoff noon

H Candide 7:30


H Happenings: Life Rhythm Dance Move Project noon

H Candide Divining Shakespeare 5:00

H Candide 7:30 Post-Perf. Discussion


SPECIAL EVENTS

FREE EVENTS


Windows Discussion SeriesEngage in a lively discussion with local scholars and the artistic staff.

Divining ShakespeareExplore the play’s relevance through a theological perspective.

Post-Performance DiscussionAsk questions of the acting company.

STC STARS EVENT

Meet the Cast Meet the cast and artistic team of our productions while enjoying a glass of wine and a delightful reception with other Theatre donors. The director will talk about his/her vision for the play, followed by a presentation by the production’s designers.

For more information about Shakespeare Stars, visit ShakespeareTheatre.org/Support.

FOR AUDIENCE TESTIMONIALS, INTERVIEWS,

TRAILERS AND MORE CHECK OUT

SHAKESPEARETHEATRE.ORG

CHRISTMAS

H Candide 2:00 and 7:30

H Candide Windows 5:00


Sign-Interpreted Audio-Described


24 Photo of Jonathan Weir, Geoff Packard and Lauren Molina by Liz Lauren. 25Dates and times subject to change; visit ShakespeareTheatre.org.

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1H Candide

2:00 and 8:00

2H Candide

2:00 and 7:30

3 4H Candide 7:30

5H Happenings:

Chelsey Green noon

H Candide 7:30

6 H Candide 8:00

7H Candide 8:00

8H Candide

2:00 and 8:00

H Candide Classics in Context 5:00

9H Candide

2:00 and 7:30

10 11 12H Happenings:

Next Reflex Dance Collective noon

13 14 15

16 17H NT Live presents:

Fela! 7:30

18L Cymbeline 7:30

19L Cymbeline 7:30

20L Cymbeline 8:00

21L Cymbeline 8:00

22L Cymbeline

2:00 and 8:00

23L Cymbeline

Windows 5:00

L Cymbeline 7:30

30

24L Cymbeline 7:45

31

25 26 27L Cymbeline 8:00

H Black Watch 2:00 and 8:00

28L Cymbeline 8:00

H Black Watch 8:00

H Upright Citizens Brigade 7:30 and 9:30

29L Cymbeline

2:00 and 8:00

H Black Watch 2:00 and 8:00

H Upright Citizens Brigade 7:30 and 9:30

Upright Citizens Brigade Live Improv Comedypresented by DCComedy.orgJanuary 28–29The Forum in Sidney Harman Hall

SPECIAL EVENTS

JANUARY

26

H Happenings: Cam Magee and Beverly Cosham noon

L Cymbeline 7:30 Post-Performance Discussion

H Black Watch 8:00

L Cymbeline 2:00 and 7:30

H Black Watch 2:00

FREE EVENTS


Classics in Context Located in The Forum in Sidney Harman Hall. Seating is based on availability and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Artists are subject to change. Reservations not required.

Windows Discussion SeriesEngage in a lively discussion with local scholars and the artistic staff.

Post-Performance DiscussionAsk questions of the acting company.

27

BLACK WATCH

The National Theatre of Scotland’s production of

January 26–February 6, 2011

OPENING NIGHT

NEW YEAR’S DAY

Photo of Jamie Quinn in the National Theatre of Scotland’s production of Black Watch by Manuel Harlan.

Cymbeline January 18–March 6, 2011

NT LiveFela!Monday, January 17Sidney Harman Hall

Dates and times subject to change; visit ShakespeareTheatre.org.

Sign-Interpreted Audio-Described


“Black Watch is an astonishing artistic

whirlwind.”

The Shakespeare Theatre Company is proud to present performances by many of Washington’s most acclaimed companies as well as visiting national and international artists through the Harman Center for the Arts. Located in the heart of the arts district in Washington, D.C., the Harman Center for the Arts opens doors for many multi-disciplinary art forms to be enjoyed.

Furthering this mission, Happenings at the Harman offers another exciting season of free performances celebrating the best of dance, film, poetry and theatre. Memorable performers will return and the introduction of new directions in jazz and dance are just some of the highlights planned for the upcoming season. Many of this year’s Happenings also celebrate the work of STC’s 2010–2011 main stage productions along with several city-wide festivals.

These free afternoon performances are held in The Forum in Sidney Harman Hall on Wednesdays from noon to 1 p.m.

A schedule of events can be found in the Asides calendar (pages 22–27) or online at ShakespeareTheatre.org.

The Harman Center for the Arts

Photos (from top to bottom): Charles Mokotoff; Aysha Upchurch by Melanie Joy Wilson; Encore Chorale; Next Reflex Dance Collective; and Chelsey Green.

28

HARMAN CENTER FOR THE ARTS EVENTS

29

Connor Studios

Upright Citizens Brigade

Live Improv Comedypresented by DCComedy.orgNovember 19–20, 2010, and January 28–29, 2011 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.The Forum in Sidney Harman Hall

The UCB Theatre is a great producer of comedic talent in America today and the Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company brings the very best

of UCB’s theatres in NYC and LA to the Harman Center for the Arts. See comedy stars of today and tomorrow perform live on stage from the theatre that brought you comedy greats like Horatio Sanz, Amy Poehler, Rob Corddry, Ed Helms, MTV’s Human Giant, The Daily Show’s Rob Riggle and more.

For more information visit UCBtourco.com.General Admission Tickets: $20. Students, seniors and military: $17.

For tickets call 202.547.1122 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org.

Radiolab LivePresented by NPR and WNYCSaturday, November 13 at 8 p.m.Sidney Harman Hall

Join us and you’ll be transported to a laboratory of the imagination where a potent mix of stories, ideas and questions transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. Radiolab hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich explore the notion of symmetry. Philosophers in Ancient Greece and modern day particle physicists alike have pondered the notion of symmetry, wondering whether we live in a world that’s fundamentally symmetric or deeply asymmetric?

In this LIVE edition of Radiolab we’ll reflect on how symmetry tugs on our hearts and guides our lives—from sub-atomic molecular behaviors, to how your hair part might affect your likeability. This is a night of fascinating voices, engaging images and live musical performances. Radiolab is one part vaudeville and one part scientific inquiry. Bring your curiosity and we’ll feed it with possibility.

Tickets: $40–$50.For tickets call 202.547.1122 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org.

Synetic Theater, DC’s Premier Physical Theater Presents

The Master and MargaritaDirected by Paata TsikurishviliChoreographed by Irina TsikurishviliSet and Costumes by Anastasia R. SimesOriginal Music by Konstantine Lortkipanidze

November 11–December 12, 2010Lansburgh Theatre

Wednesday–Saturday at 8 p.m.Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.Previews: Thursday, November 11 at 8 p.m.; Friday, November 12 at 8 p.m.; Saturday matinee, November 13 at 2 p.m.

The Master returns in The Master and Margarita, the first of two productions staged at the Lansburgh Theatre as part of Synetic’s Legendary 10th Anniversary season! Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili reunite as the title roles in this adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s masterpiece about the devil’s visit to Stalin’s Moscow—a powerful tale about the juxtaposition of good

and evil, sacrificing for love and artistic struggles in a repressive society. A

supernatural, exotic fusion of text, startling visuals, physicality and

humor, this metaphorical play will be re-imagined and redesigned

by Synetic’s award-winning artistic team.

HARMAN CENTER FOR THE ARTS EVENTS

“Practically every scene

with Margarita and the Master is a treasure, so sure are the Tsikurishvilis of their craft, so

exquisitely chosen and calibrated are their movements.

When they finally come together, you are greatly

moved.” The Washington Times

Recipient of the 2005 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Choreography, Resident Production.

For tickets: 202.547.1122 ShakespeareTheatre.orgTickets: $50–$55 Senior and Military: $45–$50 Student Tickets: $20–$25

“Ferocious theatricality... hallucinogenic

stagecraft”The Washington Post

30

Call 202.547.1122 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.orgGroups of 10+, call 202.547.1122, option 6

Cymbeline marks the return of director Rebecca

Bayla Taichman, whose recent Twelfth Night was “gorgeously romantic… as brand new as

a first kiss” (The Downtowner), and whose

The Taming of the Shrew found “a satisfying

quantity of heart in a play that can be made to

seem merely playful” (Washington City Paper). The Shakespeare Theatre Company premiere

of Cymbeline follows Imogen on her search for

reconciliation against the backdrop of a colorful

and magical journey. Forbidden love, mistaken

identities, banishment and a magic potion—

Shakespeare combines multiple styles in this

endlessly inventive fairy tale.

Cymbeline by William Shakespearedirected by Rebecca Bayla TaichmanJanuary 18–March 6, 2011Lansburgh Theatre

31

BEGINS JANUARY 18 2010|201 1 SEASON

Runtime is 1 hour 50 minutes long with no intermission. Black Watch contains very strong language, loud explosions and strobe lighting. Recommended for audiences 13 years and older. Special notice for stage seating: Due to the highly physical nature of the performance, there will be absolutely no late seating for these seat locations. If you need to leave during the show you must be escorted by an usher and will not be allowed to re-enter the theatre.

The National Theatre of Scotland’s production of

Hurtling from a pool room in Scotland to an armored wagon in Iraq, Black Watch is based on interviews conducted by Gregory Burke with former soldiers who served in Iraq. Viewed through the eyes of those on the ground, Black Watch reveals what it means to be part of the legendary Scottish regiment, what it means to be part of the war on terror and what it means to make the journey home again. John Tiffany’s production from the National Theatre of Scotland makes powerful and inventive use of movement and music to create a visceral, complex and urgent piece of theatre.

This production of Black Watch launches its U.S. tour at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, having played to universal acclaim in Australia, New Zealand, London, Toronto, Los Angeles, New York, Edinburgh and more.

Tickets on sale now!Call 202.547.1122 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org today!Groups of 10+, call 202.547.1122, option 6

Photos: Cameron Barnes as Macca; Chris Starkie as Stewarty, Keith Fleming as Sergeant and Scott Fletcher as Kenzie in the National Theatre of Scotland’s production of Black Watch. All photos by Manuel Harlan.

BEGINS JANUARY 26

presents

Media Partners:

“It’s essential that you see Black Watch.”

New York Observer

by Gregory Burke directed by John TiffanyJanuary 26–February 6, 2011Sidney Harman Hall

BLACK WATCH

VIP seating will be given to series holders and STC subscribers and donors.

Photos of Rory Kinnear by Ela Hawes; The original Broadway cast of Fela! by Monique Carboni; and King Lear by Johan Persson.

Season Schedule

Hamlet Monday, December 27, 2010, at 7:30 p.m.Nicholas Hytner directs this “constantly compelling” (The Daily Telegraph) production that “demands to be seen” (The Independent), featuring Rory Kinnear in the title role.

Fela! Monday, January 17, 2011, at 7:30 p.m.This Tony Award-winning musical stars Sahr Gaujah as Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.

King Lear Monday, February 7, 2011, at 7:30 p.m.The Donmar Warehouse presents Shakespeare’s classic, starring British luminary Derek Jacobi, winner of Tony, Emmy and Helen Hayes awards and founding member of the National Theatre.

Frankenstein Monday, March 21, 2011, at 7:30 p.m.Danny Boyle’s production of a play by Nick Dear, based on the novel by Mary Shelley.

The Cherry Orchard Monday, July 11, 2011, at 7:30 p.m.A play by Anton Chekhov, directed by NT Associate Director Howard Davies, whose recent productions of Russian plays have earned huge critical acclaim.

*dates subject to change

Broadcast in HD

NT Live enters its second season of broadcasting performances from London’s National Theatre in HD!

From the stage to the big screen.Presented at Sidney Harman Hall

$20 Tickets!Call 202.547.1122 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org/NTLive.

Buy the series andSAVE 20%

presents

3332

Looking for the perfect holiday gift?The Shakespeare Theatre Company Gift Shop has something for everyone. Find your perfect holiday gift in our growing collection of t-shirts, CDs, DVDs, jewelry, glassware, books and more!

Our Gift Shops are located in the lobby of Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) and the Lansburgh Theatre (450 7th Street NW).

Gift Shop Hours:Monday–Friday 10 a.m.–5:45 p.m.

Special Holiday Hours (December 1–23): Tuesday–Friday 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

AUDIENCE SERVICESContact the Box Officesat the Lansburgh Theatre and Sidney Harman HallTickets: 202.547.1122Toll-free: 877.487.8849Group sales: 202.547.1122, option 6TTY (hearing impaired): 202.638.3863Box Office fax: 202.608.6350Bookings: 202.547.3230 ext. 2206

Box Office HoursWhen there is an evening performance:Monday: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.Tuesday–Saturday: 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m.Sunday: noon–6:30 p.m.When there is no evening performance:Monday–Saturday: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.Sunday: noon–6 p.m.

Traveling to the TheatresThe Lansburgh Theatre is located near the Archives–Navy Mem’l–Penn Quarter and Gallery Pl–Chinatown Metro stations. Sidney Harman Hall is near Gallery Pl–Chinatown and Judiciary Square. For driving directions and parking information, visit ShakespeareTheatre.org/Visit.

Concessions and Gift ShopsFood and beverages are available one hour before each performance. Pre-order before curtain for immediate pick-up at intermission. Lansburgh Theatre and Sidney Harman Hall gift shops are open before curtain, at intermission and for a short time after each performance.

Lansburgh Theatre450 7th Street NW

Tom Arban

Sidney Harman Hall610 F Street NW

Our theatres are accessible to patrons with physical disabilities or mobility impairments. Please request accessible seating when purchasing tickets.

Audio-enhancement devices are available for all performances. Receivers with earphones (or neck loops with “T” switch for use with hearing aids) are available at the coat check on a first-come basis.

Please see event calendar for dates of sign-interpreted and audio-described performances.

Program notes in large print and Braille are available at the coat check.

AccessibilityThe Shakespeare Theatre Company is committed to providing full access for persons with disabilities.

Go to ShakespeareTheatre.org/PlanYourVisit

T H E A T R E A R E A M A P

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A publication of the Shakespeare Theatre Company · PDF fileA publication of the Shakespeare Theatre Company ... of his 1956 musical Candide. ... ASIDES A publication of the Shakespeare