Latest news with #Love'sLabour'sLost
San Francisco Chronicle
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Inside the challenges — and successes — of staging Shakespeare at a California state prison
Kelon Williams as the King of Navarre took a beat-length pause, savoring the suspense. His character was introducing 'the Navarre model,' a scheme in which he and his buddies renounce women and indulgence to better themselves through study. Delivering the line with a triumphant grin, Williams made a choice a thoughtful actor might make in any production of Shakespeare's 'Love's Labour's Lost.' He conveyed not only how brilliant the king thinks the idea is but also how chuffed he is with himself for coming up with it. But in so many ways, this production at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center was unlike any other take on Shakespeare's early-career comedy. An alarm in the yard delayed it, so director Lesley Currier had to vamp for a bit, explaining its plot, before the show could start. Costumes, driven in and out of the facility each day, can't have any metal on them, necessitating a last-minute substitution of paper crowns for weightier ones. Actors officially rehearse with Marin Shakespeare Company's Currier and co-director Suraya Keating just once per week, and in two different groups, which means they might not get any time with their scene partners. They might also get disciplined or sent to another prison at any moment, so understudying is common. And we, the audience on Friday, May 23, had to submit our IDs weeks in advance of the performance and get cleared through multiple gates to enter. We couldn't wear any blue, orange, yellow, green or gray to avoid any confusion with incarcerated people or guards. Then after lining up outside the prison, we had to give verbal consent that we understood, as a guard put it, 'The State of California has a no-hostage policy' — meaning that if a prisoner grabs you and threatens your life, the state will not release him in order to save you. For all that preamble, when you finally make it through the final gate and enter the yard, some prisoners mill about freely on performance days, with the actors shaking your hand or fist-bumping you in welcome. When they hand you your program and a copy of the San Quentin News, they thank you for coming. California prisons made national news this year as yet another one of President Donald Trump's political pawns. When he posted on social media in May that he'd ordered law enforcement agencies to reopen Alcatraz as a prison for 'America's most ruthless and violent Offenders,' he wasn't just ignoring decades of understanding that the island was too expensive to operate in that capacity; he was exhuming an outdated notion of correctional facilities' purpose, in order to stoke fear and score easy points. But prisons aren't a black hole from which the incarcerated never return. 'Ninety-five percent of people who are incarcerated go home, and they will be our neighbors,' Currier told the Chronicle, citing 2016 data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. 'We want those people to want to live their best lives, want to be contributing citizens, want to know how to ask for help when they need it, because they will face many, many challenges.' She also referred to an American Civil Liberties Union statistic noting that while the U.S. has just 5% of the world's population, it has 20% of the world's prisoners. In other words, we should be working to close more prisons, not reopen shuttered ones like Alcatraz. The tension among incarceration's various goals — punishment, deterrence and rehabilitation — is age old. But at San Quentin, the balance has recently swung toward rehabilitation. In 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a $239 million plan to renovate the facility into a rehab center in the mode of Scandinavian prisons, complete with farmers market, cafe and podcast recording studio. At the same time, Marin Shakespeare's Shakespeare in San Quentin program, which has been teaching theater at the prison since 2003, lost state funding this year. The grants, provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, included one from California Arts in Corrections (co-administered by the California Arts Council) and another for 'innovative programming.' But Currier ensured the program would continue, noting she'd raised alternate funds from private sources. At 'Love's Labour's Lost,' the program's effect on incarcerated men was staggering. As the silly Spaniard Don Adriano de Armado, Nythell Collins rolled his Rs long enough for a gargle. When Navion 'Smoove' Starks, as a parson so relaxed he appeared to be on quaaludes, started to read aloud a love letter for some country rubes, he amped up the moment's humor by getting so into another man's effusions that he started to get all hot and bothered himself. Meanwhile, Gabriel Moctezuma, as nobleman Biron, showed he already has the chops (honed from youth theater in Sacramento) to appear on any stage in the Bay Area. He activated each moment of stage time with intention, whether it was leaning in with raised eyebrows to flirt, recoiling at the smell of a member of a lower class, impersonating a 'decrepit, sick and bedrid father' or palpitating in swoony lust. Then, when he launched into a rendition of John Legend 's 'All of Me' (Currier and Keating interpolated lots of pop songs into the show), a golden voice beamed out. 'We're all trying to put forth the best part of ourselves,' he told the Chronicle after stepping offstage. 'This is a healing process for all of us.' Alums also sing the program's praises. John Neblett served a 30-year sentence, much of it at San Quentin, for second-degree murder. Now, he said he makes a six-figure salary as a non-union electrician, using skills he learned at the facility. He's also proud he can still recite from memory poetry he wrote while inside, inspired by Shakespeare, Philip Sidney and John Donne. Performing Shakespeare, he said, gave him the self-confidence to apply for his current job. If you can perform for a mass of people, he said, 'you know you're good.' Actors, he continued, 'have a wider experience of reality than a lot of people,' and that insight translates beyond the stage. 'You know what that character wants, and you come up with ways to get what that character wants with your scene partner.' Neblett still performs when he can via Marin Shakespeare's Returned Citizens Theatre Troupe. Stereotypes about life behind bars suggest that other prisoners might ridicule the ones who choose to do Shakespeare — especially those who, like Brady Godoy, Angie Gordon, Aaron Zendejas and Jooty Johnson, perform as a princess and her ladies in waiting in 'Love's Labour's Lost.' But the vibe in the audience during this recent show was supportive, even loving. Whoops resounded. Every song became a sing-along. During a brief postshow talkback, one prisoner named White said, 'I thought the teamwork was awesome.' Another named Max, who was wearing a 'peer support' uniform, said with a laugh, 'I'm going to need dance lessons from two of the cast members. We'll talk about that later!' Godoy admitted, 'Two years ago, I never would have imagined I would be playing the Princess of France.' He told the Chronicle he signed up for the program 'because it was out of my comfort zone, and I knew it was going to be just a vital piece of growth and strengthening.' The reason for prisoners to perform Shakespeare, as opposed to any other dramatist, isn't just that Currier's company is dedicated to him. 'Shakespeare gives us questions but not answers,' Currier explained. Among them: 'How do we think we should deal with the kind of violence that shows up in the world? When are we willing to give people a second chance? When are we willing to love people, despite whether or not they've learned how to heal?' She added that while she's met plenty of people who told her that prison saved their lives, 'I've also met plenty of people in prison who I would call rehabilitated and ready to go home who are kept in prison for years and sometimes decades.' Williams, who's served 27 years, told the Chronicle that doing Shakespeare gives him a small taste of freedom. 'The great thing I love about doing Shakespeare in prison is the fact that you get to claim your body,' he said. 'You get to have that ownership of something that you thought you lost.' It's also partly about the freedom to choose. 'Whether I'm playing a king or whether I am playing a servant, I get to choose what I get to be,' he explained. 'Having that choice is the greatest thing.' Often prisoners mask their humanity as a survival mechanism, he went on. With Shakespeare, 'Week after week after week, you get the opportunity to see somebody's mask come off their face.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nearly 40 free Shakespeare performances coming to Milwaukee and state parks this summer
Milwaukee audiences and Wisconsin state park visitors can see dozens of free outdoor Shakespeare performances this summer, thanks to Optimist Theatre, also known as Shakespeare in the Park, and Summit Players Theatre. Both groups stage productions tailored to newbies and younger audiences, with small casts of actors (or puppets) performing shortened versions of the Bard's plays. Both groups also present related educational and entertainment activities with their performances. Summit Players Theatre will perform the comedy "Love's Labour's Lost" in a number of Wisconsin state parks. Optimist Theatre will stage a day of Shakespeare activities at Milwaukee-area parks and similar locations. Each day will include performances of "Much Ado About Nothing" and "The Taming of the Shrew." Optimist will present the same schedule at each performing location, highlighted by a 45-minute puppet version of "Much Ado About Nothing" and an 80-minute distillation of "Taming of the Shrew." Both productions are directed by Milwaukee Repertory Theater regular Kelley Faulkner and feature actors Libby Amato, George Lorimer and Brielle Richmond. Optimist promises that both productions are "reimagined with a blast of 1980s beach party flair." The schedule at each site: 1 p.m.:seating opens, "The Play's The Thing" tent with drop-in workshop, activities and games; 2 p.m. "Much Ado About Nothing"; 2:45 p.m. "The Play's The Thing" tent reopens; 4:10 p.m. Early Music Now performance of Renaissance-era music; 5 p.m. "The Taming of the Shrew." Locations: July 12, Wisconsin Lutheran College, 8800 W. Blue Mound Road, Wauwatosa; July 13, Washington Park, 1859 N. 40th St. ; July 19, Humboldt Park, 3000 S. Howell Ave.; July 20, Sherman Park, 3000 N. Sherman Blvd.; July 26, Mitchell Park, 524 S. Layton Blvd.; July 27, Grant Park, 100 Hawthorne Ave, South Milwaukee; Aug. 2, Lake Park, 2975 N. Lake Park Road; Aug. 3, Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum, 2405 W. Forest Home Ave.; Aug. 9, Kern Park, 3614 N. Humboldt Blvd.; Aug. 10, Lincoln Park, 1301 W. Hampton Ave.; Aug. 17, Wisconsin Avenue Park, 10300 W Wisconsin Ave., Wauwatosa. Aug. 16 is being held open in case an earlier scheduled performance is rained out. Bring a blanket or portable chair; no seating is provided. Optimist says these shows are for all ages. If you register for a show at the Optimist website, you will get email updates in case of weather issues or other changes. Also, while the shows are free to attend, if you donate $75 per person, Optimist will reserve a prime 3-feet-by-3-feet space for you. For information, visit A cast of six actors will perform director Maureen Kilmurry's adaptation of this early Shakespeare comedy at 17 state parks and forests, plus an outdoor preview performance on the Marquette University campus. Prior to each performance, Summit presents a 45-minute workshop on the play and its artistry; workshops start about 90 minutes before performance time. In the past Summit has suggested its shows work best for people 8 and older; younger audience members are welcome, but some of the program may over their heads. Bring your own chair or blanket. Here is the performance schedule. Unless a different time is listed, workshop begins at 5:30 p.m. and the performance at 7 p.m. June 12: Marquette University preview on the lawn (pre-show party, 6 p.m., performance, 7 p.m.) June 13: Richard Bong State Recreation Area, 26313 Burlington Road, Kansasville June 14: High Cliff State Park, N7630 State Park Road, Sherwood June 15: Havenwoods State Forest, 6141 N. Hopkins St., Milwaukee (1 p.m. workshop, 2:30 p.m. performance) June 20: Lake Kegonsa State Park, 2405 Door Creek Road, Stoughton June 21: Wyalusing State Park, 13081 State Park Lane, Bagley June 22: Blue Mound State Park, 4350 Mounds Park Road, Blue Mounds (1 p.m workshop, 2:30 p.m. performance) June 27: Amnicon Falls State Park, 4279 County Rd U, South Range June 28: Copper Falls State Park, 36664 Copper Falls Rd, Mellen July 11: Wildcat Mountain State Park, E13660 WI-33, Ontario July 12: Perrot State Park, 26247 Sullivan Road, Trempealeau July 13: Roche-A-Cri State Park, 1767 WI-13 Trunk, Friendship (1 p.m. workshop, 2:30 p.m. performance) July 18: Rib Mountain State Park, 4200 Park Road, Wausau July 19: Interstate State Park, WI-35, St. Croix Falls, July 21: Kohler-Andrae State Park, 1020 Beach Park Lane, Sheboygan July 25: Kettle Moraine State Forest-Pike Lake Unit, 3544 Kettle Moraine Road, Hartford July 26: Mirror Lake State Park, E10320 Fern Dell Road, Baraboo July 27: Hartman Creek State Park, N2480 Hartman Creek Road, Waupaca (1 p.m. workshop, 2:30 p.m. performance) For more info, including links to directions to each park, visit This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Free Shakespeare in Milwaukee, Wisconsin state parks in summer 2025
Rhyl Journal
16-05-2025
- Rhyl Journal
Shakespeare tree enjoys new chapter in Denbighshire
Nearly 2,500 crab apple trees are being nurtured by Denbighshire County Council's local provenance tree nursery at Green Gates Nature Reserve, St Asaph. Crab apples have long been associated with love and marriage. In the past, apple pips were thrown into fires while saying the name of a true love, and if they exploded, that love was deemed true. Celts also burned the tree wood during festivals and fertility rites. William Shakespeare continued the crab apple's theme of love by mentioning the tree in both A Midsummer Night's Dream and Love's Labour's Lost. The nursery's work will provide a significant boost for county biodiversity once the trees are planted. The crab apple trees, which can grow up to 10 metres and last around 100 years, provide a source of food for moths, including the pale tussock, green pug, and the eyed hawk moth. Tree nursery assistant, Sam Brown, said: "Its flowers are also a great early source of pollen and nectar for bees and other insects. "All these seeds we have grown here were sourced across the county and they have taken really well at the nursery. "Once they get to a stage when we can plant them outdoors, they will make such a difference to local biodiversity and will bring a lot of love to our countryside with their lovely flowering stages and great supply for food for all creatures great and small." Councillor Barry Mellor, lead member for environment and transport, said: "Growing trees takes time and it's a credit to our biodiversity team and the tree nursery volunteers that there are so many species of trees growing on site that are going out to tackle the impact of climate change for both residents and our local nature."
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Under the baobab: Musical, theater events highlight spring Happy Valley happenings
Chag Pesach Sameach. Have a blessed Easter. Sisters and brothers, as we celebrate these holy days let us vouchsafe the sacredness of all human life by ceasing the conscious killing of each other. Let us collectively and individually pledge to not kill another person. Let us declare that there is no 'justifiable' war, state execution, or personal privilege that validates the taking of another human life. Most victims of war are children, women and other innocents. We can only stop their slaughter by silencing our weapons. We must give peace a chance because, in the end, it is our only chance. Around town Congratulations to the Penn State men's hockey team for fighting their way to their first Frozen Four in St. Louis. Their accomplishment was even more spectacular considering the team had to scrap their way back from an 0-8 start in the Big 10. We proudly watched as these young lions battled in the NCAA semifinal against highly-ranked Boston University. They were very much in the game until late in the last period when BU's empty net goal put the 2-1 game out of reach. The spirit of our beloved Tony Leach blessed the Recital Hall as the Penn State School of Music presented its annual choral concert. The University Choir under the direction of Christopher Kiver, the Mont Alto Chorale conducted by Patricia Stepler and Essence of Joy directed by Austin Norrid and Anisa Adkins performed for an appreciative audience. PSU will host the 34th annual Fruhling Posaunen 'Spring Trombones' on April 13. It will feature the trombone choirs of PSU, Ithaca College, and the Eastman School of Music. The School of Theatre's Center Stage produced a delightful musical version of Shakespeare's 'Love's Labour's Lost' directed and choreographed by Christine O'Grady. It closes on April 12 at the Pavilion Theatre. 'Alice in Wonderland,' based on the Lewis Carroll classic, adapted and directed by Jenny Lamb, opens on April 15 at the Playhouse and runs until April 26. Also at the Playhouse, SOT presents 'One Night on Broadway' on May 19. The fundraiser will showcase PSU alumni from Broadway and the professional world returning 'home' to create a one-of-a-kind program that will honor the school's rich history and celebrate the vibrant future of our theatrical community. The Center for the Performing Arts will present '50 Forward: Beethoven's Ninth Revisited' on April 25 at Eisenhower Auditorium, featuring the PSU Philharmonic Orchestra as well as acclaimed vocal soloists and members of the PSU music choirs. The APIDA Caucus will celebrate its Spring Festival on April 12 from 1-4:30 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza and Fraser Street. The event is sponsored by the APIDA Caucus, the PanAPIDA Circle, State College Borough, the Paul Robeson Cultural Center and Penn State Student Affairs. Carmin Wong and Hunter Reed at the Center for Black Digital Research have organized the #Harper200 national poetry contest for K-12 and undergraduate students that will commemorate the bicentennial life and legacy of poet, educator and activist Frances E.W. Harper (1825-1911). For further information, contact the Center. And the 'resistance' continues to grow. More than 500 people gathered at Sidney Friedman Park as part of a 'Hands off!' rally. Over 1,200 similar rallies gathered across all 50 states. Speakers included Ray Bilger, Suzanne Weinstein, Connor Lewis and Christy Delafield. The Monday peace vigil at the Allen Street Gates has also continued to grow. Sponsored by AAUP, UAW and others, several dozen citizens presented a petition to Rep. Glenn Thompson's office with over 300 names asking to 'Kill The Cuts' and protect lifesaving research, health care and education. The interim Vice Provost of Penn State Global, Sabine Klahr, reported that some of PSU's international students have had their lawful status in the USA terminated by the government. Their status is unclear. Be vigilant and stay strong. ` Charles Dumas is a lifetime political activist, a professor emeritus from Penn State, and was the Democratic Party's nominee for U.S. Congress in 2012. He lives with his partner and wife of 50 years in State College.
The Guardian
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Love's Labour's Lost (More or Less) review – lads on tour in Ibiza swear off sex
Standards have declined. When Shakespeare set his characters a challenge in his early comedy, he measured it out in years. In a bid to lead a life of contemplative study, the king of Navarre persuades his friends to join him in a three-year regime of abstemiousness, requiring them to renounce women and cut back on food and sleep. Now, by contrast, playwrights Elizabeth Godber and Nick Lane have revisited the material but cut the pledge down. Their young men have to last a whole three days. For a show opening at the start of Lent, that seems pretty feeble, although, to be fair, the context has also changed. Berowne (Thomas Cotran), Long-Dumain (Linford Johnson) and Ferdy (Timothy Adam Lucas) agree to avoid the company of women not just anywhere, but in Ibiza, the throbbing heart of 1990s hedonism. For every other party of lads flying out of Manchester airport, meeting women is the point. Returning to the blueprint of 2023's The Comedy of Errors (More or Less), a jokey rehash of Shakespeare with a pop-song setting, the writers have reunited with director Paul Robinson to put Love's Labour's Lost in the decade of Blur, the Spice Girls and Pete Tong at Manumission. This one is even less reverent than the last, not only substituting almost the entire script for modern-day urban poetry, but also beefing up the women's roles to make them equal partners with the men. Alice Imelda, Annie Kirkman, Alyce Liburd and Jo Patmore rise gutsily to the occasion. They are now on a mixed-up stag-and-hen weekend (with additional hired-assassin subplot), while a lovelorn Armado (David Kirkbride) is the Sun Park holiday resort's resident pill supplier. So far so flippant, but is it irreverent enough? A truly modern comedy on this subject, apart from being an hour shorter, would have made more of the island's temptations. To be puritanical in Ibiza would take some doing. Resisting would be funny. But by clinging on to Shakespeare's plot, Godber and Lane minimise the men's dilemma. The comic stakes are too low. Still, the audience delights in the old songs, dance routines and outrageous Cher costumes, not to mention the energetic silliness of it all. At Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot, until 22 March, then at Stephen Joseph theatre, Scarborough, 27 March-19 April.
