Latest news with #TheTwoGentlemenofVerona
The Province
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Province
2025 Bard on the Beach opens with Shakespeare's first play, and a set of rom coms
The Two Gentlemen of Verona has the smallest cast of any play by the Bard Bard on the Beach The Two Gentlemen of Verona Emily Cooper Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Bard on the Beach returns this summer with a pair of rom coms that couldn't be more different from one another. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors For its 2025 season, the not-for-profit professional Shakespeare festival presents Much Ado About Nothing and the Two Gentlemen of Verona on the BMO Mainstage in Vancouver. Much Ado About Nothing is a classic work believed to have been written sometime in the period of 1598-1599. This comic romp in the Sicilian city of Messina follows the couple Benedick and Beatrice through a labyrinth of mistaken identity, battles between the sexes and ribald wit. The play has been adapted into numerous film and TV versions, as well as into young adult fiction. It is a clear classic of the canon. The Two Gentlemen of Verona, believed to have been written sometime between 1589-1593, is considered to be Shakespeare's first play. Dealing with themes of friendship, infidelity and love's labours, the play has the smallest cast of any work by the playwright. Everyone has to start somewhere, and the production budget usually reflects that fact. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Two Gentlemen of Verona doesn't typically receive equal billing compared to other Shakespeare works. In fact, some refer to it as 'one of Shakespeare's weakest plays.' But the comedy has one of the most scene-stealing non-speaking role in all of Shakespeare's plays, performed by a dog called Crab. There will be a dog playing Crab in the local production, which alone might be worth checking out. What really makes this take on The Two Gentlemen of Verona sound appealing is its turn as this year's Bard on the Beach 'jukebox Shakespeare' jaunt. After past successes with The Beatles' music-infused As You Like It and Bollywood-themed All's Well That Ends Well, the company has a proven track record of turning any play into a song-and-dance delight. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Bard on the Beach director Dean Paul Gibson Dean Paul Gibson For The Two Gentlemen of Verona, director Dean Paul Gibson has decided to place the play in the shoulder pads and pouffy-haired heyday of the 1980s. Shakespeare wrote the play in 'the pocket of his youth' in his 20s, and Gibson was at the same age in the '80s. 'Choosing to set it in the soundscape of my youth felt like a great hit with a lot of people of a certain generation feeling some nostalgia about it,' said Gibson, noting it's his fourth time with this play. 'The 1980s seem to be in the zeitgeist again, and a strong connection with the music — complete with Easter eggs throughout the production for the '80s kids and fans of the era — make it a lot of fun.' Gibson admits the Two Gentlemen of Verona explores the 'frankly dumb, sometimes transgressive choices' that one makes in their youth. While the playwright would revisit such things as characters hiding their identity and confusing plot twists with more depth and detail in later works, there is something fresh and vigorous in the play that the cast and crew are making their own. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I was watching Pretty in Pink when I started thinking about doing it, and right away realized that there is a direct line from John Hughes to Shakespeare in this comedy,' he said. 'It's a ripe play for the excess and indulgence of the era to be put up on stage at a time when getting the mullets working is just the kind of distraction we need. It's also a bit of a love letter to misspent youth.' Vancouver actor Agnes Tong is new to Bard on the Beach this year. She plays Silvia, beloved of Valentine, one of the two gents from Verona. With a lengthy Hollywood North TV and film resume, the Studio 58 graduate fondly recalls attending Bard on the Beach in the past. Bard on the Beach's Agnes Tong Agnes Tong 'It's an event with beautiful language floating over to the mountains you see through the open back of the stage,' said Tong of the famous seaside setting. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Noting she's still somewhat new to Shakespeare, having previously been directed in Julius Caesar at Studio 58 by current cast mate Scott Bellis, Tong says it has been a complete delight diving into the work. 'It looks hard, but the iambic pentameter rhythm of the writing mirrors a natural speaking rhythm that makes learning the language of the Bard easier,' she said. 'But, yes, there are still some words that are hard to get your mouth around and ensure the image and emotion in what you are saying resonates. We are having the best time with the big hair, bigger shoulder pads and drawing on my previous career as a dancer.' Bard on the Beach The Two Gentlemen of Verona (l-r) Agnes Tong and Jacob Leonard are directed by Dean Paul Gibson (cap) in the Two Gentlemen of Verona. Photo by bard / Taylor Kleine-Deters Tong plays opposite Matthew Ip Shaw as Valentine. Jacob Leonard appears as Proteus, Valentine's best mate and the other gent of Verona, who is in love with Julia (Tess Gegenstein). The love story between this foursome follows them on an adventure that spans several royal courts, locations, and encounters. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. By end of show, the audience will be able to know the answer to the question posed by the Human League in its 1981 smash, Don't You Want Me? Along with two Shakespeare-adjacent works at the Douglass Campbell smaller stage, tickets and information for all Bard on the Beach dates can be found at Bard on the Beach The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] (Again). What's playing at Bard on the Beach in 2024? There are four plays at the 2025 Bard on the Beach festival. Two Shakespearean classics are presented in the BMO Mainstage. Two Shakespeare-adjacent works are presented at the Douglas Campbell Theatre smaller stage. Tickets/info: BMO Mainstage: Much Ado About Nothing: A romp that is 'as merry as the day is long.' Featuring sparring couple Beatrice and Benedick and star-crossed young lovers Claudio and Hero, this is one of Shakespeares most-loved comedies directed by Johnna Wright. With Sheldon Elter as Benedick, Jennifer Lines as Beatrice, Angus Yam as Claudio and Jennifer Tong as Hero. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Two Gentlemen of Verona: Venture back to the weird and wacky era of the 1980s for a music-filled frenzy of rom-com mix-ups and eventual matches in what is considered Shakespeare's first play. Directed by Dean Paul Gibson. With Agnes Tong as Silvia, Tess Degenstein as Julia, Matthew Ip Shaw as Valentine and Jacob Leonard as Proteus. Plus Mason the dog as Crab, the dog. Douglas Campbell Theatre: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] [Again]: A sprint through all of the Shakespearean canonical plays in record time with no shortage of laugh out loud moments. A fan fave whether you love or loathe the Bard. Directed by Mark Chavez. With Tess Degenstein, Craig Erickson, Arghavan Jenati and Nathan Kay in many, many roles. The Dark Lady: Playwright and actor Jessica B. Hill's story of England's first published female poet, Emilia Bassano, asks if she was the 'Dark Lady' of Shakespeare's sonnets and more. Directed by Moya O'Connell. With Arghavan Jenati as Emilai Bassano, Nathan Kay as William Shakespeare, Sebastian Kroon and Synthia Yusuf as understudies. sderdeyn@
Calgary Herald
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
2025 Bard on the Beach opens with Shakespeare's first play, and a set of rom coms
Article content Vancouver actor Agnes Tong is new to Bard on the Beach this year. She plays Silvia, beloved of Valentine, one of the two gents from Verona. With a lengthy Hollywood North TV and film resume, the Studio 58 graduate fondly recalls attending Bard on the Beach in the past. Article content Article content 'It's an event with beautiful language floating over to the mountains you see through the open back of the stage,' said Tong of the famous seaside setting. Article content Noting she's still somewhat new to Shakespeare, having previously been directed in Julius Caesar at Studio 58 by current cast mate Scott Bellis, Tong says it has been a complete delight diving into the work. Article content 'It looks hard, but the iambic pentameter rhythm of the writing mirrors a natural speaking rhythm that makes learning the language of the Bard easier,' she said. 'But, yes, there are still some words that are hard to get your mouth around and ensure the image and emotion in what you are saying resonates. We are having the best time with the big hair, bigger shoulder pads and drawing on my previous career as a dancer.' Article content Article content Article content Tong plays opposite Matthew Ip Shaw as Valentine. Jacob Leonard appears as Proteus, Valentine's best mate and the other gent of Verona, who is in love with Julia (Tess Gegenstein). The love story between this foursome follows them on an adventure that spans several royal courts, locations, and encounters. Article content By end of show, the audience will be able to know the answer to the question posed by the Human League in its 1981 smash, Don't You Want Me? Article content Article content Much Ado About Nothing: A romp that is 'as merry as the day is long.' Featuring sparring couple Beatrice and Benedick and star-crossed young lovers Claudio and Hero, this is one of Shakespeares most-loved comedies directed by Johnna Wright. With Sheldon Elter as Benedick, Jennifer Lines as Beatrice, Angus Yam as Claudio and Jennifer Tong as Hero. Article content The Two Gentlemen of Verona: Venture back to the weird and wacky era of the 1980s for a music-filled frenzy of rom-com mix-ups and eventual matches in what is considered Shakespeare's first play. Directed by Dean Paul Gibson. With Agnes Tong as Silvia, Tess Degenstein as Julia, Matthew Ip Shaw as Valentine and Jacob Leonard as Proteus. Plus Mason the dog as Crab, the dog. Article content Douglas Campbell Theatre: Article content The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] [Again]: A sprint through all of the Shakespearean canonical plays in record time with no shortage of laugh out loud moments. A fan fave whether you love or loathe the Bard. Directed by Mark Chavez. With Tess Degenstein, Craig Erickson, Arghavan Jenati and Nathan Kay in many, many roles. Article content The Dark Lady: Playwright and actor Jessica B. Hill's story of England's first published female poet, Emilia Bassano, asks if she was the 'Dark Lady' of Shakespeare's sonnets and more. Directed by Moya O'Connell. With Arghavan Jenati as Emilai Bassano, Nathan Kay as William Shakespeare, Sebastian Kroon and Synthia Yusuf as understudies.
Vancouver Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
2025 Bard on the Beach opens with Shakespeare's first play, and a set of rom coms
Bard on the Beach returns this summer with a pair of rom coms that couldn't be more different from one another. For its 2025 season, the not-for-profit professional Shakespeare festival presents Much Ado About Nothing and the Two Gentlemen of Verona on the BMO Mainstage in Vancouver. Much Ado About Nothing is a classic work believed to have been written sometime in the period of 1598-1599. This comic romp in the Sicilian city of Messina follows the couple Benedick and Beatrice through a labyrinth of mistaken identity, battles between the sexes and ribald wit. The play has been adapted into numerous film and TV versions, as well as into young adult fiction. It is a clear classic of the canon. The Two Gentlemen of Verona, believed to have been written sometime between 1589-1593, is considered to be Shakespeare's first play. Dealing with themes of friendship, infidelity and love's labours, the play has the smallest cast of any work by the playwright. Everyone has to start somewhere, and the production budget usually reflects that fact. The Two Gentlemen of Verona doesn't typically receive equal billing compared to other Shakespeare works. In fact, some refer to it as 'one of Shakespeare's weakest plays.' But the comedy has one of the most scene-stealing non-speaking role in all of Shakespeare's plays, performed by a dog called Crab. Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. There will be a dog playing Crab in the local production, which alone might be worth checking out. What really makes this take on The Two Gentlemen of Verona sound appealing is its turn as this year's Bard on the Beach 'jukebox Shakespeare' jaunt. After past successes with The Beatles' music-infused As You Like It and Bollywood-themed All's Well That Ends Well, the company has a proven track record of turning any play into a song-and-dance delight. For The Two Gentlemen of Verona, director Dean Paul Gibson has decided to place the play in the shoulder pads and pouffy-haired heyday of the 1980s. Shakespeare wrote the play in 'the pocket of his youth' in his 20s, and Gibson was at the same age in the '80s. 'Choosing to set it in the soundscape of my youth felt like a great hit with a lot of people of a certain generation feeling some nostalgia about it,' said Gibson, noting it's his fourth time with this play. 'The 1980s seem to be in the zeitgeist again, and a strong connection with the music — complete with Easter eggs throughout the production for the '80s kids and fans of the era — make it a lot of fun.' Gibson admits the Two Gentlemen of Verona explores the 'frankly dumb, sometimes transgressive choices' that one makes in their youth. While the playwright would revisit such things as characters hiding their identity and confusing plot twists with more depth and detail in later works, there is something fresh and vigorous in the play that the cast and crew are making their own. 'I was watching Pretty in Pink when I started thinking about doing it, and right away realized that there is a direct line from John Hughes to Shakespeare in this comedy,' he said. 'It's a ripe play for the excess and indulgence of the era to be put up on stage at a time when getting the mullets working is just the kind of distraction we need. It's also a bit of a love letter to misspent youth.' Vancouver actor Agnes Tong is new to Bard on the Beach this year. She plays Silvia, beloved of Valentine, one of the two gents from Verona. With a lengthy Hollywood North TV and film resume, the Studio 58 graduate fondly recalls attending Bard on the Beach in the past. 'It's an event with beautiful language floating over to the mountains you see through the open back of the stage,' said Tong of the famous seaside setting. Noting she's still somewhat new to Shakespeare, having previously been directed in Julius Caesar at Studio 58 by current cast mate Scott Bellis, Tong says it has been a complete delight diving into the work. 'It looks hard, but the iambic pentameter rhythm of the writing mirrors a natural speaking rhythm that makes learning the language of the Bard easier,' she said. 'But, yes, there are still some words that are hard to get your mouth around and ensure the image and emotion in what you are saying resonates. We are having the best time with the big hair, bigger shoulder pads and drawing on my previous career as a dancer.' Tong plays opposite Matthew Ip Shaw as Valentine. Jacob Leonard appears as Proteus, Valentine's best mate and the other gent of Verona, who is in love with Julia (Tess Gegenstein). The love story between this foursome follows them on an adventure that spans several royal courts, locations, and encounters. By end of show, the audience will be able to know the answer to the question posed by the Human League in its 1981 smash, Don't You Want Me? Along with two Shakespeare-adjacent works at the Douglass Campbell smaller stage, tickets and information for all Bard on the Beach dates can be found at . There are four plays at the 2025 Bard on the Beach festival. Two Shakespearean classics are presented in the BMO Mainstage. Two Shakespeare-adjacent works are presented at the Douglas Campbell Theatre smaller stage. Tickets/info: . BMO Mainstage : Much Ado About Nothing : A romp that is 'as merry as the day is long.' Featuring sparring couple Beatrice and Benedick and star-crossed young lovers Claudio and Hero, this is one of Shakespeares most-loved comedies directed by Johnna Wright. With Sheldon Elter as Benedick, Jennifer Lines as Beatrice, Angus Yam as Claudio and Jennifer Tong as Hero. The Two Gentlemen of Verona : Venture back to the weird and wacky era of the 1980s for a music-filled frenzy of rom-com mix-ups and eventual matches in what is considered Shakespeare's first play. Directed by Dean Paul Gibson. With Agnes Tong as Silvia, Tess Degenstein as Julia, Matthew Ip Shaw as Valentine and Jacob Leonard as Proteus. Plus Mason the dog as Crab, the dog. Douglas Campbell Theatre : The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] [Again] : A sprint through all of the Shakespearean canonical plays in record time with no shortage of laugh out loud moments. A fan fave whether you love or loathe the Bard. Directed by Mark Chavez. With Tess Degenstein, Craig Erickson, Arghavan Jenati and Nathan Kay in many, many roles. The Dark Lady : Playwright and actor Jessica B. Hill's story of England's first published female poet, Emilia Bassano, asks if she was the 'Dark Lady' of Shakespeare's sonnets and more. Directed by Moya O'Connell. With Arghavan Jenati as Emilai Bassano, Nathan Kay as William Shakespeare, Sebastian Kroon and Synthia Yusuf as understudies. sderdeyn@
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
I sponsor a child. Calling me a ‘white saviour' is preposterous and offensive
No good deed goes unpunished. A hoary old chestnut, that one, delivered with a sigh, a wry smile, maybe an eye roll. I've used it myself; most recently when I offered to sort out my neighbour's recycling and the bag split. It's always the little things, eh? Well not any more. What was once just a tired turn of phrase is starting to look like an incontrovertible fact. Hand on heart, is there any sphere in modern life in which we aren't being reproached, harangued and scolded? Feeding ducks the odd crust is wicked and will poison them. Reading Roald Dahl (not a nice man) to your kids constitutes corruption. Thinking of treating the in-laws to a summer performance of The Two Gentlemen of Verona in Stratford-upon-Avon? Ha! That's exactly what a white supremacist would do. This week's moral brickbat comes courtesy of Save The Children, which tersely announced it was calling time on the sponsorship of young people in developing countries, amid criticisms the scheme was a 'legacy of colonialism'. Come again? I've sponsored children for years through the amazing UK-based charity Plan International and I can say with copper-bottomed conviction that I was not motivated by racist tropes, a desire for cultural dominance, profiteering or exploitation. I was paying for stationery and shoes, healthcare and a future for a little Indian boy in an Indian village so remote it had no electricity and could only be reached cross-country in a jeep. When I visited Pobrito back in 2000, I brought his mother tea in a fancy Big Ben tin and gave him a Manchester United football. He had never heard of Manchester United. He's all grown up now – I hope he is flourishing. My sponsorship, which began in 1992, was transferred on to various other children down the years. I never stipulate a country; I just ask to be assigned a child where the need is greatest. Then in 2007, Plan International launched 'Because I'm a Girl', to tackle gender inequalities, so I added another sponsorship and was allocated Sheyla, in the desert of northern Peru. Being a sponsored child – there may be more than 100 in any settlement – is considered an honour and the community decides which families should be given the distinction; they are usually the very poorest. Moreover my money – £15 in 2007 and now £20 a month – does not go directly to any child or family; it is the whole community that benefits. I am proud that some of my cash went towards drilling a well and providing a village tap, which meant little girls like Sheyla and her sisters no longer spent their days – lives – endlessly fetching water from the river and could go to school with their brothers. A legacy of colonialism? Really? Like all sponsors, I simply wanted to reach out and give a child, a family, a community a leg up. I took my daughter, Lily, to Peru to show her how other girls live. The memory will never leave her and so, I hope, another generation of girls will support those who need it. Sponsors are people who have, sharing with people who have not – which is surely the most basic of human responses? It feels like a betrayal for this act of empathy, of decency, to be decried by people such as the Canadian academic Prof Kathy Nolan, author of a paper called Moving Beyond Child Sponsorship. 'It makes people feel good and therefore they feel let off the hook and can continue with their privileged lives,' she said this week. 'What we don't realise is that many of the benefits we have in the global North are due to structural issues that have caused the children these people are sponsoring to be suffering.' I don't feel let off any hook. I just feel dismayed at her bleak – and undeserved – portrayal of sponsors like me. Was Save the Children in the US, which took the decision to axe all sponsorships, influenced by her forthright opinions on what she baldly (inaccurately) refers to as the 'marketing of children'? Certainly, Save the Children's new stance is a major turnaround. Having first pioneered the whole concept of sponsorship in the early 1900s, the charity now wants to focus on promoting 'inclusion and greater equity' – whatever that means – and so has tersely informed its donors they can no longer support or even correspond with the children and young people they have come to know, sometimes over many years. Estimates suggest that individual sponsorship programmes bring in over £2 billion to charities around the world annually; these regular donations are veritable gold dust as it means organisations can strategise and plan ahead. And why are monthly donors like me so reliable? Because we have built a relationship with a child, a family, a community. We give, month after month, year after year, because we care and, even in a cost of living crisis, we strive to honour the obligation we have made. Sheyla's community is deemed to be no longer in need of sponsorship, which is a success in itself. I now sponsor seven-year-old Ahilyn in Ecuador and 12-year-old Reday in Bangladesh. How cynical to denigrate my (and others) unwavering commitment as nothing more than a way to salve my conscience. I'm in the fortunate position where I can afford donations to other charities every month but it is the precious links to these sponsored children that I treasure the most. I come into their lives, letters are exchanged, shoes bought, sometimes visits made. Then, when the community is up on its feet, my involvement ends. It's not about ego. It's about doing what's right. And whatever woke criticism is hurled towards those of us who quietly sponsor children across the globe, these good deeds do not deserve to be punished. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
