MAY - JUNE 2001 ----------------------------In this issue--------------------------------------- The Play's the Thing: While the cat's away...Caprice is rehearsing this month, so Rebecca is solo. The rest you'll dope out for yourselves. Voices in Contemporary Theatre: TCI's Theatre Physical, Cider House Rules Part II, From the MailBag: What's Wrong (and Right) with Broadway, A rant Letter from London: It's the Shakespeare Report, I've accepted that. RNT and RSC won't give me anything else to write about Enter Laughing: Seen Backstage Rubin's Corner: Robert offers a few of the vital stats on Tony-nom recordbreaker: The Producers, Easter Bonnet Competition smashes BC/EFA record CyberTheatre Monthly: High School Tech, BestPlaysOnline.com, Moondance Festival Website Broadway on the Air: Bravo brings Broadway into America's Homes, Schools and Communities with groundbreaking effort, Ford Center Radio -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE PLAY'S THE THING While the Cat's Away... Ahhhhh!!! The feeling of tranquility, of stillness, of peace. The world is silent and only the sound of my fingers on the keyboard disturbs this calm moment of pure intellectual genius. A moment only possible without Caprice at my side, jarring the flow of unadulterated talent flowing from my brain to my fingers. That's right, the column is mine, all mine!! But seriously folks, while Caprice is off in rehearsal hell (that's what she gets for assistant directing back-to-back shows) I will be using the column to shamelessly plug my upcoming show. I am currently in rehearsal for a production of Jean Anouilh's Antigone. I am playing Ismene, but also acting in many other capacities, including dramaturgy, marketing, and press relations. When you become involved in a small production you have to wear many hats. Fortunately I am comfortable with all of them. This all really does tie into the column somehow, I swear. To refresh your memory, Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. She is the youngest, with an older sister Ismene and two older brothers, Eteocles and Polynices. After Oedipus' death, Eteocles and Polynices agree to alternate their turns as king of Thebes. However, Eteocles decides he doesn't want to give up the throne and Polynices brings the armies of seven forces against his brother (hence, Seven Against Thebes). The action of Antigone picks up after the brothers have managed to kill each other and her uncle Creon has taken over the throne. Creon orders Eteocles a state funeral and that Polynices is to rot in the street. Anyone who dares to attempt to bury him does so under penalty of death. Antigone decides it is her duty to bury her brother, no matter what the cost. Antigone eventually forces Creon to order her death, and the body count begins to add up from there, as with any truly great tragedy. The rehearsal process the director has developed for this particular production is the subject of interest. Although we are using Anouilh's adaptaion of Sophocles' Antigone, which was written in Nazi-occupied France in the 1940s, the director has chosen to use masks and the production will be performed in an outdoor amphitheare. Anouilh's adaptation develops the characters more than the Sophocles play, and the conflict between Antigone and Creon is more complex. When the production was first staged during the Nazi occupation, French audiences empathized with its defiant heroine, resolved in her belief to do the right thing in the face of an insurmountable force. Her "no" echoed in the hearts of the audiences long after they left the theatre. It truly touched their lives, reinforcing their strength in hard times. When American audiences were exposed to the play, they couldn't sympathize with Antigone. Creon's rational, impassioned plea for her to swallow her pride and live was understandable and quite compelling; doubtlessly the reason the Nazi censors allowed the play's original production. Director Drew Larson was intrigued by the history behind the show. "I've always been interested in the Greek's plotlines, but found their scripts dry and talkative, full of long-winded speeches that bored me, although some of this was the fault of the translations. When I read Anouilh's version, the language blew me away. The characters were full and rich, with real motivating forces compelling them along a plot line that not only flowed better, but provided more exposition and substance to its characters' lives." In Anouihl's adaptation the struggle between Antigone and Creon is more complex. Creon does not want to kill Antigone, and only does so when she pushes him into a corner and he has no other option. His pleas for her to save her own life are very compelling. He tells her "Life flows like water, and you young people let it run away through your fingers. Shut your hands; hold on to it, Antigone." Larson also believes in the theatre's ability to affect change upon its audience. "Too much live theatre is schmaltz nowadays" he says "Broadway and local audiences have turned to comedy and song and dance routines for entertainment, leaving cathartic responses for T.V. and movies. I want to show people that live theatre is still an acceptable venue to discuss important issues." He has turned to the use of masks as an artistic dance in this production. Not only do they provide a classic Greek feel to the show, but they serve to illustrate to the audience when a character is merely filling their role in society as opposed to selflessly helping another person in need, exposing the true humanity behind their actions. For example, Antigone briefly wears her mask during the opening of the show and quickly raises it to the top of her head. It remains there throughout the production. Creon wears his mask only when he is with the guards in public scenes where he is required to play the role of the king. He takes it off when he is pleaing with Antigone. My character, Ismene, only takes off her mask in the end when she comes to Antigone and swears she is now ready to act with her, but must replace the mask as she realizes that she cannot be a brave as Antigone. Larson says "I like to make people think a little if possible; not just sit back and watch a story, but really try to integrate its morals into their lives." The rehearsal process is quite different than a typical production, starting over two months before the show opens. "I want to make sure the performers are completely in touch with who they are portraying. We sit around and talk a lot about previous action, atmosphere, and motivations. It is not an action-oriented show, so the words really need to move the plot. All the actors need to be on the same page to give a united feel to the show. Due to the masks, the characters can't rely on facial expression to 'show' what they are feeling, so it makes the voice and body the primary tools. Most actors are used to using their faces for 90% of what they feel. We are using a combination of Michael Checkov and Alexander Techniques to create a different acting style. I'm kind of winging the rehearsal process based on how I act as well as what final product I envision. My cast is great. They're bearing with a new way of working well." One of the ways in which we are learning more about our characters physically is by eliminating the text from the rehearsal process. Larson has done this by videotaping a read through of each scene, bringing the actors to the space, and playing it back during the rehearsal so the actors do not have to worry about the text. We move to the lines we hear on the tape, so the text is always there, but it is placed as a secondary priority during the rehearsal. The first priority, In the first few weeks of this type of rehearsal, is moving in character. By releasing the actor from the natural split focus that comes when incorporating both lines and movement, a greater understanding occurs of where the character is centered and how their self-esteem and turbulent emotions affects the way they move. Some of the movement feels exaggerated and awkward at first, but when the masks are then incorporated into the rehearsals, the style becomes clear from the audience's perspective. It has been a fun and different way of working that has helped me to overcome a lot of issues with moving on stage. So, to once again point out that this is a shameless plug of the production, if you happen to be in the San Diego area in late May to mid-June, here are the details. Antigone is playing at the amphitheatre at MiraCosta College in San Elijo. Take the Manchester exit from the 5 freeway and head east 1/4 mile. The campus is on your left. It runs (and these dates are a little weird, I know, but we had a difficult time getting the space) May 25th, 26th, 31st, June 1st, 2nd, 7th, 9th, and 14th at 8 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are greatly appreciated. Bring a cushion or blanket and bug spray. Well, next month Caprice will be back and I won't have nearly as much fun writing the column (just kidding, Caprice and I always crack each other up writing this together). She knows I love her dearly, but we both know who has the brains in this operation. We'll be back next month with more on Shakespeare (this time for the stage, not the screen). Until then, have a fabulous summer at the theatre! Rebecca Johannsen is a recent graduate of the Master of Arts program in Theatre Arts from San Diego State University with an emphasis in Shakespeare. She is currently teaching theatre, English, and history at a private high school in San Diego. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOICES TCI's Theatre Physical Theatre Communications Group's Ben Cameron offers the following checklist to diagnose your theatre, and theatre community's relative health: * It offers "vibrant, vigorous, provoking, entertaining" productions. * It offers a wide variety of theatrical choices. * It offers a wide variety of theater buildings and theater groups. * It serves diverse audiences. * It produces at least three kinds of theater: classic plays, new plays and plays that give a voice to groups that have been ignored in the past. * It encourages new talent. * It supports "a robust network of local artists" who work "at a livable wage (at least)." * It's supported by foundations, corporations, individuals and governments. * Its individual theater members are fiscally sound. * Its importance is recognized in various ways, from official commemoration to directional signs. * It engages its audiences in "regular, informed" dialogue. * Its members talk with and listen to each other. * It gives back to the larger community. * It supports other artistic disciplines in the community. * How does your organization measure up? In counterpoint, check out this month's Mailbag Rant. Don't worry, the Theatre Snobs will get equal space to respond next month. Good But Not As! The Cider House Rules (Part Two) At Trinity Rep! The Cider House Rules is the extraordinary story of one boy's journey to adulthood but alas it seems more like the Energizer Bunny...going on...and on.....and on..... Part one -- reviewed here last month was a true stage adventure -- specialized, literature-based theater, with an extended, story-driven stylization that overflowed with theatrical imagination. Unfortunately part two doesn't really measure up! It's a perfect example of the adage that sometimes "enough is enough" already! The script, produced in part one, was creative and cohesive; in part two it was simply untidy! For example, Stephen Thorne (as Homer Wells, a boy who never "grows old") is either hamstrung by dialogue or by his "boyish charm" -- I wasn't quite sure which -- but, he simply never matures! Instead he becomes a deceitful, albeit charming, runaway who is sleeping with his best friend's wife (who happens to be the Mother of Homer's child). And as for Homer & Candy's son -- oops.....Angel Wells, as played by Brian Monahan, was just not credible! His "boyish charm" was overplayed and undermined at every turn. And talk about "theatrical incongruities" -- my thought is, look to the dialogue for everything you need to know about a character! If the dialogue refers to something then as Captain Picard would say "make it so!" If there are references in the dialogue -- and you can't ("make it so,") cut the lines (with the author's permission of course) but do something! Brian McEleney as Dr. Wilbur Larch -- who originally gave a touching performance, simply became driven -- driven to have Homer, who he refers to as his "work of art," come home to take over what is tantamount to an abortion clinic; at all costs. On the other hand, Larch who regularly anesthetizes himself with self prescribed doses of ether -- unlike Homer -- ages quite well. When he finally succumbs to his drug of choice, we believe that he is in fact over ninety years old. McEleney manages this with skill and ease using his "instrument" as a tool to illustrate and support his craft! There are indeed some wonderful "moments" in this production, but as we all know, "moments" do not a great play make! But speaking of moments -- Melony (still in focus and brilliantly played by Janice Duclos) makes an entrance to end all entrances! Her opening scene, in which she beats the hell out of two grown men, is impressive and engrossing! It is done with such force and conviction, we actually cringe and feel their pain, as she kicks, punches, bites and whips them into a stupor. Duclos is very definitely (still) up to the task of keeping us enthralled with her portrayal of this unique character. Barbara Orson deserves a mention too for her consistent and delightful portrayal of Nurse Edna. Orson, also plays a production line worker who is seemingly the antithesis of Edna; doing it so well that if you didn't know Barbara, you probably would not even recognize her. This is achieved strictly through Barbara's complete knowledge of her work as craft! Again this production keeps you in your seat for just over three hours (having only one intermission) and as I've said before "more is not always better!" Part two (which spanned thirty or so years) takes place primarily at the Ocean View Orchards -- the idyllic spot, on the coast of Maine, Homer has escaped to. The "Cider House rules" is a list of do's and don'ts tacked to the wall in the apple pickers' quarters. This list instructs them not to go up on the roof of the Cider House; not to bring bottles up onto the roof of the Cider House; not to ....you get the picture! It refers to things that the pickers have always done, consider reasonable and intend to keep right on doing -- thus breaking the rules! Seems harmless enough -- doesn't it? On the other hand, just what is the advisability of "breaking the rules?" Well, it all depends upon what "business you is in!" If "you is in the knife business" then you can pretty much do what you want -- if "you is not" you had better watch out for your shirt and buttons -- especially in the presence of Mr. Rose (played with an adroit perception of "the rules," if not the character, by Keskhemnu) -- if you don't want to loose them! Nothing here is difficult to understand. It's clear that rules (usually created by those who know little about the people they are creating them for) usually in conflict with life's more abstract requirements are made to be broken! Something which is done consistently throughout this epic script. The play is presented employing an exceptionally innovative technique--one which works more often than not! The characters give voice to their own thoughts; often speaking as the narrator. This allows them, as well as the plot, to develop in a way that would be virtually impossible in "traditional" theater; especially when you consider the size and complexity of the production. Twenty (not counting the children) actors playing at least double that number of roles -- it must have been a virtual nightmare to manage the what, where, when and why of it all! However, Director Eustis managed it very well -- from abortion to child abuse, from illegitimate children to the plight of orphans, from the moral dilemma of infidelity to how to best use a condom (a particularly uproarious scene), to a question of race, color and creed.....right down the line to touching on a lesbian relationship.....all is resolved in the end with these simple words "I have a story I want to tell you!" What's amazing is that it works -- and it works well -- but now I must quote myself: "At just over three hours the show was about an hour too long for this reviewer. As Americans, we are of the opinion that more is better -- in this case it is not. I must admit however I could not imagine how this particular "more" could be effectively reconstructed into less without loosing a lot of something in the translation!" I am still of the mind that this production of The Cider House Rules (part two) can be considered one of the best theatre experiences of the season -- and urge you not to miss it! Please note: this play deals with adult themes and is intended for mature audiences only. Award winning Director, writer and actress, Willis-Whyte has performed Off-Broadway, in films and, on television. Named to Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities and Who's Who in American Advertising, Willis has published two books of poetry and is also the author of three one-act plays based on the lives of Susan B. Anthony, Clara Harlowe Barton and Anne Frances Kelly; a member of an all girl Confederate cavalry unit. Her latest book, Images of Nineteenth Century American Women, which integrates staged readings of historical biographies, original poetry, and art, is scheduled for publication later this year. A past member of AFTRA, Actor's Equity, and SAG, Willis (who is) a native New Yorker, now makes Providence RI her home. From the Mailbag: WHAT'S WRONG (AND RIGHT) ABOUT BROADWAY TODAY In preparing for my most recent foray to The Big Apple, I spoke often with numerous friends and theater acquaintances about what shows I *should* see and what shows I *should* avoid. To some people I made the absolute WRONG choices one should make when planning a trip to New York. But in analyzing my choices, and analyzing why I had such a damn good time at them, I realized some things about myself, the theater and the past, present and future of Broadway. And you, gentle reader, get to share in my discoveries. I'm NOT a theater snob. For the longest time I thought I was -- in fact I HOPED I was. I wanted to be one of those people sitting in some snooty bar scoffing at the Plebians enjoying their simple theater whilst a brilliant mind such as myself enjoyed a much more provocative and interesting evening of profound thoughts and well-crafted drama. But I hate the stuff that theater snobs love. And I hate theater snobs. Yes, I like my theater to be well-done, but I don't believe there are people who consciously say to themselves "Hmmmm, this show seems to be poorly written and will only appeal to simple-minded cretins. Clearly I fit into that category, I will LOVE it." It just doesn't go that way, I'm pretty sure. Here's something I've learned: Theater can be both well-written and enjoyable to a large audience. In fact, I contend that most of the extremely pretentious musical theater -- Sondheim, LaChiusa etc ... -- is in fact, POORLY written. It doesn't make it's own emotional point. The audience gets lost in its over-written and unnecessarily complicated musical language. In short: People don't go to these shows, they don't like them, not because they (the audience) are stupid, uneducated or brainwashed but because these writers aren't communicating their ideas effectively to their audience. Broadway musicals are not cheap. $10 million beans is not chump change. In the 'old' days (as late as 1991, by the way) shows would recoup their investment by running for 1 year. 1 year at the latest, in fact, many shows turned a profit much more quickly -- "Miss Saigon," at the time Broadway's most expensive show, recouped in around 33 weeks. Now shows are running 3 or 4 years and not returning their investment. The cost of running the shows is so much that all ticket revenue simply goes to upkeep of the production. They can't get back to $0. "Jekyll & Hyde," "Sunset Boulevard," BIG shows -- shows that have large fan followings and that have sold a LOT of cast albums and that do well on the road. These are 'popular' shows and THEY can't turn a profit. Thus, how does what should be a quiet off-Broadway musical written for a smaller, elite audience hope to recoup a $10 million investment. But that's what LaChiusa's "The Wild Party" tried to do. It didn't run anywhere NEAR 4 years -- it didn't run anywhere near 1 year, for that matter. Audiences didn't like it. Yes, hardcore theater people liked it but they are NOT a large enough contingent to support a Broadway show. A successful Broadway show MUST draw from beyond the theater geeks. They have to draw in the populace. There is no other way to keep theater viable and profitable (two things that must go hand in hand.) Apparently while in New York I was 'supposed' to see "The Producers," the revival of "Follies" and either "Annie Get Your Gun" or "Kiss Me Kate." Let me make something very clear: If I was given tickets to those shows I probably wouldn't go. OK, I'd go see "The Producers," but, for the record, when I made plans for my trip tickets for that show were certainly available and I chose not to see it. But it certainly doesn't need my endorsement to succeed. But I would rather shards of broken glass than see a revival of "Follies." I wouldn't even wipe my buttocks with a ticket for "Follies." There's no 'nice' way to say this and I'm apologizing beforehand if someone takes offense to the following statement: The ONLY people who like "Follies" are middle-aged gay men. I am not exaggerating the following point: Every single person I saw in NY with a "Follies" program in their hand was a gay man. In fact, on Wednesday afternoon between the matinees and evening shows in NY, Jo Allen's was PACKED with gay men who had just seen "Follies." There is absolutely nothing wrong with a show appealing only to gay males. But, one cannot expect this show to survive long on Broadway, nor can one expect this show to generate any sort of emotion with the rest of the world. "Follies" is a show about and FOR old people. I'm sorry. There isn't even the slightest hint of modern thought in that piece of shit. It's using a 1930's musical style so effectively that apparently only people who were REALLY alive during the 30's can appreciate it. This revival should not be on Broadway, nor should the original show. This thing has never turned a profit in any incarnation. So now a new group of investors will learn that cold truth. This is not some sort of plea on my part for more rock musicals. There are NUMEROUS shows that have succeeded that do not have a rock-flavored score but still appeal to modern audiences. "Kiss of the Spider-Woman," in fact, most of Kander and Ebb's work has succeeded without being a rock and roll show, "Ragtime," (Flaherty and Ahrens in fact are having their LEAST successful show trying to write a more rock-oriented show, they are much more successful trying to incorporate modern sensibility into non-modern musical stylings.) Even "The Producers" pulls its musical style totally from the past and the traditional Broadway show tune. But it's accessible and people like it. I cannot say the same for "Follies." I didn't want to see Reba McIntyre in "Annie Get Your Gun." I'm sure she's fine; I'm sure it's fine but I jsut couldn't give two squirts about it. But it's a hit and I'm glad it's there as it's drawing people to the theater. Something else I've learned: One should not have to have a collection of 200 cast albums to consider themselves theater fans. There's nothing wrong with someone who likes a small handful of shows and little else. People should like individual shows, not just the genre as a whole. Let's discuss Disney, shall we? Depending on whom you talk to Disney is either the Saviour or the death of Broadway. They've got money. Their projects arrive on Broadway with zillions of dollars in marketing behind them. They can hire the biggest and the best actors, directors and writers. Disney has proven that magic can be created on command. They make hits. Their shows arrive on Broadway ready to go, whatever behind the scenes turmoil there may have been is NEVER evident once tha curtain parts on opening night. Disney has 3 shows on Broadway. "Beauty and the Beast," "The Lion King," and "Aida." Each represents a different dramatic approach. In "Beauty and the Beast" Disney tried to recreate the hit movie, plain and simple. They tried to bring their Oscar-nominated animated feature to life -- and they succeeded. Oh the pundits had a fit that Broadway's soul was being sucked from itself and that Armageddon was imminent. In fact they even went so far as to give every possibleTony and critics' award to Sondheim's lifeless "Passion" as proof to themselves that 'quality' theater would take precedence over such an obvious commercial ploy. "Beauty and the Beast" is a phenomenal show. I don't know anyone -- theater snob or otherwise -- who didn't enjoy it. When the movie initially came out, many critics, including New York Times critic Frank Rich, lauded it as the best musical score in some time, onstage or otherwise -- the musical proved that point. "Beauty and the Beast" is good theater. Period. "The Lion King" is a little tougher for me to explain. Without having seen it, I can say it seems to be a case of 'gosh and wow' covering for what is a terrible score and script. It's so much more a spectacle than Cameron Mackintosh's mega-hits could ever be. The story is sound, as the movie proves but there's nothing on the page in "Lion King" that captures me or makes me care about the characters or events. What I find interesting is that "The Lion King" is the one show that I would agree with people that say it is all style and no substance, it's the one show I don't like Disney for producing and it's the one 'big' show I wish would collapse as an artistic and financial failure. But it seems to have become the one 'big' show that has been embraced by many of the pundits. It's the one the snobs like even though the holes are so massive it seems even the most ignorant of spectator could see them. But apparently the right spectacle can warm even the coldest of hearts, or at least enough of them. In "Aida" Disney tried its first full-blown 'new' musical. It isn't based on a movie and the material was written directly for the stage. (Of course, Disney was canny enough to hire Elton John and Tim Rice who are marketable and trusted creators to create the show and then were smart enough to put out a concept CD filled to the rim with big names in pop to whet peoples' appetites, even though the show is better than that CD ever hints it might be.) But the people who think "Aida" mystically popped up on Broadway one evening as a mega-hit aren't being truthful. It was tried out twice, once in Chicago and once in Atlanta. These try-outs did not go well. It took time to get the show 'right.' They fired designers a couple times. Rice and John publicly bitched that things weren't going smoothly. Like most magic, it took time, effort and craft to make it work. Debate the aesthetic values of the show until you're blue in the face but the fact is it's a hit and the people who enjoy it deserve to have their opinions respected. Is it literature? Probably not. But it's probably good theater to its audience. If I may refer back to the First Manifesto -- you don't make yourself look smarter by picking apart popular theater and making its fans feel like cretins. You just look like a snob or, a jackass. So Disney's OK. They're bringing people into the theater and most of those people want to come back. There are writing 'family-friendly' shows as well. Certainly not all theater needs to be family-friendly. Not at all, in fact, I personally enjoy shows that are not, but we need shows that parents can take their kids to and that both will enjoy. We NEED these shows. We need them on Broadway and we need them on the road. Broadway will not survive if people don't know what's over there. National tours create interest in New York and bring Broadway quality theater to the rest of the country. We need more tours. I saw "Bat Boy" and "Rocky Horror" while visiting New York City. Neither of these shows are really 'family-friendly.' They're naughty. They're also incredibly engaging and entertaining evenings at the theater. Here's why: They're energetic. They're fun. I laughed my ass off. The music was upbeat and the lyrics were clever. The casts were enthusiastic and that poured out to me in the audience. They made me feel like I was having a good time, they drew me in and kept me interested. Broadway needs more energy. I can't emphasize this enough. It needs to BOUNCE. Even serious shows can have style to them and have levels of energy. Referring back to other hits, "Kiss of the Spider Woman" was amazingly energetic -- same with "Chicago." These aren't rock shows but they have spunk and style, they tantalize their audience and draw them in. Even "42nd Street" has an infectious rhythm that makes a lot of people want to jump on the stage and start tap-dancing. What does "Follies" make people want to do? Go home and age? That's about it. It certainly doesn't make them want to run down the block to the next theater and see something else. Broadway needs lots of different musicals to remain viable. Different styles, different genres, different storys. But it can't lose The Spark. It >has to be vibrant and creative and exciting. People can accept something that doesn't hit every step up the ladder, but they won't accept being bored. People don't like being bored. At $85 a ticket they ESPECIALLY don't want to be bored. Theater should sweep people away for a couple hours. If people are just looking at their watches, or the sets then theater isn't doing it's job. If a show can't draw a Broadway-sized audience then it shouldn't be on Broadway. That's what off-Broadway is for. People can say a show 'needs' money thrown at it to work -- perhaps these shows need to look a little more closely at their material and find why, in fact, these shows need gaudy sets to work. Most people thought "Les Mis" was MORE effective as a concert than as a full-blown production. Despite rumors otherwise, it apparently doesn't NEED its rumbling set to engage people. It's not perfect, but it sweeps people away. That's what theater's supposed to do. Pretension be damned ... let's laugh and cry and dance a little bit. John Popa All material copyright 2001 John Popa Psychological Freeware - to be distributed as needed -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LETTER FROM LONDON It's the Shakespeare Report, I've accepted that Yeah, though I began writing the Letter from London to establish that there's so much more to English Theatre than that people who've been dead for 400 years, there's too much Shakespeare news right now on both shores to avoid the issue: Part I Hamlet For British actor Simon Russell Beale, playing the most famous role in theater -- that of Hamlet -- holds both personal and professional poignancy. His mother, who encouraged him to be an actor and longed to see him portray Shakespeare's psychologically tortured prince, died of cancer four months before the show opened in August to broad acclaim at London's Royal National Theatre. Legendary actor John Gielgud, one of the 20th century's greatest Hamlets, died the day Russell Beale went into rehearsal. And it would be his only opportunity to play a role he has coveted his whole professional life. At 40, the pudgy Russell Beale, who has been cast against convention, is nearly twice as old as the Danish prince. All this, plus the historical significance of the role, make it especially meaningful for the actor. A virtual unknown in the United States, he won an Olivier Award (England's version of the Tony) for his portrayal and has been hailed by critics in the British press as "superb" (Financial Times), "brilliant" (Observer, Evening Standard), "splendid" (the Times) and, by the New York Times, "glorious." Many regard him as the best Hamlet of his generation. His star on the American stage might start to change Thursday, when he leads the Royal National touring production at the Guthrie Theater, where "Hamlet" was the first play in its inaugural season in 1963. Russell Beale takes the pressure and history in stride. "It's devastating to have these professional and personal confluences, but at the end of the day, it's quite simple, isn't it?" he said rhetorically. "Just say the words as simply as possible and leave him [Hamlet] be." Haunted, haunting role Hamlet is the most intellectually and psychologically picked-over of Shakespeare's royal men. By comparison, Macbeth, the Scottish general-turned- king who murders everyone in his path, is cut and dried. And King Lear, a titanic old tyrant who has a psychotic break, draws more pity than empathy. Hamlet has baggage that allows us to understand his condition: He is overcome by grief, torn by uncertainty, alternatively full of love and rage as he tries to figure out what to do. After all, his father was killed by his uncle, Claudius, who hastily married his mother, Gertrude. The ghost of Hamlet's father reveals to his boy that he was murdered by Claudius, who's now king. The ghost demands vengeance. The Royal National's "Hamlet," like Paddy Hayter's moving production at Theatre de la Jeune Lune recently, shears the play of its political overlay, cutting some subplots and secondary characters. Director John Caird has emphasized the domestic aspects of the tragedy, which is fine with Russell Beale. "'Gentle' is the wrong word to describe him, but my Hamlet is a softer Hamlet," the actor said during an interview from Boston, where the five-stop American tour began. "He has his moments of viciousness, but I am very keen that he be a sweet Hamlet." As he tried to inhabit the role, Russell Beale had his own visitations. "I dreamt of my mother the night before the first preview," he said. "She's always with me -- encouraging, pushing." Historical weight "Hamlet" is so famous that much of its dialogue has become cliche -- from "to be or not to be" and "what a piece of work is a man" to "neither a borrower nor a lender be" and "brevity is the soul of wit." In addition to breathing new life into the language by focusing on its conversational context, Russell Beale also has attempted to cast off a daunting performance history; onstage and on screen, Hamlet has been depicted by some of the best-respected actors in the world. The roster begins with Richard Burbage (1567-1619), who originated the role as a partner in Shakepeare's theater company, and includes David Garrick (1717- 79), who gave the first U.S. performance in Philadelphia in 1759; 19th-century thespian Ira Aldrich, the first black actor to play the Dane; John Barrymore (1882-1942), regarded as the best American Hamlet; and such 20th-century English stalwarts as Gielgud, Richard Burton and Laurence Olivier. Even some relative lightweights have taken on the role, including Keanu Reeves and Mel Gibson. The day Gielgud died, Russell Beale was making coffee in his flat and preparing for the role. "I put on the radio and all I heard was Gielgud doing Hamlet," he said. "It was a weird moment. This part is so weighted down with the history of performance but you just try to forget it -- not be frightened. "There's a benefit in the size of the part," he continued. "Because it's so big, you have to do it bit by bit." Unusual journey It has been an unexpected journey to the theater stage for Russell Beale. The son of British Army physicians, he lived a typical military brat's life, moving around the world. Although he was cast as Desdemona in middle school (there is a long tradition in England of schoolboys playing female as well as male roles), his family's main interest was music, and he aspired to be a great tenor. At Cambridge University, where his fellow students included Emma Thompson, he studied choral singing. He left Cambridge in 1982 to enroll in Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he was accepted into the drama department. "Theater sort of crept up on me -- it wasn't a blinding flash," he said. Russell Beale has played other major Shakespearean men -- mostly with the Royal Shakespeare Company, which he joined in 1986. He drew kudos for his performances in the title roles of "Edward II" and "Richard III." He sees Richard III as "a sexy, clever, guilt-ridden beast." He imagined being sick when he played Iago, the conniving villain in "Othello," which was "like concentrating all your aggression in the middle of your body." Because of his girth, Russell Beale might seem more suitable for roly-poly comedic characters than for tragic heroes -- and until a decade ago, he was known primarily for physical comedy. His first big dramatic role was Konstantine in Chekhov's "The Seagull," a part he compares in complexity to "Hamlet." "Konstantine was my first part about internalized feelings," he said. "He had two minutes of silence near the end before he kills himself. Hamlet has the whole fifth act where he's stripping everything away, reducing himself to the bare minimum." Although he admits to looking "like a wrestler more than a fencer," Russell Beale said he enjoys the swordsmanship in "Hamlet." He pointed out that Hamlet's mother calls him fat. "If one is to be literal, 'fat' probably means 'sweaty,' but it's quite a useful word for me," he said. It's worth noting that Burbage, the first Hamlet, weighed 235 pounds. At heart, "Hamlet" is about an ordinary person with ordinary problems. "Except for the ghosts in the play, and for him having an uncle who has killed his father -- the psychological pressure he is under is grief, isn't it?" Russell Beale said in his characteristic rhetorical style. "That's quite a normal parameter for most of us. Hamlet looks like he's a man in possession of a piece of knowledge which will kill him, and kill others, if he lets it be known. That dangerous secret is very normal. We can imagine that. The complexity is not unfathomable." Russell Beale laughed. "It's funny," he said. "I think he's one of the least odd guys I've played. He's just a regular guy." Same Guy - Different City: Remember the National Theatre Tour 'Hamlet' Makes Indecision Look Good by MICHAEL KUCHWARA AP Drama Critic BOSTON -- Picture Hamlet older, paunchier, an ordinary Everyman, and you may have some idea of the startling performance by Simon Russell Beale in the Royal National Theatre's highly personal production of Shakespeare's most famous play, which has begun an American tour at the Wilbur Theatre here. Forget the glam presence of such Hamlets as Laurence Olivier, Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Kline, or Mel Gibson. Beale gets beyond the physical to create a man torn by inner turmoil. His bearded, full-figured, fortysomething Dane starts bookishly and builds in anger and anguish, often masked in sardonic humor. Vocally, Beale is seductive -- clear-spoken and naturally poetic. Even those famous soliloquies sound fresh when filtered through Beale's astonishing technique and abundant stagecraft. Never has indecision been presented with such force. But then a rich theatricality runs throughout director John Caird's entire production, which is rife with religious symbolism. There is a cathedral-like gloom to the dark setting of hanging rectangles, which often split into four segments, forming a cross of light in the openings. Latin hymns fill the air. At the beginning of the evening, the cast stands silently in lighted, crypt- like alcoves around three sides of the set. The costumes, particularly for many of the men, are seminary severe: black cassocks, augmented by white surplices. Caird, best-known on Broadway for his co-direction of ''Les Miserables'' and ''Jane Eyre,'' scatters rough-hewn trunks and chests across the stage. They are arranged and then rearranged, becoming, among other things, the battlements at Elsinore, the deck of a ship and even Ophelia's grave. Beale's unprepossessing prince leads you to believe he is a modest man who once knew how to celebrate life's small pleasures. The murder of his father and the remarriage of his mother to the uncle who did the deed changes his world forever. ''I have lost all my mirth,'' Shakespeare's hero says at one point, trying to figure out what to do. The pain of his inability to act is palpable, something Beale never lets the audience forget as Hamlet tries to do the right thing. It haunts his every action and his relationship with the others on stage, turning the conflict into a family drama that will never have a neat, tidy ending. Peter McEnery's tall, thin Claudius, with a graying ponytail and one earring, looks like a cadaverous pirate king. If one never quite gets a sense of Claudius' relationship with new wife Gertrude, McEnery effectively conveys the overpowering remorse of a man who killed to gain the Danish throne. Far more interesting is Gertrude's relationship with her son. Sara Kestelman nicely downplays the motherly demeanor, something this Hamlet notices. ''Assume a virtue if you have it not,'' Hamlet admonishes, advice Beale delivers with lethal disdain. Peter Blythe is a rushed, dithering Polonius. He had a brief verbal stumble opening night but recovered nicely. The actor finds more humor in the role of the gravedigger in a wonderfully played scene that has Beale and Blythe using poor Yorick's skull as a puppet. A coquettish Ophelia, Cathryn Bradshaw gives a convincing display of dementia in the character's celebrated mad scene. The actress plays it full out, singing, and, at times, scampering lewdly across the stage. Caird's version strips the play of its political implications. He has eliminated the character of Fortinbras, whose arrival at the end of the evening, allows for an orderly transfer of power -- from the dying Hamlet to a new, vibrant ruler of Denmark. Now the play concludes with a lament by Horatio, Hamlet's good friend, for the slain leader. Some British critics have sniffed as this dilution of the play's political context, but there are compensations. It squarely puts the title character's internal conflict at the center of the production, allowing Beale to make this often remote and most melancholy of Danes a very human, even humane person. The Royal National Theatre revival of ''Hamlet'' runs through April 29 in Boston. It then travels to Minneapolis (May 2-May 13); Tucson, Ariz., (May 16- May 20); Phoenix (May 22-May 27), and finally New York at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (May 30-June 2). STAGE REVIEW Beale portrays a soulful Hamlet By Ed Siegel, Globe Staff, 4/14/2001 Of all Shakespeare's great tragic characters, none is more ill-fated than Hamlet. Othello could, hypothetically, have been talked out of his murderous rage. Macbeth could have been dissuaded from assassination. But given the horror of his father's death and the importance of retribution in Western consciousness, Hamlet has to do what he does, no matter what the consequences - in this case a stage full of corpses, including his own. Of all Hamlet's recent portrayers, few have come with the clippings of Simon Russell Beale. And few have justified them as Beale did Thursday night at the opening of the Royal National Theatre production at the Wilbur Theatre. Great actors use not only their intelligence and their voices but their bodies to convey character. Much has been made of Beale's girth, but the genius of his performance is how he makes his weight work for him and his interpretation. Beale, after all, looks as if he should be cast as Friar Tuck rather than Robin Hood, as sidekick rather than hero. Entering and speaking with the gentility of a divinity student, his Hamlet, too, is improperly cast for heroics, and Shakespeare leaves little doubt that avenging his father's murder is the heroic thing to do. Thus Beale's pangs and hesitations, even his flights of madness, resonate with those of any ordinary person charged with taking on an extraordinary task. His is ''a noble mind o'erthrown by his fate'' - a gentle soul turned to violence, driven half mad by becoming ''passion's slave'' when the ghost of his father tells him how he met his fate. Harold Bloom has written that ''every actor's Hamlet is almost absurdly different from all the others,'' and Beale's use of his hands, in particular, implies a certain uncharismatic clumsiness out of keeping with the graceful, almost balletic Hamlets we have grown accustomed to. But Beale makes this soulful Hamlet - who truly is cruel - be kind, as riveting as Ralph Fiennes made his existential Hamlet when that British production came to New York a few years ago. The production itself, though, does not meet Beale's standards. Tim Hatley's unappealing set of trunks and chandeliers may be an outgrowth of minimalism and expressionism, although one wonders if it isn't just an outgrowth of Thatcherism - a cut in the subsidy of arts organizations - that leaves the actors with such a dreary arena to work in and the audience with such a soporific eyeful, particularly when Beale isn't on stage. There is not a bad performance here, although only Peter McEnery's charismatic Claudius and Peter Blythe's double duty as Polonius and gravedigger are particularly inspired. Director John Caird's overlay of Christian music and symbolism seems horribly out of place, particulary the all-Danes-go-to-heaven ending. (Didn't the Lord saith something about Whose responsibility revenge was? I don't remember Hamlet being part of the equation.) Still, when Beale takes this ''Hamlet'' on his unlikely shoulders, the production problems seem insignificant, and all is right in the state of Denmark. Or at least on the stage of the Wilbur Theatre. And, oh yes, The RSC at Ann Arbor: The RSC's This England cycle would be struggling without the help of a Michigan university's millions As the Royal Shakespeare Company's This England cycle of Shakespeare history plays reaches its climax with Henry VI and Richard III, it's generally agreed that this ambitious venture has been illuminating and a triumph. But it would not have been possible without help from an American state which doesn't immediately figure on most people's list of cultural centres - Michigan. With only Arts Council funding and British sponsorship, the RSC would only have been able to stage the first half of the eight-play This England cycle in 2000- 01, with Henry VI and Richard III following in 2001-02. Without a large proportion of the University of Michigan's $2 million contribution to the project, it could not have made such a tremendous, concentrated impact. In return for the university's support, the Royal Shakespeare Company undertook a three-week residency at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in March. To enable Ann Arbor's Power Center for the Performing Arts to accommodate Michael Boyd's gripping productions of Henry VI, Parts I, II and III, and Richard III, more than 45 tonnes of RSC scenery and rigging were shipped across the Atlantic, followed by 5.5 tonnes of air freight, including costumes, swords and 20 litres of stage blood. Last to arrive were 38 technical and support staff, and the company of 30 actors and three musicians. And sell-out audiences drawn from 29 American states responded to all three Michigan performances of the cycle with standing ovations. When not on stage, the actors spent much of their time participating in a major education programme - 75 workshops, seminars and public lectures. Plans are already in place for repeat residencies in 2003 and 2005, at a cost of several million dollars. The RSC's Ann Arbor host, the 122-year-old University Musical Society, consistently attracts leading international orchestras, soloists, dance and theatre companies thanks largely to the astonishing performance capacity on the university's central campus. The 1,200-seat Power Center is backed up by four smaller theatres and dwarfed by the principal concert hall, the 4,100- seat Hill Auditorium. The RSC has been fortunate to team up with a university whose profound commitment to the performing arts is matched by the depth of its pockets. UM's annual budget is $3.5 billion, but while that makes the $2 million invested in the residency seem like small change, it's helped audiences in Stratford and London to enjoy the RSC's epic venture. The university's willingness to make up the This England funding shortfall owes a great deal not only to Ken Fischer, the musical society's ebullient president, but also to the university's arts- loving president, Lee Bollinger. "Michigan is a great research university," Bollinger says, "and I believe that the $400 million we receive annually in federal research grants should help innovation by the RSC or a modern dance company, just as it should help those of our staff who are trying to find cures for disease." The residency ties in with plans for the Walgreen Drama Center, funded with $5 million from a UM alumnus, Charles Walgreen Jr, and soon to be built behind the Power Center. The Walgreen will house the 600-seat Arthur Miller Theatre and a "black box" studio theatre. This will give the university equivalents to the Swan and the Other Place in Stratford, and with the Power Center already a convincing "double" for the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Bollinger and Fischer both hope that by the 2005 residency, much of the RSC's three-theatre Stratford repertory could be transplanted to Ann Arbor's equally compact site. With Bollinger behind the project, if the RSC says yes, the requisite seven-figure sum will materialise. Bollinger would not be able to make such a convincing case for funding the residency if the RSC had not agreed to support the extensive teaching programme. As organised by the RSC's director of education, Clare Venables, this provided extraordinary opportunities for undergraduates. "The combination of performances and workshops has been wonderful," says Ralph Williams, a UM English professor. "They have transformed our students' attitudes to Shakespeare." Venables said the residency "has been great for the actors because most of them are teaching for the first time, and getting time to analyse what they do". She hopes to maintain Stratford/Ann Arbor links between residencies, and that applies to secondary as well as higher education. On a Thursday morning in the second week of the residency, Venables's RSC colleague Fiona Lindsay and a dozen actors were bused out from Ann Arbor for a workshop with students from Cass Tech, a high school in downtown Detroit. The actors worked in small groups with eight young women and two young men who performed a rewrite of the ghost scene from Richard III, with the Wars of the Roses replaced by modern-day corporate back-stabbing. Prentice Davis, 18, played a hunchbacked CEO confronted by female spectres, including Nyahale Allie, 18, as Buckingham, tormenting Richard with the help of a line from Eminem's Stan: "I put you where you are today and then you go flip the script. I hope you can't sleep and you dream about it." Sounds naff on paper, but the result was riveting: completely in tune with the original and delivered with a degree of conviction that clearly impressed the actors. And the students' verdict after listening to the actors speaking blank verse? "I have always had a hard time with Shakespeare, but these guys just kick it out like a second language," said Nyahale. "Much respect to them." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ENTER LAUGHING Enter Laughing Seen Backstage Due to budget constraints, the light at the end of the tunnel has been removed. One week later the last 3 words were scratched out and replaced. It now reads: Due to budgetary constraints, the light at the end of the tunnel- has been asked to voluntarily separate from the company. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RUBIN'S CORNER The Producers Mel Brooks, screenwriter, director, comedy writer, comedian, actor and now Broadway writer. Not that this is Mr. Brook's first try at writing songs. For nearly forty years, he has been turning out a steady stream of nutty compositions ranging from the Oscar-nominated title song from "Blazing Saddles, to the Stone Age national anthem sung by the Two Thousand Year Old Man.. So the other night I settled into my seat at the St James Theater on Broadway to see a performance of the The Producers, the new Mel Brooks musical based on his movie of the same name. The Producers is one of the great, unique, impossible to duplicate screen comedies of all time. Ten minutes later, at the end of an opening number as giddy, exhilarating, and as funny as any I production I have ever seen, I knew that this was a hit. The score of The Producers does not simply invite the audience to have a good time it endorses the idea of having a good time. It is a no holds barred put down of today's Broadway Theater. Susan Struman directs and choreography's with breathing results using Brook's work. Who else could stage a salute of a group of birds with a will of their own? Co-stars Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick whose performances remind us of the stars of the movie make the best screwball comedy team on Broadway. Designers Robin William, Ivey Long, and Peter Kacoorowski uses all their bag of tricks to keep the show moving alone. Tom Meeham, remembered for Annie has helped Brooks with the book. Glen Kelly has taken Brook's song, which he hums to Kelly, and created a real Broadway score. The supporting case including Roger Bart, Gary Beach and Cady Huffman all add their little brand of crazy to the evening. The two big production numbers, "Alone Came Bialy" and "Spring Time for Hilter" should come with a warning to put on your seat belts so you do not fall our of your seat laughing. This is the first smash hit for Broadway in many years. he lines around the block and the 17.5 million dollar advance sale should give you some clues. One caution, tickets for this show are prices at mostly $100 each with some third level last two row balcony seats at $36. Tickets are available from August on, but this changes daily so call as soon as possible for your change to see this show, which received 15 Tony nominations. Easter Bonnet Smashes Record for BC/EFA The 15th Annual Easter Bonnet Competition, the two-day Broadway spectacular which features singing, dancing and fabulous hats, ended with a bang on Tuesday: it was announced that a total of $2,275,658.38 had been raised by the 57 participating Broadway, Off-Broadway and National Tour companies for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS! The amount was revealed at the end of the show to the cheering audience at the New Amsterdam Theatre by Bebe Neurwirth, Mary-Louise Parker, and Alan Cumming. The 15th Annual Easter Bonnet Competition is the culmination of intensive fundraising efforts by Broadway, Off-Broadway and touring companies. This year's competition ended with the following top figures: 2nd Runner-up: THE LION KING $120,714 1st Runner-up: ANNIE GET YOUR GUN $175,146 Winner: THE DINNER PARTY $175,224 A special award was presented to the Off-Broadway company who raised the most money. This year, with $27,902, the award went to STOMP. In the Easter Bonnet Competition, companies compete not only in fundraising but also with easter bonnet creations, handmade hats which are modeled during the show and which often upstage the performers themselves. At the competition, the awards for most fabulous bonnet went to: 2nd Runner-up CABARET, 1st Runner- up MUSIC MAN, and the Most Fabulous Easter Bonnet belonged to ANNIE GET YOUR GUN. The kids from the cast of THE MUSIC MAN brought the house down with a dance number that had the audience cheering. And CABARET's Milena Govich sang a hilarious vegan take on the title song of CABARET. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the entertainment industry's most active and vital organization working to address the challenges of AIDS. Since October 1987, BC/EFA has raised and distributed 50 million dollars in the fight against AIDS, as well as helped to raise millions more through the mobilization of the entertainment industry. For more information, please visit the BC/EFA website at www.broadwaycares.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CYBERTHEATRE MONTHLY High School Tech Productions www.scp-theaterworks.com/ It's such a treat to see a tech site that isn't pretending to be E-Tec, TCI, LDI and AITSE Local 1 all wrapped up with a genuin Binford Toolbelt. Under the unpreposessing title High School Tech Productions, Scott Parker has amassed an astonishing collection of resources for those who, okay, maybe haven't done this before, but are still willing to do it RIGHT. Kudos and Kudos, Scott. You built something good. www.BestPlaysOnline.com NEW YORK -- It was announced this week that Jeffrey Eric Jenkins has accepted the position of editor of the Best Plays series, the annual chronicle of United States theater founded by Burns Mantle in 1920. Mr. Jenkins is the sixth editor of the series. He succeeds Otis L. Guernsey Jr., who edited an unprecedented 36 volumes of the annual publication and continues as a consulting editor. "I am delighted that a critic of Mr. Jenkins' stature and achievement wants to carry on the series," said Mr. Guernsey. He also wanted his friends in the New York City press offices to know that all programs, photos and other materials relating to the 2000-2001 season have been turned over to Mr. Jenkins. Future information and invitations for Best Plays should be addressed to the new editor (see below). The 2000-2001 edition of the book marks its 82nd consecutive year of publication. In addition to Messrs. Mantle and Guernsey, past editors include John Chapman, Louis Kronenberger and Henry Hewes. Mr. Hewes will also serve as a consultant to the new editor. Best Plays is widely regarded in the theater community as a comprehensive and indispensable tool providing important perspective on the annual theater season in New York and around the country. In addition, the compendium of statistics packed into the book's 600 pages is an encyclopedic guide to who did what on Broadway, Off Broadway, Off Off Broadway and in theaters large and small across the United States. It is an important acquisition for theater lovers, librarians, artists, historians and educators. A sampling of what theater professionals have said about Best Plays: "The Best Plays yearbook has always been my favorite spot in any library. I used to get lost in its wonderful albums of photos, charts and good old fashioned Broadway lore for hours on end. Now that I've got my own Best Plays yearbook shelf, I get blissfully lost right here at home." --Wendy Wasserstein "The yearly Best Plays volume is so valuable as a record of U.S. theater history." --Edward Albee "The Best Plays yearbook proves an invaluable reference source year after year." --Harold Prince Jeffrey Eric Jenkins served as associate editor to Mr. Guernsey on the 1999-2000 edition of Best Plays and contributed an essay chronicling the Broadway and Off Broadway season. Mr. Jenkins is chairman of the American Theatre Critics Association and continues to write about New York and national theater events for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer--as he has for the past five years. From 1995 to 2000 he was also managing editor of Theatre Topics, a Johns Hopkins University Press journal. In addition to the publications mentioned above, Mr. Jenkins has written theater criticism and essays for Seattle Weekly, Northwest Monthly, The New York Times, Theatre Journal, Slavic and East European Performance, Back Stage, Variety, Stagebill, Theater Week, Periphery and Continuum's Companion to Twentieth Century Theater. Mr. Jenkins received his theater education at Carnegie Mellon University and San Francisco State University. He was a member of the management team for Peter Brook's productions of The Mahabharata and The Cherry Orchard at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and founded Stage Five Productions in 1988. He has taught theater and drama at Carnegie Mellon, University of Washington and SUNY-Stony Brook. Since 1998, he has been a faculty member in the Drama Department at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. "It is very exciting for me," said Mr. Jenkins, "to have an opportunity to build on the traditions established by Otis Guernsey, Henry Hewes and Burns Mantle. Best Plays has provided countless hours of pleasure to theater lovers for more than 80 years. It has served as the springboard for the theatrical imaginations of three generations of theater people--actors, directors, playwrights, designers, producers and critics alike. I am happy to count Mr. Guernsey and Mr. Hewes among my advisors as we continue to develop the living record of the American theater. It is equally gratifying that a superb group of theater writers and editors has agreed to join my editorial board. Their dedication to theater in the United States is widely known and they have my deepest thanks." Joining the Best Plays editorial board, which is still in formation, are Robert Brustein, Tish Dace, Christine Dolen, Mel Gussow, Robert Hurwitt, John Istel, Chris Jones, Julius Novick, Michael Phillips, Christopher Rawson, Alisa Solomon, Jeffrey Sweet, Linda Winer and Charles Wright. Best Plays will use the Web address of www.BestPlaysOnline.com. In the latter part of 2001, Best Plays citations will be posted on the Web site along with excerpts of commentary from the editors. The MOONDANCE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL www.moondancefilmfestival.com The MOONDANCE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL invites YOU to participate in the festival competition, which gives writers and filmmakers & other artists in the entertainment world a unique opportunity to come together with other writers, directors and producers to create new opportunities, develop tools for success and to forge new alliances. Printable entry forms for the 2001-2002 competition are available on the new website now: WEBSITE: www.moondancefilmfestival.com 2001-2002 MOONDANCE COMPETITION CATEGORIES: * FEATURE SCREENPLAYS * SHORT SCREENPLAYS * STAGE PLAYS * SHORT STORIES * FEATURE FILMS * SHORT FILMS * DOCUMENTARY FILMS * ANIMATION FILMS * TV EPISODICS * TV PILOTS * TV MOWs * RADIO PLAYS * MUSICAL SCORES, LYRICS & LIBRETTOS * MUSIC VIDEOS * PUPPETRY THEATRE TWO COMPETITION DEADLINES: JUNE 1 & OCTOBER 1, 2001 Moondance has been, since it was founded in early 1999, a women's competition only, but starting in 2001, due to popular request, we encourage both men & women writers & filmmakers to enter the special side-bar competition, The Seahorse Contest, in which submissions of films & screenplays, stageplays, radio scripts and tapes, TV scripts, musical works, & short stories are required to depict women & girls in a positive manner &/or have lead roles for women actors over 40. For more information on the Moondance 2001 competition categories, go to: http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com/Competitions.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BROADWAY ON THE AIR BRAVO ON WITH THE SHOW AND BROADWAYS BEST Following the budget cuts that have dismantled arts and theater education in schools across the country, Bravo, Americas leading arts network, is proud to announce several new programs designed to bring theater into the nations homes, schools and communities. The multi-platform campaign is aimed particularly at raising national awareness of theaters positive impact on young people. Bravo On With The Show is a major grassroots initiative that in its first year will feature a 20-city national touring theater arts workshop conducted by Broadway teaching artists, and a series of :60 vignettes airing nationally that will highlight each workshop. Bravo On With The Show is the networks long-term investment in our childrens future and our most ambitious cause-related campaign to date, commented Dore. Theater production and performance encompass all of the major art forms, including dance, music and art and serve as a great opportunity for any child to gain confidence and perfect the skills that can become major assets in their future. We think of this initiative as our way of giving back to communities across the country that have always supported Bravo. We are pleased to announce that this long-term initiative will extend across all of Bravos media platforms in 2001 and beyond. Bravo On With The Show will send Broadway teaching artists to 20 cities in 2001, where they will conduct student workshops exploring various elements of theater performance and production, including improvisation, play writing, direction, music and dance. Bravo has contracted with Camp Broadway, a theater arts education and audience development company dedicated to helping kids and families experience Broadway theater in original and creative ways, to organize the Bravo troupe of teaching artists. The one to two-day workshops will culminate in a free and open to the public performance by the newly-trained cast and crew of kids. Cable affiliates will have the opportunity to partner with Bravo to bring Bravo On With The Show to their community. To date, MSOs including Adelphia Communications, AT &T, Cablevision Systems, Cox Communications, Comcast Corporation, Insight Communications, and Time Warner Cable are already partnering with Bravo to bring Bravo On With The Show to 20 cities nationwide in 2001. Tour stops in 2001 include: Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Santa Rosa, CA; Glastonbury, CT; Gainesville, FL; Savannah, GA; Bloomington and Indianapolis, IN; Buffalo, NY; Detroit; Juneau; Kansas City; New Orleans; San Antonio; as well as Hampton Roads and Roanoke, VA. The first tour date is scheduled for Saturday, May 19-20 in Santa Rosa, CA. Bravo is pleased to drive this unprecedented commitment to arts education, remarked Gregg Hill, Executive Vice President of Affiliate Sales and Marketing, Bravo Networks. We look forward to partnering with our affiliates in bringing Bravo On With The Show to the communities we service and providing young people with a once-in-a-lifetime theater experience. In further support of theater education, Bravo also announced today a series of :30 celebrity PSAs about the importance of theatre in our nation's communities and the launch of a sub site to Bravo's web site at www.bravotv.com. Sharing in the mission to provide young people exposure to the arts, Bravo is also pleased to announce the participation of celebrities Audra McDonald (Annie, Ragtime, Wit) and Lea Thompson (Caroline in the City, Broadway's Cabaret). In addition, Broadway productions and personalities endorsing the efforts of the Bravo On With The Show campaign include: Blast on Broadway!, Cabaret, Jane Eyre, Les Miserables, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Music Man, The Phantom of the Opera, Rent, 42nd Street, Brent Barrett (Annie Get Your Gun), Dee Hoty (Footloose) Rebecca Luker (The Music Man), Gary Lindemann (The Phantom of the Opera), and Kate Levering (42nd Street) have all endorsed the campaign. We are pleased to introduce a major theater arts initiative that is embraced by the Broadway community, adds Caroline Bock, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Bravo Networks. The establishment of the Bravo On With The Show program will help create enormous awareness and exposure of theater arts that will enrich the lives of hundreds of thousands of students across the nation. Todays launch of a new, exclusive sub-site added to Bravos web site at www.bravotv.com will support Bravo On With The Show by providing complete tour schedules, video clips from the workshops, behind-the-scenes interviews and exclusive, live chats with leading Broadway stars, as well as a form letter that can be used by visitors to contact the mayor in their community to advocate for arts programs in their community. Also, a program workbook will be available on the site for teachers to download and use for their own school programs. Broadways Best Parallel with its commitment to present the arts on television in a highly original, accessible and memorable way, Broadways Best, announced today by Frances Berwick, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production, Bravo Networks, is a groundbreaking performing arts extravaganza featuring the biggest stars in pop music as they perform the greatest theater songs ever written. Taped before a live audience on November 12 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, Broadways Best will premiere on Bravo in 1st Quarter 2002. Under the musical direction of composer, Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll and Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Civil War), Broadways Best will feature contemporary arrangements of classic Broadway numbers, plus revealing stories behind the shows from which they originated. Executive Producers for Bravos Broadway's Best are Wildhorn, Mark Krantz, and John Schreiber. There was a time in this country when Broadway songs were American popular music, Frank Wildhorn remarked. The most popular singers from the 1920s through the 1960s, including Billie Holliday, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and even The Beatles, covered some of the great songs of Broadway. Broadways Best will not only show the durability and the timelessness of classic Broadway songs, but by using contemporary pop music stars, we will cross these songs over to a new generation who might otherwise not be aware of the rich tradition of Broadway musical theater. In a further effort to bring the best of Broadway music to the rest of the country, stars from Broadways Best will tour during the spring and summer of 2002 to perform with some of America's favorite pop orchestras. Stars from the television special will join orchestras nationwide in special Broadway Best Nights, extending the reach and scope of this campaign into 20-30 communities. Broadways Best is Bravos biggest performing arts special to date, added Frances Berwick. The special augments the network's 2001-2002 broadcast season lineup of originals including Inside The Actors Studio, Bravo Profiles, The It Factor, Stagestruck, Musicians, and Aeros. Bravo, The Film and Arts Network, offers critically acclaimed American and international films as well as performing arts, including dance, theater, classical music and jazz. Bravo reaches more than 53.3 million viewing subscribers nationwide. 42nd STREET The quintessential new Broadway musical 42nd STREET welcomes Joan Hamburg of WOR Radio as she begins a monthly broadcast at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts on 42nd Street, beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, April 18. The live broadcast of The Joan Hamburg Show will take place the third Wednesday of every month from 10 AM-12:00 Noon and can be found at 710 AM on the dial. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2001, Mersinger Theatrical Services