Jorge Luis Morejon in The Winter's Tale Tech-rehearsal as Time. Mondavi Studio, UC Davis. February 11, 2009
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The Winter's Tale was a production of the the Theatre and Dance Department at the University of California, Davis and it took place at the Mondavi Studio from the 13th to the 22nd of February, 2009. Jorge Luis Morejon played Time, a character who only appears twice in this production but whose importance in the William Shakespeare's story is paramount. As expressed by Frank Kermode in his introduction to The Winter's Tale 's new revised edition, "the heroe of The Winter's Tale is Time, or as he suggests "its heroine is Nature" (xxiii) The character reflects Sakespeare's procupation with "Time as destroyer and renewer, that which ruins the work of men but is the father of truth." (xxvi) In Shakespeare's tale, "Time only seems to change things because it must renew their truth." (xxvii) Time is the agent that makes possible the passage from "the world in which happiness and prosperity are destroyed by storm of passion to the world where nature (...) re-establishes love and human continuance." (xxxi) When Time introduces Act IV, Bohemia, shakeapeare proves that "time is an agent of change and perpetuity." Perhaps this is why director Patricia Miller turned Time into one of the most importan and ever present characters of this production.
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Reviews
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davisenterprise.com
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Thursday, February 19, 2009
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Monarchs and Gypsies and bears ... oh my! .
'The Winter's Tale,' continuing through Sunday at the Mondavi Center's Studio Theatre, is a less familiar Shakespeare work. But this production, under the deft hand of director Patricia Miller, makes one wonder why it isn't done more often.I hadn't seen the play before, and therefore had none of the expectations that might have accompanied another production of, say, 'Hamlet' or 'Macbeth.' This was, as a result, a delightful voyage of discovery. The journey starts with a visual bang and continues until the final beautifully lit, tender reunion of the king and his long dead wife.
Jorge Luis Morejon makes an immediate impact as 'Time,' aided greatly by Wenting Gao's striking costume, as this mystical character sets the scene for the story.
'The Winter's Tale' concerns King Leontes (Brett Duggan) of Sicilia, who becomes irrationally jealous of the innocent affection between his wife, Hermione (Allison Minick), and his best friend, Polixenes (Kevin Ganger), the king of Bohemia. We never quite figure out what has caused this seemingly sudden jealousy, but Leontes is convinced that the child Hermione carries was conceived by Polixenes.
Duggan gives a powerful, polished performance as a man who has tyrannical rages against his wife and her friend, Paulina (Amy Louise Cole), who attempts to reason with him. His anguish over Hermione's perceived betrayal is palpable; his tirades are frightening. His anguish - 16 years later, when he eventually realizes that no betrayal took place - is just as wrenching, as he finally comprehends how he has ruined his own life.
Minick gives a moving performance as Hermione, at first perplexed at her husband's accusations of infidelity, then pleading for reason from this man she so clearly loves. Her magical return - years later, in the form of a statue come to life - is strikingly beautiful.
When Hermione gives birth to a daughter, Perdita, her best friend Paulina brings the child to the king, certain that the sight of her will soften his heart.
Amy Cole gives an impassioned performance as Paulina, the catalyst for all the magic that happens throughout the play. Her scene with Leontes, as she tries to make him accept his daughter, is particularly moving.
Kris Ide is endearing as Antigonus, Paulina's husband, a conflicted lord who is unwaveringly loyal to his king, but also unable to stand up to his wife. Antigonus is dispatched by Leontes to 'dispose of' the child.
Christina Moore is wonderful as Mamillius, the young son of Leontes and Hermione. Moore is so convincing as a young boy that I had to check her bio, to verify she truly is an adult actress.
In a gender reversal, Steph Hankinson plays Camila - Camilo, a male role, in the original - who is sent by Leontes to murder Polixenes, but instead warns the king and flees the kingdom with him.
The action in Act 2 takes place 16 years later, in Bohemia, where the young princess Perdita (Gia Battista) has grown up, having been adopted by a shepherd (Heidi Kendrick) who found the abandoned infant. Perdita is in love with Florizel (Chris Jee), the son of Polixenes.
Kendrick does a credible job as the old shepherd, but never quite loses the appearance of a woman pretending to be a man. The shepherd and his son, Clown (Mark Curtis Ferrando), bring a bit of humor to the play, although some of their dialogue is difficult to understand.
Daniel A. Guttenberg is larger than life as the rogue Autolycus, who travels the country selling his wares and picking pockets. He, too, lightens the play's mood, and does it well.
Instead of choosing a more traditional Elizabethan sound for this production's music, Miller worked with composer Daryl Henline on original themes with a Balkan sound. The result could not be more perfect for the gypsy celebration.
Josh Steadman does a beautiful job with the scenic design, creating two entirely different worlds: a posh 1930s look for Leontes' court, and the more rustic Balkan community of Bohemia.
Gao's costumes are elegant for Act 1, and they beautifully depict the life of shepherds and gypsies in Act 2.
Jacob W. Nelson's lighting design creates the appropriate mood and is particularly good in the statue scene, where the 'statue' of Hermione seems to glow.
Posted by Bev Sykes at
1:48 PM source:
http://www.davisenterprise.com/-------------------------------------------------
NEWSREVIEW.COM
ARTS AND CULTURE > THEATER
Good to be the king
The Winter’s Tale
By Jeff Hudson
The king went off his nut.
The Winter’s Tale, 1 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday; Studio Theater at the Mondavi Center, UC Davis; $11-$16; (530) 754-2787 or toll-free (866) 754-2787;
http://www.mondaviarts.org/. Through February 22.
What can (should?) the people do when their king goes off his nut?
In The Winter’s Tale, King Leontes cruelly shatters his own family while horrified courtiers look on. Seized by paranoia, Leontes accuses pregnant wife, Hermione, of infidelity and has her imprisoned—separating her from their son Mamillius, who promptly falls seriously ill.
After Hermione gives birth to a girl, Leontes orders the baby abandoned in “a desert place.” Bad deeds don’t go unpunished (at least not in Shakespeare), and the birds come home to roost: By intermission, The Winter’s Tale resembles the conclusion of a full-blown tragedy, with Leontes zapped by remorse.
But then, everything changes. The story fast-forwards 16 years. The abandoned baby—who was miraculously adopted by a passing Bohemian shepherd—is now a gorgeous young woman, in love. Nature and passing years slowly soften the harsh outcomes of earlier events. A character called Time (played by
Jorge Luis Morejón) literally serves as narrator.
British director Patricia Miller takes liberties (and why not? Shakespeare often did). Time, given a single monologue in the script, delivers lines scattered throughout the performance. Leontes’ court, ostensibly Sicilian, looks like London circa 1936. Mamillius (who Miller inserts as a spirit following his death) sings the Gustav Holst carol “In the Bleak Midwinter.” And rural Bohemia looks Balkan, with Romani (“gypsy”) nomads living in tents.
Equity performer Amy Louise Cole (an MFA candidate, playing the feisty Paulina) stands up capably to Leontes (Brett Duggan, sweaty during his mad scene). Elsewhere there are gender switches—wise counselor Camillo becomes dutiful, cautious Camilla (well played by Steph Hankinson).
Miller also works in surprises, like the fertility dance involving shepherds Jazz Trice, Mark Curtis Ferrando and Nathan Lessa (flashing taut young torsos to die for).
Not everything works. The play’s finale, while beautifully arranged, doesn’t quite embody the profound mystery and fulfillment that can make this a tear-inducing scene. And there are occasional moments when certain undergraduates in this UC Davis production perform like, well, undergraduates (that’s OK).
But overall, this is a thoughtfully planned, well-designed, effective production. Kudos to director, cast and crew.
source:
enterprise
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Februry 12, 2009
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'Exit, pursued by a bear.' Redemption drives UC Davis production of Shakespeare's rarely performed 'Winter's Tale.'
by Bev Sykes
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Link: Pursued by a Bear'To me, the theme of the play is time, and learning lessons from time,' said director Patricia Miller, of her upcoming production of Shakespeare's 'The Winter's Tale.'
The play opens Friday and continues through Feb. 22 at the UC Davis Mondavi Center's Studio Theatre. Tickets...
This rarely performed Shakespeare work explores two parallel worlds: the elegance of a café society destroyed by a paranoid king's jealousy, and the fertile chaos of a Balkan Romani gypsy community. 'The Winter's Tale' has the emotional depth of 'King Lear' - often considered its inspiration - and the raw comedy of the rude mechanicals in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' It weaves a magical transformation from death to life.'
There's a redemption of family at the end,' Miller added, 'and a way that time heals things that's very mature.'
Time is not only at the core of this work, but also an integral aspect of the people involved in the production.
Miller is juggling several balls herself. She's a master of fine arts student, taking doctorate classes, teaching acting classes and directing a five-act play ... all at the same time. She's also a single parent with a 7-year-old daughter, which necessitates her commuting to and from San Francisco as often as possible.
Cuban-American actor
Jorge Luis Morejon, who plays the role of 'Time' in this production, is a doctoral candidate in his second year at UC Davis.'
I have to find a balance between the demands of my program,' he said, 'which is lots of reading and writing, and being involved in stage work, which is what I love. Patricia was kind enough to let me do the role of Time, which is small enough for me to maintain my work as a Ph.D. student, but still allows me to be on stage, which is important for me.'
Brett Duggan, tackling the role of King Leontes, is a professional actor and stand-up comedian who has played all the big comedy clubs in New York, Boston and San Francisco. He's a master of fine arts student who came to UC Davis because he'd be able to study and teach ... but all this also requires considerable juggling of time.'
I lived in Sacramento for a few years, and originally thought I would commute,' Duggan said, 'but just decided it was too intense, having had the experience of rehearsing until 11 p.m. I teach a class here at 8 a.m., so that wasn't going to work. I completely changed my life: I moved two blocks from campus.'
I got rid of my car and ride around on a bike.'
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'The kids work so hard,' Miller said. 'They work much harder than regular actors. The two MFAs are up teaching at 8 a.m., and the others are taking classes. Sometimes a full complement all day long, and they come in to me at 6 p.m.'
But (Polish director Jerzy) Grotowski used to make people run around for days without sleep, before they were allowed to work, so grad school is like a similar program. We're just doing Grotowski. That's what I keep telling myself.''
But we love this,' Morejon added. 'This is the time to do it, if you think about it. We have energy, and we're full of dreams, enthusiasm, optimism and love.'
This is an ideal cast for Miller, who directed last season's 'Nights at the Circus.' All the actors from that play - those who didn't graduate last year - auditioned for 'The Winter's Tale.''
It's been a dream to have one consistent ensemble of people to work with,' Miller said, 'because they sort of understand my methods ... which are a little unusual.'
Queried about that choice of words, she explained that she's interested in physical theater, as much as text.'
I have long roots, and training in Britain in text-based theater, where you just start with the text and then work out some psychological reason behind that. You have to get involved in the language. My second level of experience was to work in physical theater modes; I try to incorporate a lot of gesture work, and a lot of energetic work with the actors.'
At the same time, we have to maintain the fact that there is this great text, and the audience expects to understand the story through the text.'
Amy Cole, playing Paulina, understands Miller's methods quite well. They met in San Francisco several years ago, at a Marie Overlie workshop. Overlie developed 'The Viewpoint System,' which teaches an awareness of space and how best to utilize it in performance.
Cole enjoys this opportunity to perform The Bard. Although she directs scaled-down productions of Shakespeare for children in the summer, and has utilized Shakespearean scenes for her own auditions, this is her first full Shakespeare production in more than 10 years.
And Paulina is a plum role.'
She's a catalyst for all the miracles and magic that happen at the end of the play, and throughout the play; the part is amazing. I love exploring Paulina, and I love the magic that happens in this particular Shakespeare play.'
It's a whole new world for Mark Curtis Ferrando, who plays 'Clown.''
I haven't done Shakespeare before, so it's a totally new experience. Since Shakespeare is new to me, taking it line by line - punctuation mark by punctuation mark - is different.'
But it's a good experience.'
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Miller is excited to be directing 'The Winter's Tale,' because she expects audiences to arrive at the theater with no preconceived expectations, as they might with 'Hamlet,' 'Macbeth' or other better-known works. 'The Winter's Tale' was one of Shakespeare's later plays, and - as with other late plays such as 'The Tempest' and 'Pericles' - this one also involves a father's loss of a daughter, and trying to regain that relationship.'
The play really parallels Shakespeare's own experience,' Miller said, 'because he lost a child; he returned for his older daughter's wedding. He was very alienated from the family, because he was down in London working at the Globe and other places. Some theories, picked up from the English department, suggest that it's really him working out redemption, rebirth and reconnection with family.'
Miller borrows liberally from her own life experiences. She was born in Philadelphia and raised in England, where she received her training; she also spent a lot of time in the former Yugoslavia. She has had teachers in Poland and Croatia, along with American Stanislavski technique teachers.
She spent a lot of time with Balkan musicians and worked with the Voice of Roma, a Sebastopol organization devoted to increasing knowledge of gypsy culture.'
I'm very involved in the lineage of the teachers who have taught me. You bring them all into the room with you.'
Her diverse experience leaves her eminently qualified to create the two worlds that she envisions for this production: the court of Leontes, modeled after the British monarchy in the 1930s, around the time of the abdication of Edward; and 1950s Bohemia, in a Balkan gypsy community that is quite colorful and musical.
Miller was very specific about the music she wanted.'
Often, with music in a Shakespearean production, people just go to the Elizabethan, which is beautiful. I love Elizabethan music, but the audience just has a quiet little sleep, because people expect to see Morris dancers.'
She therefore went in a completely different direction: San Francisco musician Daryl Henline is composing the original music for this play.'
He's the only 'outsider' being dropped into this production,' Miller said.
A Balkan gypsy celebration demands music with a lot of polyrhythm, but the instrumentation will be fairly minimal; the people in the cast who are musicians are more in the genre of classical pianists, and things like that.'
We're trying to incorporate people learning the accordion. We're obviously using percussion from the set, so it might be a clicking of sticks, as opposed to an actual instrument. And a skin drum, of course; you must have a skin drum. And a lot of polyphonic singing, some of which is indicated in the text, and some of which I've added for the community celebration.'
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Miller's cast obviously likes working with her.
'She's fun. She's a hoot,' Ferrando laughed. 'She can be a little crazy sometimes, but in a good way, usually, for the actors.' He finds himself doing a lot of research for arcane references. 'They're references she grew up with, but I never noticed. I never was attuned to Laurel and Hardy, for example. I'm too young for that, so I have to go back and look at those videos.'
'She has tons of ideas,' Duggan said. 'It's exciting; it's a lot of fun; it's challenging. Yes, there will be a point where it'll feel like 'Oh my God, what's going on!' ... but the final product always is really strong.'
As I watched Miller direct her cast in an intense scene between Paulina and Leontes, it was almost like observing a conductor working with an orchestra. She approaches the text almost as if it were a musical number, tapping out the beat on a table as the actors speak.
I asked Cole about that.
'There's a lot about the timing in Shakespeare,' she said, 'because it's verse, and how the lines connect up. That scene, in particular, has a lot of lines in iambic pentameter: I'll finish, and Leontes completes the rest of my line, and I'll do the same for him. So it really is important; it's written that way. I cut him off as soon as he speaks, which adds tension.'
It's a constant churning, so you don't want to let it drop. That's the case in most plays, but especially in Shakespeare, because of how he wrote the verse. This is one of his later plays, so the verse is very complicated. He's deliberate with everything.'
While Miller is conscious of the Shakespeare fans, she's more interested in winning over the 'green' audience: playing to the guy in the third row, who is busy texting his girlfriend.
'It's actually this huge gift, as a director, to read reviews from the unspoiled fresh eyes of a 19-year-old undergraduate, who's forced to do it because he thought it would be the easy option ... because he didn't get in the English class, and doesn't like writing. I love winning over the scientists; it keeps me on my toes.'
It's all about this audience.
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UPDATED
Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale (Flipped!) Opens at UC Davis Mondavi Studio Theatre01-30-2009
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UC Davis Department of Theatre & Dance presents The Winter’s Tale written by William Shakespeare and directed by graduating MFA candidate Patricia Miller.
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This unconventional physical theatre production with original live music weaves a magical transformation from broken hearts to redemption and death to life. Themes of grief and the healing power of time are expressed in this story of a privileged family torn apart by a patriarch’s possessive rage. The Winter’s Tale opens on Friday, February 13, and plays through Sunday, February 15. It continues Thursday, February 19, through Sunday, February 22, in the Studio Theatre at Mondavi Center.
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This rarely performed Shakespeare work features the emotional depth of King Lear (often considered its inspiration) and the raw comedy and rude mechanicals of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. “Shakespeare’s emotional range is wide and immediate running the gamut from mourning to hilarity with his most famous stage direction, 'Exit, pursued by a bear!'” notes Director Patricia Miller.
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Miller’s direction explores two parallel worlds: the 1930’s elegance of a café society destroyed by a paranoid king’s jealousy, and the fertile chaos of a contemporary Bohemian Roma community. Miller was drawn to The Winter’s Tale for her MFA thesis because of the exciting clash of these worlds and her personal connection to the subject matter. “I have spent a long time in the Balkans and maintain a love of that music and culture. I am happy to find in Winter’s Tale, a project that embraces that joie de vivre as I am to explore the emotional formality of my upbringing in England. Also, the play’s themes deeply reflect my own experiences of loss and the joys of parenting.”
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Miller directs in the contemporary European “physical theatre” style making Shakespeare’s poetry vital, passionate, and direct. “This is Shakespeare flipped!” she quips, “not your grandmother’s Shakespeare – there is no pretension.” According to Miller, physical theatre technique teaches actors what dancers have known for years. She has directed her UC Davis cast to embody Shakespeare’s words.
“I love Patricia's physical theatre direction,” says undergraduate Mark Curtis Ferrando who plays Clown. “It has presented me with new challenges. When you are sad you tend not to want to move around much, and when excited, you usually bring your voice up in pitch and speed. I had to find a balance between firm, energetic movements and the melancholy emotional core.”
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Assistant Director Julie Friedrichsen observes how Miller’s physical theatre direction grips the audience, "Patricia approaches every scene as if it were a work of art, a series of extraordinary paintings moving and blending into each other. This blurs the lines between actor and audience, art and reality, movement and stillness, order and chaos. She streamlines each moment so that a single gesture of hand or slight turn of the head creates tremendous emotional anticipation. There are times when - as a collective body - the audience moves to the edge of their seat, holding their breath until the gesture is complete and they collectively exhale in relief. Working with Miller has been a rewarding and enlightening experience for which I am grateful as I know I am seated at the feet of a master."
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Physical theatre performances are finely tuned by experienced cast members. Amy Louise Cole, who portrays Paulina, has performed professionally for over a decade. She is a member of Actors Equity Association and Executive Director of El Gato Theatre in San Francisco. Jorge Luis Morejon, who plays Time, brings twenty years of theatre, opera, dance and performance art experience to The Winter’s Tale while pursuing his PhD in Performance Studies.
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Miller’s aesthetic, stamped in the English punk era, emerges in an energy that resonates through every aspect of the production including original Balkan music composed by Daryl Henline and performed by the company. Henline’s music beats with the current popular rhythms of gypsy punk rock band Gogol Bordello.
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Scenic Designer Josh Steadman appreciates the richness of Miller’s Bohemian setting. His scenic design reflects the director’s interest in spiritual ritual, “I used research on the living spaces of nomadic people in Eastern Europe’s Balkan region to create scenic elements including huts that represent pivotal characters. The hut as symbol represents re-birth or the mother’s womb.”
Rounding out the concept artist team are Lighting Designer Jacob W. Nelson, Costume Designer Wenting Gao, Sound Designer Christian Savage, Properties Designer Daniel Jordan, and Stage Managers Jenny Estremera and Samantha Whitehouse.
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The Winter’s Tale offers a feast of human experience with intense emotion and imagery, clowns, live music and plenty of bears.
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Patricia Miller Bio
Raised and trained in the UK, Patricia Miller brings a diversity of experience to theatre directing, teaching and acting. Last season at UC Davis she directed the U.S. premiere of Nights at the Circus based on Angela Carter's novel and adapted for stage by Emma Rice and Tom Morris. Other U.S. directing credits include The Magic Theatre, UC Riverside and San Francisco venues. U.K. directing credits include Mountview Theatre School; National Youth Theatre of Great Britain; New Playwrights Festival, London; Riverside Studios, London and the Edinburgh Festival. Bay Area acting credits include Family Butchers (Peg) for the Magic Theatre; Magic Theatre festivals of Irish Women Writers and the Playwrights in Danger; Romeo and Juliet (Lady Capulet) and Dolly West's Kitchen (Rima, understudy) for TheatreWorks; Beautiful Thing (Sandra) and Cloud Nine (Maud/Lin) for NCTC; Bold Girls (Marie) for Viaduct; Women of Lockerbie (Chorus) for BAPF. Miller's teaching and directing credits include UC Riverside, UC Davis, Berkeley City College, San Francisco City College, California Shakespeare Festival and Aurora Theatre Education. As Casting Director she has worked for Aurora Theatre Company, Magic Theatre, NCTC and the Playwrights Foundation and for such notable directors as Kent Nicolson, Joy Carlin, Tom Ross and Chris Smith.
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This production contains some adult language and sexual innuendo. What: The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare, Directed by Patricia Miller.
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Where: Studio Theatre, Mondavi Center
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When: Fri 2/13 ~ Sat 2/14, 8pm Sun 2/15, 7pm Thu 2/19, 1pm Fri 2/20 ~ Sat 2/21, 8pm Sun 2/22, 2pm Tickets: $16/18 General; $11/13 Student & Child Purchase tickets: (530) 754-2787, or toll-free (866) 754-2787 or www.mondaviarts.org Special School Group Tickets: School and youth groups of 10 or more receive a special rate of $5 per ticket at the teacher or group leader’s request. Call the UC Davis Department of Theatre & Dance at (530) 752 -5863 to make arrangements for this discount. More information:
http://theatredance.ucdavis.edu
