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Richard III By William Shakespeare
Cast Richard........................................................................................................................Caitlin Kelly Buckingham / Chorus.............................................................................................Braden Butler Stanley / King Edward / Chorus.............................................................................Jackson Card Elizabeth / Chorus........................................................................................... Beverley Rockwell Duchess York / Cardinal / Chorus................................................................... Chantal Perron* Margaret / Edward Jr / Chorus....................................................................... Nikki Hulowski* Hastings / Richmond / Chorus...................................................................... Sheldon Stockdale Lady Anne / Tyrrel / Chorus................................................................... Emily Anne Corcoran York Jr...................................................................................Emily Anne Corcoran, Hanna Loh Clarence / Mayor / Chorus..................................................................................Benjamin Blyth Rivers / Catesby / Dorset / Chorus...............................................................Hayley Moorhouse Creative Team Director ..................................................................................................................... Max Rubin** Set and Lighting Designer.............................................................................. Jeremy Gordaneer Costume Designer ...................................................................................................Feng Yi Jiang Sound Designer..........................................................................................................Aaron Macri Vocal Coach ................................................................................................................... David Ley Movement Coach ................................................................................................... Marie Nychka Dramaturgs ................................................................... Amanda Goldberg, Stefano Muneroni Musical Arrangements ................................................................................... Beverley Rockwell Stage Management Stage Manager ................................................................................................Stacy Vanden Dool Assistant Stage Managers............................................................... Frances Bundy, Hanna Loh Faculty Advisors Directing Advisors.......................................................................... David Kennedy, Jan Selman Design Advisor..................................................................................................... Lee Livingstone Stage Management Advisor..................................................................................John Raymond *The participation of this Artist is arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provision of the Dance-Opera-Theatre Policy. **In partial fulfilment of their MFA Directing Thesis Project.
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Production Team Production Manager..................................................................................... Gerry van Hezewyk Technical Director....................................................................................................... Larry Clark Wardrobe Manager............................................................................................. Joanna Johnston Cutter...............................................................................................................................Julie Davie Wardrobe Assistant..............................................................................................Amelia Vadnais Master Carpenter.................................................................................................Darrell Cooksey Scenic Carpenters....................................................................Barbara Hagensen, Jacob Fulton Lead Scenic Artist.....................................................................................................Madi Blondal Scenic Artists..............................................Michaela Bonato, Lieke Den Bakker, Casey Irwin Thomas Johnston, Dylan MacKay, Derek Miiller Emma Nokes, Shella Novakovic-Apostol, Andraya Rodrigues Rebeka Taylor, Jack Thompson, Kai Yakichuk Properties Master............................................................................................................Jane Kline Properties Assistant......................................................................................... Tiffany Martineau Lighting/Video Supervisor.........................................................................................Jeff Osterlin Head of Lighting...........................................................................................................Drew Lekic Lighting Technicians................................Michaela Bonato, Lieke Den Bakker, Casey Irwin, Thomas Johnston, Dylan MacKay, Derek Miiller Emma Nokes, Shella Novakovic-Apostol,Andraya Rodrigues Rebeka Taylor, Jack Thompson, Kai Yakichuk Sound Supervisor................................................................................................ Matthew Skopyk Sound Assistant....................................................................................................Micaila Herbold Running Crew Lighting Operator....................................................................................................Sherry Alvaro Sound Operator.................................................................................................... Micaila Herbold Stage Crew....................................................................................................................Jacob Fulton Acknowledgements: Melanie Bahniuk Talkback (October 14) There will be a talkback with members of the creative team following the performance of October 14. Panel Discussion (October 17) Join Dr. Stefano Muneroni (Drama) and Dr. Carolyn Sale (English & Film Studies) for a discussion about Richard III in the Timms Lobby on October 17 at 5:00 p.m.
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Contents 5 Studio Theatre Mandate • 6 A Welcome Message from Melanie Dreyer-Lude 7 Director’s Notes • 8 Dramaturgical Notes • 12 Studio Theatre 2019-2020 Season 14 Admin, Production, Front of House & Volunteers • 15 Donors
U of A Studio Theatre Mandate •
To provide sterling training and educational opportunities for BFA acting, design, technical theatre and stage management students, as well as MA, MFA and PhD students
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To provide opportunities for connections with departments across campus through the choice of plays which have cultural, literary and historical significance
To provide opportunities for the community at large to engage with the Department of Drama through guest artist collaboration and attendance as audience members Melanie Dreyer-Lude, Artistic Director, U of A Studio Theatre and Chair, Department of Drama
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To provide research / creative activity opportunities for the Department of Drama’s faculty directors and designers
2019-20 SEASON
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N O RT H E R N L I G H T T H E AT R E
BARONESS
BIANKA’S LOODSONGS Bby Joanna Weinberg OCT 18 - NOV 2 PREVIEW OCT 17
7:30pm Nightly, Tuesday - Sunday/2PM Matinee
@ Studio Theatre inside the ATB Financial Arts Barns,10330 – 84 Avenue
Pay what you can and FREE for students with valid student I.D.
For tickets and season subscriptions, visit northernlighttheatre.com or call 780-471-1586 5
A WELCOME MESSAGE FROM
MELANIE DREYER-LUDE stages and run theatre companies across Canada. It is rare to attend a theatrical performance in Edmonton without seeing several of our former students listed as professionals in the program. When you attend a Studio Theatre show, you are witnessing the beginning of many important theatrical careers.
Welcome to Studio Theatre’s 70th anniversary season! Studio Theatre began in 1949 as an idea championed by aspiring artists and dedicated faculty members, driven to bring live theatre to Edmonton. Our first few Studio seasons were staged in a Quonset hut on the university campus. Now we have the privilege of sharing our work with you in the beautiful Timms Centre for the Arts, one of the most cutting-edge university theatre facilities in Canada.
Our season this year offers you an impressive range of experiences. Richard III is a timely exploration of power and corruption. Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. will take you on a wildly bold romp through contemporary womanhood. Shakespeare’s Dog is a delightful comedy about Bill’s best friend and unsung muse. Chrysothemus provides the opportunity to see the world premiere of Lee Playwright in Residence Meg Braem’s brand new play. Don Juan Comes Back From The War closes our season with a classic story of an irresistible scoundrel. Each of these productions features students, alumni, faculty and guest artists who share our passion for presenting compelling theatre to the public. We hope you will join us as we celebrate 70 years of training and practice. Who knows? Perhaps the artists you witness this season will become the stars of tomorrow.
We are so proud of the many alumni Melanie Dreyer-Lude of our programs who continue to grace Chair, Department of Drama
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DIRECTOR’S NOTES By Max Rubin In 2016, my wife and I sold our UK flat, grabbed our small son Spike, bundled the dog into a crate and moved across the world to Edmonton. Our reasons for coming here were the usual ones – a better life for the boy in a more accepting and open-hearted society, poutine (obviously) – but we also had reasons for leaving home in the first place. Brexit has riven the UK and is only one facet of the rise of right-wing populism throughout Europe and beyond. In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash, democracy seems to be losing its appeal in ways that seemed unthinkable only a few years ago. As I write, our unelected Prime Minister Boris Johnson is doing all he can to suffocate our unwritten constitution, Richard is a scourge - an unforgiveable and the undecided fate of the UK villain whose acts of sociopathic seems like a harbinger of the future. cruelty are entirely necessary for this Our production is not particularly society to wipe itself clean and to about Brexit or U.S. president 45, but break the cycle of conflict and revenge. is concerned with the forces that drive But what happens when the dust has people towards populist movements settled? Shakespeare implied a natural and with what comes afterwards. Our order to a universe ruled over by a setting is an abandoned building site benevolent creator: Richard’s chaos in an unspecified European city, and is inevitably defeated by the forces of the characters who inhabit it are not order, and the world continues on a monarchs and courtiers, but desperate path that bends towards justice. people determined to build a new The fate of our modern societies seems world from the rubble of the old. Here, more nebulous and far less assured. a rules-based social order has been This production attempts to explore crippled by a generation of ruthless this uncertainty, suggesting that in our power-struggles, and this failure has beautiful world there are no simple created fertile ground for someone answers to complicated questions. like Richard to thrive. 7
DRAMATURGICAL NOTES
By Stefano Muneroni and Amanda Goldberg The Politics of different from the historical person. In Shakespeare’s Richard III fact, Richard III shaped the portrayal of the king and his short-lived reign Then and Now William Shakespeare wrote Richard III when he was in his late twenties, and he entrusted his iconic protagonist to Richard Burbage, the undisputed star of the Elizabethan stage. Despite being one of the first plays written by the author, Richard III enjoyed immediate success and was instrumental in establishing Shakespeare as one of the most profitable playwrights in London. Drawing on the well-known Wars of the Roses, the bloody conflict between the houses of York and Lancaster, the play aspired to celebrate the birth of the Tudor dynasty. It was a most natural and rewarding choice for Shakespeare, considering that Henry VII, who succeeded Richard III to the throne of England in 1485, was the first Tudor king and none other than Queen Elizabeth I’s grandfather. Richard is for Shakespeare the perfect means to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s nation-building efforts and to praise the Tudor monarchy by vilifying its opponents. The battle of Bosworth Field, that marked the end of the civil war, is for Shakespeare the end of political terror and the beginning of a new era.
for centuries to come – more vividly, if less accurately, than Edward Hall’s and Raphael Holinshed’s chronicles. Richard III follows chronologically Henry VI, Part Three, where Richard kills the ruling monarch and claims famously to have “neither pity, love, nor fear.” His line “I am myself, alone” resonates with the moral and psychological complexities that make this character so captivating and unforgettable. Both in Henry VI and Richard III, Richard is a quintessential villain, rivaling in wickedness and corruption Iago in Othello and Claudius in Hamlet. Yet he is a fascinating antihero who dares the audience to like him for his political cunning and smarts; at times even humorous in how he rejoices in the unexpected success of his own manipulations.
If the celebration of the Tudors prompted Shakespeare to compose Richard III during the Renaissance, what is it that urges today’s directors to stage it and audiences to see it? What is it about this play that continues to sustain a seemingly constant stream of theatrical productions and cinematic adaptations? We must ask and answer these questions in order to probe how Richard III might reflect current concerns His admiration for the Tudors, together and articulate a meaningful engagement with his unrivaled use of language with the world at large. and marvelous imagination, model Richard as a wonderfully villainous ‘Now,’ the first word of the play and character that might have been quite the first uttered by Richard himself, 8
Today, the resurgence of authoritarianism is often met by inadequate resistance. Many feel disbelief and a demoralizing exhaustion in the face of politicians’ lies and distortion of factual evidence. As large swaths of the electorate feel disempowered and less prone to react against injustice and abuse, a corrupt political class, often emboldened by an astute autocrat, gains more power One can look at Richard III as a breeding crime and abuse into an already training ground for developing theatre corrupt system. artists, as a representative text of the western dramatic canon, or as a way to The reign of Richard lasted only twentybridge dramatic literature with the live six months, but it managed to change performance of the play, but the cultural England’s historical path forever, ending longevity of Shakespeare’s text lies in in a trail of destruction and death. its core statement about the dangers of Perhaps the most compelling argument unbridled power and the devastating that contemporary audiences can relate outcomes of authoritarianism. This was to in Shakespeare’s play is the importance as true in the sixteenth century as it is in to treasure and respect the democratic our day and age. Forms of government process, to question power and those change with the passing time, but the risk who wield it, and to be cautious of of losing one’s own freedom to tyranny is politicians who put personal gain above the health of the republic. ever present. situates the action in the present – the protagonist’s present as well as our own, as we experience his story in Edmonton in 2019. Richard III reaches back into history to explore the present time and to probe what it means to be human in the here and now. If a play does not do these things, it can never truly connect with an audience.
Richard III is a case study of what might happen when a deceitful strongman with unbound political aspirations is met by feeble opposition. It is indeed a play for our time as we are confronted with the global rise of fascistic ideologies. It reminds us that authoritarianism is as much the result of an erosion of democratic values as it is the outcome of people’s indifference and passivity. Richard’s rise to power is undoubtedly due to his Machiavellian calculations, but he would never have become king had the people around him paid attention and reacted sooner to stop him.
Representation of King Richard III through the ages The depth and brilliance of Richard as a character has been captivating actors’ imagination for ages. Playing the role has launched or defined many careers, often leading to true stardom status. In 1699, a theatre manager named Colley Cibber wrote and performed an edited version of Shakespeare’s Richard III. The text he cut from the original mostly affected supporting characters almost eliminating the role of Margaret. These 9
DRAMATURGICAL NOTES alterations proved to make the role of Richard an intrinsically dominant figure. However, this version did not garner a great response. It wasn’t until 1741 that Cibber’s version of Richard III received positive recognition due actor superstar, David Garrick.
character as a dream role that all actors would aspire to play.
Shakespeare’s original play, as well as the title role, has proven to propel many actors to fame. During the early 19th century, a prominent English actor known for his controversial and drunk behavior, Edmund Kean, took on the role of Richard after his Drury Lane debut as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Kean quickly became recognized for tackling Shakespearean villains. In similar terms, American actor, Edwin Forrest, owed his start to Richard’s words. The story goes that after trying to find employment in 1820, Forrest participated in an experiment on the effects of nitrous oxide. While high, he recited one of Richard’s soliloquies from Richard III. David Garrick as Richard III painted This fluke led Forrest to his formal stage by William Hogarth in 1745 debut a few months later at the Walnut Garrick’s interpretation of the role was Street Theatre in Philadelphia. remembered as highly expressive but equally naturalistic. His quick success secured him a job as the lead performer at Drury Lane, a theatre that he began to manage in 1747 with immense success. He would continue to produce many more plays by Shakespeare, restoring much of the original text. While the condensed adaptations of Richard III remained popular during the eighteenth century Mr. Kean in Richard the Third Act IV and most of the nineteenth century, later Scene 4 painted by J.J. Halls critics and artists rejected modifications of the original text. Richard III catapulted The character of Richard made his first Garrick’s career along with immortalizing appearance to the modern world at the his contribution to the world of theatre. beginning of the twentieth century. Correspondingly, Garrick’s performance Leopold Jessner, a director known of Richard confirmed the complexity for his work in German expressionist of the role, as well as established this theatre, was among the first group of 10
directors to use Richard III as a platform to shed light on the rise of fascism after WW1. In 1942, during the horrors of Nazi Germany, Donald Wolfit played a recognizable Richard. Many critics have noted the direct parallels between Hitler and Wolfit’s Richard. Through a time of political violence, the play acted as a mirror. Tragically, European audiences understood this story far too well. During one performance in 1942, the audience were shaken as they had to run for shelter because of an active bomb alert. In 1955, Sir Laurence Olivier acted, produced, and directed a film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Richard III. While Olivier was not the first Richard to appear on screen, he certainly was the most memorable. For his performance, Olivier received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won the BAFTA Award for Best British
Actor. Since this film, there have been at least a dozen other Hollywood versions, some of the most famous portrayals include Sir Ian McKellen in the 1955 film adaptation set in a fictional 1930s fascist England, and Al Pacino in the 1996 documentary film Looking for Richard. This film was Al Pacino’s directing debut. It explored an insightful examination of the character and his continued significance through history and modern culture. Richard III continues to be performed on average every two years in Canada, UK and USA. In 2003, Barry Kyle directed an all-female production of Richard III at Shakespeare’s Globe with Kathryn Hunter playing the title role. In 2017, Romanian theatre director, Silviu Purcarete staged a production in Tokyo with an all-Japanese cast for the first time.
Works cited: Archer, Corinna. “Production History of Richard III.” Production History of Richard III, 1 Jan. 1970, Web. Accessed 2019. http://richardiiicasebook.blogspot. com/2010/02/production-history-of-richard-iii.html. Tanaka, Nobuko. “It's More than 400 Years Old, but 'Richard III' Is Just as Relevant Today.” The Japan Times, Web. Accessed 2019. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2017/10/12/ stage/400-years-old-richard-iii-just-relevant-today/#.XX76pS2ZMQ8. Walkling, Saffron Vickers. “Step by Step Richard III: from Jessner to Jonjo.” Shakespeare Travels, 3 Nov. 2012, https://saffronatstudy.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/ step-by-step-richard-iii-from-jessner-to-jonjo/. “Reforms of Drury Lane Theatre.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Web. Accessed 2019. https://www.britannica.com/biography/David-Garrick/Reforms-of-Drury-Lane-Theatre. “Stage History: Richard III.” Royal Shakespeare Company, Web. Accessed 2019. https://www.rsc.org.uk/richard-iii/about-the-play/stage-history 11
STUDIO THEATRE 2019-2020 SEASON RICHARD III
CHRYSOTHEMIS
REVOLT. SHE SAID. REVOLT AGAIN.
DON JUAN COMES BACK FROM THE WAR
By William Shakespeare October 11 - 19, 2019
By Alice Birch November 29 - December 7, 2019
SHAKESPEARE’S DOG
By Meg Braem April 3 - 11, 2020
By Ödön von Horváth in a new version by Duncan Macmillan May 15 - 23, 2020
By Rick Chafe Adapted from the novel by Leon Rooke February 7 - 15, 2020 Book your subscription now and save! Subscription order forms available online and at the Box Office.
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ART & DESIGN TECHNICIANS AND STAFF EXHIBITION
October 1 - 26, 2019 | FAB Gallery This group exhibition features diverse works produced by technician demonstrators and staff from the Department of Art & Design, and showcases a broad range of media and themes.
RESONANCE PRISM
October 18, 2019 at 7:30 pm Convocation Hall A celebratory retrospective of the compositions of Professor Emeritus Howard Bashaw. Bashaw’s dense, complex language is brought to life by virtuosic performers across many genres, including chamber, choral and solo piano.
POLISH PRINTMAKING
November 5 - 30, 2019 | FAB Gallery An exhibition of prints from The Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, Poland.
WE’LL WALK YOU HOME.
MUSAICS
November 24, 2019 at 3:00 pm Convocation Hall Hosted by the Music Students' Association, Musaics brings students from the Department of Music together to create a mosaic of music. Various genres, instruments and groups will come together to create a delightful show with all proceeds being donated back to the Department of Music to help fund the renovation of Convocation Hall.
For a full listing of all Fine Arts events, visit ualberta.ca/artshows
SEPT/OCT: MON - FRI:
7PM - 12:45AM SUNDAYS: 7PM - 10:45PM
NOV/DEC: MON - FRI: SUNDAYS:
6PM - 12:45AM 6PM - 10:45PM
780-4-WALK-ME www.safewalk.ca
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Administrative Staff
Production Staff
Melanie Dreyer-Lude Chair, Department of Drama Julie Brown Assistant Chair, Administration David Prestley Theatre Administrator / Events Coordinator Liz Ludwig Graduate Advisor / Executive Assistant Connie Golden Undergraduate Advisor Helen Baggaley Office Coordinator Danielle Dugan Box Office Coordinator / Events Assistant
Gerry van Hezewyk Production Manager Larry Clark Technical Director, Timms Centre Matthew Skopyk Sound Supervisor Jeff Osterlin Lighting Supervisor Don Mackenzie Technical Director, Studios Darrell Cooksey Master Carpenter Jane Kline Properties Master Joanna Johnston Wardrobe Manager Karen Kucher FAB Costumer Julie Davie Cutter
With assistance from Faculty of Arts staff: Erik Einsiedel Marketing and Communications Advisor Nicole Cotterill Communications Associate
Front of House STAFF Bonita Akai, Beth Beardsley, Terri Gingras, Konstantine Kurelias, Sarah Norton, Ben Osgood, Emily Pole, Candice Stollery, Molly Thomas
Volunteers Katie Austin, Debbie Beaver, Susan Box, Joan Damkjar, Pooja Happy, Michael Jenkins, Randa Kachkar, Don Lavigne, Grace Li, Marlene Maylj, Tom and Gillian McGovern, Andrea Newman, David Prestley, Amir Shah, Gerri Slaney, Jaime Whiting
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Donors Heartfelt thanks to the individuals, foundations and organizations listed below for recognizing the importance of the arts by directly investing in the Department of Drama’s innovation and leadership in theatre training and performance. A round of applause to our supporters! Baha & Sharon Abu-Laban Catherine G. Allan Geoffrey & Janet Allcock Jane Alton Vera Apletree Linda & Robert Ascah Diana Bacon Annalisa & Doug Baer Helen Baggaley Carole & William Barton Lindsay D. Bell Kathleen & William Betteridge Julia M Boberg Bonnie & Richard Bowes Joseph Piccolo & Julie Brown Jean-Pierre Fournier & Sharon Busby Adolf & Kathleen Buse Brent Christopherson Lesley Cormack Kevin & Lorna Crockett Brian Deedrick Brent Webster & Jacquie Eales Jim & Joan Eliuk Anna & Mike Giles Arnold Grandt
Gene & Michele Gregoret Matthew J. Gusul Kelly Handerek Elaine & Bohdan Harasymiw Christopher Head Stephen Heatley Steven Hilton Pavel & Sylva Jelen Margaret Keene Jane King Don Mackenzie Larry & Nicole Mallet John & Peggy Marko Andrew & Anna Mioduchowski Adam & Keri Mitchell June & Rod Morgan Ruth Nishioka Audrey O'Brien Esther & Jack Ondrack Martha Pankratz Barbara Baer Pillay James & Judith Robinson Joan & Kenneth Roy Terrance Rowswell O'Connor Award Fund at the Edmonton Community Foundation
Alan & Ramona Sather Jan Selman Albin J.E. Shanley Dale & Daryl Springer Cori Stent Gloria M. Strathearn Lauren Thomas Thomas Usher Gilda L.F. Valli Henriette Van Hees Sonia Varela Doug Warren Alan & Lorraine Welch Kathy & Lorris Williams Philiana K. Wong Diane Zinyk Various Anonymous Donors Estate of Allan David Bleviss Estate of Josephine Anne Bensted I.A.T.S.E. Local 210 Health & Welfare Account A donation has been made to the U of A Department of Drama Fund "IN MEMORY OF GORDON MCINTOSH."
This list includes those who donated to various Drama funds from September 1, 2018 to August 31, 2019. Apologies for inadvertent omissions or errors. Contact 780-492-2271 for corrections.
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