Theatre--Performance

Acting Unlimited, Inc and Wanderlust Theatre Co.  have announced a way to win free tickets to WOLVES IN THE WALLS  and BOOK OF D.  They are sponsoring a "HOOOWWWLING" contest.  Wathc the video below to learn the rules.  Get your entries in soon--because WOLVES IN THE WALLS and THE BOOK OF D open Thursday, July 26th!

Theatre--Performance

ACTING UNLIMITED and WANDERLUST THEATRE CO.

With the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Performing Arts Department

Present

NEIL GAIMAN’S

WOLVES IN THE WALLS

Based on the book by Neil Gaiman

Adapted for the stage by Cody Daigle

And

THE BOOK OF D

A Play for Young Actors by Cody Daigle

July 26 – August 5

Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday at 3 p.m.

Burke-Hawthorne Hall (on the UL Campus)

For more information, call 484-0172.

 Acting Unlimited (AUI) and Wanderlust Theatre Co. are teaming up with the UL-Lafayette Performing Arts Department to present an exciting addition to the summer theatre calendar: WOLVES IN THE WALLS, a world premiere adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean’s award-winning children’s book “The Wolves in the Walls,” and THE BOOK OF D,  a world-premiere play for young actors by Cody Daigle.

Lucy is hearing strange noises in the walls  – noises she believes to be wolves. No one believes her… except her puppet, Pig. Then one night, Lucy discovers that the wolves in the walls are real. And they’re coming out to play…

Adapted for the stage by local playwright Cody Daigle, WOLVES IN THE WALL will feature  a spectacular puppetry design by Brady McKellar and Elsa Dimitriadis, artistic directors of Wanderlust Theatre Co., incorporating a host of puppetry techniques. The show will be a visual theatrical event filled with puppetry, pandemonium and the dark fantasy world of Neil Gaiman.

The production will also receive support from the area’s vibrant visual arts community. Rob Guillory, local artist and an Eisner-award winning creator of the comic book series “Chew,” will supply the poster art for the production.

Gaiman and McKean’s “The Wolves in the Walls” was first published in 2003, and it won awards for the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book (2003), the IRA/CBC Children's Choice (2004) award and the British Science Fiction Association award for Short Fiction (2003).

This production has the blessing of Gaiman and his team, and it will be the only time this version of the show will performed anywhere.

In THE BOOK OF D, imagination and myth combine to help two young people forge a friendship and cope with the pressures of growing up. D keeps a book that contains an explanation for everything. When D meets Blu, it seems like a new story of friendship is going to be written. But life has other plans – as it always does – and stories become the strongest link between them.

THE BOOK OF D was written specifically for the show’s cast, and will serve as a curtain-raiser for WOLVES IN THE WALLS.

The production also marks the first collaboration between the two lead producing companies. AUI has recently produced David Ives’ “Lives of the Saints” and the first post-controversy production of Mike Daisey’s “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs” in the country. Wanderlust Theatre has delighted audiences with their production of “Match” and “Shylock.”

“AUI and Wanderlust Theatre both have reputations for delivering exciting theatre work,” Marie Diaz, lead producer, said. “This collaboration is a natural fit. We look forward to bringing Gaiman’s world to life for local audiences.”

WOLVES IN THE WALLS (with the curtain-raiser THE BOOK OF D) will run July 26 – August 5 at Burke-Hawthorne Hall on the UL Campus. Curtain on Thursday, Friday and Saturday is 7:30 p.m. Curtain on Sunday is 3 p.m. For more information or for ticket reservations, call 484-0712.  To purchase tickets online, click here.

Theatre--Performance

ACTING UNLIMITED, INC and WANDERLUST THEATRE CO.

With the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Performing Arts Program

Present

NEIL GAIMAN’S

WOLVES IN THE WALLS

Based on the book by Neil Gaiman

Adapted for the stage by Cody Daigle

July 26 – August 5

Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday at 3 p.m.

Burke-Hawthorne Hall (on the UL Campus)

For more information, call 484-0172.

Lucy is hearing strange noises in the walls – noises she believes to be wolves. No one believes her… except her puppet, Pig. Then one night, Lucy discovers that the wolves in the walls are real. And they’re coming out to play…

Adapted for the stage by local playwright Cody Daigle, WOLVES IN THE WALL will feature a
spectacular puppetry design by Brady McKellar and Elsa Dimitriadis, artistic directors of Wanderlust Theatre Co., incorporating a host of puppetry techniques. The show will be a visual theatrical event filled with puppetry, pandemonium and the dark fantasy world of Neil Gaiman.

The production will also receive support from the area’s vibrant visual arts community. Rob Guillory, local artist and an Eisner-award winning creator of the comic book series Chew, will supply the poster art for the production.

Gaiman and McKean’s The Wolves in the Walls was first published in 2003, and it won awards for the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book (2003), the IRA/CBC Children's Choice (2004) award and the British Science Fiction Association award for Short Fiction (2003).  This production has the blessing of Gaiman and his team, and it will be the only time this version of the show will performed anywhere.

Theatre--Review (Acting Unlimited at Theatre 810)

What fun it is to watch a theatre develop its groove. Theatre 810 has developed into a lovely intimate space that caters to intricate little gems of plays or one-act collections. Since the beginning of the year, Theatre 810 has hosted David Ives’ Lives of the Saints )a collection of seven one-act plays), PG-50 (three one-act plays), the double-billed Krapp’s Last Tape and The Zoo Story, and A Woman’s Journey, two one-act plays. Add to this mix The Complete Women of William Shakespeare, a collection of two one-act plays devoted solely to the women of Shakespeare’s life. It’s a cavalcade of femininity on the stage and an opportunity for the women of Acadiana to show their acting chops.

The first play, Second Best Bed by Tim Kelly, is the stronger of the two plays, mostly due to its compact, poignant and funny story concerning Shakespeare’s will. A gathering of gossipy women has converged on Anne Hathaway’s house to discover not the contents of the will—this they already know—but the reaction by Shakespeare’s widow that she has been left only one item: the second best bed. The humor is evident as the play begins—the maid calls the vicious gossip-mongers a bunch of geese—but the revealing tenderness is what people absorb, for the ending is not what it seems.

The second play, When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet by Charles George, begins nicely enough but its raison d’être—to milk as many jokes from what would happen should Shakespeare’s fictional women converge to give each other advice on love—tends to get old after a while. The audience experiences some hearty laughs upon seeing Juliet (Romero and Juliet), Portia (The Merchant of Venice), Desdemona (Othello), Ophelia (Hamlet), Cleopatra (Antony and Cleopatra), and Katherine (The Taming of the Shrew) exchange witty banter and actual Shakespearean lines. Three performances are noteworthy from this play. Monique Arabie brought just the right touch of loving innocence and naiveté to the part of Juliet, and Erin Claire Couvillion was delightfully batty as the doomed and detached Ophelia. Jan Corzo, however, played Portia as a shrill shrew, an odd choice that was jarringly out of sync with the rest of the cast. Her noisy, strident performance needed some restraint because Portia’s intelligence does not equate with harsh braying.

On the technical side, the two plays win some and lose some. The set, borrowed almost completely from Walter Brown’s considerable collection and Duncan Thistlethwaite, is perfect as always, and it brought back warm memories of William and Judith. I question not the use of a photograph on the table in When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet, but only its extremely modern look; it stands out in a most distracting way. The costumes were all pitch perfect except for one: Ophelia’s lavender and silver outfit, while gorgeously stunning and sparkly, clearly is a Mardi-Gras-style outfit that stood out for the wrong reasons. Also there were too many extraneous characters on stage during the latter play: three witches, two women both stage right and stage left, and three fairies. They were unnecessary characters who had little stage business other than to distract from the six ladies on stage. The three witches were particularly egregious in this manner, upstaging the story with their toiling and boiling. And why put the maid (played nicely by Laura Blum) on stage for the prerequisite introduction of turning off cell phones and pointing out exits? It gives the impression that a seasoned actress like Laura made a mistake and entered too early.

Kate Schneider has made a promising directorial debut with this collection of one acts, and has utilized the intimate nature of Theatre 810 to great effect. The plays will continue this weekend as well as next, with Friday and Saturday evening performances at 7:30 and Sunday Matinees at 3:00. Call 484-0172 for tickets to this delightful pairing of Shakespeare’s women.
---Vincent P. Barras

Theatre--Performance (Cast Interview)

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH:  MEGAN CONNOR

1. Who do you play in The Complete Women of William Shakespeare?          I play Susanna Shakespeare-Hall in Second Best Bed and Titania, queen of the fairies, from Midsummer Night's Dream in When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet.

  2. What is your role in Second Best Bed and When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet?          Susanna, the eldest daughter of Shakespeare. I have to explain to my mother , Anne, that my Father, William Shakespeare, has left most of the inheritance in his Will to me.

3.   Favourite Scene to play? Favourite Line?          My favorite scene is when I help Dorothy shoo the women out of the kitchen like a flock of geese.     Even though it isn't my line, I think the best one is when Marchette says that she "detests gossip."  It makes me giggle every time.  

 4. Through your characters eyes what is Second  Best Bed and When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet about?          Suzanna has been given almost the entire Family's inheritance.  This puts her in an uncomfortable position, especially when she has to explain this to her mother making her feel almost like the bad guy.  She doesn't believe that Shakespeare loved Anne at all, so she agrees with the gossips.  However, she does not approve of them coming into the house and attacking her mother.  The Second Best Bed is about belief.  While Anne and Judith still believe in Shakespeare, Suzanna does not. 

 5. What do you hope audiences take away from these two shows?          I hope that audiences simply enjoy the shows.  The Second Best Bed is clever and entertaining.  The lines are playful and there are several witty remarks.  There is definitely also a lesson about true love in there somewhere.

Theatre-Performance (Cast Interview)

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH: NANCY DERE

1. Who do you play in The Complete Women of William Shakespeare?
          Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare’s wife.


2. What is your role in Second Best Bed and/or When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet?
          I am caught in the middle of gossip, disappointment, surprises and love.

3. Favourite Scene to play? Favourite Line?
          When Anne remembers the day her husband, William, left for London. “I might as well have tried to
bring the Moon to Earth.”

4. Through your character's eyes, what are Second Best Bed and When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet about?
          A very deep, unselfish love.

5. What do you hope audiences take away from these two shows?
          Some fuel for life, excitement, laughter and fun.

Theatre--Performance (Cast Interview)

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH : MITU DASGUPTA

1. Who do you play in The Complete Women of William Shakespeare?
          Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile

2. What is your role in Second Best Bed and When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet?
         Cleopatra, I come to give Juliet the final pieces of advice in the play.

3. Favourite Scene to play? Favourite Line?
          Why, I’m the siren of the Nile. Men quake and quail before me.

4. Through your character's eyes, what is When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet about?
         When Shakespeare’s ladies Meet, they talk about love relations gone wrong.

5. What do you hope audiences take away from these two shows?
          A feeling of satisfaction that they saw two good plays.

Theatre--Performance (Cast Interviews)

This is another in a continuing series of interviews with the cast of THE COMPLETE WOMEN OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, opening Friday, June 8th at 8 pm.

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH: ERIN CLAIRE COURVILLION

1. Who do you play in The Complete Women of William Shakespeare?
I play Lady Ophelia of Hamlet.

2. What is your role in When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet?
Lady Ophelia is "nutty as a Yuletide fruitcake'" returned from drowning to advise Juliet.

3. Favourite Scene to play?
Reclining drunkenly and raising glass to recite "To be or not to be . . . "  Favourite Line? "No--I went mad instead."

4. Through your character's eyes, what is When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet about?
Lady O is compelled to seek Juliet "to warn her of the pitfalls of love!"

5. What do you hope audiences take away from these two shows?
I hope they laugh together all the way home.

Bonus: Describe your character in WSLM in five words: Elegant insanity with loving intentions.

Theatre--Performance (Cast Interview)

This is another in a continuing series of interviews with the cast of THE COMPLETE WOMEN OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, opening Friday, June 8th at 8 pm.

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH: ALICIA ROBERT (ALI)

1. Who do you play in The Complete Women of William Shakespeare?
          I play Desdemona from Othello.

2. What is your role in Second Best Bed and/or When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet?
          As my mother likes to say "If I can't set a good example, let me serve as a horrible warning." I think that about sums up what Desdemona serves here...she is a great tale of caution.

3. Favourite Scene to play? Favourite Line?
           Just watching Ophelia in Ladies is a joy. What a fun character in this show!!

4. Through your character's eyes, what are Second Best Bed and When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet about?
           "Ladies" is a great display of how different yet the same love is for everyone, even those awfully dysfunctional folks from the Bard's mind.

5. What do you hope audiences take away from these two shows?
          A new appreciation and understanding of the humanity Shakespeare wrote with and about. A remembrance that he was, besides a playwright and innovator, a human being. And a good laugh. And hopefully no nudity...

Theatre--Performance (Cast Interviews)

This is another in a continuing series of interviews with the cast of THE COMPLETE WOMEN OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, opening Friday, June 8th at 8 pm.

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH: JAN ERIN CORZO

1. Who do you play in The Complete Women of William Shakespeare?
          Portia from The Merchant of Venice.

2. What is your role in When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet?
          Portia is the voice of reason amongst several chattering, gossiping women! She tries her best to get past emotions and bring order to a chaotic situation… but does she succeed??? (You be the judge of
that!)

3. Favourite Scene to play? Favourite Line?
          The courtroom banter between Portia and Juliet.  Just one? Favorite clever/funny line: “Some strange female approaches.” Favorite meaningful/rich line: “But jealous souls will not be answered so. They are not ever jealous for the cause, but jealous for they are jealous. ‘Tis a monster, begot upon itself, born on itself.”

4. Through your character's eyes, what is When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet about?
          It is a plea for a circle of ladies to convince a naïve, love-struck child to her senses… And if there is
anyone that can do it it’s me!

5. What do you hope audiences take away from these two shows?
          Wet Kleenexes, a lingering smile as well as a genuine reflection on their own relationships with their
loved ones.

Theatre--Performance (Cast Interviews)

This is part of a continuing series of interviews with the cast of THE COMPLETE WOMEN OF SHAKESPEARE, opening June 8th at 8 pm.  Tickets are available now.

15.FIVE QUESTIONS WITH(Name): MONIQUE ARABIE

1. Who do you play in The Complete Women of William Shakespeare?
          I play the role of Juliet.

2. What is your role in Second Best Bed and When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet?
          Juliet’s role in When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet is to act as a sort of narrator to remind the audience of each woman’s story, as well as her own.

3. Favourite Scene to play? Favourite Line?

          I don’t really have a favorite scene or line to play just yet, but that might change as rehearsals progress.  The whole play is hilarious for those that know Willie Shakespeare’s books!

4. Through your character's eyes, what are Second Best Bed and When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet about?
          When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet is about all her friends (the other women in Shakespeare’s books) gathering to give her love advice about her relationship with Romeo. However, in the end, Juliet ends up teaching the other women a thing or two.

5. What do you hope audiences take away from these two shows?
          I hope the audiences enjoy the play while still learning what true love is all about. I think bits of all
of Shakespeare’s ladies are in all of us, whether we are shrewish, a hopeless romantic, or even a
madwoman at times.

Theater--Performance (Cast Interviews)

This is another in a continuing series of interviews with cast members of THE COMPLETE WOMEN OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.  Tickets are available online here or by phone reservation at (337) 484-0172.

11.FIVE QUESTIONS WITH: KAY MANUEL

1. Who do you play in The Complete Women of William Shakespeare?
          Katherine of The Taming of the Shrew (second weekend of production)

2. What is your role in Second Best Bed and/or When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet?
          I play Katherine, the tempered lady of Shakespeare's plays, in When Shakespeare's Ladies Meet.

3. Favourite Scene to play? Favourite Line?
          For my character, probably the scene where Juliet gets me riled up. My favorite Katherine line is "If I be waspish, best beware my sting. I pack a powerful sock." Katherine has a hard time resisting temptation.

4. Through your character's eyes, what is Second Best Bed and When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet about?
          According to Katherine, When Shakespeare's Ladies Meet is about convincing a young and seemingly naive girl of the perils and downfalls of love. We are all trying to tell our stories to Juliet in the hopes that she won't suffer pain like some of the rest of us.


5. What do you hope audiences take away from these two shows?
          I hope audiences take away the belief that Shakespeare created real, complex and intelligent women
in his plays. Whether they are the women he lived with or the ones he created, Shakespeare was surrounded by powerful and influential women in his life. I hope that people can see how wonderful all of these characters are and understand how powerful their stories are even today.

Theatre--Performance (Cast Interviews)

This is the next in the series of interviews with the cast of THE COMPLETE WOMEN OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, which will open on Friday, June 8th.  Tickets are available now.

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH: SHANNON KENAST

1. Who do you play in The Complete Women of William Shakespeare?
          I play Nell, one of Anne's gossipy neighbors in Second Best Bed.

2. Who do you play in The Complete Women of William Shakespeare?
          Nell's role is the younger town gossip, there to find out what's in the will. She's sort of an underling to Marchette and Virginia, but she's still pretty spunky which I enjoy about playing her.

3. Favourite Scene to play? Favourite Line?
          My favorite line for Nell would be when she asks Judith what she received in the will, and Virginia scolds her. Her immediate reply is 'I'm interested!' in this very defiant voice and I laugh inside every time I say it!

4. Through your character's eyes, what is Second Best Bed about?
          Second Best Bed is about what happens after Shakespeare passes away. Nell is distraught that her
hero is gone. She visits Anne's house with the others, curious about what he left in the will. When they discover the answer, they are shocked at Anne's calm acceptance.

5. What do you hope audiences take away from these two shows?
          I hope the audience takes away a sense of hope. That even when things seem terrible, they are not always what they appear, especially when it comes to love. And I also really enjoy how Anne handles the gossipers. She never let's them see how hurt she is and stays strong until the moment they leave. I think we should all react that way in the face of people like Marchette.

Theatre--Performance (Cast Interviews)

This is the 4th in a series of interviews with the cast of The Complete Women of Shakespeare, an AUI production opening June 8th at Theatre 810. 

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH: ERICA JURE

1. Who do you play in The Complete Women of William Shakespeare?
          Marchette/ one of the witches

2.What is your role in Second Best Bed?
          Marchette is the sister of Shakespeare's lawyer. She is the one who delivers the news. She's the gang leader of the mean girls.

3.Favorite scene/ favorite line?
          My favorite scene is when the women are asking me about the will and I'm relishing in their curiosity. I'm being very dramatic in my delivery of the news in order to string them along.  My favorite line is," ...and I've breathed not a word to a soul. You know how I detest gossip."


4.Through your character's eyes, what is Second Best Bed about?
          I think this is about self importance for Marchette.I'm the one with the juicy gossip to spill. Everyone
wants to hear from me, so I'm driving this drama between the ladies. I am also throwing the news in Anne's face. I resent her for being married to a famous man. Now that I think he's left her with nothing I can stick it to her that I'm better than she. Throughout the play I am exercising my power over the women and acting like I'm better than everyone.

5.What do I want the audience to take away from the play?
          I hope they realize how harmful gossip is. I also want them to notice how Anne rises above it and she is rewarded in the end. I'd like the audience to be swept away by how romantic and sweet the ending is.

Theatre--Performance (Cast Interviews)

This is the 3rd in a series of interviews with the cast of THE COMPLETE WOMEN OF SHAKESPEARE, which opens on June 8th at Theatre 810.

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH HOPE GARRETT COOK

1. Who do you play in The Complete Women of William Shakespeare?
          I play Virginia in Second Best Bed & Beatrice in When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet.

2. What is your role in Second Best Bed and When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet?
          Virginia is a neighbor of the Shakespeare's. You get the feeling that she has known the family for some time, and feels comfortable (maybe a bit too comfortable) in their home. She is a gossip and a busy body, but I feel she genuinely cares for Mistress Shakespeare and her girls. I'm not so sure she holds Master Shakespeare in high regard. I play Beatrice in When Shakespeare's Ladies Meet. I hope to showcase her wit, sarcasm, and tenacity. I must admit, using only body language to do this, might present a challenge.

3. Favourite Scene to play? Favourite Line?
          My favorite scene to play is any scene where I am going toe to toe with Dorothy, the maid. Dorothy is fiercely protective of Mistress Shakespeare, and has no qualms with speaking her mind.

4. Through your character's eyes, what is Second Best Bed and When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet about?
          The two plays highlight the women of Shakespeare in such a way as to 1.) Present a human quality
to a scandalous, much debated historical event (Second Best Bed), and 2.) To present the heroines of
Shakespeare in a comedic light, with a touch of modern sensibility.

5. What do you hope audiences take away from these two shows?
          I hope to bring Virginia to life for the audience by attempting to fully understand her role in the life of
the Shakespeares. I want the experience of playing Virginia to leave me with a more defined ability to
study a character, understand their motivations, and bring that knowledge to life on the stage.

Theatre--Performance (Cast Interviews)

This is the second in a series of interviews with the cast of AUI's THE COMPLETE WOMEN OF SHAKESPEARE, which opens June 8 at Theatre 810.

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH : LAURA BLUM

1. Who do you play in The Complete Women of William Shakespeare?
          I play Dorothy in The Second Best Bed.

2.  What is your role in Second Best Bed and When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet?
          Dorothy’s role is that of the “nurturer” of the family. Though she is only the maid, she feels responsible for the family and very protective of Anne.

3.  Favourite Scene to play? Favourite Line?
          My favorite scene to play is the scene where I get to kick the nosey women out of the house.  Favorite line: “Out you silly geese, out.” I also like “Marchette and the others belong in the
fields…..with the crows.”

4.  Through your character's eyes, what are Second Best Bed and When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet about?
          I haven’t seen or read Shakespeare’s Ladies yet, but I think that, as Dorothy, Second Best Bed is a tribute to Anne and her love for William and her daughters.


5.  What do you hope audiences take away from these two shows?
          I hope that audiences leave the show with a much better understanding of Shakespeare, his family and his female characters! I also hope that audience members who may be new to watching Shakespeare will gain a desire to see a whole Shakespearian play.

Theatre--Performance (Cast Interviews)

This is Part 1 of a series of interviews with the cast of Acting Unlimited's THE COMPLETE WOMEN OF SHAKESPEARE,which opens June 8th at Theatre 810.

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH : PATRICIA DRURY SIDMAN

1. Who do you play in The Complete Women of William Shakespeare?
          I play Dorothy, Anne Hathaway's maid, in The Second Best Bed.

2. What is your role in Second Best Bed and When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet?
          In addition to Dorothy, I also play Mistress Ford, one of the Merry Wives of Windsor who wanders in to the setting of When Shakespeare's Ladies Meet.

3.  Favourite Scene to play? Favourite Line?
          My favorite scene is the opening scene when all the town's nosy neighbors flutter in and make themselves at home in Anne Hathaway's kitchen, much to the annnoyance of the territorial and protective Dorothy. Dorothy is offended and, being naturally sarcastic anyway, she makes a crack about all the “busybodies and gossips” When one of the neighbors haughtily asks to whom is she referring, Dorothy replies with my favorite line and a hostile stare: “Guess.”

4. Through your character's eyes, what are Second Best Bed and When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet about?
          Second Best Bed is about the love my dear mistress and friend, Anne, has for her recently deceased husband, Will Shakespeare, and the obnoxious neighbors who try to disabuse her of it. Ah, but Will has arranged for a twist no one anticipated. Hah!

5.  What do you hope audiences take away from these two shows?
          I hope audiences have a great time laughing at these characters (or at least at those silly geese, the neighbors) and realize or remember that Shakespeare always had something up his sleeve to delight his audiences. I hope too that they come away realizing that old Will would have been nothing without all his women – in his life or in his head!

Theatre--Fundraisers

Fundraisers this week! (Updated)

Acting Unlimited Inc, has created a Kickstarter project to help fund its summer production:  an original adaptation of Neil Gaiman's The Wolves in the Walls.  They are trying to raise $3,000 to help fund the puppets and set involved in the  production.  For a look at the information and the Kickstarter.com project, visit here.  This project ends in 18 days.

NathanaelT Productions is running an Indiegogo campaign to collect money to pay artists, but not fund productions.  For a look at the information and the Indiegogo.com campaign, visit here.  This project ends in 93 days.

Acadiana Repertory Theatre has just started an Indiegogo.com campaign to raise money for their Inaugural New Works Festival.  They are trying to raise $2,000 and have 24 days left.  For more information on their projects, visit here.

Theatre--Auditions

Acting Unlimited, Inc. and Wanderlust Theatre Co. are holding open auditions for WOLVES IN THE WALLS, the original adaptation of Neil Gaiman's award winning children's book that will be produced this summer on Saturday, May 5th from 1-4 pm and Monday, May 7th from 7 to 8:30 pm at Theatre 810 .

The cast will consist of 5 "humans" and as many as 28 puppeteers, who will learn various forms of puppetry, ranging from shadow puppetry to a modified form of Japanese bunraku puppetry.

The auditions will consist of cold readings from the script, and physical exercises.

For more information, check the announcement of the show here or email actingunlimitedinc@gmail.com.

Theatre--Review (AUI/UL-Lafayette/Festival International)

Kaleidoscope begins with an accident: a spaceship hauling lumber across the cosmos explodes, sending a handful of its passengers hurtling through space. They’re a small brace of survivors – it’s suggested there were others who died in the crash, but only these six escape – and they are connected only by radios that are soon to run out of power. All that’s left of their pre-crash lives are the voices of their fellow shipmates, and each is hurtling outward into his own oblivion.

The play is an adaptation of two radio plays by Bradbury also called Kaleidoscope, done by the show’s director, Nathan Gabriel. The adaptation is smart – just the beginning of a slew of smart choices made by Gabriel across the production – and it cleverly honors both the piece’s radio beginnings and its new stagebound life. This isn’t an easy feat, but Gabriel has found a way to make the play’s aural landscape as evocative as its visual one.

The ensemble of actors do fine work across the board. Their relationships with each other, and ultimately their relationship with their inevitable ends, are clear and fleshed out. The stakes are high, and no one (thankfully!) reaches or showboats with their limited time on stage. Two performances are particularly effective. Vince Barras, as Hollis, has the show’s biggest role and serves as its de fact conscience. He’s genuine, warm and affecting, particularly in his final moments.

The show’s standout performance was Chris Matochi’s as Stimson, the one survivor who’s not handling his end with grace. The part is small – although he lasts longer than some of his companions, Stimson isn’t given a lot of text – but Matochi fills it with a rich energy that’s deeply affecting. His death is the most painful to watch, and his departure was the only one I felt in my gut.

What’s impressive about Kaleidscope is its restraint. Gabriel wisely chooses to hold back from unnecessary theatrics and bold, overstated gestures. His touches are small, quiet and powerful – small lights going out on each of the actor’s costumes signaling their demise was my favorite – and his artistic team followed suit. Brady McKellar’s costumes were simple yet evocative. Travis Johnston’s lighting design was spot-on. And the show’s music (Max Richter), sound design (Jack Klotz and Gabriel) and video design (Lisa Marie Patzer) were impressive and understated, honoring the show’s 1950s science fiction sensibility without resorting to camp.

The whole enterprise is impressive, and it’s encouraging to know that folks like Gabriel and McKellar, both newish faces on the UL Performing Arts faculty, are helping to steer local theatre into its future.

Kaleidscope invites us not only to consider the vastness of the universe but also the uncharted distances between people. In that distance, the play seems to say, our inability to connect honestly and completely with the people around us keeps us untethered, alone. And the play seems to say that it’s not our joys but our regrets that keep us company once all the lights are out. And once the silence is descending, with whatever courage we have left, we should send those regrets out into space, as a fevered cry in the dark. 

---Cody Daigle

Kaleidoscope continues its run at Theatre 810 through the remainder of Festival International, beginning at 7 pm every night and will also run May 3-6, again at 7 pm.