"Good morrow, fool" -- in which I consider some personal and professional revelations.

It seems like I start out most of these blog posts with a moan and a groan about how rarely I post. This time, I'm giving myself permission to just post what I can and when I feel like it. So ... I feel like doing a little writing and a little thinking at the moment. Hi, and thanks for listening.

At the risk of getting a little personal here, I've been dealing with some pretty severe depression and anxiety over the last several years. I sometimes come across old emails that I sent out 10 years ago, 5 years, and it sounds like a completely different person wrote them. When I rack my brain, I'm able to come up with happy memories in the last 10 years and really it's not even racking ... they come without too much trouble. It's more that my overall disposition and outlook seem to have taken a major dive, and I've spent a lot of time thinking about why.

Well, I still don't have a definitive answer to that question, but I've been making positive strides so far this year. I went off some medication I'd been taking. I've been rethinking a lot of my work and school commitments, trying to figure out what in my life has meaning and where the disconnect is between what I'm doing and what actually makes me happy. In my last post, I vented some frustration about the company and tried to wrestle with what originally drove me to want to do this kind of work. And honestly that did me a world of good.

This wrestling match continues to bear fruit so far in 2014, and I hope it will continue to for many years to come. Despite major ups and downs in my emotional state over the past months (and let's face it, years), I am feeling more in control, more purpose-driven, and more excited about the prospect of the work that we're doing. This month we're presenting a Sunday Shakespeare Series at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts. We are doing educational tours of The Course of True Love (a collection of scenes that I adapted). And we're on track to produce our largest summer festival yet with five Shakespeare titles as well as Patrick's original children's play, David & Goliath. And what's more ... I'm excited about it!

Honestly, really, and truly excited about it.

I mean, check this out. It's exciting! And I'm excited! Isn't that exciting?!?

ADK Shakes, this strange and wonderful thing that was born on a tiny wooden platform on a hillside almost six years ago, is growing. It's nice to take a moment and stand back to admire the work we've done and the accomplishments we've made in the last six years. Not to brag, not to feel prideful, but to actually acknowledge everything that has gone into creating this company -- and if you're reading this you are very likely one of those things. Whether you've submitted a headshot, come out to audition, shared a post on Facebook, attended a performance, or worked in the company, I want to take a moment to thank you for all you've done.

Sometimes it feels like I work in a private bubble typing up press releases, creating social media posts, updating the website, or editing scripts ... and it is easy to lose sight of the countless helping hands, but the reality is there is no private bubble. I work really hard, but I definitely do not make this company go all by myself. Neither does Patrick. We need your help and support. This year (as I embrace personal revelations and as the company faces the prospect of some massive growth), I'm not going to be afraid or ashamed to ask for it and in fact I'm going to (at least attempt to) even feel empowered by it. Because you know what? It's really the community that we have each and every one of us created here that gives me the drive to keep going and keep creating.

Thanks. No, really. Thank you.

"The fool doth think he is wise,
but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." 

(As You Like It)

So ultimately what I've gotten out of all this contemplation is that the older I get, the more ready I am to embrace the reality of how little I know. Hopefully this signifies a movement from foolishness to wisdom. Or perhaps it merely confirms my foolishness...

In which I face some hard truths...

Sometimes (read "really often") I have trouble keeping up with this blog. It's not just that I'm busy and juggling a bunch of different projects. That's part of it, sure. But I have a confession to make ... most of the time I don't feel inspired to write. I don't feel like I have anything worthwhile to contribute to the conversation. I don't have anything to say that feels worth sharing.

2013 has been a pretty tough year all around -- work, school, the company, personally, you name it. A lot of things have got me down. But I'm starting to feel (at least a little bit) back in control, and I also finally feel like I've gathered my thoughts into a somewhat coherent ball. At least I'm ready to start going through the tangle.

This year I've done a lot of really hard thinking about ADK Shakes and my role here. The work I'm doing. Why I'm doing it. And honestly, if I even want to continue doing it. I feel like I've gotten swept away by it all. So much time and energy goes into these productions, and I haven't felt rewarded by what I'm doing in a good little while. I've felt sucked utterly dry. I need a reset button.

So I'm resetting.

I'm going back to basics. Why did I want to start producing in the first place? Why wasn't I satisfied with being an actor working for someone else? I must have felt that I had something different and worthwhile to contribute. Otherwise I wouldn't have agreed to embark on this adventure we call Shakespeare IN THE RAW. What was it all for?

After some time spent considering all of this, I've begun working on a "Manifesto for Working IN THE RAW." It addresses some of the fundamental questions that we've wrestled with since that May afternoon on the hilltop in the Brandywine Valley when the whole rigmarole began.

Brandywine Creek State Park Amphitheater, Wilmington, DE
where it all began...

• Why Word Perfect?
• Why So Minimalist?
• Why Not Rehearse More?
• Why Not Block?

And I think the most important question of all:

• What Kind of Attitude and Energy Does it Take to Work IN THE RAW?

THE RAW is a strange beast, I'll admit. But we choose to do it because we think it creates an energy of its own, a different energy than I've felt created by any other production I've seen or acted in. It's just different. Differences are grand.

Okay, but what do I mean by saying it's "raw"? I see this term bandied about constantly. And it's losing its punch for me. (Just like "accessibility" which is a whole other blog post. Back to "raw"...) What does it actually mean when we say it? Here's what I mean.

When I think about "raw," the first thing that comes to mind is food. Raw sugar, raw diet, raw meat. Raw sugar has been rather gentrified in the Starbucks age. We want something closer to its natural state than refined white sugar. The taste has more flavor, more boldness. The crystals have a larger shape, with more edges. It's less processed, less produced. Frankly I don't know much about a raw diet, except that it allows for no processed foods. The idea (at least as I understand it) is to consume foods in the most natural state possible, not to break down the vitamins and nutrients. On the other end of the food spectrum: raw meat -- bloody, slippery, dangerous. Of course we can't eat raw meat. It needs to be cooked, but beware of overcooking too. You can dry out the meat and kill the taste, make it rubbery, and completely unsatisfying.

This is how I think about our product, our RAW performances: More flavor. More boldness. Rough around the edges. Less processed. Filled with nutrients. But also bloody. Slippery. A little dangerous.

I know not everyone likes their theatre served RAW. And that's ok! It takes all kinds for this world. I want there always to be big budget musicals for people to enjoy. I want there always to be huge venues filled to bursting with people to see concerts, to see films, to see new media shows. I want there to be tiny black boxes playing brand new works. I want there to be cabarets, to be parking lots, to be parks performing children's theater, performing Shakespeare, performing modern classics, performing anything. And everything!

But this ... the RAW ... this is my kind of theatre, and I won't apologize for it.

Stay tuned for the Manifesto itself in future posts as it's still under construction!

5 Tips for the Anxious Actor

Audition season always seems to sneak up on me. It's funny, but I still get jitters. I love meeting new people, sharing the dream of our company, and getting psyched for new possibilities every season. The excitement spills over into nerves, especially the day before and the morning of. This year's no different!

Tomorrow, I'm taking the bus down to NYC to audition a group of 40 actors whittled down from nearly a thousand resume submissions. We'll have another round of about 30 actors at the end of the month in Albany. And I know already it is going to be an incredibly difficult job figuring out the right 7 people to fill the open spots in this summer's company.

Now, I know I'm not the only one with audition jitters. So here's a few tips to ease your mind while you're in the room with us.

• Don't apologize! You're already in the top 10%. You have an impressive resume. You've got nothing to apologize for. Be proud! Even if you stumble a bit or you're feeling under the weather, I'm looking for how you handle yourself in a tough situation. Starting over is not the end of the world, and handling tough moments gracefully (with no apologies) can still land you a gig. It's happened before.
• Be polite. This one should really go without saying. We're a small company and a tight-knit bunch. We're not sending casting interns or assistants to these auditions. You've got the Artistic Director in the room, and I don't take kindly to anyone being rude to my people who are signing you in or handing out sides. Even if you're nervous, don't be abrupt! Smiling at someone will probably help you relax a little.
• Don't choose a "10." I know it's tempting to choose a monologue that showcases your ability to go from 0 to insane in 2.5 seconds or less. It's incredibly difficult to get to an emotional 10, or even a 7 or 8 in the audition room. You don't have the advantage of the structure of the play, the context of the action, and neither do I. We haven't been on a journey yet! What I'm really looking for in a monologue is how you can speak the verse. Are you aware of the rhythm? Are you using the rhythm or fighting it? The sides will be a much better guide for me to see more of your range. So absolutely choose a monologue that shows you off because you do it really well. But don't put yourself at a disadvantage by choosing something where you have to rage or weep or be all sorts of crazy.
• Look around. A lot of casting directors seem to prefer when actors look at the clock over their head and pretend that's a person, but that drives me crazy. I'm right there! You have a fantastic group of actors all around you! Use us! When we perform Shakespeare IN THE RAW, the audience is right there and they love it when you engage with them. Engage with us in the room, too!
• Have fun! This is probably the most important piece of advice I can offer. Even if you're feeling terribly anxious, take a deep breath. This is an opportunity for you to do today something that you love doing. Today, you are Prospero. You are Trinculo. You are Macbeth. Or Lady Macbeth. Maybe both! Enjoy this moment today, because it is awesome!

I can't wait to be back in the city tomorrow if only for a few hours. You can bet I'll be grabbing a delicious scone at Alice's Tea Cup and trying to contain my excitement at having some amazing actors bring two of my favorite plays to life right before my eyes. My excitement may look a little like this:

The Malvolio Jig

Break a leg!

Macbeth and Tempest Actor Tracks

Scaroon Manor Amphitheater, New Year's Day 2013

What better way to usher in 2013 than with auditions for the summer? It's been awfully cold upstate this winter, which is delicious, but it sure is making me nostalgic for summer!

We at the Adirondack Shakespeare Company are planning our season auditions, which will be held in NYC on Saturday, February 16 and in Albany on Monday, February 25. Our Fourth Annual Summer Festival Season will feature mainstage productions of The Tempest, Macbeth, and an original children's production of David & Goliath. We're making some changes this season due to budget cutbacks, including trimming our company from 14 members to 9. One of these members will serve as the Assistant Stage Manager for all productions. Two of the other members will act in one of the main stage shows and serve as "Conductor" for the other. (I'll describe this position more in a later post, I hope!) The remainder of the company members will act in all three shows.

If you're an actor viewing this post, welcome! Following is a list of our potential tracks for the two mainstage shows, The Tempest and Macbeth. These tracks are set only for each show and not paired up between the two shows yet. That is, I haven't yet decided how the Propsero track in The Tempest might pair up with any track in Macbeth, or if perhaps that track might serve as Conductor. All that will depend on who shows up in the room! All roles are open.

So without further ado, the tracks in The Tempest (listed in descending size order) will be:

Actor 1 - Prospero / Master

Actor 2 - Ariel / Miranda / Boatswain

Actor 3 - Gonzalo / Stephano

Actor 4 - Caliban / Ferdinand / Adrian

Actor 5 - Antonio / Trinculo / Juno

Actor 6 - Sebastian / Iris / Spirit 3.1

Actor 7 - Alonso / Ceres / Spirit 3.1

Actor 8 - Conductor

And in Macbeth:

Actor 1 - Macbeth

Actor 2 - Lady Macbeth / Ross / Seyton / Hecate / 3 Murderer

Actor 3 - Malcolm / 2 Witch / Old Man / Porter / 2 Murderer

Actor 4 - Macduff / 3 Witch / Duncan / 1 Murderer

Actor 5 - Banquo / Siward / Hecate / English Doctor

Actor 6 - Lenox / 1 Witch / Young Siward / Fleance / Boy

Actor 7 - Lady Macduff / Donalbain / Gentlewoman / Hecate / Angus

Actor 8 - Conductor

Comps Installment 1

It is the start of a new semester. Actually, we are already a few weeks in. I've been devoting the last few weeks to shoring up one of my comps lists on the Early Modern English History Play. So the blog has been a bit quiet of reading responses. I'll be adding a reading response post over the weekend or early next week on some of the Henry VI's, but in the meantime I'd like to share how this list is shaping up.

Shakespeare really corners the market of the English history play. He tops my list by more than ten to one, if we also include those he likely co-authored. I'm excited to be able to order some of these texts on Amazon and others I have access to via EEBO (Early English Books Online).

Shakespeare, William.

1 Henry VI2 Henry VI3 Henry VIRichard IIIRichard II1 Henry IV2 Henry IVHenry VHenry VIIIKing John

And the plays that have been engulfed in the authorship debate lately:

Edward III (New Cambridge Shakespeare)Sir Thomas More (Arden Shakespeare)

And in the firmly, non-Shakespeare camp:

Marlowe, Christoper. Edward II.Ford, John. Perkin Warbeck.Heywood, Thomas. The First and Second Parts of King Edward IV. (EEBO / Revels Plays)
Peele, George. Edward I (c. 1591) (EEBO)
Anonymous. The True Chronicle History of King Leir. (c. 1590)
--. Famous Victories of Henry V.--. Thomas of Woodstock. (Revels Plays)

I'm a little on the fence about including King Leir, but it is billed as a "True Chronicle History" so it seems worth it to have on there at the moment. I can always delete it later on.

I'm really intrigued by adding the following series of poems to my list. Although they don't fit neatly into the category of "history play," it seems clear that they were influential to many of the plays written in this period.

Baldwin, William et al. Mirror for Magistrates. (EEBO)

Since I am also focusing on performance in my dissertation, I have acquired a few of the following already. Some are films, some are filmed stage productions, some I have yet to find but am hoping they are available.

The Hollow Crown. Dir. Richard Eyre and Rupert Goold. BBC, 2012. 

The Wars of the Roses. Perf. Michael Pennington. BBC and English Shakespeare Company, 1989. 

Wars of the Roses. Dir. John Barton and Peter Hall. Perf. David Warner and Ian Holm. Royal Shakespeare Company, 1965.

An Age of Kings. Perf. Robert Hardy, Sean Connery, and Judi Dench. BBC Worldwide, 2009.

Edward II. Dir. Derek Jarman. Perf. Steven Waddington, Kevin Collings, and Andrew Tiernan. Sales Company, 1991. 

Edward II. Dir. Richard Marquand and Tony Robertson. Perf. Ian McKellen and James Laurenson. BBC Worldwide, 2009. 

Richard II. Dir. William Woodman. Perf. David Birney. Bard Productions Ltd., 1982. (Just ordered on eBay!)

I know there is also a 1971 production with Ian McKellen as Richard II, but I have not been able to track that down anywhere. I also believe I found some copies of the NBC Hallmark Hall of Fame TV production (1954) starring Maurice Evans. University of Delaware, UT Austin and UC Berkeley libraries have copies according to worldcat.org. I also think I can get a copy of the 1997 production of Richard II starring Fiona Shaw at the NYPL. Included in the BBC Complete Shakespeare Collection should be the 1978 Richard II with Derek Jacobi as Richard. If so, I'll be ordering that on eBay as well.

We're going to need a bigger bookshelf.

Or Else What Follows? - 7.23.12

Twelfth Night opens this Saturday!

Summer is our busiest time of the year here at ADK Shakes. There are things going on just about every day, which makes it a bit difficult to keep up with my posting on here. Here's a recap of our weekend:

On Friday, we toured down to Congress Park in beautiful Saratoga Springs. We set up by the War Memorial to perform selections from The Twelve Labors of Hercules, and we learned quickly that some feathered friends would play an important role in our performance. Long lines of ducks marched right through our makeshift stage, which was pretty hilarious. Patrick particularly enjoyed scattering them with the Nemean Lion's entrance. Perhaps my favorite part of the day, however, was even before we got to the park -- I was on the radio!! In case you missed out, I gave an interview about ADK Shakespeare's third summer season on The Eight O'Clock Hour on North Country Public Radio. But don't worry, you can listen to the broadcast right here!

Saturday brought beautiful weather and an adventure down to Albany to pick up our NYC contingent of actors who traveled via bus to the capital. Almost everyone has now arrived, and we had a delicious dinner at our rental house in Wevertown.

Sunday was all about workshops (as is today!), and we are hunkering down at the Schroon Lake Central School to work on sonnets, verse speaking, and spatial awareness with Leslie Reidel (of the University of Delaware and the Enchantment Theatre Company). We are so fortunate to have Leslie returning to do workshops again this season. If I can find some time, I'd love to write a more detailed post on the experience of doing these workshops. I've found them so valuable in my own work as an actor, and I see a monumental difference in the work of others as well. And I have to say, I love it!

The rest of the week is rising action until we open Twelfth Night on Saturday evening -- 7:30 p.m. at the Boathouse Theater. Our first rehearsal for this show is Thursday, followed by one of our final Hercules performances in Ticonderoga. We'll be performing at 4:00 p.m. as part of their Arts Week festivities! Friday will be our long intensive rehearsal day all driving towards our evening opening performance on Saturday. Sunday we cap the week off with our very first tour to Caroga Lake -- we will be at the outdoor amphitheater on Main Street at 2:30 p.m. I'm already super proud of this ensemble and the amazing show I know they are going to put on -- don't miss our opening weekend of mainstage performances!

Reserve your tickets now at adkshakes.ticketleap.com and view our full performance schedule right here.

A Herculean week!

I couldn't be more thankful. We had an especially fantastic performance of The Twelve Labors of Hercules this morning! An amazing audience of 70 people laughed, applauded, and enjoyed the show today. All the actors felt especially "on" and the energy was completely contagious. I love shows like this!

Today's show was a wonderful cherry on the cake of yesterday's Meet and Greet. We had a great time chatting with many members of the community, snacking on some delicious treats, and running for cover from the insane thunderstorm that hit in the middle of Hippolyta whooping Hercules's you-know-what. We rolled with the punches and really enjoyed lighting candles and gathering in the beautiful parlor at the Paradox House Gallery Retreat. It was an evening to remember! Here are some pictures from the selected scenes we performed:

Deinos, the man-eating mare of Diomedes

Hercules moves rivers and puts the ram in the ramalamadingdong

Eurystheus discourages Iolaus

This evening we are working on some Hydra repairs and probably running some Twelfth Night and Hamlet lines. The main stage company arrival has felt so far away all month, but they will all be joining us here on Saturday -- a few short days away. I can't believe it's here already! Before they arrive, I have a paper to write on Romeo and Juliet for class. It certainly is an interesting experience to have my head in the production zone as well as the critical scholar zone. We'll be studying Hamlet and Twelfth Night for class too, so I'm particularly looking forward to what my different mode of thinking will bring to the performances.

Or Else What Follows? - 7.16.12

Tomorrow afternoon we are holding our annual Meet and Greet fundraiser for our summer festival season. This year, we are graciously hosted by the Paradox House Gallery Retreat in Severance, NY, and you can have the chance to mingle with the acting company and crew of our children's show The Twelve Labors of Hercules.

Meet the author, Jessica Hackett, who has done a beautiful job marrying lessons for children about friendship, cooperation, and loyalty with more complex, political themes, all written through the historical lens of Octavius (more familiar to us as Augustus Caesar) and Agrippa. Also in attendance will be the acting company of the show: Mitchell Conway (Agrippa/Hercules), Rachel Ritacco (Athena, ensemble), and Aaron White (Octavius/Iolaus), as well as myself (Hera, ensemble) and Patrick Siler (Zeus, ensemble) who is also our Executive Director.

You'll get to meet the cast, enjoy some scenes from the show, and browse our Silent Auction of items donated by the company in order to benefit our summer season. This is our single fundraising opportunity for the season, and we need your help! ADK Shakespeare did not receive any grant funding this year, and yet our season is bigger than ever as we continue to grow to meet demand. Help us out with a donation to support the amazing work happening right here in your community.

Debbie Philp, the owner of True North Yoga, came to see our opening performance with her son last week and posted a rave review on The Schroon Laker. I was especially proud that Debbie wrote on the complexity of the play and its relevance for both young and older children, as well as adults. This is exactly the message that we were hoping would come through in the performance of Hercules. And Hercules is only the first offering of the season. Our mainstage season opens with Twelfth Night at the end of the month, followed swiftly by Hamlet and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. Please support our programming! Tell your friends about our performances and come check us out at tomorrow's Meet and Greet.

If you missed last week's performances of The Twelve Labors of Hercules, don't worry! The company returns this Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. to the Boathouse Theater in Schroon Lake. Last week's house was packed, so be sure to arrive at 10:30 when the house opens to get the best seats! On Thursday, we will be touring to the Tannery Pond Community Center in North Creek for an 11:00 a.m. show. Friday brings us to the War Memorial at Congress Park in Saratoga Springs from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Meet the stars of Hercules, see what goes on behind the scenes, and maybe even treat yourself to one of our really cool t-shirts featuring Hungry Will.


If you are unable to attend the Meet and Greet, but would still like to make a tax-deductible donation to support Adirondack Shakespeare, you can make a secure donation through PayPal by visiting our home page: www.adkshakes.org

Friends, ye Romans, gather here

What an exciting morning! The Twelve Labors of Hercules performed for the first time this morning to an audience of 65 parents, grandparents, children and friends of the company. And they were absolutely spellbound!

Openings are a complete roller coaster of emotion. There is excitement and nerves. Who will come see it? Will I remember all my lines and cues? I don't feel ready for performance yet. What if I forget to set this prop? I'm nervous about this line that I never ever get right. And then the audience arrives. They are glowing with excitement, here early to make sure they get a good seat. They're fans from seeing Midsummer or Theseus last summer. They giggle in all the right places. They even talk to us during the show -- and afterwards! They come to tell us which of the monsters was their favorite. To grab up brochures so they can come to see another show. To say "Thank you for bringing this to our town. We're glad you're here." 


Thank you for welcoming us to your town. For being the most terrific opening audience I could ask for. For laughing and smiling. For listening, for imagining, for playing with us. We can't do it without you!

The cast of Hercules (L-R: Patrick Siler, Mitch Conway, Tara Bradway, Aaron White. Center: Rachel Ritacco

We hope to see you again very soon. Our next performance of Hercules is tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. the Indian Lake Theater in Indian Lake. You can reserve your tickets now at adkshakes.ticketleap.com. On Friday, we'll be traveling to Mid's Park in Lake Placid for a day at the park. Saturday, you can find us in Shepard Park in Lake George Village, and Sunday we'll be hanging out in Rogers Memorial Park in Bolton Landing. We hope to see you there!

Or Else What Follows? - 7.9.12

An exciting week is ahead of us -- The Twelve Labors of Hercules opens on Wednesday at the Boathouse Theater in Schroon Lake village at 11:00 a.m. Join us! This show promises to be absolutely amazing. The masks and monsters alone are going to be quite incredible. I think the grown-ups are going to enjoy this just as much as the kids.

After we open on Wednesday morning, we'll be doing a little more poster-hanging around the area. Look for our blue ADK t-shirts wandering around Bolton Landing and Ticonderoga. Thursday morning brings us to Indian Lake, where we will perform at the Theater on Main Street at 11:00 a.m. We're excited to perform at Indian Lake Theater again this summer. We toured The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) here last season and really enjoyed the audience and the town. Thanks for welcoming us back!

Friday the 13th brings us to Lake Placid for the first time this season. We will be performing scenes from the show every half hour in Mid's Park. Join us starting at 10:00 a.m. -- come visit with the actors, hear about how we constructed our masks and monsters, and pick up one of our t-shirts as a souvenir. We'll be returning to Lake Placid in August -- you can see the full production at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts on August 15 at 10:30 a.m. as part of LPCA's Young and Fun Series.

It's so wonderful to have the kids' show company here settling in! Keep an eye out for our Meet the Company posts, which will be starting up later this week. Get to know the actors of The Twelve Labors of Hercules!

QB6WCKTRGV78

Hercules rehearsal {day 1}

It begins! All of our company members (for the children's show, that is) have arrived, and we begin rehearsals today. We'll have a full day ahead of us -- starting with building Rachel's base mask for Athena. Throughout the day, we'll be working a lot on our lines. This is the first time we have gotten to hear the script aloud, and I have to say that I am really looking forward to seeing this up on its feet this Wednesday.

Before then, though, we have monsters to finish, battles to choreograph, and lines to polish. The Nemean Lion is coming along -- he looks absolutely amazing, and so much cooler than I could possibly have envisioned.

Aaron has been working at adding more color and shading to the lion today. Yellow and gold have been added to the reddish-brown base. Patrick painted the eyeballs today, as well.

Tomorrow we'll be adding his raffia mane and perhaps some bristly whiskers. We've got some foam cones (from the floral arrangement section of A.C. Moore) that Aaron has trimmed down for his nasty, big, pointy teeth.

Here's Aaron working on the shoulders. They're constructed from drum heads, with straps for me to wear around my own shoulders. The raffia gives the suggestion of bulk, and will hang down to cover my hands. You'll get to see a sneak peek of us working the lion in tomorrow's post!

Somehow I have a feeling that the Nemean Lion will be my favorite of all the monsters. I wuv him!

Don't miss this production -- we open on Wednesday morning at the Boathouse Theater in Schroon Lake village. The house opens at 10:30 a.m. and the show starts at 11:00 a.m. Reserve your tickets in advance at adkshakes.ticketleap.com!

The Nemean Lion is born

Things are coming up so rapidly! One of our company members, Aaron, arrived on Thursday evening, and the rest of our group arrives later on today. I'm so excited and nervous to have the season starting up for reals.

As I type, I just completed our Orientation Meeting for Part One of the Kingship Cycle. I cannot wait to get to work with these folks -- what an amazing group of actors. These shows are going to be epic (in multiple ways).

I'm also listening to the pleasant buzz of the Dremel tool as Aaron sculpts foam for our Hercules monsters. This is so exciting, people! Our Nemean Lion began as little more than a huge sheet of foam. Patrick and I cut some chunks from it a few nights ago, and he began sculpting the beast's eye. The design is based on the Chinese lions (which I had always assumed were dragons), and it is turning out to be absolutely stunning. This guy is fierce! Check out this sneak preview:

We will be adding raffia for a mane, and we're starting to construct his shoulders and legs today. This is one awesome monster.

Also on our list is the Lernean Hydra, the man-eating mare of Diomedes, and the Stymphalian birds. It's coming together! I can't wait to share this production with our audience on Wednesday.

Happy 4th of July!

ADK Shakes will be hanging out in Schroon Lake Village all day today, unless we are driving away by the threat of thunderstorms. We're keeping our fingers crossed that 30% chance of thundershowers will just miss us altogether.

Stop by and visit us -- we'll be working on some masks for Hercules at the table today, and we'll have a lovely collection of t-shirts, season passes, and cds as well as our brochures so you can make your plans to see ADK Shakes in action in a just a few short weeks.

I might also be hunkered down with some reading as my summer class starts in five days, and I'm going to need to get a jump on my assignments before the company begins arriving on Saturday!

Or Else What Follows? - 7.2.12

Busy day today! This morning Patrick and I hung posters at some of our favorite locations in Schroon Lake Village. The town has been painted red in advance of the 4th of July celebrations coming up on Wednesday.

ADK Shakes will be there manning a table just in front of True North Yoga -- hands down, our favorite yoga studio anywhere. (We had our first class of the season just last Thursday, and we were super bummed to be too late to make this morning's class.) If you are in the Schroon Lake area, definitely drop in for a class. You'll love it! You can pick up a schedule on Wednesday when you come to visit our table.

We have a beautiful series of promo materials this year -- large size season posters and Hercules posters, a smaller sized poster for Hercules, as well as a brochure featuring all our artwork and our full schedule.

We'll be selling season passes: $35 - for unlimited access to our performances. This is an amazing deal -- if you are planning to come see more than one show, pick this up. (The only thing it does not cover is paid admission to the Scaroon Manor state park facility, because, well, that's run by the state DEC and not by us.) Visit the table for more details. We also have some cd's featuring music from our first season and some brand new t-shirts. And since you asked for it -- we have KIDS' sizes this year! This shirt features our beloved Hungry Will mascot on the front with a quote from Hamlet: "Eat a crocodile? I'll do it."

I'm looking forward to spending the day in the sunshine on Main Street in Schroon Lake on Wednesday and to chatting with everyone about our upcoming season. It's been wonderful to be back in town and seeing familiar faces. What a particular treat to hear wonderful thing about the company, about last year's productions, and the excitement folks are feeling about the shows this year. I absolutely cannot wait to see you all at our performances at the Boathouse, the Manor, and the Center for the Arts and all around the region.

And now, an endnote. I just added the title "Or else what follows?" to this post, which is a quote from Henry V. In the very back of my head I often tuck ideas on what to write about, and I've been toying with the idea of a weekly series for a long long time. Tonight, inspiration has struck. Not sure that "Or else what follows?" is the perfect title for such a series, but I like the idea of posting on what's coming up in my world "this week." So, here it is. What follows this week is Wednesday's Fourth of July celebration and parade in Schroon Lake, hanging more posters up in the Saranac Region, sending out multitudes of emails to build steam for the season offerings, cleaning the cabin for the kid's show company, a meeting with an environmental advocate on Friday, an orientation meeting for the Kingship Cycle Part One, and last but not least the long-awaited arrival of the Hercules company on Saturday evening!

Hercules Masks {Day 6}

Yesterday I shared this image of my inspiration for Charon. Alas Poor Yorick is not an easy model, however, for someone building large features on a mask for the first time. Actually, last year was my first experience building a mask from start to finish with my Mustard-seed mask for A Midsummer Night's Dream. I really love that mask -- but what I did was mostly just paint and add really cool feathers to it, no building up up features with other items.

What I love about the Charon base mask in this photo is actually how smooth it is. There's not much feature on it, so I think it looks a little creepy. I definitely wanted to keep the creep factor as I built, but I wanted him to end up looking more skull-like.

Using cotton balls pulled out into thinner strands, I built out larger eye sockets, working them into large circles. I don't think he looks terribly skull-like yet, but he does have this really bizarre and cool alien helm look to him. You can also see where I built out some cheekbones for him. I also added quite a bit of mass to his browline, which is harder to see in this image.

Hera is also coming along. The next step for her was adding a crown. I was a little nervous about this step as I wasn't certain the plaster strips would be sturdy enough to hold up the mosaic tiles standing on end. Worked on the first try, though - yea! I'll be painting over the plaster strips and finishing the mask with more of the red mosaic tiles and beading. Then all she'll need is some drilled holes in the temples and elastic to be fully completed. Can't wait!

A close-up of the crown

Oh, speaking of Mustard-seed ... here's a photo from last year's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, featuring the finished product!

Ross Hamman as Cobweb and me as Mustard-seed

Claim token: HJUY3E3DQ9KT

Hercules Masks {Day 5}

Well, technically today is Day 5 and I haven't done anything on masks yet today. These pictures are from work over the last several days. You got a nice look at the base masks for Charon and Hera, and I've been working mostly on Hera since then. She got a nice base coat of red mixed in with silver, which turned out a really nice mauve shade. I used dark brown to emphasize her very crooked, fierce brows. To the brows I've also added a line of dark red glass beads, which are highlighted by clear glass beads. She is also getting an "eyeliner" of clear and gold glass beads.

Here you can see the "eyeliner" as well as the lining around the edge of orderly red glass beads. 

Here's a nice close up of the broken mosaic tiles on the left side of the mask. I've decided that Hera's left (sinister!) side will be made up of the smashed tiles and the beads filling in. On the right side will be the unbroken tiles arranged in a much more orderly fashion.

Here's a close-up of the mosaic tiles laid in straight and unbroken. I need to drill holes in the temples for the elastic to go through before laying the rest of the tiles. I'm also hoping if I score some of the tiles I might be able to break them straight across and have some smaller rectangular pieces to lay alongside the eye.

This is a view of the mask so far. I'll be adding more tiles to the forehead, as well as laying in a golden crown with some other mosaic tiles. I love seeing this mask come together, and I can't wait to see the finished product!

Stay tuned for more updates and photos of the Zeus mask, and the progress on Hades and Charon. Here is my inspiration for the Charon mask. Let's see if I'm up to the job!

Hercules Masks {Day 1}

Here is Day One of making base masks for Zeus, Hades, Hera, and Charon! We set up outside so we could make a mess with our plaster strips. First we coated our faces with the Vaseline so we wouldn't be pulling up eyebrows. Then we got to work laying wet strips of plaster on each other's faces. I think the neighbors must have thought we were pretty strange.

No pictures of the actual process, since it was too messy and no plaster-fingers are coming near my camera. But you can see the finished base maks of Hera:

And Charon, the ferry-man who sails dead souls over the Lethe River and into the underworld. I like this guy. I think he's going to be a little creepy and unsettling when finished:

Mask-making for Hercules continues today! Yesterday, we spent time down in Albany shopping for foam for the Nemean Lion puppet as well as buying a ton of mask-making supplies at A.C. Moore. We made off with a good haul -- mosaic tiles, new paints, feathers, and glass beads.

I painted a base of a sort of mauve shade onto Hera last night and began to add glass beads and broken red mosaic tiles. She's this great raised eyebrow to make for a pretty fierce expression. More pictures tomorrow of the continued process. I think I'm going to like this one!

The Twelve Labors of Hercules

The time is nigh! We here at the Adirondack Shakespeare Company are gearing up for this summer's original children's show, The Twelve Labors of Hercules, penned by Jessica Hackett.

Jessica is no stranger to ADK Shakes. For the past year, she has worked for us as a social media marketing guru. For the 2012 summer season, she will also be serving as the company's Assistant Stage Manager. Jessica is currently working towards a Master's Degree in English at St. John's University, where she is heavily involved as an actress, playwright and occasional director in the university's official theatre group. When we approached Jessica about writing our children's show script this summer, we encouraged her to take inspiration from one of our heroes of children's work, Jim Henson. At Christmastime, we watched Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas and suggested Henson's The Storyteller series in particular. The script is everything we hoped it would be!


The characters of Octavius and Agrippa are quite compelling, and the journey of their friendship is going to be great fun to watch as it unfolds! This play has it all: friendship, struggle, adventure, and (perhaps best of all) monsters!


Today we are starting work on the masks and puppetry for the show -- which will include masks for the Greek deities (Hera, Zeus, Athena, Hades, Persephone -- this play represents!). We are especially excited to get to work on the Hydra and the Nemean Lion puppets. I'll share the process as we go, and I can't wait to see how they turn out.


In the meantime, you can reserve tickets for the performances which begin July 11 and run through August 15. Check out our ticketing website (provided by Ticket Leap): adkshakes.ticketleap.com. We have full-length performances in Schroon Lake, Indian Lake, North Creek, Lake Placid, and Ticonderoga. And we are also performing scenes from the show throughout the day at public parks in Saratoga Springs, Lake Placid, and Bolton Landing on the beautiful Lake George waterfront. For more details visit our Ticket Leap site or visit our website to view the full schedule here.

There is nothing either good or bad ...

Today was a rough one. No time to post this morning -- if you'd be so kind as to keep us in your thoughts and prayers, we would appreciate it! Thankfully, everyone is well and healthy, but we are dealing with the aftermath of a fire to the building our condo is in and it is pretty awful. It's been hard to focus on things for the season today with that on my mind as well as all the phone calls to insurance companies, property management, etc.

On the positive side, our proofs came through for our season posters, and they look beautiful. Here's a sneak peek of our Hercules poster, which I love:

We also confirmed our performances in Saratoga Springs for Saturday, July 14. We will be performing scenes from Hercules every half hour at the War Memorial in Congress Park starting at 10:00 am and running until 3:00 p.m.

Tomorrow I'll be meeting with Tannery Pond Community Center and hopefully sorting our performance there as well! That leaves only one final date open on our Hercules touring calendar as well as one tour date for Twelfth Night. We're getting there!

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and support.

A happy thing

Why, ’tis a happy thing
To be the father unto many sons.
3 Henry VI

I keep losing track of the days, so it's nice to have Facebook to remind me that today is Father's Day. So I'd better add "Call Dad" to today's to-do list!

One of the major things on my list today is to finish textual notes for 1 & 2 Henry IV for next spring's round of the Kingship Cycle. Between Hal, Falstaff, and King Henry and it being Father's Day, I'm going to have dads on my mind a lot today. And I'm sure we'll be running Hamlet lines today, so there's another one!

Fathers and sons are so prevalent in Shakespeare's plays, and to be frank, not something I've given a great deal of thought to. This is about to change, however! These relationships (especially in the history plays) are profoundly troubled. Hal struggles with living up to his father's expectations, actively spoiling the view his father sees of him. Falstaff stands in as an alternate father figure, but which father's approval does Hal actually seek? Either? Both? At the end of 2 Henry IV (V.ii), Hal speaks about how he hopes he shall behave when he becomes a father and has a son like himself and how grateful he is to have the Lord Chief Justice to aid him when he does.

Prince You are right Justice, and you weigh this well:Therefore still bear the Balance, and the Sword:And I do wish your Honors may increase,Till you do live, to see a Son of mineOffend you, and obey you, as I did.So shall I live, to speak my Father’s words:Happy am I, that have a man so bold,That dares do Justice, on my proper Son;And no less happy, having such a Son,That would deliver up his Greatness so,Into the hands of Justice. You did commit me:For which, I do commit into your hand,Th’ unstainèd Sword that you have us’d to bear:With this Remembrance; That you use the sameWith the like bold, just, and impartial spiritAs you have done ‘gainst me. There is my hand,You shall be as a Father, to my Youth:My voice shall sound, as you do prompt mine ear,And I will stoop, and humble my Intents,To your well-practis’d, wise Directions.

If you are lucky enough to have your father in your life, give him a call or a hug today and let him know you're thinking of him. I'll be doing the same. Happy Father's Day!