Polk County Education
14A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • March 1, 2017
‘Shakespeare in Hollywood’
‘Midsummer’ fairies land in 1930’s La La Land
By Emily Mentzer
Showtime
The Itemizer-Observer
MONMOUTH — A fairy
king and his mischievous
servant did not intend to
land in 1930’s Hollywood,
but when Puck messes up a
spell, he and Oberon find
themselves out of their magic
wood and into Hollywood.
“Sometimes rights and
lefts are hard,” said Sarah
Cotter, who plays Puck in
Western Oregon University’s
production of “Shakespeare
in Hollywood.” “So when I
was performing my spell, I
was supposed to spin
around three times to the
left. I may have spun around
three times to the right, and
then we went the wrong di-
rection in time.”
What are the two to do
but direct a movie of “Mid-
summer Night’s Dream,” of
course.
That’s the premise behind
WOU’s production, opening
Thursday through Saturday
and March 9 through 11.
“This is basically a farce
about the 1935 version of
‘Midsummer Night’s Dream,’
that Max Reinhardt and
William Dieterle directed,”
said director Ted de Chatelet.
“This is a farce as if the real
fairies Oberon and Puck land
in Hollywood for a day and
are filming this movie.”
The play is filled with
laughs, action and physical
comedy, and it is clear from
rehearsal that the actors are
enjoying themselves as
much as the audience.
“It’s a great show,” Cotter
said. “Don’t be intimidated
by the Shakespeare. They
poke so much fun at it that
it’s accessible to everyone.
It’s more comedy than any-
thing else.”
Cotter, who played Puck
during the summer Shake-
speare production of “Mid-
summer,” said this time
around the characters are
quite different, both in cos-
What: Western Ore-
gon University presents,
“Shakespeare in Holly-
wood.”
When: Thursday
through Saturday, 7 p.m.;
March 9 through 11, 7
p.m. Matinee on Satur-
day at 2 p.m.
Where: Rice Auditori-
um, Western Oregon Uni-
versity.
Admission: $14, gen-
eral; $10, faculty, staff
and seniors; $8, students.
Photo courtesy of WOU NEWS/for the Itemizer-Observer
Puck, played by Sarah Cotter, rehearses a scene from
“Shakespeare in Hollywood,” which opens on Thursday.
tume and in personality.
“He’s much more Holly-
wood, much more uppity,”
Cotter said. “This Puck is a
flashy guy. … He loves to
cause mischief.”
Gabriel Elmore, who plays
Oberon, king of the fairies,
said he and Puck are out of
their element.
“They were already pretty
crazy and pretty loose in the
way they do things in ‘Mid-
summer,’ but here they’re
taken completely out of
their comfort zone of their
magic wood and forced to
interact with a very specific
style,” he said. “They’re
forced to come to terms with
things that they, as immortal
fairies, think is bizarre,
which is ironic.”
Both Oberon and Puck
are a bit confused and baf-
fled by the Hollywood scene,
surrounded by aspiring
divas and developing egos.
“It’s not often that the
character Oberon feels pow-
erless,” Elmore said.
Becky Bond plays Lydia, a
blond chorus girl who aspires
to be cast in a beautiful show.
“She’s a bit of a bimbo, I
guess you could say,” Bond
said.
Bond also has experience
with “Midsummer,” having
been in the summer per-
formance, and notes the dif-
ferences.
“This one’s crazy because
it’s a farce,” she said. “It’s so
huge and elaborate. With
Shakespeare, it’s more about
the text as opposed to your
actions. This one, it’s more
about the comedy.”
The comedy has present-
ed a challenge for the ac-
tors — WOU theater does
not often do farces.
“It’s really fun as well be-
cause I’m able to do whatev-
er I please on a whim,” Bond
said. “No ideas are shut
down because it’s just a lot
of testing the water and see
if things work out. If it
doesn’t, we’ll cut it.”
Elmore said one trick to
pulling off the physical com-
edy is exaggeration.
“If you have to bend down
for a joke, bend down just a
little lower than you think
you do, sort of take it to ex-
tremes, it’s the only way we
can pull it off,” he said.
The lighthearted show is
filled with bright costumes,
characters and set pieces. It’s
sure to please.
“And, if you’re into audi-
ence interaction, do sit in
the front row,” Cotter added.
SCHOOL NOTES
Chemeketa to increase tuition, fees
SALEM — The Chemeketa Board of Education voted unani-
mously to increase the cost of taking classes at the community
college.
Starting with the summer term, Chemeketa students who
are Oregon residents will pay either $4 or $5 more in tuition
and $1 more in fees per credit based on the Legislature’s fund-
ing of community colleges.
If the Legislature funds community colleges at $550 million
or less, Chemeketa’s in-state students will pay $100 per credit
in tuition and fees. If the state appropriation exceeds $550 mil-
lion, students will be charged $99 per credit in tuition and fees.
International and out-of-state students will see comparable tu-
ition increases.
Board of Education member Diane Watson said the increase
will be used to maintain current service levels.
“I always hate to burden our students but with the anticipat-
ed shortfall from the state, we don’t have other options,” Wat-
son said.
Chemeketa has not raised tuition and fees for four years.
Baer is Nov. Distinguished Educator
DALLAS — Lyle Elementary School educational assistant
Rachel Baer is Dallas School District’s November Distinguished
Educator.
Her nominator was Elizabeth Blake,
teacher at Lyle Elementary, and she was pre-
sented the award last week.
Blake said Baer “has a tender and caring
heart for her students” and “makes an effort
to connect with each of them individually”
The students shared drawings and writ-
ings with Baer, expressing their appreciation
for all the help she gives them with writing.
The Distinguished Educator Program rec-
Baer
ognizes “excellence in teaching and learn-
ing” in Dallas School District schools.
Dallas places deadline on transfers
DALLAS — The Dallas School Board voted Monday to place
a deadline of April 1 on transfer applications for out-of-district
students for the 2017-18 school year.
The board did not limit the number of interdistrict transfers
the district would accept, but established the deadline for
budgeting purposes. Previously, the district took nonresident
transfers at any time.
Nonresident students do not live in the Dallas School Dis-
trict, but transfer in to attend school.
Superintendent Michelle Johnstone said that district staff
began to look at the cost of allowing nonresident students to
enroll at any time as it prepares for possible budget cuts in the
coming year.
The decision does not impact students who move into the
district druing the year.
For more information: 503-623-5594.
ACADEMIC HONORS
Costa named to president’s list
FRONT ROYAL , Va. — Lucas Costa, of Monmouth, a senior at
Randolph-Macon Academy, earned a place on the president’s
list for the second quarter of the 2016-17 school year. Students
who achieve a grade-point average of 4.0 or higher at Ran-
dolph-Macon Academy Upper School (grades nine through 12)
are named to the dean’s list.
Lucas is the son of Cinthia Costa Jones, of Monmouth, and
Alexandre D T Costa, of Curitiba, Puerto Rico.