Polk County itemizer observer., July 26, 2017, Page 14A, Image 14

Polk County News
14A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • July 26, 2017
Something new in ‘Much Ado’
Valley Shakespeare Company puts twists on classic work, opens Thursday at Western
By Stephanie Blair
The Itemizer-Observer
MONMOUTH — Comedy
and heroism will seize the
Leinwand outdoor stage on
Thursday as Valley Shake-
speare Company at Western
Oregon University opens
their third summer show.
This year the company is
putting on its rendition of
Shakespeare’s “Much Ado
About Nothing,” which will
be set in the wine country of
1890s Italy.
The story, which the com-
pany’s press release de-
scribes as a “romantic tragi-
comedy” has been cut down
to a running time of two
hours and 15 minutes, in-
cluding intermission.
“It’s a great show; it’s one
of Shakespeare’s most popu-
lar shows,” said director
David Janoviak. “It’s a nice
bit of entertainment for the
whole family.”
The show isn’t only fun
for the audience, but for the
student, community and
professional actors who
work on the show, as well.
This year the company is
joined by two professionals:
DeMara Cabrera, costume
designer, and Ted
deChatelet, who will portray
Don Pedro on the stage.
“The summer shows are
really fun because most of us
are still college students, so
it’s interesting to see what
kind of contemporary quirks
we bring to certain parts,”
said Gabriel Elmore, who
plays Benedick. “We don’t
get to do a lot of classical
stuff (at Western), and I real-
ly enjoy doing Shakespeare,
so the fact that we get to do
it, not only outside, but also
in the summer is just an
added bonus.”
The mix of students, com-
munity members and pro-
fessionals who work to pull
the show together in a short
amount of time can also be a
struggle for the greener tal-
STEPHANIE BLAIR/Itemizer-Observer
With only a few weeks to rehearse the show, actors must rigorously run fight scenes to avoid mishaps and injuries.
See the show
What: Valley Shake-
speare Company presents,
“Much Ado About Noth-
ing.”
When: Thursday
through Sunday and Aug.
3 through 5. Show starts at
8 p.m.
Where: Western Ore-
gon University’s Leinwand
outdoor stage, in front of
Rice Auditorium.
Admission: Free.
Of note: Bring your own
seating — lawn chairs or
blankets. Picnics are en-
couraged.
ent.
“It definitely pushes you
as an actor,” said Phoebe
Thompson, who plays Hero.
“This is the farthest I’ve ever
been pushed and, though
stressful, it’s good.”
“I enjoy seeing people
from the community come
in and work with us because
STEPHANIE BLAIR/ Itemizer-Observer
The actors learned and rehearsed the show’s intricate dances, which often involve in-
tertwining and circular patterns.
it’s a different experience,
and you learn different
things from different peo-
ple,” added Janelle Rae
Davis, who portrays Beatrice
opposite Elmore.
The show is full of fun and
surprises for those who are
both new to theater and
Shakespeare buffs.
Those who have seen the
show before are encouraged
to come see the “nonsensi-
cal and vibrant” production,
as Davis described it, at
Western for an entertaining
new take on the classic work.
“The Dogberry crew is
neat because they’re all fe-
males rather than being all
males, so it’s a different dy-
namic,” said Davis.
“One thing the director
has been very, very adamant
about is Claudio not being
the stereotype of love,” said
Hunter Atkin, who plays
Claudio opposite Thomp-
son. “So, he’s definitely
changing it a bit to be less
stereotypical, which is kind
of cool.”
Beside the content
changes, the atmosphere of
an outdoor performance is
much different from the tra-
ditional auditorium setting.
“You could picnic while
you watch a show,” said El-
more, enthusiastically.
“You could bring dogs,”
added Davis.
This year, for the first
time, the summer produc-
tion will run two weekends;
this Thursday through Sun-
day and Aug. 3-5, beginning
at 8 p.m.
All performances are free
and open to the public, but
seating is bring-your-own.
Audience members are en-
couraged to bring picnic
blankets and lawn chairs.