Pauline Adamek
Antaeus Company”™s 6-week “Summer Splash” of Classics is back, July 13 – August 21, 2011.
Report by Pauline Adamek
The Antaeus Company, L.A.”™s classical theater ensemble, presents ClassicsFest 2011, its popular “summer splash” of actor-initiated workshops, readings, and special events. Audiences can choose from a veritable smorgasbord of the classics between July 13 and August 21 at the company”™s interim home, Deaf West Theatre in the NoHo Arts District.
Every summer, Antaeus invites audiences to preview dozens of plays in the middle of the rehearsal process. ClassicsFest exposes and celebrates the raw materials of craft with sound, lights and a suggestion of scenic and costume elements. For six weeks in a row, six performances a week, ClassicsFest features workshops, readings, cabarets and late night events. Participants include close to 200 actors, directors, designers, and students”¦ even a few living playwrights. With a $10 ticket price for most events (cheap!), it’s a refreshing, invigorating and affordable crash course in the classics.
“This year, along with “˜First Look readings”™ and fully staged “˜Works-in-Process,”™ they are also offering Saturday night “˜Flights of Fancy,”™ says Antaeus artistic director Jeanie Hackett. “These are events where we will explore the scholarly aspects of the classics, such as a Shakespeare authorship day – or simply celebrate the sheer fun of theater with a cabaret performance.”
This year”™s ClassicsFest will include readings and workshop productions of The Doctor”™s Dilemma and Caesar and Cleopatra by George Bernard Shaw; The Lucky Chance by Aphra Behn; Twelfth Night, Othello and Macbeth by William Shakespeare; Long Day”™s Journey Into Night by Eugene O”™Neill; A Delicate Balance by Edward Albee (rights pending); After the Dance by Terence Rattigan; The Legend of Oedipus by Kenneth Cavander; The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder; and You Can”™t Take it With You by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. In addition, there will be a host of late night events, a cabaret, and other special surprise events.
ClassicsFest readings and workshop productions are initiated by members of The Antaeus Company, an ensemble of actors whose goal is to keep classical theater vibrantly alive. Taking their company name from the Titan who gained strength by touching the Earth, Antaeus members – many of whom are familiar to movie and television audiences – regain creative strength by returning to the wellspring of their craft: live theater performances of great classical plays. The company”™s 100-plus members and its board span a wide range of age, ethnicity and experience; they have performed on Broadway, at major regional theaters across the country, in film and television, and on local stages, and are the recipients of multiple accolades including Tony, Los Angeles and New York Drama Critics Circle, Ovation, LA Weekly, and Back Stage Garland nominations and awards. Ensemble members are all professional actors who are members of Actors Equity Association, while the A2 Company is made up of classically trained young professionals who meet in class sessions year round and perform readings, late night productions and events.
ClassicsFest 2011 takes place July 13 through August 21.
Scroll down for a complete schedule; check the website for updates and added events including late night performances and cabarets.
Tickets for all Works-In-Process workshops and First Look readings are $10.00.
“Flights of Fancy” special event pricing varies; call or check website for details.
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ClassicsFest 2011
The Antaeus Company at http://www.antaeus.org/
Deaf West Theatre
5112 Lankershim Blvd.,
North Hollywood, CA 91601 (in the NoHo Arts District).
(one block south of Magnolia; free parking available in the uncovered Citibank lot on Lankershim Blvd. south of Otsego St.)
PERFORMANCES:
July 13 – August 21
scroll down for a complete schedule
TICKETS:
All workshops and readings: $10 Saturday special events: $20 each or $50 for all three:
- afternoon symposium/lecture,
- prix fixe dinner at The Federal Bar
- post-dinner play reading
Box Office:
Call 818-506-1983 or visit their official website.
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The theater is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible.
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SCHEDULE FOR CLASSICSFEST 2011
JULY 13 – 17:
- The Doctor”™s Dilemma by George Bernard Shaw, initiated by Mikael Salazar, directed by Michael Murray Shaw”™s 1906 play still rings true with today”™s healthcare quagmire. Two patients with tuberculosis, but only one cure. What would you do? (A fully-staged Work-in-Process)
◦                                 Wednesday, July 13 @ 8 pm
◦                                 Thursday, July 14 @ 8 pm
◦                                 Friday, July 15 @ 8 pm
- The Lucky Chance by Aphra Behn, initiated by John Achorn, directed by Elizabeth Swain A restoration comedy by England”™s original female voice that explores the ridiculous side of love and marriage. (“First Look” reading)
◦                                 Sunday, July 17 @ 2:30 pm & 7:30 pm
JULY 20 – 24:
- Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, initiated by Francia DiMase and Jeffrey Nordling, directed by Claudia Weill Illyria is rife with mistaken identities, cross-dressing, cross-gartering and a whole lot of romance in Shakespeare”™s hilarious comedy. (A fully-staged Work-in-Process)
◦                                 Wednesday, July 20 @ 8 pm
◦                                 Thursday, July 21 @ 8 pm
◦                                 Friday, July 22 @ 8 pm
- Lysistrata by Aristophanes, directed by Dana Friedman Antaeus”™s A2 Ensemble romps through Ancient Greece in this bawdy tale of man vs. woman. Husbands are forced to choose between their weapons of war and weapons of love, and we ask the eternal question: Can a plunging neckline lay a soldier low? (“Flights of Fancy” featuring the A2 Ensemble)
◦                                 Saturday, July 23 @ 8 pm
◦                                 Sunday, July 24 @ 2:30 pm & 7:30 pm
JULY 27 – 31:
- Long Day”™s Journey into Night by Eugene O”™Neill, initiated by Lawrence Pressman, directed by Steve Robman Eugene O”™Neill”™s semi-autobiographical examination of his family and their myriad dysfunctions. A morning of haze, an evening of fog: It only takes one day for a family to unravel. (A fully-staged Work-in-Process)
◦                                 Wednesday, July 27 @ 8 pm
◦                                 Thursday, July 28 @ 8 pm
◦                                 Friday, July 29 @ 8 pm
- Will Who?ӬShakespeare Authorship and the Mystery of Double Falsehood РBefore seeing Double Falsehood on Saturday night, enjoy a cross-examination of Shakespeare and his plays, presented by Sylvia Crowley Holmes of the Shakespeare Authorship Roundtable
◦                                 Saturday, July 30 @ 4:30 pm
- Double Falsehood, directed by Louis Fantasia Shakespeare”™s quixotic “lost play” is unearthed! Originally published in the early 18th century, this could be the missing piece that sheds light on the truth of authorship. (A fully-staged Work-in-Process)
◦                                 Saturday, July 30 @ 8 pm
- A Delicate Balance by Edward Albee, initiated by James Sutorius, directed by Robin Larsen Edward Albee’s scathingly funny 1967 Pulitzer Prize winning drama about upper-class Alice and Tobias trying to keep the already tenuous balance of their lives steady as friends and family come calling. (“First Look” reading)
◦                                 Sunday, July 31 @ 2:30 pm
- Othello by William Shakespeare, initiated by Kevin Daniels and Gregory Itzin, directed by Jonathan Lynn In Shakespeare”™s towering tragedy of love, betrayal and racism, Iago fans the flames of Othello”™s jealousy with devastating consequences. (“First Look” reading)
◦                                 Sunday, July 31 @ 7:30 pm
AUGUST 3 – 7:
- Macbeth by William Shakespeare, initiated by Rob Nagle, directed by Jessica Kubzansky In this macabre tale of Scottish legends, witches, hallucinations and power, Shakespeare”™s bloodiest couple thrash against the rise of their own consciences. (A fully-staged Work-in-Process)
◦                                 Wednesday, August 3 @ 8 pm
◦                                 Thursday, August 4 @ 8 pm
◦                                 Friday, August 5 @ 8 pm
- Blow Out Your Candles: The Tennessee Williams Birthday Party, directed by Douglas Clayton Raise a glass to Williams”™ 100th birthday year with a gala celebration! Start the day discussing his work with artists who knew and worked with him and continue the evening with excerpts from his greatest hits – not to mention birthday cake! (A fully-staged Work-in-Process)
◦                                 Saturday, August 6 @ 2:30 pm & 8 pm
- Caesar & Cleopatra by George Bernard Shaw, initiates by Tessa Thompson, directed by Michael John Garcés A wily, passionate game of chess between a girl queen and a crafty politician, Shaw gives new insight into this historical romance. (“First Look” reading)
◦                                 Sunday, August 7 @ 2:30 pm
- After the Dance by Terence Rattigan, initiated by Stephen Caffrey, directed by Cameron Watson Set on the eve of World War II, the aging hedonists of the Great War stave off the approaching storm with sex and alcohol and whatever else they can get their hands on to the chagrin of the prim younger generation.(“First Look” reading)
◦                                 Sunday, August 7 @ 8 pm
AUGUST 10 – 14:
- The Legend of Oedipus by Kenneth Cavander, initiated by Rhonda Aldrich, directed by Casey Stangl The man, the myth, the legend. Antaeus presents the oedipus story in its entirety and poses the question: can you ever escape your fate? (A fully-staged Work-in-Process)
◦                                 Wednesday, August 10 @ 8 pm
◦                                 Thursday, August 11 @ 8 pm
◦                                 Friday, August 12@ 8 pm
- The Third Act Project from the plays of Anton Chekhov, directed by Jeanie Hackett Act III: Chekhov’s dark night of the soul. Fires, storms, attempted suicides, confessions, dancing, magic tricks – a collision of comedy and tragedy. Antaeus presents the four whirlwind third acts from Uncle Vanya, The Three Sisters, The Cherry Orchard and The Seagull. (A fully-staged Work-in-Process)
◦                                 Saturday, August 13 @ 8 pm
◦                                 Sunday, August 14 @ 2:30 pm & 8 pm
AUGUST 16- 21:
- The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder, initiated by Nike Doukas, directed by William Ludel The basis for the hit musical, Hello Dolly, Thornton Wilder gives us a romp of mismatched lovers, secret rendezvous and a trip to night court! (A fully-staged Work-in-Process)
◦                                 Wednesday, August 17 @ 8 pm
◦                                 Thursday, August 18 @ 8 pm
◦                                 Friday, August 19 @ 8 pm
- WILD CARD An audience favorite from the festival brought back by popular demand!
◦                                 Saturday, August 20 @ 8 pm
- You Can”™t Take It With You by George S. Kauffman and Moss Hart, initiated by Lily Knight, directed by Art Manke
- Find out who’s really crazy when a pair of lovebirds bring their mismatched families together in Kaufman & Hart’s madcap 1937 Pulitzer Prize winning comedy.
◦                                 Sunday, August 21 @ 2:30 pm
PLUS: Late-night performances, a cabaret, special closing day event, and more! For more information call 818-506-5436 or go to their website.
Brian Sonia-Wallace
