RICHMOND SHAKESPEARE REPLACES SEASON FINALE

RICHMOND, VA, January 16, 2009 — Richmond Shakespeare announced on Friday that it will perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream as its season finale in place of the earlier planned production of Cymbeline.

“We decided to go with one of the Bard’s best-beloved comedies for our final production at Second Presbyterian Church, says Grant Mudge, artistic director for Richmond Shakespeare. “The Dream appeals to a larger audience because it speaks so readily to the heart. We all know what it means to get a little lost in the woods of love.”

Mudge continues, “We’ve never done a full run of Midsummer indoors, and the company was ‘blown away’ by the demand for last month’s staged reading,” dubbed Midsummer in December.
Andrew Hamm, associate artistic director says, “The beauty of Cymbeline is, unfortunately, overshadowed by the economic realities facing all of us, actors and audiences alike. It’s just not the time to explore the more obscure of Shakespeare’s plays.”

Traditionally Richmond Shakespeare performs A Midsummer Night’s Dream outdoors at Agecroft Hall during its summer Richmond Shakespeare Festival, about every four years. The company last performed the play in 2004 and 2005, respectively in Richmond and touring it as far west as Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The 2005 production featured Scott Wichmann and was broadcast on WCVE-TV PBS later that year.

Ticketholders for Cymbeline may use their tickets for A Midsummer Night’s Dream; exchange their tickets for Amadeus; or receive a full refund by contacting the company’s offices.

Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, a Tony award winner for Best Play, opens February 12. The production is part of Richmond’s annual Acts of Faith festival, America’s largest faith-inspired theatre event. James Bond will direct.

Richmond Shakespeare’s downtown performances are located in the very Elizabethan-looking Chapel of Second Presbyterian Church, 5 North 5th Street. Regular season performances are held Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets, $26 for adults, $15 for students and
$13 for children under 12, are on sale here or 1-866-227-3849 (1-866-BARD-TIX).

Dedicated to making the works of William Shakespeare and other playwrights accessible to all audiences, Richmond Shakespeare is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization based in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond Shakespeare offers training, educational outreach and performance tours throughout the country. Richmond Shakespeare’s downtown season will move to CenterStage in October 2009. For more information, call (804) 232-4000.

Acts (and Flights) of Faith

I'm listening to Garrison Keillor just now, who on "A Prairie Home Companion" is singing a song in tribute to the crew of the US Air flight that had to ditch into the Hudson River this week, and especially to its pilot Chesley Sullenberg. Keillor will be in Richmond tomorrow, to perform at the Modlin Center and I'll be attending.

I've been thinking about the astounding feat of that pilot and crew. Raised among aviation, the world of airports and aircraft has always been familiar and dear to me. My father Michael Mudge managed operations at JFK airport for TWA In the 1970's and just out of the Air Force, just a few miles south of LaGuardia, where "Sully's" flight took off. I loved visiting my Dad at the airport, fascinated by the smells and bustle, always mesmerized by the beauty of that old terminal, (now the home of JetBlue) and I was privileged to fly often. I still love flying, though I must admit to a moment of panic on every flight---at "throttle-back," when, having reached cruising speed, the plane's engines are slowed and the speed eases off a bit. You need less thrust to keep a plane in the air than to get it there. It's a moment that profoundly scares me. Every flight. But I still love the perspective from those heights.

I can imagine the panic of those passengers and crew. Amazingly, everyone survived. My father and I have a little fun phrase we use for bumpy or upsetting flights, which here is truer than ever: any flight you can walk away from is a good flight.

You've heard by now that once they were in the water, these folks didn't panic. I remember cynical "guides" to surviving crashes that advised, among other tactics, climbing over the backs of seats (and other passengers) to be first to exit. These passengers didn't fight to get out of that sinking plane—they helped each other. Maneuvering an airbus without power at any speed is impossible. Cruising speed is more than 500mph. Of course, without engines it would be moving more slowly. Still.

Pandemonium, surely, but when that plane stopped moving, calm and caring ruled the day—for women and children, for the elderly, for each other.

Apart from the inaugural, this is the seminal story of early 2009. I'm certain the new President will mention the water landing. Many have proclaimed it a miracle. Doubtless you've heard Mayor Bloomberg's phrase: "Miracle on the Hudson." One view I heard yesterday held that the miracle was a change in perspective. That a plane could be saved. That when we're in trouble Americans care for each other. That human beings do.

Whatever your politics, it's a shift in perspective you can't help but notice, of both recollection and renewal—not only in across our great nation, but right here in our community.

Last night, most of the theatre companies in Richmond gathered in the sanctuary of 2^nd Presbyterian Church and previewed the plays of Acts of Faith, a festival of faith-themed theatrical performance this year lasting between January 16 and March 31. Some 200 people gathered, representatives of more than a dozen faith communities and others just interested in great theatre and discussions related to the very heart of what makes us human. There were so many great performances, from the ladies of the African American Repertory Theatre, to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to the Altar Boyz—too many others to highlight, all terrific.

What connects these two stories for me is the sense renewed of collaborating with and caring for each other. In a spirit I've not seen since the days following 9/11: we care for one another, we're interested in one another. In a time of challenges great and small---this is a great sign for theatre---an art from that depicts human story more tangibly than any other. Whatever your religious faith---our faith in each other seems strengthening all the time.

Good flight, Sully. Good Faith, Richmond. Good luck, Mr. President-elect.

The Richmond Shakespeare entry for this year's Acts of Faith festival is Peter Shaffer's Tony Award-Winning play, Amadeus. Talk-back discussions are set for two Sundays: Feb 22 and March 1 after the matinee performances. Tickets are available here or by calling toll-free 1-866-BARD-TIX (227-3849).

Announcing the cast of "Amadeus"

Antonio Salieri - Andrew Hamm
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Mike Hamilton
Constanze Weber - Liz Blake
Emperor Joseph II - Cynde Liffick
Count Johann Killian Von Strack - Katie Ford
Count Franz Orsini-Rosenberg - Jamie Reese
Baron Gottfried Van Swieten - Joseph Sultani
Venticelli - Jake Allard and David Janosik

Richmond Shakespeare is proud to announce the cast of our next production, Peter Shaffer's modern masterpiece Amadeus, directed by James Alexander Bond. The company is a mix of veterans and newcomers, continuing our commitment to introducing Richmond's theatre scene to fresh talents and developing the artists we have with challenging pieces and roles.

Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Award nominees Andrew Hamm and Liz Blake share the stage for the fourth time (The Taming of the Shrew, Measure for Measure, and Hamlet previously), alongside longtime Richmond Shakes veteran Cynde Liffick (more shows than we can count). Three actors are making their second appearances for the company: Katie Ford (Hamlet), Jake Allard (As You Like It) and David Janosik (The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr, Abridged). Jamie Reese makes his memorized-role debut for the company, having appeared in December's staged reading of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Mike Hamilton and Joseph Sultani once again remind us of how powerful an influence VCU's theatre department is on our local culture.

James Alexander Bond (as seen on Letterman) is directing his fifth production for Richmond Shakespeare, having orchestrated some of the most compelling work the company has ever produced: Julius Caesar, Henry IV Part 1, Measure for Measure, and Henry IV Part 2. He will be returning in the summer to direct Henry V, a unique opportunity for a director to tackle the entire Henriad. Costumes for the show will be designed and constructed by RTCC award-winning (As You Like It) designer Rebecca Cairns with Anne Hoskins.

Amadeus, by Peter Shaffer, will be performed by Richmond Shakespeare from February 12 - March 8 as part of the "Acts of Faith" Festival.

Stay tuned for updates and blogs!

Photo of the live billboard!

Here's how the second of the four (4) billboard images looks from the road. Do send comments, gentle readers.

Did you see it during the day? Night? What do you think of the new bardhead? Send along some comments, folks, we'd love to hear them.

PS - Keep an eye on this blog for cast announcements in the next week on Amadeus, by Peter Shaffer----opening at 2nd Pres on FEB 12!

New Year, New Brand, New Billboard!

As we get ready to welcome 2009, the year in which RS will move our downtown season to Richmond CenterStage, the company will also introduce a new look. It will begin in phases, the first of which is our new billboard!

If you're driving in Richmond, try the southbound lanes of I-195 (Powhite Parkway) between I-64 and Broad Street. You'll see a sequence of images like the one pictured here.

Be sure to drive the route a few times----there are four (4) fun images and you'll want to see them all. We'll post them here over the next month as well. Enjoy! And don't forget to pick up your tickets for Amadeus, our Acts of Faith entry for 2009. Performances begin February 12 at 2nd Presbyterian Church.

Happy New Year!

“Scrooge & Molly’s”

Eleven years of A Christmas Carol for Two Actors came to a close yesterday afternoon, and I just wanted to post a little thank you, most especially to Molly Hood, and write a little bit about gift-giving. "A Christmas Carol for Two Actors" is a whirlwind show, very physical, and can be surprisingly draining emotionally. Molly is an outstanding actress, the most punctual I've ever met, detailed and organized, and a very dear friend. It's been a treat to have her back, and we had a blast on this abbreviated run.

Every single time I said "Marley's voice" or "Scrooge and Marley's" this time, I had to pronounce that "r" verrrry carefully. I'm absolutely certain the sign over the door of Scrooge's office more than once inadvertently read "Scrooge & Molly's!"

Many other thanks are due, from the terrific Richmond Shakespeare board, many of whom attended the show again, to Bryan and Jennifer, Andrew, Cynde, Julie, and James Sved, the most recent Building Manager at 2^nd Presbyterian Church. The Sextons at 2^nd Pres, too, have been marvelous help: Carey, Cliff and Nat embody service.

But there are so many of you who've come to see the show over the years, and so many new faces---it makes one want to express the same gratitude to all of you. "A Merry Christmas to everybody!" exclaims Scrooge, upon waking from his ordeal. "A Happy New Year to the World!"

What does it mean, to do this show, year after year? Well, perhaps most importantly, there are the magical children's faces. The show is ideal for about age 6 and upwards---or a sophisticated 5. Their wide eyes upon seeing Ebenezer Scrooge materialize for the first time are priceless. And I've written elsewhere about preparing the show each year. But somehow I forget that there are always new faces.

The other new faces, the adults, I forget to expect each year. I forget that "newbies" to the show, as they watch the performance, are just as much fun for the vets to observe as the show itself! Martha Cratchit, the fiddler, Dick Wilkins and the three "Miss Fezziwigs" are old hat to Scrooge, sure, but to the new audience member, they're every bit as silly, as wonderful and as heartfelt as they were when I first played them for my parents, in front of the fire, more than a dozen years ago now.

You may already know---it's our custom after each performance of "Carol" to take up a collection for CARITAS, a local collaboration of various faith organizations who provide shelter to the region's homeless—especially in the winter months. Several nights during the run, the box office took in more in donations to CARITAS than we did walkup ticket sales. They're a terrific organization, and truly do make a difference in the lives of the poor. If you would like to join those who gave at the performances, you can do so by following this link. Just click on "get involved," and "donate."

What started as a gift for just my parents and a few family and friends has evolved into something much larger than I ever imagined. And of course in all that giving, one realizes that the greatest reward comes to the giver.

Merry Christmas, Richmond. Thank you for my wonderful present.

-Grant Mudge

Midsummer in December!

Richmond Shakespeare presents

Midsummer in December

A Midsummer Night's Dream

December 15, 2008

7:00 PM

The weather outside is frightful, but love and fairies are so delightful. Join us for a magical staged reading of the Bard's most beloved comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream, featuring some of Richmond's most beloved theatre artists: Scott Wichmann, Jennifer Meharg, Audra Honaker, Joe Carlson, Harry Kollatz, Daryl Clark Phillips, David Janosik, Cynde Liffick, TJ Simmons, Liz Blake, Sarah Jamillah Johnson, Shanea Taylor, Julie Phillips, Frank Creasy and more!

Directed by Andrew Hamm, the show features music by Liz and Andrew, with Jake Allard on percussion. The pre-show music is a mix of Richmond Shakes' greatest hits from Midsummer, Hamlet, and The Tempest, as well as love songs from summer's acclaimed production of As You Like It. Come early or you'll miss it.

Monday, December 15, 2008 at 7:00 PM at Second Presbyterian Church (5 N. 5th Street). $15 Adults, $10 Students and Children. All proceeds benefit the Richmond Shakespeare Annual Fund.