Muleskinner

Issue date: 4/10/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Drew Woolery: Muleskinner Callie Ott, freshman, tries on her costume to ensure the perfect fit. "Shakespeare in Hollywood," which begins April 23, has a cast and crew of approximately 70 people. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Drew Woolery: Muleskinner Ronnie Chamberlain, head costume designer of "Shakespeare in Hollywood," tries on the fake chest that will be used on one of the male characters who dresses as a woman for the show. [Click to enlarge]

The UCM Theatre Department ends its season this year with the production of "Shakespeare in Hollywood," a farcical comedy by Ken Ludwick.

Set in 1934 Hollywood, this production is filled with known actors of the period, like James Cagney, Dick Powell and movie gossip columnist Louella Parsons, as well as a few surprising visitors from another place and time.

A fictional version of a true story, "Shakespeare in Hollywood" tells the tale of Max Reinhart, an influential European director who came to America. He directed one film, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," with Warner Brothers in 1935. "Shakespeare in Hollywood" tells the story of the film's making.

"Because it was written by Ken Ludwick, who is one of America's premier farcical comedic writers, it has wonderful fictional twists and turns that make it a very hilarious comedy," said directer John Wilson.

A major twist in the film is when Oberon, King of Fairies, and Puck, Oberon's servant from "A Midsummer Night's Dream," show up on the movie set.

"Much of the original plot line to "A Midsummer Night's Dream" happens within the course of the play. Oberon and Puck make a wrong turn and end up in 1934 Hollywood. They get involved in the process of making the movie as well," Wilson said.

"Shakespeare in Hollywood" was selected at the beginning of the year when the department was making the performance schedule. Choosing plays for production is a long, collaborative process among the faculty, done by reading script after script and choosing plays that challenge the students and entertain the audience.

"This year, we wanted to frame the season with Shakespeare, so we opened with "Othello" and "Shakespeare in Hollywood" is our closer," Wilson said. "We also felt we needed a really strong comedy. The genre of farce allows you to stretch the boundaries further than a conventional comedic play."

"At every rehearsal, I'm always laughing out loud, doubling over, tears in my eyes at times. The play has phenomenal comic potential. It's really fun to direct," Wilson said.

Ronnie Chamberlain, head costume designer, has been working since December designing and assembling costumes for the upcoming show. She created a rumination book full of her rough sketches and inspirations for color, shape and style of the costumes.

After looking at the costumes from the original production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and discovering she didn't like any of them, she began looking to designers of the time for inspiration.

"I needed ideas to make costumes from, and I came across a designer called Erté. Erté did really fantastical designs. It's very Greek in style, so I decided to put the movie world into a Greek-like setting with Erté-like designs," Chamberlain said.

Erté, a Russian painter formerly known as Romain de Tirtoff, was famous for his art deco clothing designs. He designed many costumes for productions in the 1920s and 1930s, and based on Chamberlain's other art deco inspirations, his designs proved a perfect match for the base of her costumes.

Along with Jaclyn Wallace, Chamberlain's costume design assistant, the pair and several students have been working for at least three to four hours a day, fitting actors and trying to finish costumes.

"We have 64 costumes in this show and 23 cast members. They all have one to four costumes apiece. One guy plays a woman, and we are making fake breasts for him to wear," Chamberlain said. "It's a farce, so everything is drop-dead, roll-in-your-seat, piss-your-pants funny. They are kind of big, but if they were any smaller, they wouldn't be piss-your-pants funny."

Not only are the amount of hours put into the costumes stressful, the costume crew is working on a limited budget of $1,600, which Chamberlain said is barely enough to make ends meet.

"In costuming, we need three things: time, labor and money. I don't have money, but I have lots of time and lots of labor. That's how I can pull it off. We dye, paint, glue, spray paint, bead, feather and make masks and hats for all the characters," Chamberlain said.

Brian Sauer, senior theater performance major who plays the role of Oberon, is very excited to see the play get off the ground. Sauer has performed in many plays throughout his career at UCM, including the role of narrator in "Side by Side by Sondheim," and a character in this summer's musical comedy production of "Murders of 1940."

"Right off the bat, we started working really hard," Sauer said. "Now, we're completely off the book and into running and working the show. We're still playing around a lot, but we're getting closer to the polishing stage."

Dress rehearsals start in approximately two weeks, and the cast and crew of nearly 70 people are anxiously preparing for opening night. Through hard work and a lot of determination, everyone involved in the production has worked to make the play a success.

"I'd really like to encourage students and faculty over all lines of curriculum and interests to attend. For the entire campus community who loves to laugh, this is the show you're going to want to come see. Bring a date and some Depends," Wilson said.

The curtain opens at 7:30 p.m. April 23 and will run through April 27. The show on Sunday begins at 2 p.m. Ticket prices range from $6 to $10 and go on sale April 16 at the University Theater Box Office in Wood 128. Tickets may be reserved at the box office or by calling 543-8811.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools