"SHAKESPEARE IN HOLLYWOOD"
A Comedy by Ken Ludwig

FALL PLAY 2008

• Directed by: Barbara Ridenour
• Performances: 7 p.m. Nov. 6,
  7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 & 8, North Attic Playhouse

AFTER LAST SPRING'S performance of "Much Ado About Nothing," Uni thespians are continuing their Shakespeare motif — but with a twist.

Their fall play, set to be performed later this week, will be Ken Ludwig's 2003 comedy, "Shakespeare in Hollywood."

Commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, the play imagines what might have happened if two of Shakespeare's most famous fairies, Puck and Oberon, had come to life on the set of director Max Reinhardt's famed 1935 film version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Directed by fine arts teacher Barbara Ridenour, "Shakespeare in Hollywood" will be performed 7 p.m. Thursday and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the North Attic Playhouse. Tickets cost $6 for adults and $5 for students, seniors, and children.

The play offers a mix of comedy, fantasy, film history, and Golden Age of Hollywood nostalgia. Indeed, the characters include some of the real-life movie stars and powerbrokers who were involved in Reinhardt's actual production.

Film buffs will recognize Jimmy Cagney (senior James Smith), Dick Powell (senior Ben Daniels), Joe E. Brown (sophomore Ollie Goldbart), studio head Jack Warner (junior Zack Goldberg), gossip columnist Louella Parsons (senior Lor Sligar), and Reinhardt (senior Rob Diehl) himself. Infamous film censor Will Hays (junior Ethan Schiller) also figures in the plot.

At this point, cast members are in the midst of tech week, that arduous stretch of five-hour rehearsals each day leading up to opening night.

Sligar has become accustomed to the hard work that seasonal play performances demand.

"The play requires a lot of time and energy, but I really love spending time with the people and the satisfactory rush that I get after our first performance," she says.

And, of course, all the hard work that the cast, crew, and Ridenour put into each performance does indeed pay off during opening night.

So what's unique about this production?

Well for one thing, there is a ridiculous number of stage kisses. Uni actors and actresses will have to get pretty comfortable with each other!

Other than that, this production is much more fast-paced than previous fall plays. With elaborate props and scenes and numerous scene changes, expect to constantly "oooh" and "aaah" over this comedic performance.

Sligar's fellow senior and theater veteran Lauren Piester, who is a member of the ensemble, welcomes the change of pace.

"A lot of our plays have been pretty stationary and more slow-moving ," she says. "'Shakespeare in Hollywood' always has you moving and getting ready for the next scene."

Anyone who is familiar with Shakespeare's "A Midsummer's Night Dream" will find the turn of events hilarious in this modern comedy. Watch as Puck (senior Sarah Lake-Rayburn) and Oberon (sophomore Dillon Price) are cast as themselves and wreak havoc on Hollywood.

"Everyone is working hard to get a million details done before opening night," Ridenour says. "We hope the show will be a lot of fun for everyone!"

Seniors Sierra Marcum (left) and Lor Sligar work on scenery for "Shakespeare in Hollywood." In the back is fellow cast member junior Zack Goldberg. The fall play premieres at 7 p.m. Thursday and will be performed again at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Gargoyle photo by Lauren Piester (click to enlarge)

Senior Sarah Lake-Rayburn prepares to put the finishing touches on a Warner Brothers sign, part of the set for "Shakespeare in Hollywood." Gargoyle photo by Lauren Piester (click to enlarge)

FALL PLAY '08 CAST & CREW

• Louella Parsons — Lor Sligar (sr)
• Max Reinhardt — Rob Diehl (sr)
• Dick Powell — Ben Daniels (sr)
• Jack Warner — Zack Goldberg (jr)
• Daryl — Nish Nookala (sr)
• Lydia Lansing — Hannah Leskosky (sr)
• Oberon — Dillon Price (so)
• Puck — Sarah Lake-Rayburn (sr)
• Olivia Darnell — Anna Gooler (jr)
• Will Hays — Ethan Schiller (jr)
• Joe E. Brown — Ollie Goldbart (so)
• Jimmy Cagney — James Smith (sr)
• Ensemble — Adam Joseph (so), Rodney LeNoir (fr), Lauren Piester (sr), Joy Shapley (sr), Sierra Marcum (sr), Daniel Wilson (jr)
• Stage Manager — Tianna Pittenger (jr)
• Choreography — Karolina Kalbarczyk (sr)
• Lights and Sound — Natsuki Nakamura (sr)

"SHAKESPEARE IN HOLLYWOOD" AT A GLANCE

• Author: Ken Ludwig, an American playwright and theater director best known for his light comedies

• Premiere: Commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, the comedy debuted in 2003 at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.

• Awards: "Shakespeare in Hollywood" won the Helen Hayes Award for Best Play of the Year from the Washington Theatre Awards Society; Ludwig himself has been nominated for two Tony Awards and won a Laurence Olivier Award from the Society of London Theatre

• Synopsis: From Ken Ludwig's official site: "It's 1934, and Shakespeare's most famous fairies, Oberon and Puck, have magically materialized on the Warner Bros. Hollywood set of Max Reinhardt's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' Instantly smitten by the glitz and glamour of show biz, the two are ushered onto the silver screen to play (who else?) themselves. With a little help from a feisty flower, blonde bombshells, movie moguls, and arrogant 'asses' are tossed into loopy love triangles, with raucous results."