On the Eve of Friday Morning

STC commissioned local playwright Norman Allen to write On the Eve of Friday Morning, the first play in our Youth and Family Series. The show runs Jan. 12, 13 and 19 at Sidney Harman Hall. We interviewed him about his background and why he was interested in writing this play.

For more information about On the Eve, click here.

Hometown: San Francisco is where I grew up, but Washington, D.C., is my home now. I love this city.

Most recent project: My most recent project happened just yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. I teach English to high school juniors at the Cesar Chaves Charter High School on Capitol Hill. My students are amazing. They’re the best thing that ever happened to me.

What's on your iPod: I grew up loving musical theatre so even today you’re likely to see My Fair Lady or South Pacific on my “most played” list. Every once in a while I might go to some Prokofiev or Grieg or Copland, just to take a break. And Celtic music for the holidays.

What's next after On the Eve of Friday Morning: I’m working on this huge, Broadway-style musical loosely based on Carmen. The score is by Frank Wildhorn and Jack Murphy, and it’s been commissioned by a theatre in Prague. The weird thing is, that when we’ve finished writing the show, the whole thing will be translated into Czech and we’ll have no idea what they’re saying. It’s being produced in a theatre that was built for operettas at the turn of the last century. It’s a beatiful space – like working inside a giant wedding cake.

Why did you want to write On the Eve: I wanted to write something that would give audiences – young and old – a sense of how rich the Iranian culture is. We hear about “the axis of evil” and we forget about the millenia of architecture and music and poetry that is Iranian – or Persian – culture. This play gives us the chance to slip into the past, and into one of the most beautiful folktales I’ve ever read – The Tale of Mushkil Gusha, which lies at the center of the play.

What is your favorite moment in the play and why: I think it’s when the two main characters – a girl named Nassrin and a boy named Bahad – step into the Mushkil Gusha story. Nassrin is a contemporary girl living in Tehran. Bahad is a boy living in Persia a thousand years ago. Each of them is being told the same folktale and each of them is given a choice: listen to the story or actually step inside and be a part of it. It’s a magical moment. But it’s also a moment that we face all the time. Will we participate in life, get our hands dirty, have the courage to really live our own story, or will we keep our distance? Happily, both Nassrin and Bahad have the courage to take that step.

What have you enjoyed about writing a play for younger audiences: I don’t think writing for “younger audiences” is much different than writing for “older audiences." The criteria are the same. You have to tell a great story. You have to have dynamic characters. There has to be change. Of course, I’m aware that different age groups have different levels of knowledge to draw upon, and different interests. But a great story is a great story. I don’t have a lot of patience for what’s commonly known as “children’s theatre." Kids don’t need a lot of bright colors and crazy antics to get them engaged in what’s happening on stage. They need honesty, and they need to be challenged. I was seven years old when my folks took me to see My Fair Lady. They prepared me very carefully and because of that the experience was a magical one. And, as I mentioned above, that music is still a part of my life today.

Podcast: Classics in Context on Shrew

We have uploaded a podcast of the "Classics in Context" discussion for The Taming of the Shrew. You can find it here.

Happenings at the Harman

The National Music Center presents tenor Zachary Stains performing selections from Tamerlano in the forum of Sidney Harman Hall on Wednesday, December 19, from noon to 1 p.m. Box lunches are available for purchase for $10 if desired; reservations are requested but not required. Artists and programs subject to change based on guest availability. Call the Box Office at 202.547.1122 for up-to-date schedule information, to reserve a space and to place an order for a box lunch.

People Are Talking About...

Here’s a round-up of recent blog posts about Tamburlaine and Edward II. If you’d like to add your own comment, click here.

Riba Rambles writes: "Spectacular is an overused superlative, but I can think of no better word to describe Christopher Marlowe's Tamburlaine."

The View from 16th Street says: "Edward II was a real treat. … Ms. [Gale] Edwards is a great director, who pulls together story and language, performances and design, into really compelling updated-yet-timeless productions of some of the classics of Western theatre. And in Mr. Acton, it appears she has found a muse... his humpbacked Richard and his Prince of Denmark were both stellar performances."

Evil Voodoo Celt posts: "I think Edward II stacks up well against mid-grade Shakespeare- there was a lot of energy to the language, but it wasn't quite as lyrical or moving as the Bard at his best. Still, it was exciting, full of blood and thunder- Marlowe seems to have been dab hand at handling rage and fury, if nothing else."

Reading, Ranting and Raving by a Historical Fiction Writer says: "Edward III is played by two actors; a young boy and a young man. Shortly before his crowning (and probably about the time of the boy actor's bedtime), Edward III's growing maturity is depicted by substituting the older actor for the younger one onstage. I thought that was clever on the part of the director, and also helped in showing the passage of time, which Marlowe compresses considerably."



Top photo: The ensemble in Tamburlaine. Bottom photo: Vayu O'Donnell and Wallace Acton in Edward II. Photos by Carol Rosegg.

Costumes for the Marlowe Rep

I had an opportunity to visit with some of the Costume staff for Edward II and Tamburlaine.

Together the two productions featured more than 400 individual costume pieces, plus what was purchased or pulled from stock. Amy Brandenburg, the Costume Floor Manager, estimates that the shop built 75 percent of what is seen on stage. Only 25 percent was either bought or adjusted from stock.

The process begins with the creation of a muslin mock-up of the garment from actor measurements. Pinning the mock-up to a dress form, the Draper adjusts as needed. The mock-up is laid out to create a pattern on paper then made up in muslin for a first fitting. Adjustments are made to the original pattern, and then the garments are cut in real fabrics, and the final fitting and finishing process begins.

Natalie Kurczewski, a Draper, worked on one of the Edward II build teams. Her team’s most challenging costume was Isabella’s peach dress for the “Welcome Home, Gaveston” party. “Both the design and the fabric were challenging,” she said.

Leigh Ann Chermack, a Draper on the other Edward II team, said the white suit that Edward II wears was the most challenging: “It was a fabric that didn’t want to be tailored.” It would shrink when ironed, and the seams had to be let out to fix it.

Meg Clugston, a Draper on one of the Tamburlaine teams, said that “most of the costumes were fairly simple T-shaped garments. The challenge was the number that had to be made.” Each team worked on roughly 100 pieces over the course of the build, which lasted from late July until early November. This did not include accessories.

“The most involved thing we made was the gold costume for Zenocrate,” Clugston said. “It was more structured, boned with a light-weight corset built into the dress and a Kimono-style robe. Her costume used roughly 20 yards of fabric all together. It was fun to do that one because it was fitted and for a woman, as opposed to the hundreds of T-shaped men’s garments.”

Once the productions opened, work began on the understudy’s costumes. The Marlowe Reps have 39 understudies, and it required more than 4 weeks of work to build their replica costumes.

Denise Aitchison, a Draper on the other Tamburlaine team, said, “The show wasn’t the most challenging as far as costumes; it was the numbers really.” More than 100 pieces were built by her team plus what was pulled, bought and borrowed. Aitchinson’s favorite costumes would be Bajazeth and Zabina: “His are the biggest pants I’ve ever done” with 11 yards of fabric in the pants alone.

“Avery Brooks is always great to work with,” Aitchison added. “His costumes required extra thought from day one because of all the quick changes. He has a lot of them—5 distinct looks—and it all moves so fast because he is on stage all of the time.”

Top photo: Terence Archie, Avery Brooks and Scott Jaeck in Tamburlaine. Middle left photo: Wallace Acton as Edward II. Middle right photo: Danyon Davis, Mia Tagano, Kurt Uy and Abe Cruz in Tamburlaine. Bottom photo: David McCann as Bajazeth in Tamburlaine. All photos by Carol Rosegg.

Franchelle Stewart Dorn Returns

Franchelle Sewart Dorn, a longtime STC favorite, returns for the first time since 2000 for the Marlowe Reps. She plays Zabina, the Empress of Turkey, in Tamburlaine and the Baroness in Edward II.

At left: Franchelle Stewart Dorn as Zabina.

We're so excited to have you back on the Shakespeare Theatre Company stage. What drew you back for this role?

The truth is that I would have come back to do anything for Michael Kahn. For this length of time (almost five months including rehearsal and run), I needed to take a sabbatical from the university. This process was three years in the making (some semester's obligations make it impossible for me to get away). Michael wanted me back for the opening of the Harman Center, so I said I would return before he chose the play (and hoping that the theatre would open on time)! Michael remains the most brilliant director with whom I have worked, and opening a theatre, to boot, made this an offer I couldn't refuse.

As an actor, how have you found Marlowe different from Shakespeare?

OK, I'm not Marlowe's biggest fan. Shakespeare has spoiled me for almost every other playwright on the planet ... living or dead. Marlowe does not have the poetry, imagery, wit or pathos of the Bard. However, I can appreciate Marlowe for tackling some really tough subjects. I can only wonder what Shakespeare might have done with characters like Tamburlaine or Edward II.

What is your favorite moment in Tamburlaine?

My personal fave is the scene I have with Bajazeth (David McCann) right before he kills himself. Most of what I say in the play is declamatory and public, and it's so nice to just look at someone and talk to them in an intimate moment.

I think the entrance of Tamburlaine's chariot pulled by slaves is visually stunning. It's always a surprise (How did THAT get there? There's no room upstage!) even though I know that the chariot flies in from "the heavens."


Above: David McCann as Bajazeth and Franchelle Stewart Dorn as Zabina.

You're on sabbatical from your position as Head of the Acting Program at the University of Texas at Austin's Department of Theatre and Dance. What have you enjoyed about academia and how has it influenced your work as an actor?

Although this is my first full-time academic job, I have been teaching for 30 years at various institutions. I joke that I started teaching before I knew anything. I have long said that when I stop learning from my students, I will quit teaching. It is exciting to see if I can translate what I actually do on stage to the studio/classroom. It gives clarity to my acting technique to see it embraced by students. Students always have a way of personalizing what I share with them. Because they have less experience, they also have fewer hang-ups about the craft and can find innovative interpretations of text and staging that are always refreshing. I steal from them whenever I can. For me, acting and teaching have always gone hand in hand.

To see Franchelle Stewart Dorn in the Marlowe repertory, click here for tickets to Tamburlaine or here for tickets to Edward II.

Photos by Carol Rosegg.

Happenings at the Harman

See )musica(aperta perform during our Happenings at the Harman on Wednesday December 12 from noon until 1 p.m.

This interdisciplinary ensemble provides music in concert with other arts and media. They describe themselves as “born to challenge an audience to open their minds, hearts, and senses. And, do this all with magic and mystery and merriment.”

Box lunches are available for purchase for $10 if desired; reservations are requested but not required. Artists and programs subject to change based on guest availability. Call the box office at 202.547.1122 for up-to-date schedule information, to reserve a space and to place an order for a box lunch.

Photos by Karin Cooper and courtesy of )musica(aperta’s website.

Set Designer Lee Savage

Lee Savage discusses the perks and challenges of designing sets for the revolving repertory productions of Tamburlaine and Edward II.

Q: What were some of the challenges of designing for a new theatre?

A: Any new theatre poses challenges. The mere fact that it is new and untested is daunting in itself. This new theatre is not only new, but big. I have never had the opportunity to work in a space as large as Sidney Harman Hall, so it took me some time to understand it and conquer it in a way. All the scenic elements that were designed for the space were added to frame the action of each play so that we could rescale or change the size of the space to fit the production.

The massive drums in Tamburlaine. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

Q: How did the architecture of the end stage configuration of Sidney Harman Hall play into your designs?

A: I was very much inspired by the interior architecture of Sidney Harman Hall when designing both productions. I feel like the stage spaces that were created for each production were an extension of the interior architecture itself. From the pattern on the stage floor, to the door towers, to the hanging borders above the stage, I repeated the geometry and rhythms of the interior architecture to create all the major scenic elements. I became excited by the idea that the audience would be unaware that there even was a set at all and that the line between the actors on stage, the audience and the theatre itself could almost disappear. Instead of simply copying the interior architecture, which is made of cherry wood, I chose to use a black ebony stain on the wooden scenic elements. The black ebony provided a neutral backdrop for the events of each play to take place and allowed us to frame the stage space within that larger theatre space.

The ensemble in Edward II. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

Q: What were some of the complexities of designing sets for two productions playing in repertory?

A: One of the complexities of designing productions in repertory is figuring how the productions relate to each other and how the design of each production can fit together, but at the same time feel like two distinctly different shows. This was a particular challenge given the differences in time, place and direction of Tamburlaine and Edward II. The common bond that these productions share is the fact that they are being presented for the first time by the Shakespeare Theatre Company and are the first productions in the new Sidney Harman Hall. So the theatre itself became the answer to how these two plays fit together. Tamburlaine, in an abstract way, is very much about the landscape; much of the action exists while traveling from one country to the next. Edward II is much more about the interior, personal and political struggle of the court. In each case we were able to transform the stage space to suit these different spacial ideas. By adding columns to the stage space for Edward, we created a more intimate and interior space. By removing the columns and fully exposing the rear wall of the theatre, we were able to open the space up into a broad landscape for Tamburlaine. Since we were allowed only 2 hours to change over from one show to the other, I chose to change a few large scenic elements so that we could get the most transformation of the space possible in the short amount of time.

Robert Jason Jackson in a church scene from Edward II. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

Q: Which of Sidney Harman Hall’s capabilities did you most enjoy experimenting with?

A: I think we were able to take advantage of the large trap room in the Harman, which is something that the Lansburgh Theatre does not have. The trap door and elevator rig that were designed for the Marlowe Repertory allowed us to raise and lower large pieces of furniture and scenic elements through the floor while simultaneous action took place elsewhere onstage. This made it possible to quickly transition from one scene to the next without having to watch furniture move across the stage or wait for items to be set into place by stagehands. Stage machinery this sophisticated is a luxury to have the opportunity to work with and became integral to the design of both productions.

The ensemble in Tamburlaine. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

Scott Jaeck and Mia Tagano in Tamburlaine. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

This bed is one of the many set pieces to come out of the trap.

Tamburlaine and Edward II Trailers!

Get a sneak peek of our productions of Tamburlaine and Edward II.

For more information about the Shakespeare Theatre Company's productions click here.

To purchase tickets, click here.

Happenings at the Harman

Join the Folger’s President, Dr. Gail Kern Paster, for a free discussion about history’s Edward II and Marlowe’s dramatic rendering of his life in the Forum of Sidney Harman Hall on Wednesday, December 5, from noon until 1 p.m.

Box lunches are available for purchase for $10 if desired; reservations are requested but not required. Artists and programs subject to change based on guest availability. Call the box office at 202.547.1122 for up-to-date schedule information, to reserve a space and to place an order for a box lunch.