Spotlight on B.H. Barry, Fight Choreographer

B.H. Barry, Fight Choreographer for the upcoming Playhouse production of Twelfth Night, or What You Will, was born in Staines, England and moved to the United States in 1971. While living in the United Kingdom, he spent many years teaching dialect and stage combat and worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Upon moving to America, he helped to found Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox, Massachusetts. Barry has taught at the Juilliard School, Yale, NYU, Temple, City College, and Circle in the Square. In addition to his many teaching credits, he has been Fight Director on numerous projects in theater, opera, television and film. B.H. Barry returns to the Playhouse having worked on past productions such as The Good German and That Championship Season.

Recently, B.H. Barry took a few moments to answer questions posed to him by Playhouse patron services manager Nikki Rowell about his contribution to Twelfth Night.


Can you describe a little about what your work will be specifically on Twelfth Night?

Shakespeare leaves it to me to execute the fight. All he writes is “they fight.” He never puts in a fight unless he means to further the story or the character. This means that I can be inventive and create a meaningful piece of action. Shakespeare explores the human condition in his plays and he allows me to do the same with the action.

What do you find most interesting about choreographing fight work for Shakespeare?

As with all other productions, creating a seamless joint between the director’s style of direction and my direction of the action.

This production has a large cast and set. Does this hinder or enhance the work that you will be doing?

The bigger the problem, the better the answer.

In Twelfth Night, a comedic moment occurs between Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Cesario (the disguised Viola). Both seem to be hesitant to actually fight each other. How do you approach a comedic fight? How does it differ from a more serious or violent fight?

It is a whole lot harder to be funny. Again the human condition is what will drive the idea. What it is to love and what it is to be terrified of dying. Sir Andrew has to portray both in an instant. The purpose of the scene is that Sir Toby uses Sir Andrew as a meal ticket. Sir Andrew wants out so Sir Toby pushes Sir Andrew into taking action. It will also be Sir Toby’s best interest not to let Sir Andrew die. This is a similar situation to Iago and Roderigo in Othello.

You have worked at the Playhouse before on shows such as The Good German (2003) and That Championship Season (2009). What keeps you coming back?

Mark Lamos is a great director and I like to work with great directors. The Playhouse is a theatrical wonder. There are three observations that I make that go to create great theater. I ask was there integrity, caring and quality. All three exist at the Playhouse, so that is why it is one of my favorite places to work.

Nikki Rowell
Patron Services Manager


  

 

Shakespeare In Our Time

Playwright Ben Johnson said of his contemporary, William Shakespeare, “He was not of an age, but for all time.” Johnson could hardly have imagined how accurate his assessment would one day prove to be. Today, Shakespeare is universally acknowledged as the greatest writer in the English language, the playwright in whom each new generation finds its own reflection, and the timelessness of his work secures his place as the most widely produced playwright in the world. Yet, at Westport Country Playhouse, our history with Shakespeare is all too brief. 

For that reason, we have decided to wrap up our incredible 2011 season on an ambitious note. Not only will a work by William Shakespeare grace our stage for just the third time in our history—Marks Lamos’ inventive approach to Shakespeare’s most delightful romantic comedy, Twelfth Night, or What You Will—but our enrichment initiative Shakespeare In Our Time will augment the production with a series of equally inventive events designed to illuminate the work of this rare genius. As with last season’s “Window onto History: Perspectives on The Diary of Anne Frank,” the Playhouse again is partnering with numerous artists, scholars, and local organizations to bring you many perspectives on a rich and complex subject. 

These events will explore and reveal just how accessible, exciting, and relevant Shakespeare can be. Through panel discussions with renowned artists and scholars, talkbacks with actors, a master class on the fundamentals of acting and directing Shakespeare, film screenings, and art exhibits, Shakespeare In Our Time will feature the work and words of people exhilarated by Shakespeare and passionate about sharing their enthusiasm with the world. So whether you already have a lifelong love of Shakespeare or are just encountering him for the first time, Shakespeare In Our Time will have something for you. 

Click here to explore the exciting events we have in store. 

David Kennedy
Associate Artistic Director

 

  

 

A Gala Story

If you’ve never had the opportunity to plan an event for 500 people that includes a pre-show cocktail party, silent auction, star-studded performance and post-show dinner, (though I’m probably understating this), it takes a lot of planning and even more work! The preparation for an event like our 2011 Gala begins months prior, but the “heavy lifting” happens in the few days before. On Saturday and Sunday ,all members of the Playhouse staff, from the managing director to the newly arrived intern, donned jeans, sneakers and t-shirts to join décor chair Joanna Heimbold to move tables, hang signs, print tickets and decorate the tent, just to name a few of the many ingredients it takes to create a beautiful evening at the Playhouse.

 
On Friday, a tent was placed over the entire garden to create an intimate party setting for the pre-show cocktail reception and the post-show party.

 

On Saturday morning, the Playhouse staff met to divvy up preparation tasks, ready to help make the magic happen.

Handy schedules were pinned around the building so everyone knew what needed to be done.

   
Members of the production team help our resident silent auction guru and development coordinator Meghan Moorlach prepare for a spectacular silent auction, hanging signs displaying the truly extraordinary items. Our wonderful auction chair Karen Parrella has secured an amazing line-up!

In the Lucile Lortel White Barn’s Sheffer Rehearsal Studio, patron services manager Chad Kinsman hangs beads as window decoration. Following close behind is Kim Furano, Artistic & Management Associate, trimming any excess.

Ever resourceful and endlessly creative, Joanna Heimbold has the staff use the bead trimmings to create jazzy fringe for our lighting fixtures, fit for any 1930s speak-easy!

Back in the administrative offices, managing director Michael Ross and I finalize the intricate seating chart for Monday’s performance,
making sure each of our guests have a great view of our talented performers.

 In the green room, associate director of production Ammie Brown and interns Amanda Scott and Robert Tarushka create  stuffers for the event's programs, featuring newly added performers and auction items.

And then it was time for lunch. Thanks to intern Stephanie Wesdock for ordering some much needed pizza!

Back to work! Camara McLaughlin, our House & Events Manager, and Kim stand back to look at the handiwork of our scene shop –  a mini poster wall to highlight our guests who will give to a special fundraising wish list the night of the event.

   
The tools of the weekend! Power tools to help with all the hanging and decoration, and spreadsheets to help keep us organized.

But I think the most important “tool” was the coffee!
As the day went on, the staff began to have fun with the tasks at hand. Business associate Mallory Triest tests out the zebra rugs that will be featured in the tent and Playhouse lobby, while Chad tries his own take at on 1930s style with the excess beads.


With so many staff members on hand Saturday, only a handful returned on Sunday to take care of a few remaining details.
Using furniture picked out by Joanna Heimbold, the staff created seating areas around the tent to create a lounge-like atmosphere.
In addition to the lights installed by Lou Davis Productions, decorative vintage-inspire chandeliers were hung in the garden tent and Sheffer studio.


After getting a brief break on Sunday, by Monday morning the staff was at it again! Now was the time to decorate Dressing Room Restaurant, where our post-show Benefactor dinner would be held, and make any last minute changes to the garden and tent décor.

   
Before the staff began the finishing touches, company manager Bruce Miller made sure we all had a healthy breakfast.  However, some of us decided that cake would be better!

 
Then it was on to flower arranging. Staff and board members, including Board Chair Sandra DeFeo and Gala Co-Chair Kim Harizman, gathered outside to create the centerpieces to be used in Dressing Room Restaurant and throughout the Playhouse campus.

   
Meanwhile, at Dressing Room, patron services manager Nikki Rowell and institutional giving manager Laura Silence laid the table linens,  while Chad joined Lis Saxe, our Director of Institutional Advancement, to set the tea lights in the candelabras.

 
Back in the administrative offices, Meghan and I make a few more seating changes to accommodate a couple of overnight purchasers.

 
 
And in the tent, associate artistic director David Kennedy and intern Bryan Hunt adjust the tulle on the main staircase  while artistic advisor Annie Keefe and Michael made a few minor alterations to the tent seating areas.


Finally, the time came for staff put on their “snazzy” (stylish) 1930’s inspired party clothes and be ready to greet our guests, performers & alumni artists.


Photos by Kathleen O'Rourke

With a fantastic show and an incredible group of passionate supporters in attendance, I think you’ll all agree, the 2011 Gala was “out of this world!”

Beth Huisking
Associate Director of Marketing




  

Planet Shakespeare

In her novel Mansfield Park, novelist Jane Austen observed, "...Shakespeare one get's acquainted without knowing how...His thoughts and beauties are so spread abroad that one touches them everywhere..." While many of us might best remember William Shakespeare from our high school English classes, this timeless playwright has actually become an essential part of our modern culture and even our everyday lives. From literature to film, from business to psychology, from politics to the English language, Shakespeare's reach extends far beyond the stage in ways that will surprise and excite you. In fact, you might know a lot more about the Bard than you could ever imagine....

You’ve been “Shakespearized” if…

…you’ve enjoyed a good old-fashioned musical.
Countless musicals have been based on Shakespeare’s works, including Stephen Sondheim’s West Side Story (inspired by Romeo & Juliet); Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate (an adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew); and Rodger and Hart’s The Boys from Syracuse (based on The Comedy of Errors).

…you are a doctor, psychologist, lawyer or corporate CEO.
According to noted Shakespeare scholar Marjorie Garber, “Psychology, sociology, political theory, business, medicine and law have all welcomed and recognized Shakespeare as the founder, authorizer, and forerunner of important categories and practices in their fields. Case studies based on Shakespearean characters and events form an important part of education and theory in leadership institutes and business schools as well as in the history of psychoanalysis.”

…you are a fan of the soaps.
Aaron Spelling, creator of numerous prime-time TV dramas, has said he could not imagine soap operas without the inspiration of Hamlet and King Lear, two of Shakepeare’s most notable tragedies.


…you follow politics.
Shakespeare’s works and ideas have been and continue to be constantly (and sometimes incorrectly) invoked by politicians, both in the United States and all over the world. In congress, the Bard has been “borrowed from” by many a politician in an effort to repeal death taxes (Hamlet), in support of foreign aid (Julius Caesar) and to criticize the Republican party (The Tempest), just to name a few. Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy all quoted Shakespeare often in their addresses, with Robert Kennedy notably speaking of remembering his recently assassinated brother at the 1964 Democratic Convention by quoting Juliet herself.

…you have a secret love for teen movies.
Some of your favorite “guilty pleasure” films have been adapted or inspired from Shakespeare’s plays, including 10 Things I Hate About You (The Taming of the Shrew), O (Othello), and She’s the Man (Twelfth Night, or What You Will). Over 420 full-length film and television adaptations have been made of Shakespeare’s work, including 12 versions of Twelfth Night alone, many featuring some of Hollywood’s biggest names: Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, Alan Cumming, Patrick Stewart, Ethan Hawke, Bill Murray, Robin Williams, Kate Winslet, Julia Stiles, Laurence Fishburne, Helena Bonham Carter, just to name a few.

…have been “hoodwinked,” “in a pickle,” waited “with bated breath,” drawn “a forgone conclusion” or “played fast and loose.”
Shakespeare wrote in a time when the English language was coming into its own, so many words and phrases that we use today actually first appeared in one of his works. Some more favorites include:
“It’s Greek to me.” - “Vanished into thin air…” - “tongue-tied” - “the long and short of it” - “good riddance” - “laughing stock” - “bedazzled” - “obscene” - “puking”- “The game is afoot.”- “band of brothers.”

Come get Shakespearized at the Playhouse this October with Mark Lamos’s fantastic production of Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Click here to buy your tickets today!

Kim Furano
Artistic & Management Associate





Playhouse Partners with Housatonic Community College

As part of our Shakespeare In Our Time programming, Westport Country Playhouse is proud to partner with students across the arts at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport. HCC students are reading Twelfth Night, or What You Will and using the text as a jumping-off point for their own artistic exploration – whether their area of emphasis is painting, graphic design, computer-aided design, or another facet of the arts.

While engaging with Shakespeare’s words, students are re-imagining Twelfth Night as set in our own world and time, and will create a variety of artworks in different media, to be displayed in the Playhouse Lobby during the run of our production (October 11 – November 5). Whether from the standpoint of color theory or poster design, students are busy mining Shakespeare’s text for inspiration. “We are very excited to have our students collaborate with Westport Country Playhouse,” said Housatonic Community College Arts Coordinator John Favret. “It is so beneficial for our students to be working on a project that enriches their college experience in a way that seldom comes around and which will also provide them with the opportunity to showcase their work.”

Playhouse education & community programs coordinator Angela Boerger and associate artistic director David Kennedy recently met with HCC students for a conversation about Shakespeare and the characters and themes in Twelfth Night, and were impressed with their enthusiasm and commitment. “It's exciting to see the students explore their creative responses to Shakespeare,” said David. “Whatever their chosen disciplines, it allows them both a deeper engagement with this play and, ultimately, a more profound understanding of the power of their own ideas. And that's what great arts education should be about, discovery of the art leading to self-discovery."

Shakespeare at Housatonic: Student Interpretations of Twelfth Night will be on display in the Playhouse Lobby from October 11 through November 5. We hope you will stop by for a peek before curtain or during the Twelfth Night intermission!

Angela Marroy Boerger
Education & Community Programs Coordinator