We could not be more excited to welcome Mary Zimmerman back to the Huntington, and what better way to mark her triumphant return than a stage adaptation of The Jungle Book? Some of our subscribers (and staff) still haven't fully recovered from the overwhelming joyfulness of her production of Candide, which kicked off our 30th Anniversary Season in 2011. Mary has spent much of her career re-exploring timeless texts, taking a magnifying glass and a scalpel to these iconic, formative myths, and uncovering the modern richness and relevance within them.
With Candide, she scoured the archives of Leonard Bernstein's music, drawing from multiple iterations and compositions from various versions of the famously uneven musical, and created an entirely new version of the play with a book that she derived from the original text by Voltaire. Similarly, with The Jungle Book, Mary and her team are using the popular songs from the classic Disney movie -- "Bare Necessities," "I Wanna Be Like You," and others -- and re-arranging them with new orchestrations featuring authentic Indian instruments. For the book, Mary has returned to the original stories of Rudyard Kipling to create an entirely new script and story.
Here's a little peek at an early workshop version of "Bare Necessities":
Also like Candide, Mary is developing The Jungle Book with the help of several different cities, companies, and audiences. After several development workshops, performances of The Jungle Book began June 21 at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago (yes, we still care deeply for our Chicago theatre colleagues, even if their stupid hockey team bests our own). The cast & creative team will then join us in Boston, where they will continue to work on and tweak the musical -- adjusting things, making cuts and edits, fleshing out scenes where they need more meat, and so on. This process is an important part of what makes theatre unique as a living art form, and we're proud to play such a crucial role in Mary's creative process.
Here's Artistic Director Peter DuBois discussing the show, and sharing his own excitement about welcoming Mary back to Boston:
The Jungle Book plays Sept. 7 - Oct. 6, 2013 at the Avenue of the Arts / BU Theatre. Tickets are on sale now.
Showing posts with label candide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label candide. Show all posts
September 27, 2012
Michael Maso on the Death of John Silber
We learned today that John Silber passed away early this
morning. As transformative a figure as Dr. Silber was to Boston University, he
was even more critical to the Huntington, which would not have come into being
without his personal determination that the City of Boston have a world-class
resident theatre. When asked why he would invest the University's resources in
what might be perceived as a risky proposition, he said "If Boston University
can support a football team, it can damn well support a theatre company!"
Thirty years later the Huntington is an independent organization, but our strategic partnership with and support from BU continues to this day. Over 3.5 million people have seen more than 180 productions since the Huntington's
founding in 1982, and 450,000 young people have been served by our education and
community programs. The Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, which the Huntington built and
opened in 2004, would not exist if the Huntington had not been founded by
BU 22 years earlier, and a proud John Silber was with us at its dedication.
I last saw John about a year ago when he attended our production of
Candide, which he greatly admired. I look forward to finding a way to
honor him and his role in the founding of the Huntington in the coming weeks,
and I take great pleasure in knowing that the service to BU and to Greater Boston
that he envisioned for us over 30 years ago continues stronger than ever. As
you can see from his obituary on Boston.com, the
founding of the Huntington is recognized as an important part of John
Silber's legacy.
The Huntington family and I send my deepest sympathy and condolences to
the entire Silber family.
-- Michael Maso, Managing Director
April 24, 2012
More Awards News: Huntington Receives 12 Elliot Norton Award Nominations
The IRNE Awards were presented last night, and so now our attention turns to the Boston Theatre Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards, to be presented on Monday, May 21. The 2012 Elliot Norton Awards will honor productions that played April 1, 2011 through March 31, 2012.
The Huntington received 12 nominations, second only to SpeakEasy Stage Company, our friends and neighbors in the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, who recieved 13.
The Huntington received 12 nominations, second only to SpeakEasy Stage Company, our friends and neighbors in the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, who recieved 13.
Outstanding Visiting Production: Richard III and The Comedy of Errors
(Propeller Theatre Company)
(Propeller Theatre Company)
++in+Richard+III.+Photo+by+Manuel+Harlan+332.jpg) |
| Richard Clothier, photo: Manuel Harlan |
Huntington Sweeps IRNE Awards!
It was a joy-filled night for the Huntington at the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Awards presentation yesterday as our our 2011 productions of Candide, Sons of the Prophet, and Ruined were honored with a combined total of 17 awards!
 |
| Huntington dramaturg Charles Haughland with Stephen Karam (Sons of the Prophet) |
The second award of the night went to recently-named Pulizter Prize finalist Stephen Karam for Best New Play (Large Theatre) for Sons of the Prophet. In his speech, he praised and thanked Boston audiences for coming to a play they'd never heard of by a writer they didn't know. Our production of Sons..., which was directed by Huntington Artistic Director Peter DuBois, transferred to the Roundabout Theatre Company last fall where it was extended through January 1. The accolaides continue: the NYC production has just been nominated for 3 Outer Critic's Circle Awards (Best new Off Broadway Play, Best Actor in a Play - Santino Fontana, and Best Actress in a Play - Joanna Gleason), to be announced on May 14. It was wonderful to have Stephen back in Boston with us for the night to celebrate all of his recent success.
Then the night got busy, as Huntington productions and artists were honored in 17 of the 24 categories recognizing large theatre productions.
 |
| Cheryl Stern and Mary Zimmerman |
Candide director Mary Zimmerman and cast member Cheryl Stern (Old Lady) were with us to celebrate the success. For Candide:
 |
| The cast of Candide, photo: T. Charles Erickson |
Best
Actor – Musical
Best
Supporting Actress – Musical:
Best
Choreography: Daniel
Pelzig
Best
Music Director: Doug
Peck
Best
Set Design: Daniel Ostling
Best
Costume Design: Mara
Blumenfeld
Best Lighting Design:
Best Lighting Design:
Best
Sound Design: Richard
Woodbury
Best
Director of a Musical: Mary
Zimmerman
Best Ensemble: Candide
Best
Musical:
 |
| The cast of Ruined, photo: Kevin Berne |
For Ruined:
Best
Supporting Actor – Drama: Oberon
K.A. Adjepong
Best
Supporting Actress – Drama:
Best
Actress – Drama:
Best
Director of a Drama:
Best
Play:
In addition, a number of members of the Huntington family were honored with IRNE Awards, including the Actors' Shakespeare Project production of Huntington Playwriting Fellow John Kuntz's The Hotel Nepenthe, which we'll present this June as part of the Emerging America festival.
See the full list of winners. Congratulations all!
Our two most honored productions from the year are certainly different in a number of key ways, but each tell a story about characters' experiences with hardship and their resulting world-views, which perhaps suprisingly prove to be more optimistic than their expereinces should inspire.
Which Huntington production from 2011 was your favorite?
March 6, 2012
We've Received 39 IRNE Award Nominations!
We've received 39 IRNE Award nominations from the Independent Reviewers of New England, which recognized each our 2011 productions. The 39 nominations are five more than we received for our 2010 productions and more than twice as many as any other company in New England.
Our September-October 2011 production of Leonard Bernstein’s glorious musical Candide received 13 nominations, more than any other production of 2011, and was nominated in every category in which it is eligible:
 |
| The cast of Candide, photo: T. Charles Erickson |
October 16, 2011
CANDIDE Closes - Audience Refuses to Leave
Sunday, October 16, 2011. The Candide cast, orchestra and crew had given a stellar closing performance. They had taken their bows, the house lights were on, the actors had gone down to their dressing rooms, and I had turned off the camera, having recorded the show for our archives. But the audience wasn't done. They continued to stand, they continued to applaud, they continued to holler, they wanted more! I turned the camera back on - see for yourself - it was an amazing thing!
Candide - featuring Larry Yando, Geoff Packard, Lauren Molina, Erik Lochtefeld, McCaela Donovan, Travis Turner, Emma Rosenthal, Joey Stone, Alexander Elisa, Evan Harrington, Abby Mueller, Jeff Parker, Cheryl Stern, Jesse J. Perez, Timothy John Smith, Tempe Thomas, Spencer Curnutt, Rebecca Finnegan, Tom Aulino
Addendum (10/22/11): Many people have asked to see the closing night finale of Candide and the curtain call that took place before the above video was taken. Click to view an excerpt of "Make our Garden Grow". Enjoy!
Candide - featuring Larry Yando, Geoff Packard, Lauren Molina, Erik Lochtefeld, McCaela Donovan, Travis Turner, Emma Rosenthal, Joey Stone, Alexander Elisa, Evan Harrington, Abby Mueller, Jeff Parker, Cheryl Stern, Jesse J. Perez, Timothy John Smith, Tempe Thomas, Spencer Curnutt, Rebecca Finnegan, Tom Aulino
Addendum (10/22/11): Many people have asked to see the closing night finale of Candide and the curtain call that took place before the above video was taken. Click to view an excerpt of "Make our Garden Grow". Enjoy!
October 11, 2011
Painting It Red: A Sheep on the Town
Let me tell you, ever since I arrived in Boston at the end of August to start preparing for my upcoming theatrical debut in Candide, I’ve been so busy. You’d think oh, being a sheep shouldn’t be so hard, right? Uh, wrong. There is so much to learn from our wonderful director Mary Zimmerman and all of the cast and crew. I wasn’t just typecast here; it’s a lot of work to truly embody such a unique and exotic character, and of course, I always want to give my best performance.
Fortunately, I’ve been able to squeeze a little bit of fun in alongside all my hard work. While the Huntington staff opened their doors for their 30th anniversary Open House, I decided to spend my Columbus Day wandering around this great city of yours and taking in the sights and history. Anna Kohansky, the Company Manager here at the Huntington, made me take a few bodyguards along on my trip, seeing as my star status has sky rocketed ever since I landed this role. (You know how those paparazzo can get!) Luckily we had a camera and documented our Boston adventure. Check it out!
Ahhh I love escalators!
Fortunately, I’ve been able to squeeze a little bit of fun in alongside all my hard work. While the Huntington staff opened their doors for their 30th anniversary Open House, I decided to spend my Columbus Day wandering around this great city of yours and taking in the sights and history. Anna Kohansky, the Company Manager here at the Huntington, made me take a few bodyguards along on my trip, seeing as my star status has sky rocketed ever since I landed this role. (You know how those paparazzo can get!) Luckily we had a camera and documented our Boston adventure. Check it out!Ahhh I love escalators!
September 21, 2011
CANDIDE: Audience Comments
 |
| Lauren Molina (Cunegonde) and Geoff Packard (Candide) |
What do you make of the philosophies put forth in Candide -- that everything happens for the best as Dr. Pangloss teaches, or for the worst, as Martin believes?
Have you seen other productions of Candide? How did this one differ?
Were any storytelling techniques director/adaptor Mary Zimmerman utilized in her script or staging particularly memorable for you?
Did you attend a post show conversation? What comments surprised you or made you think differently about the play? Would you attend a post show conversation again? What were you thinking about on the way home from the theatre?
The Huntington Theatre Company's presentation of Candide plays now through October, 16, 2011 only at the B.U. Theatre. Get tickets and information or call our Box Office at 617 266-0800.
September 19, 2011
'Candide' at the Huntington: Then and Now
contributed by Charles Haugland
Candide is one of three shows we have done twice at the Huntington – along with Heartbreak House (1986 and 2001) and As You Like It (1994 and 2003). Candide was seen on the B.U.T. stage in 1989. At the post-show conversations, people have been asking what was different about that production. So, I did some digging in the archive! Here's a few things I learned.
The Huntington Theatre Company's CANDIDE plays September 10 thru October 16, 2011 at the B.U. Theatre. Get tickets and information or call our Box Office at 617 266-0800.
Candide is one of three shows we have done twice at the Huntington – along with Heartbreak House (1986 and 2001) and As You Like It (1994 and 2003). Candide was seen on the B.U.T. stage in 1989. At the post-show conversations, people have been asking what was different about that production. So, I did some digging in the archive! Here's a few things I learned.
What was different? A few
major differences:
- Larry Carpenter directed the 1989 version. Mary Zimmerman, of course, directs the current adaptation.
- The 1989 production was the 1982 “Opera House” version. The book was by Hugh Wheeler. Unlike the 1973 Broadway version, it was in two acts. For the new production, Mary Zimmerman went back to the Voltaire, restructed the musical, and rewrote some major sections.
- In the 1989 version, Maxmillian, Cunegonde’s brother, ends up in the New World with Paquette, the maid from their home in Westphalia. The Governor’s song “My Love” is sung to him, not Cunegonde, while he is in drag.
- The song “Bon Voyage” was also sung by the Governor after he swindled Candide out of his riches, as there was no character of Mrs. Vanderdender in that version.
- Voltaire was a character, double cast with the actor who played Dr. Pangloss.
- Peter Altman was artistic director of the Huntington, and the theatre was closing its seventh season.
 |
| 1989 production of 'Candide' at the Huntington |
What’s stayed the same?
- Most of the major songs were in that version: “The Best of Possible Worlds,” “Oh Happy We,” “Make Our Garden Grow,” “Auto da Fe,” and “I Am Easily Assimilated”
- Daniel Pelzig was the choreographer for both productions.
- Michael Maso was the Managing Director, and current Huntington costume shop staffers Denise Wallace and Anita Canzian were also on duty already. We are now opening our thirtieth season.
 |
| 2011 production of 'Candide' at the Huntington |
The Huntington Theatre Company's CANDIDE plays September 10 thru October 16, 2011 at the B.U. Theatre. Get tickets and information or call our Box Office at 617 266-0800.
September 18, 2011
Huntington Audiences donate to flooded Weston Playhouse
Cast member Tom Aulino, Production Manager Todd Williams, and the cast of CANDIDE collected over $3800 in donations to benefit the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company Flood Relief Fund at CANDIDE performances on Thursday and Friday evenings of this week. To learn more about the damage to the Weston Playhouse visit facebook or westonplayhouse.org. Here's a letter from Producing Director Mal Ewen:
9/15/11
Todd and Tom,
On behalf of the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company, please express our heartfelt thanks to you both, the company of CANDIDE, Michael Maso and the staff of the Huntington Theatre Company for their generosity in soliciting audience contributions following your previews the next two nights.
As you know on August
28th the lower basement level of the Weston Playhouse received flood water of
almost nine feet of water in depth as a result of Hurricane Irene. The flood
water destroyed our prop shop, our new orchestra pit, all our dressing rooms,
the green room, our cabaret, a restaurant (separately operated) and the
restaurant kitchen. Three days before the hurricane struck, we had opened our
first world premiere of a musical (called SAINT-EX, based on the life of Antoine
de Saint-Exupéry, the author of "The Little Prince"). Through a tremendous
effort by our staff, actors, musicians and around 100 volunteers from the local
community, we were able to reopen the show in a slightly restaged version five
days after the storm. The theatre is facing losses of income and property that
will likely be in the $400,000 range with only minimal insurance
coverage.
The outpouring of support from the local community and from the
professional theatre community across the country has made us very humble and
very grateful. The response shows that live theatre does matter to a lot of
people in this internet age. The fact that you are willing to raise money for
our flood relief effort, even though many of you had probably never heard of the
Weston Playhouse until a few weeks ago, reflects the generous spirit of theatre
people.
Again, please accept our undying gratitude for your support!
Regards,
Malcolm
Malcolm Ewen
for the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company
9/15/11
Todd and Tom, On behalf of the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company, please express our heartfelt thanks to you both, the company of CANDIDE, Michael Maso and the staff of the Huntington Theatre Company for their generosity in soliciting audience contributions following your previews the next two nights.
As you know on August
28th the lower basement level of the Weston Playhouse received flood water of
almost nine feet of water in depth as a result of Hurricane Irene. The flood
water destroyed our prop shop, our new orchestra pit, all our dressing rooms,
the green room, our cabaret, a restaurant (separately operated) and the
restaurant kitchen. Three days before the hurricane struck, we had opened our
first world premiere of a musical (called SAINT-EX, based on the life of Antoine
de Saint-Exupéry, the author of "The Little Prince"). Through a tremendous
effort by our staff, actors, musicians and around 100 volunteers from the local
community, we were able to reopen the show in a slightly restaged version five
days after the storm. The theatre is facing losses of income and property that
will likely be in the $400,000 range with only minimal insurance
coverage.
The outpouring of support from the local community and from the
professional theatre community across the country has made us very humble and
very grateful. The response shows that live theatre does matter to a lot of
people in this internet age. The fact that you are willing to raise money for
our flood relief effort, even though many of you had probably never heard of the
Weston Playhouse until a few weeks ago, reflects the generous spirit of theatre
people.Again, please accept our undying gratitude for your support!
Regards,Malcolm
Malcolm Ewen
for the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company
September 13, 2011
CANDIDE Cast to sing at Red Sox game!
Contributed by Todd Williams
Newsflash!
Fifteen members of the cast of the Huntington Theatre Company’s production Candide will perform the National Anthem at the 1:35pm Boston Red Sox game on Wednesday, September 14. A duck boat provided by Boston Duck Tours will transport the group from Fenway Park to the Huntington Theatre Company’s BU Theatre on the Avenue of the Arts/Huntington Avenue immediately following the Anthem for the first of the day’s two performances of Candide. The Huntington has delayed the 2pm curtain to 2:15pm to accommodate the cast’s return from this special appearance.
Cast members participating include Geoff Packard, who leads the cast as Candide, and Erik Lochtefeld (Maximilian), a native of Concord, MA. The group will be conducted by Candide music director Doug Peck.
Here's the video (added 9/15/2011)
The Huntington Theatre Company's CANDIDE plays September 10 thru October 16, 2011 at the B.U. Theatre. Get tickets and information or call our Box Office at 617 266-0800.
The Huntington Theatre Company's CANDIDE plays September 10 thru October 16, 2011 at the B.U. Theatre. Get tickets and information or call our Box Office at 617 266-0800.
September 12, 2011
CANDIDE - Production Photos
Here are some photos from our production of CANDIDE. Hope to see you in the theatre.
The Huntington Theatre Company's CANDIDE plays September 10 thru October 16, 2011 at the B.U. Theatre. Get tickets and information or call our Box Office at 617 266-0800.
August 30, 2011
CANDIDE Meet and Greet
The CANDIDE cast and Huntington Theatre Company staff gathered this morning for a traditional Meet and Greet.
The Huntington Theatre Company's CANDIDE plays September 10 thru October 16, 2011 only at the B.U. Theatre. Get tickets and information or call our Box Office at 617 266-0800.
August 24, 2011
A CANDIDE Conversation with Peter DuBois
Artistic Programs/Dramaturg Charles Haugland sat down recently with Artistic Director Peter DuBois in his South End home to discuss our upcoming 30th Anniversary Season. Over the course of the hour, Charles and Peter had a lively conversation about the season and their decision-making process behind each production.
Below, you'll find the first part of that conversation, in which Peter and Charles discuss the talented Mary Zimmerman and her acclaimed production of Candide, which kicks off our 30th Anniversary Season. Enjoy!
We'll be rolling out the rest of the conversation as we get closer to each production, so check back here for more of these behind-the-scenes scoops form our Artistic department!
The Huntington Theatre Company's CANDIDE plays September 10 thru October 16, 2011 only at the B.U. Theatre. Get tickets and information or call our Box Office at 617 266-0800.
Below, you'll find the first part of that conversation, in which Peter and Charles discuss the talented Mary Zimmerman and her acclaimed production of Candide, which kicks off our 30th Anniversary Season. Enjoy!
We'll be rolling out the rest of the conversation as we get closer to each production, so check back here for more of these behind-the-scenes scoops form our Artistic department!
The Huntington Theatre Company's CANDIDE plays September 10 thru October 16, 2011 only at the B.U. Theatre. Get tickets and information or call our Box Office at 617 266-0800.
August 18, 2011
Ready for CANDIDE Rehearsals
Contributed by Todd Williams
The rehearsal hall is packed with Props for Candide - it's quite a sight! Enjoy the slide show.
Over the next few days the stage management staff will work with props to get the room organized, tape out the ground plan of the set on the floor, and otherwise get ready to start rehearsing. On Tuesday next week Music Director the new members of the cast will arrive to learn the music and choreography, the following week the entire cast will re-create the show working in the new folks (including locals Timothy John Smith and MaCaela Donovan) on our slightly revised groundplan. Mary Zimmerman has some ideas about a few adjustments to the show and we'll work those in too!
The Huntington Theatre Company's CANDIDE plays September 10 thru October 16, 2011 only at the B.U. Theatre. Get tickets and information or call our Box Office at 617 266-0800.
June 1, 2011
The Darling Buds of...June?
I woke up this morning and the first thing I thought to myself was "June? When did it suddenly become June?" Now, logic would dictate that it became June after the month of May was all said and done, but for those of us here at the Huntington, the entire month of May has been something of a blur. My internal clock still doesn't know if we closed Sons of the Prophet last week, last month, or last year. It's just been that crazy around here!
And so with that, I feel I should apologize for the apparent radio silence here on the blog. It's not that we've had nothing to talk about it; on the contrary, there's been a bit too much going on that our blogkeeping fell to the wayside. Fortunately, we're back now, and we brought t-shirts for everyone!
(Please note: we didn't actually bring t-shirts for everyone)
So what have we been doing, you ask? Well let's see...there was our annual gala, the 2011 Spotlight Spectacular!...the 2nd annual Emerging America Festival with A.R.T. and the ICA...then we welcomed Propeller Theatre Company to the B.U. Theatre, with performing Richard III and The Comedy of Errors in repertory with a fantastic all-male (all-British!) cast...the 18th annual Elliot Norton Awards...oh, I'll just show you!
Our 2011 Spotlight Spectacular! took place at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel on Monday, May 9. We're still awaiting the final fundraising numbers, but it looks like we raised a record-breaking amount of money to support our productions, as well as our award-winning youth, education, and community programming. During the evening, we presented former President of the Board of Trustees Bill McQuillan and Stick Fly playwright (you guys remember that show, right?) Lydia R. Diamond with the Wimberly Award, the Huntington's highest honor.
Also the event was hosted by some dude named Zach Braff (who, sidenote, would not armwrestle me when I presented the challenge) who thought it'd be a great idea to organize the Huntington staff into a flashmob performance of "One Day More" from Les Miséables (with a little help from Lauren Molina, who will appearing at the Huntington this fall as Cunegonde in Candide). Watch, and enjoy:
(Also, special thanks to that Zach Braff guy
The following weekend was the 2nd annual Emerging America Festival, a joint collaboration with our friends at the American Repertory Theatre and the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston featuring groundbreaking performances by American artists. The Huntington presented the world premiere of Ryan Landry's Psyched, featuring Larry Coen and Jonathan Popp (as well as Intern Ben). The untold story of Alfred Hitchock's Psycho told from the point of view of Norman Bates' mother, Norma, Psyched played to two sold-out houses and entertained audiences with that trademark twisted wit that only Mr. Landry can provide.
On Sunday morning, the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA exploded with our "Join the Conversation!" brunch, featuring live performances throughout the Calderwood lobby, and food provided by Panera Breads (thanks!). The afternoon concluded with a breathtaking performance of CollaborationTown's self-help-parody-that-may-have-inadvertently-helped The Momentum. Anyone who was there can tell you that it was indeed a tough life for a poor little bunny rabbit.
Company One's ARTiculation troupe broke out into performance in
We also produced a series of site-specific audio plays for the festival, written by our Huntington Playwriting Fellows and featuring the voices of some of Boston's best local talent. The plays are completely free to download, and definitely an enjoyable experience (even if you aren't able to listen to them on site), so check those out when you have the chance.
Almost immediately after the festival ended, we went into tech for Richard III and The Comedy of Errors, presented by the Boston University School of Theatre. The shows are being performed in repertory through June 19 by the incredibly talented Propeller Theatre Company from the UK, under the leadership of one Edward Hall (whom you may remember as the director of Two Men of Florence in 2009).
Audiences have been absolutely raving about their intensely physical and highly creative approach to Shakespeare. Chainsaws? Check. Sombreros? Check. Nuns with nunchecks? Check. I'm not even going to mention the butt sparklers, because I still can't believe that my job has actually required to use that phrase in a completely professional context.
And that's just intermission, folks!
We also had our final 35 Below event of the season on Friday, May 20, following that evening's performance of The Comedy of Errors. We had an awesome turnout at the party, including some great entertainment by Boston's premiere all-male Lady Gaga cover band, Alejandro and the Fame, featuring international pop star Cody Grey, and, well, me (not that I'm biased or anything).
Oh yeah, and then President Obama stopped by the Calderwood Pavilion and the BCA for a brief visit (Pavilion General Manager Joey Riddle even has a nice little certificate of appreciation from the Secret Service. FROM THE SECRET SERVICE!).
Last Monday night was a two-fold celebration. First, our annual end-of-the-season staff BBQ in the Huntington Avenue Scene Shop. While Richard III/The Comedy of Errors are both still running through June 19, we traditionally celebrate the end of the season after Opening Night. And this year, we totally had a bouncy castle (it was awesome).
Later that evening, members of the staff journeyed over to ArtsEmerson's newly redone Paramount Theatre for the 18th annual Elliot Norton Awards, where our production of Ruined was recognized with the award for Outstanding Production (Large Company). We would be remiss not to sing the praises of our good friends in Company One, whose production of The Aliens (part of this past fall's Shirley VT Plays Festival) was recognized for Outstanding Design for a midsize/small/fringe company (Cristina Todesco's sets, Bobby Frederick Tilley II's costumes, Aaron Mack's sound, and Benjamin Williams's lighting), Outstanding Director for a small/fringe company (Company One Artistic Director Shawn LaCount), Outstanding Actor for a small/fringe company (Alex Pollack), and Outstanding Production for a small theatre. In addition, the award for Outstanding New Script went to Huntington Playwriting Fellow John Kuntz for The Hotel Nepenthe, produced by Actors' Shakespeare Project. Congratulations to the casts and crews of Ruined and The Aliens, as well as all of the other winners that night! (and the nominees, too. You were all great!)
So what's next? Well, for starters, we just announced the final line-up of our 2011-2012 30th anniversary season. In addition to our previously announced shows, we'll be rounding out the season with the pre-New York production of Evan M. Weiner's Captors, directed by Peter DuBois, and Noël Coward's Private Lives, directed by Maria Aitken (Educating Rita and Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps). Captors is based on the true story of the capture of Adolf Eichmann, "the architect of the Holocaust," in Buenos Aires in 1960 by covert Israeli agents. Private Lives is a classic Noël Coward comedy about a divorced couple whose paths cross again — on both of their second honeymoons, with new spouses in tow. Private Lives replaces the previously announced Tartuffe, which is postponed to a later season.
I think that should just about catch us up with this crazy month of May. In the meantime, be sure to check out Richard III and The Comedy of Errors, if you haven't done so already. You can also catch a free performance of Know the Law at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester on Thursday, June 2 (that's tomorrow as of this writing) at 11am and 7pm. Know The Law is a 40-minute play of interwoven dramas about teenager in trouble, designed specifically for a young urban audience as part of a collaboration between the Huntington Theatre Company's Education Department and Youth and Police in Partnership (YPP), a community-based program of United Methodist Urban Services that seeks to improve relationships between young people and the police. A discussion between the actors, the audience, and a Boston Police Officer follows each performance.
While things tend to stay quiet around here during the summer months (at least as far as productions go), rest assured we'll be busy preparing for our big 30th anniversary party. Meanwhile, Peter DuBois will be directing the world premiere of All New People, a new play by that same Zach Braff guy, at New York's Second Stage Theatre. If you find yourself missing the skilled handiwork of our Scene Shop artisans, they'll be helping to build that set, as well as Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's All's Well That Ends Well on the Boston Common.
Cheers!
And so with that, I feel I should apologize for the apparent radio silence here on the blog. It's not that we've had nothing to talk about it; on the contrary, there's been a bit too much going on that our blogkeeping fell to the wayside. Fortunately, we're back now, and we brought t-shirts for everyone!
(Please note: we didn't actually bring t-shirts for everyone)
So what have we been doing, you ask? Well let's see...there was our annual gala, the 2011 Spotlight Spectacular!...the 2nd annual Emerging America Festival with A.R.T. and the ICA...then we welcomed Propeller Theatre Company to the B.U. Theatre, with performing Richard III and The Comedy of Errors in repertory with a fantastic all-male (all-British!) cast...the 18th annual Elliot Norton Awards...oh, I'll just show you!
Our 2011 Spotlight Spectacular! took place at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel on Monday, May 9. We're still awaiting the final fundraising numbers, but it looks like we raised a record-breaking amount of money to support our productions, as well as our award-winning youth, education, and community programming. During the evening, we presented former President of the Board of Trustees Bill McQuillan and Stick Fly playwright (you guys remember that show, right?) Lydia R. Diamond with the Wimberly Award, the Huntington's highest honor.
Also the event was hosted by some dude named Zach Braff (who, sidenote, would not armwrestle me when I presented the challenge) who thought it'd be a great idea to organize the Huntington staff into a flashmob performance of "One Day More" from Les Miséables (with a little help from Lauren Molina, who will appearing at the Huntington this fall as Cunegonde in Candide). Watch, and enjoy:
(Also, special thanks to that Zach Braff guy
for helping this video reach over 12,000 hits)
The following weekend was the 2nd annual Emerging America Festival, a joint collaboration with our friends at the American Repertory Theatre and the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston featuring groundbreaking performances by American artists. The Huntington presented the world premiere of Ryan Landry's Psyched, featuring Larry Coen and Jonathan Popp (as well as Intern Ben). The untold story of Alfred Hitchock's Psycho told from the point of view of Norman Bates' mother, Norma, Psyched played to two sold-out houses and entertained audiences with that trademark twisted wit that only Mr. Landry can provide.
On Sunday morning, the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA exploded with our "Join the Conversation!" brunch, featuring live performances throughout the Calderwood lobby, and food provided by Panera Breads (thanks!). The afternoon concluded with a breathtaking performance of CollaborationTown's self-help-parody-that-may-have-inadvertently-helped The Momentum. Anyone who was there can tell you that it was indeed a tough life for a poor little bunny rabbit.
Company One's ARTiculation troupe broke out into performance in
the Calderwood lobby during the "Join the Conversation!" Brunch
We also produced a series of site-specific audio plays for the festival, written by our Huntington Playwriting Fellows and featuring the voices of some of Boston's best local talent. The plays are completely free to download, and definitely an enjoyable experience (even if you aren't able to listen to them on site), so check those out when you have the chance.
Almost immediately after the festival ended, we went into tech for Richard III and The Comedy of Errors, presented by the Boston University School of Theatre. The shows are being performed in repertory through June 19 by the incredibly talented Propeller Theatre Company from the UK, under the leadership of one Edward Hall (whom you may remember as the director of Two Men of Florence in 2009).
Audiences have been absolutely raving about their intensely physical and highly creative approach to Shakespeare. Chainsaws? Check. Sombreros? Check. Nuns with nunchecks? Check. I'm not even going to mention the butt sparklers, because I still can't believe that my job has actually required to use that phrase in a completely professional context.
And that's just intermission, folks!
We also had our final 35 Below event of the season on Friday, May 20, following that evening's performance of The Comedy of Errors. We had an awesome turnout at the party, including some great entertainment by Boston's premiere all-male Lady Gaga cover band, Alejandro and the Fame, featuring international pop star Cody Grey, and, well, me (not that I'm biased or anything).
Oh yeah, and then President Obama stopped by the Calderwood Pavilion and the BCA for a brief visit (Pavilion General Manager Joey Riddle even has a nice little certificate of appreciation from the Secret Service. FROM THE SECRET SERVICE!).
Last Monday night was a two-fold celebration. First, our annual end-of-the-season staff BBQ in the Huntington Avenue Scene Shop. While Richard III/The Comedy of Errors are both still running through June 19, we traditionally celebrate the end of the season after Opening Night. And this year, we totally had a bouncy castle (it was awesome).
Later that evening, members of the staff journeyed over to ArtsEmerson's newly redone Paramount Theatre for the 18th annual Elliot Norton Awards, where our production of Ruined was recognized with the award for Outstanding Production (Large Company). We would be remiss not to sing the praises of our good friends in Company One, whose production of The Aliens (part of this past fall's Shirley VT Plays Festival) was recognized for Outstanding Design for a midsize/small/fringe company (Cristina Todesco's sets, Bobby Frederick Tilley II's costumes, Aaron Mack's sound, and Benjamin Williams's lighting), Outstanding Director for a small/fringe company (Company One Artistic Director Shawn LaCount), Outstanding Actor for a small/fringe company (Alex Pollack), and Outstanding Production for a small theatre. In addition, the award for Outstanding New Script went to Huntington Playwriting Fellow John Kuntz for The Hotel Nepenthe, produced by Actors' Shakespeare Project. Congratulations to the casts and crews of Ruined and The Aliens, as well as all of the other winners that night! (and the nominees, too. You were all great!)
So what's next? Well, for starters, we just announced the final line-up of our 2011-2012 30th anniversary season. In addition to our previously announced shows, we'll be rounding out the season with the pre-New York production of Evan M. Weiner's Captors, directed by Peter DuBois, and Noël Coward's Private Lives, directed by Maria Aitken (Educating Rita and Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps). Captors is based on the true story of the capture of Adolf Eichmann, "the architect of the Holocaust," in Buenos Aires in 1960 by covert Israeli agents. Private Lives is a classic Noël Coward comedy about a divorced couple whose paths cross again — on both of their second honeymoons, with new spouses in tow. Private Lives replaces the previously announced Tartuffe, which is postponed to a later season.
I think that should just about catch us up with this crazy month of May. In the meantime, be sure to check out Richard III and The Comedy of Errors, if you haven't done so already. You can also catch a free performance of Know the Law at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester on Thursday, June 2 (that's tomorrow as of this writing) at 11am and 7pm. Know The Law is a 40-minute play of interwoven dramas about teenager in trouble, designed specifically for a young urban audience as part of a collaboration between the Huntington Theatre Company's Education Department and Youth and Police in Partnership (YPP), a community-based program of United Methodist Urban Services that seeks to improve relationships between young people and the police. A discussion between the actors, the audience, and a Boston Police Officer follows each performance.
While things tend to stay quiet around here during the summer months (at least as far as productions go), rest assured we'll be busy preparing for our big 30th anniversary party. Meanwhile, Peter DuBois will be directing the world premiere of All New People, a new play by that same Zach Braff guy, at New York's Second Stage Theatre. If you find yourself missing the skilled handiwork of our Scene Shop artisans, they'll be helping to build that set, as well as Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's All's Well That Ends Well on the Boston Common.
Cheers!
-Thom Dunn, Web & New Media Manager, signing off from the longest blog post EVER
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