Durango Shakespeare Festival Summer 1999

Man of La Mancha

Directed by Mona Wood-Patterson.

Man of La Mancha is the story of Miguel de Cervantes, a failed playwright who is imprisoned in Seville due to crimes against the church. The Inquisition puts him on a kangaroo trial of fellow prisoners who are going to take all of his possessions including an unfinished manuscript. In an attempt to save the manuscript he performs a play as his defense. The play is the story of Don Quixote, an old man who has lost his mind except for his golden ideals. By the end of the performance, his fellow prisoners are so moved they sing him on his way with "The Impossible Dream" as he is led off to his real trial by the Inquisition.

Info from www.bard.org

Cast

Miguel de Cervantes/Don Quixote-Anthony Walker
Aldonza-Jenny Fitts Reynolds
Sancho Panza-Brian Fitts
Prisoner/Padre-Aaron Welch
Prisoner/Antonia-Kerri Langoni
Prisoner/Housekeeper-Amy Monn
Prisoner/Horse-Beth Snyder*
Prisoner/Mule-Jaime Larson
Prisoner/Maria-Jennifer Shupe
Prisoner/Fermina-Melissa Hemme
Prisoner/Moorish Dancer-Jennie Pearson
Prisoner/Moorish Dancer-Kristi Langoni
The Governor/Innkeeper-J. Michael Graham
The Duke/Doctor Carrasco/Juan-Daniel Barbey
The Barber/Moor/Jose-Gabriel Tate
Cantor/Knight of Mirrors/Inquisitor/Anselmo-Aaron Bell
Guard/Knight of Mirrors/Moor/Pedro-Davitt Armstrong
Captain of Inquisitors/Moor/Paco-Jake Iberg
Knight of Mirrors-Cody Burke

Production Staff & Crew

Director-Mona Wood-Patterson
Musical Director, Pianist-Jill Langoni
Technical Director-Chuck Ford
Stage Manager-Shereen AbuSaeedi
Choreographer-Luci Wolfe
Lighting Designer-Cody Burke
Lights-Seth Bridges, Laurie Sibley
Costume Designer-Dottie Agnello, JoAnn Nevils
Costumes-Brie Hawkins, Sherry Marie Tidwell
Shop Assistant-Selena Trujillo
Properties-Meghan Ralph*, Tara Ivy Sheehan, Laurie Sibley
Master Electrician- Brys Fleming-Henning
Hair & Makeup-Katy Baum, Emily Fisher

* Denotes an intern from Durango High School

Much Ado About Nothing

Directed by Mandy Smith.

In Elizabethan England, the word "nothing" was pronounced "noting," and it meant overhearing or eavesdropping. Claudio, returned from the wars, is deeply in love with Hero but steps aside when he believes Don Pedro is wooing her, because he has a prior allegiance to Don Pedro as both friend and subject. Benedick laughs mercilessly at the changes love has wrought in his friend Claudio, transforming him from a plain soldier into a fashion-concious wooer. Beatrice, Hero's cousin, heaps mockery upon Benedick but demonstrates deepest feeling when Hero is slandered by the malicious intrigue of Don John, Don Pedro's base-born brother. The Plot is also concerned with the high comedy of tricking the witty Beatrice and Benedick into each other's arms and the bumbling of Dogberry and his Watch who, with agonizing deliberateness, brings villainy to light before tragedy has destroyed the courtship of Hero and Claudio.

From Shank, Theodore J., A Digest of 500 Plays

Cast

Hero/Butterfly-Talia Bamerick
Benedick/Hornet-Matthew Bianchi
Borachio/Roach-Rob Bland
Antonia/Lady Bug-Alysson Brooks
Beatrice/Queen Bee-Jennifer Carnes
Messenger & Sexton/Cricket-Darlene Clayton
Verges/Ant-Amy Iwasaki
Frair/Praying Mantis-Dawn Owens
Conrad/Roach-Johanna Rader
Don John/Roach-Kolya Schweppe
Don Pedro/Beetle-Darrin Stevens
Margaret/Caterpillars-Sonja Sweeney
Leonata/Ladybug-Audrey Tebrich
Claudio/Dragonfly-Stephen Tramontana
Dogberry/Ant-Kelly McMenimen

Production Staff & Crew

Director-Mandy Smith
Stage Manager-Adrienne Harper
Set Designer-Cathy Campion
Properties/Set-Ben Martinez
Technical Director-Justin McIntyre
Shop Assistant-Selena Trujillo
Lighting-Leann Brubaker
Sound Design-Stephen Tramontana
Costumes-Dawn Owens, Daia Stager Adams, Jan Taylor Kennedy

Twelfth Night

Directed by Ginny Davis.

Orsino, Duke of Illyria, is blindly in love with his neighbor the Countess Olivio, who will not hear his suit. Orsino sends his page Cesario (the disguised Viola, who has fallen in love with him) to plead his cause; Olivia falls in love with Cesario. Olivia's household includes her uncle, Sir Toby Belch, a sponger and a tippler; his friend, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, a wealthy but preposterous knight who ludicrously hopes to gain Olivia's hand; and Malvolio her steward, whose ambition causes his downfall. Scenes of intrigue and merriment alternate and interact with the mantic affairs of the aristocrats. Sir Andrew is persuaded to his terror, to challenge Cesario-Viola to a duel. Viola unwillingly accepts. Meanwhile, her twin brother Sebastian (whom she believes drowned in a shipwreck) arrives in Illyria with Antonio, a sea captain. Antonia comes upon Viola dueling and, mistaking her for Sebastian, comes to her rescue; Viola cannot render him similar assistance when her is arrested. Olivia now mistakes Sebastian for his disguised sister, and Sebastian falls in love with Olivia. Further complications ensue before identities are unraveled and the play is brought to a happy conclusion.

From Shank, Theodore J., A Digest of 500 Plays

Cast

Andrew Aguecheek-Davitt Armstrong
Antonio-Aaron Bell
Sebastian-Cody Burke
Malvolio-William Burke
Officer/Curio/Valentine-Whit Cantatsey
Sir Toby Belch-Jim Decker
Maria-Jenny Fitts Reynolds
Orsino-Jake Iberg
Olivia-Erica Lange
Viola-Meredith Mapel
Feste-Freddy McDaniel
Sea Captain & Priest-Meg Ralph
Musician-Daia Stager Adams

Production Staff & Crew

Director/Designer-Ginny Davis
Stage Manager Shereen AbuSaeedi
Assistant Stage Manager-Laurie Sibley
Properties-Laurie Sibley
Technical Director-Justin McIntyre
Shop Assistant-Selena Trujillo
Costumes-Daia Stager Adams, Ginny Davis, Jan Taylor Kennedy