Behind the Scenes: Sir John Falstaff

It’s always tricky to get the great Sir John Falstaff, arguably Shakespeare’s most comic creation, to stop talking about the ladies…particularly the Merry Wives of Stonington…and his appreciation for said ladies, especially when they wear breeches. Nonetheless, we’ve managed to wrangle an interview with him this week. It was a bit touch-and-go given our Skype connection back to the early 1400s was shaky. But we prevailed and eventually got him to answer our questions – in between gulps of mead.

1. Where did you grow up?

As good luck would have it, I am son to the great England, but there be less interest in where I came of age than in how I managed the feat. Thou knowest in the state of innocency Adam fell, and what should poor Jack Falstaff do in the days in villainy? And now am I, if a man should speak truly, little better than one of the wicked. It is not solely superiority of strength that allows my body breath, but an advantageous mind, which informs when to fight and when on instinct to be a coward. The better part of valor is discretion.

2. How would your comrades in arms remember you?

They would remember my courage and cunning, of course, but if forced to claim a favorite trait – if such a task is achievable – I suspect they would hold in highest esteem my wit. I am not only witty in myself, but the cause that wit is in other men.

*We played a range of twentieth and twenty-first century songs for Sir John.*

3. Which of these songs, if any, do you most relate to?

Your troubadours perform with appealing verve. If I must favor one, I would cast my heart toward the tune by the string of letters [*I’m Sexy and I Know It, by LMFAO*]. I too understand the feeling of drawing all eyes.

4. We’ve heard that you’ll be visiting Stonington this summer. What are you most looking forward to on this trip?

Do all the ladies of Stonington favor breeches?

We had to let Sir John get back to his…work, but he’ll be making an in-person trip to the Opera House this summer. Our Gala patrons attending the Grand Opening of our new lobby July 6 may get an unexpected peek at the Fat Knight. Otherwise, see him on stage August 13th through the 23rd. Tickets on sale now on the website and in the box office!

Throwback Thursday

Kathleen Turco-Lyon and Morgan Witham in the 2011 production of Elizabeth Rex, directed by Peter Richards.

Peter and Morgan have teamed up again in this evening’s “Our Own” staged play reading of Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize winning Anna Christie. Joining Morgan on stage are guest artists Per Janson and Bob Burke, and community members Jeff Brink, Larry Estey, Mark Robinson and Veronica Young.

Come join us tonight at 7pm!

Behind the Scenes: Peter Richards

If you haven’t already heard the news, Peter Richards (actor, director and member of OHA’s Artistic Advisory Board) is one of our newest Board members. Maybe you’ve seen him at the shows he’s directed (Brilliant Traces, Dying City, The Aliens, Elizabeth Rex) or in those he’s performed in (Romeo and Juliet, R&J&Z) on the Opera House stage. Or maybe you’ve run into Peter down at the schools, where he pitches in with the OHA’s Shakespeare in Stonington immersion program. But regardless of where you’ve seen him, do you know what color rubber bands he used to have in his braces? You will soon…

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up spending fall, winter, and spring in Santa Monica, CA, and summer in Stonington, ME.

2. How would your elementary school classmates remember you?

They’d probably think of me playing a lot of sports. And wearing braces. I had very bad teeth when I was a kid, and wore braces for 4 long years in elementary school. I even had the orthodontist put purple rubber bands in my braces this one time, giving me a colorful–and very strange looking–smile.

3. Name four fictional characters with whom you’d be okay being stuck in an elevator. Why them?

Why, Hamlet, of course! Because he’s the most eloquent and wittiest person ever imagined. We’d talk about the rotten state of the world, exchange tips on how to appear crazy while really being sane, and philosophize about the moral implications of revenge. It’d be a blast!

Sticking with Shakespeare, I wouldn’t mind being stuck with Iago. I’d finally get to ask him The Question everyone wants answered: WHY DID YOU DO IT, MAN??

Estragon form Waiting for Godot, because he’s a clown. And reeeeeeally good at waiting.

Lastly but not leastly, Nina from The Seagull because she’s just so lovely. Everyone falls in love with her. And she’s a survivor. (Shameless plug: come see the The Seagull this summer to find out more!)

4. If you were a cartoon character, what cartoon character would you be?

Voltron: Defender of the Universe

5. When did you fall in love with theater?

I fell in love with theater the day I realized theater attracted the most intelligent, imaginative, hard-working, fun, free, and creative people on the planet. That, and the fact that, when working with these awesome people in the theater, you have the great privilege of working on the greatest texts every written. Texts that help us the most on our never ending–and ever failing–quest to truly comprehend the truth of things. And yeah. It’s a lot of fun. The day I realized that.

Come say hi to Peter next week at the Opera House! He’s directing the latest “Our Own” production, Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie, on Wednesday, April 22 and Thursday, April 23.

Peter will also be spending a lot of time with us this summer – directing both The Seagull and “Our Own” Under Milkwood. Tickets for the summer season are now on sale! Check out our calendar, visit us down in the box office or call 207-367-2788.

Throwback Thursday

Danny Jones and Josh Bywater in The Aliens (2012), directed by Peter Richards.

Peter Richards is back at the Opera House! He’ll be directing the next “Our Own” production, Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie Wednesday, April 22 and Thursday, April 23.

Behind the Scenes: Jennifer Morrow

Jennifer Morrow has been working with the Opera House for over ten years – moving from member of the Community Advisory Board to CAB Chair to OHA’s Program Manager to her current position as OHA’s General Manager. Still, we’re willing to bet there are a few things you don’t know about her. For instance, which fictional character’s style does she aspire to? Read on to find out!

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew in Lewiston, New York, just outside of Niagara Falls where my family owned a bookstore.

2. How would your elementary school classmates remember you?

Hanging from trees reading books.

3. Name four fictional characters with whom you’d be okay being stuck in an elevator. Why them?

– Pippi Longstocking so we could talk style.

– Jane Campion’s Fanny Brawne for sewing tips.

– Hannah Bryant to commiserate about the unforgivable thing Joe Coomer did to artists.

– Lisbeth Salander who would right all wrongs with significant force.

4. If you were a cartoon character, what cartoon character would you be?

Velma from Scoobey Doo- intelligent, mystery-solving, near-sighted, trouble with keeping my glasses on and stronger than I appear – and I used to have a favorite orange sweater until I wore it to pieces.

5. When did you fall in love with theater?

I never have. I like it but we are not in love. We were more attached before I knew how the sausage is made.

Come say hi to Jennifer next week at this month’s Alt-Movie – Still Alice!

Throwback Thursday

Roger Greene and Joshua McCarey in the 2013 “Our Own” production of The Insurgents.

Want to be part of an “Our Own” staged play reading? The community table read of Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie is this Saturday from 10 am to noon. Email Producing Artistic Director Linda Nelson at lnelson@operahousearts.org if you’re interested in attending.

Behind the Scenes: Per Jansen

You’ve seen him in Men’s Lives, R & J & Z, Romeo & Juliet, Antony & Cleopatra, and 10 Real Star Acts, but can you say with certainty that you know Per Janson’s go-to fictional quartet for mechanical failures? No? Then you’ve come to the right place.

1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a family of six in three places: Toledo, Iowa (pop. 2,300) until age 11; Iowa City (pop. 60,000) until age15; and Seattle (pop. 533,000) until I went to college, all of which helped me to feel at home now in a variety of settings.

2. How would your elementary school classmates remember you?

They might remember me as inseparable from my best friend at the time, Joey Tekippe. We were born one day apart and dreamed of being inventors. We loved Legos, exploring the woods and drainage ditches, and building things. I remember drawing up plans with Joey for a giant robot in whose head we could ride and then getting stymied staring at a pile of two-by-fours in Joey’s basement. We later discovered a shared fascination with fire. When my family moved to Iowa City, saying goodbye to Joey was one of the hardest farewells of my life, but Joseph, as he now calls himself, lives in the same city I do (NYC) with his wife and their two kids, so the tearful goodbye at age 11 was not permanent.

3. Name four fictional characters with whom you’d be okay being stuck in an elevator. Why them?

Dame Edna Everage makes me laugh and thinks on her feet as few others do, and she’s taking her farewell tour now so I’d want to enjoy her company while I can.

Jane Eyre is one of the characters I most respect and she’d probably regard the stuck elevator calmly (if she understands its function), being accustomed to enduring worse.

As of now, this one may not resonate with many people in Deer Isle/Stonington except Morgan Witham, Dave Hiltz, and the Kyzer sisters, but I’d be happy to be stuck with any of the myriad characters my friend Jesse May comes up with extemporaneously. He’s a wildly inventive, hilarious actor and writer Morgan and I met in college, and hopefully he’ll make an appearance at OHA one day.

For my fourth one, I’ll just say I would NOT want to be stuck with Amelia Bedelia.

4. If you were a cartoon character, what cartoon character would you be?

Probably a hapless schmo from any number of Far Side comics, which I love for their morbid absurdity. Maybe the guy at the doorway to hell, the guy on the desert island, or the guy greeting aliens.

5. When did you first fall in love with theater?

I think I first fell in love with theatre admiring my older brother Tor and his classmates in shows at West High School in Iowa City, when I was in junior high, and feeling spellbound—the theatre teacher there, Kate Hamm, was a great teacher and director (though I never studied with her), and besides my brother, I admired a young actor named Ryan Mead, whom I saw alongside my brother in The Fantastics and The Merry Wives of Windsor. I started doing theatre shortly thereafter, playing Grumpy and the Defense Attorney in a not-often-performed play called The Trial of Goldilocks. In high school in Seattle, theatre was where I felt most at home, because I was lucky to have excellent teachers (Loren Reynolds, Barb Lachman, and Ed Call) and fellow students who welcomed me and captured my imagination.

Per will be joining Morgan Witham on the Opera House stage later this month! Come down and see them and other local community members in the “Our Own” production of Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie, directed by OHA Board Member Peter Richards. The staged play reading will be offered on Wednesday, April 22 and Thursday, April 23 at 7p.m.