The Shakespearean Archive

The listings in this Archive have been edited
to remove redundancy & impertinent information

Some older dates are approximate due to use of date to order blog.

7/6/9- Report on the Parade:

• The best news is we won First Place in the Neighborhood Group. It was a complete and wonderful surprise.

• We had a crew of fifteen people walking in the parade, six more than last year.
  

• I was surprised that no one came as result of the general invitation/press release. All those attending were a result of direct communication with me or were friends of people I invited. I had thought the rare opportunity to join a parade in period attire would have been more appealing to the real actors in the RenFaire crowd. There were quite a few people who said they would be walking or were considering it, but they did not make it.
  

• None-the-less, we all had a very good time and I have been told that everyone was very actively engaging the audience along the way.

• The audience appeared to really enjoy what we were doing and we heard many rounds of applause and even some cheers.

• I was occupied playing the fife, while each of the other members of the troupe engaged the audience in their own special ways. Word has it from other observers that they were so very impressed by what a good job everyone did. I guess winning First Prize only confirms that.
  

• We videotaped the parade and hope to post that video on this blog at some point. I will let the video speak for what happened when we get it done.

• We handed out most of our flyers (about 75%), but the parade was moving along at a pace that did not allow us to hand out all the flyers, because we needed to be in the parade and not just in the crowd. Possibly if we had a larger crew we would have met the quota, but we will continue to hand the flyers out in our further efforts from now until November.

• I will be visiting our sponsors to give them some flyers to hand out and report in.

• We had a wonderful Barbecue, but I made the mistake of not having Vegie Burgers on hand, sorry Liz. Next year we'll do shisk-a-bob(?).
  

• Many folks along the way wanted to come to a performance that day. Unfortunately, we did not plan one, because we did not know if a performance would even work, due to noise from the carnival. As it turned out we didn't even hear the carnival.

• We did run lines and play music in an impromptu manner, so if we had invited people along the way to come to the barbecue it would have worked out. That was my fault. Jacob wanted to invite people along the way, but I was worried that we would not have enough food if too many people came to see us at the stage. My intention was to feed the people who walked in the parade, our families & friends, and our sponsors who decided to come and check in on things. As it was, we had more than enough and we could have announced a performance, which would have worked out well. We can do that for next year.

• All-in-all, the costumes looked great, the folks walking in the parade were excited and into their characters and it showed because the audience was delighted by what they saw. The horse & carriage was impressive and our Elizabeth did a "Royal Job" of being the Queen.

• Now that we have done: The Southampton Day's Parade (last year), The Village Renaissance Faire (last fall in Writghtstown), our performances of "Scenes & Music" in The Meadow Amphitheatre (last October), the Parade and Barbecue (this year) we have a better idea of what we need to do to plan an assortment of upcoming events.
  

• Note: The Village Reniassance Faire is holding a meeting at the Wrightstown Public Library on : "Thursday July 16 & July 23rd from 7:00-9:00 at the Village Library of Wrightstown,727 Penns Park Road, Wrightstown, PA 18940 The meeting will not last that long, but we are offering both volunteer orientation and auditions simultaneously as some volunteers also hope to take a more performance role as part of the faire."

Other Shakespearean thoughts;

• Even though we skipped the spring performance time slot (in May) we have the schedule worked out for that and can try again next year to get a program together for May. But certainly, July Forth next year will include a performance after the parade.

• We also have a performance date of Tamanend Park Day to think about in September.

• I will be purchasing copies of "Loves Labor Lost" and have them available for anyone who wants to sign up for that study. If you go to the index page for the Shakespeareans, there is a link to that text on-line.
  

• Remember Saturdays & Sundays, weather permitting at the stage. If we are actively engaged in the study, then we can use the farmhouse in inclement weather. That will depend on what everyone wants to do.
  

PRESS RELEASE;

• RE: General Invitation to join in the Southampton Days Parade

• EVENT DATE: JULY 4, 2009

• EMAIL CONTACT: Arthur Greisiger- imagemindag@verizon.org

• The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park, in Southampton, PA, invites all Shakespeare aficionados, actors, Renaissance Folk and community members who would like to join us, in costume & character, walking in the Southampton Days Parade to gather at Jaymor Road and Second Street Pike at 9:00 am on July Fourth as The Earl of Southampton presents Queen Elizabeth with her Entourage. The Queen will be drawn in her horse & carriage along the two mile parade route. The carriage will proceed through the park to the stage, where we will gather to have a barbecue, get to know each other, read lines and sing. Bring any materials, (scripts, music or acoustical instruments) you may like to use or contributions to the barbecue. All are welcomed. For further information and photos of the carriage on line visit www.imagemindag.blogspot.com
  

Most recent Updates on The Southampton Days Parade;

• DEADLINE FOR INCLUSION ON THE FLYER AS A SPONSOR IS WEDNESDAY AT NOON. As of this morning (Monday) there are still four spaces left. You can call me up to Wednesday morning. After 9:30am you will need to come to my office (1325 Industrial Blvd) if you want to be included, as I will not be available unless I gave you my cell phone number (which I will not post here)
  

• 6/30/9- Here is a synopsis of the sequence of events. This was composed for the benefit of the carriage company.
  
  1) My office is located at 1325 Industrial Blvd. My cell number is 215-292-9787 (use this for brief conversations only).
  
  2) I will be parking my RV at the park for personnel transit back from the park. This may happen the night before or on Saturday morning. We will be shuttling people up the road from my office to the parade start. If you care to place a vehicle at my office, it may be advisable.
  
  3) Carriage needs to be positioned in the parade line-up at 2nd Street Pike and Jaymor Road in Southampton no later than 9:00 am on Saturday the Fourth of July, sooner is probably better. The parade starts at 9:30 am.
  
  4) Truck and Trailer can be parked at the barn in Tamanend Park for pick-up after the parade. This would be best as the roadways are cut-off for the carnival which runs all day after the parade and the fireworks which start at 6:00pm.
  
  5) The parade Route will be closed off early, so the sooner you drop of the horse and carriage the better. The park is closed at 5pm because of the fireworks.
  
  6) The plan is for the horse and carriage to walk the parade route.
  
  7) The parade runs from 9:30 am until 11:30 am with the ceremony at 12:00
  
  8) Depending on the time we arrive at the end of the parade, we will either stay at the ending point for the flag raising and awards ceremony, or proceed to the stage for the barbecue.
  
  9) If the environment near the Lions Grove stage is too busy for the horse, then the carriage can relocate to the front of the park grounds until after the ceremony when the walkers in the parade will join them for the trip back to the Meadow Amphitheatre where the Shakespeareans stage is located.
  
  10) Once the horse & carriage arrives at the stage the contract is ended and you can either stay, rest the horse in the field and enjoy the barbecue or depart.
  
  11) The shuttle back to my office will depart in the afternoon when things wind down and no definitive time is set for that, other than the 5pm closing time. I expect that a few others may leave their cars at the park, so they have their own transportation back.
  
  12) If all goes as planned, then we may have established a pattern that could be repeated in the future for other Shakespearean events.
  

• 6/25/9- For those of you who are considering participating as a contributor: as of this date, we have four lines left on the flyer. The promised quantity of the flyer is 5,000. Last year we ran out at around 4,000. If for some reason we do not hand out all the flyers, we will continue to use them for promotion and we will be including our contributors on the next edition of the smaller hand out.

• Regarding future hand outs: a discussion will ensue in the Shakespearean Index under Promotions.
  

• If you are planning on participating by walking in the parade we would like to know about it. It is not absolutely necessary, but it would make it easier if we had an idea of how many people will be in the Entourage and at the barbecue. Just send an email and, most certianly invite your friends to join in.
  

• We particularly would like to see Roving Musicians who can perform in the parade and at the stage afterward. It would be nice if some people could recite lines from Shakespeare or any other dramatic verbosity along the way. As we have said, Swordsmen are good as well as Lords & Ladies. We have one Jester, which I'm looking forward to seeing. It would be nice if we had a Juggler. If anyone has theatre masks and would like to use them, that would be wonderful.
  

• If you can assist with coordinating or the barbecue please speak up. We also need to make sure we have a shuttle happening from the Park back to the IMS office where some of us will be parked.

• We will be handing out Free Raffle Tickets along the way as well as the flyers. If you are participating in costume, you are welcome to hand out a small flyer for your business also as long as the flyer mentions the Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park. Something like- "Bob's Grill supports The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park" or some variation on that theme.
  

• We are moving ahead well with sponsors to help us with the cost of the parade. If you'd like to take advantage of this opportunity to help and have your name include in the hand out, send and email and I'll visit you.
  

• There have been a number of folks who have spoken of creating characters to present in the parade. I hope we have a good showing. Our Queen has a fabulous costume and my Earl of Southampton costume looks great too.
  

• Conversations have ensued about doing a "Robin Hood" character theme* to add into the mix. I hope that proves to be fruitful, not only because it would be fun and interesting, but because I have an old musical from the thirties titled "Robin Hood" which I have been thinking about producing for some time now. * Well, those conversations have ended in a no. Oh well, someone else may like to pick up that ball and run with it.
  

• It's very important that we have a good showing of men, we need Swashbucklers. The kids in the audience love the Swashbucklers & Knights.
  

• We should have a good balance between men & women, so if you have a group who wants to join in, try to mix it up. But we are also hoping to see some kids join in too, so we're certianly welcoming families.

• The Parade departs from 2nd Street Pike and Jaymor and everyone must be in place by 9:30 am at that location or you will put at the back of the parade. We don't know what our spot will be yet, but since we will have a horse and carriage it should not be too hard to find. Once we are placed with the carriage, you need not worry about being at the back.
  

• Anyone is invited to show up at the parade, or jump in anywhere along the way, for the whole parade or any part of it. If you are jumping in, we ask that you help us to hand out flyers.
  

• Bring water it may be hot. Power Bars are a good idea before you start to keep up your energy.
  

• If you need to park, there seems to plenty of space near the start of the parade, but you can also park in front of my office at 1325 Industrial Highway. If you are not going to join in our group and simply want to jump in on your own, remember to put a car at both ends of the parade, or you will be walking back to your car. We will have a shuttle from my office that will run from 9:00am until 9:30 am.
  

• You can get your costume from wherever you like but we have a costumer who we know has Renaissance costumes- Cargill Theatrical Enterprises, in Pipersville (jhcargill@aol.com).
  

• You will need to check with these costumers about their Renaissance supplies, but there's also Pierre's in Philadelphia , Foster's in Doylestown and another shop down in Frankford, I think it's on Bustelton past Cottman. Also Joann Fabrics in Southampton has a good assortment of plans for costuming if you'd like to make one.
  

• Of course you are welcome at the barbecue. There will be a limited amount of food and drink and once it's gone, well... I wouldn't be unhappy if anyone wanted to contribute to the barbecue by bringing something. No alcohol in the park though.

• 6/6/9- I must make mention that if you are a local business or resident of Southampton and the surrounding communities and you would like to join our efforts by being a sponsor for the parade, inclusion in the Parade Flyer is $100 per line of text. We are not doing logos on this flyer. We will be handing out 5,000 plus flyers with a line of credit on the back for our sponsors. There are 15 lines left. Send me an email and I will pay you a visit to show you the flyer we will be handing out.

• 6/4/9- I've been speaking to people in the community about participating in the parade, both as sponsors and walking with us. So far there has been very good response, some people are quite excited by what we are doing, others could care less. However, we have a number of businesses who have committed to helping with the cost of the parade as sponsors. I encourage you to support those business who are helping us to bring theatre to Southampton and Tamanend Park.

• I will be creating a link here to an on-line list of our sponsors to help them get more value for their assistance with this. So if you are, or intend to be a sponsor, you can look forward to my doing that, in addition to having your name on the flyers we will be handing out you will be on this web site for at least a year. If you have a web page, send me the link so I can include that in the list of sponsors.

• 5/29/9 We have received confirmations about the horse & carriage in the parade and so we are a go on that.

• We need more folks to help implement the parade/barbecue effort, so spread the word and invite anyone you know who may enjoy joining us in the parade.

• There have been quite a few folks who have said they would like to walk in the parade, but we need you to check in at the stage on any Saturday or Sunday before the planning gets too critical so we have a better idea of who actually is going to help.
  

• Anyone who would like to help with the work of locating sponsors should come around to the stage ASAP, or send me an email. There is not much time.

• Call Tony Townsend at Cargill Theatrical Enterprises in Pipersville to make your own arrangements for your costume. jhcargill@aol.com
  

• I am working on creating the character of The Earl of Southampton and we are finalizing our Queen Elizabeth, her costume lined up with Tony.

• We will need an entourage of all types & characters.

• The plan: is to walk the parade and then have a barbecue at the stage, where we will read from the plays and generally have a good time. We may also have Carriage Rides thru the park available as a fund raising event for the Shakespeareans.

• The Budget for the Parade: is estimated at approximately two thousand dollars.

Other Shakespearean thoughts;

• The main effort for building the troupe, is to establish stability in these meeting times and encourage participation from the immediate area surrounding Tamanend Park. The decision was made to concentrate of the stage facility and supplies in general rather than to attempt to draw in participants from more distant areas to mount the spring production.

• Much is still to be done with management structure and marketing to solicit community support. There is a substantial amount of moral support from the community in general, but the leg work of the specifics needs to be done by more local participants, and so we are concentrating to these items, in lieu of announcing performances.

• The concentration is on study, looking toward performance, however we still have the established time slots which are designated for performance and continue to work for that. We are in general agreement that we ought to, and we do, invite other Shakespeare performing groups to use the stage at the Meadow Amphitheatre.

• Until The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park has an established troupe of twenty members, who are regular and dependable performers, our programs will always be scenes and music. The material posted here, under the Shakespeareans index, continues to be valid and is a work in progress.

• Membership in the Shakespeareans has not thus far been required, however the current course of study will be offered with membership. Membership will be required for performance. This will include the current script and the associated study materials. Performance is not required for study, but membership is if you want me to work with you on your study and performance techniques.

• I recommend that anyone working to assist us in our goals or planning on attending performances take up the study of the current material. Details of the current play will not be provided online, although some discussion will ensue. I encourage people who are studying the material to also come over to the park to discuss their thoughts, whether you are physically helping out or not.

• Anyone who is interested in producing a Shakespearean play of their choosing is welcome to discuss that, no matter what the current play of study is. The same goes for persons wishing to direct. The whole point is to create an opportunity for members of the community to express themselves in this regard, so don't be afraid to broach the subject. Certainly you are encouraged to help us gain membership in the troupe from people of all ages. AG

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* The Spring Schedule is posted under scheduling*

Shakespeare in The Park Index

A brief overview of the current status;

RE: AUDITIONS: Every Saturday 2-4 pm as an ongoing process of building the troupe.

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The Current Focus of Attention...

... is to build all the supplies necessary for the troupe, properties, set pieces and costumes. Rather than pursue an aggressive effort to draw participants in to the program, I've decided that the best approach (for my time) is to concentrate on supplies. This is an area that needs to be addressed and it is best to have those issues out of the way before we move into an active rehearsal process. I am encouraging performers to gather together their own costumes, but we will be trying to put together a basic ensemble that will either be made available for purchase or inventoried. Anyone interested in constructing Properties please come around. In particular we are going to begin construction of masks (as in facial masks) and paint some drops. These activities constitute a theatre workshop so anyone is welcome to participate.

My position, as the Artistic Director of this project, is that the people who become involved need to be doing so because they have a passion to do so and see the opportunity that has been created for them.

I will not be prodding people to be involved, so don't expect that from me. If this effort proves to be fruitless in Tamanend Park, then I will move on. I say this only to point out that we need more than just lip service. It is wonderful and encouraging that so many people are so enthused about this happening, but that enthusiasm needs to be translated into active participation by serious, dependable people.

Our attention will be shifting to constructing another stage for Lake Nockamixon. This second stage will be a mobile one which can be used in other locations as needed.

There are other locations (in Bucks & Lehigh Counties) which may be part of this effort, as we have been invited to perform a number of times and locations. However, this will not happen without a stable troupe of regular performers who are well versed in the material. So I invite your involvement.

Any production we began to work on, is one that we will continue to work on if there are interested participants. If we expect to do these works in repertory, we will need to remain familiar with them. So, just because we move our attention to the next show, that does not mean we will not work on a previous show as well. But we will only introduce one new show per year for study.

If someone wishes to produce a particular show, we will support that effort, so long as the production effort fits into the schedule we are now developing which is- two workshops: Summer & Winter and two performance slots: Spring & Fall. We will expect participation in the promotional events that are available to us by all persons who become involved.

We will need 20 regular performers in the troupe, along with numerous other person to fulfill logistical roles, such as management, marketing, and technical aspects such as costuming and properties. Until we reach a full complement of participants our program will always be Scenes and Music.

Another aspect of the program is to encourage persons to do the scenes of their choice. If we do not have a full complement for the current show, we will be striving to invite guest artists to use the stage (for Shakespeare) during the performance slots that have been set aside.

We also invite other Shakespearean Troupes/musicians to use the stage and ask that you attend a work session to discuss that.

The stage is available at other times for events, preferably of a classical nature, children's theatre, folk or bluegrass (not requiring extensive sound or PA support, no rock & roll). The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park and Opera in the Park will have scheduling preferences.

Refer to the category Logistical Management for a summary of the personnel required for this effort.

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The first meeting was held on May 19th, 2008.

Activities have been gradually picking up since then. The meetings continue to take place all summer long from 6-8pm in the farmhouse of Tamanend Park, in Southampton Pennsylvania. We have now initiated two meeting nights. Monday evenings are for Script Studies and performance work and Thursday evenings are for logistical planning and discussions of the event and what is needed for gathering the resources required.

The workshop is for anyone age 15 thru adult. There have been requests for younger participants and I am certainly willing to make room for younger people to participate, so long as they are supervised by a parent or guardian. In that instance, I would recommend that the adult come to a Thursday evening planning session to discuss involving the younger children.

There is a $25 fee for the materials (script, schedule, production materials, etc.) It is very important that everyone register for the workshop. This is for business reasons and your protection. You are welcome to attend a few meetings before making the commitment by registering. However, if you have not registered, you will not be considered part of the troupe and we can not take away the limited amount of time and attention that is due to those persons who have registered. You must take the initiative for your participation in this endeavor and that includes being certain to register.

We have the use of the Farmhouse, the Pavilion, and now we are considering using the performance area we have coined- "The Meadow Amphitheatre". There are banners which will be present when we are in session and will point the way to where we happen to be meeting that day.

The subject of the workshop was initially "The Taming of The Shrew" but that has changed to "Much Ado About Nothing". This is mostly because Northampton Township will be presenting "Taming..." at the end of July, but really "Much Ado..." is a very fun show, which I'd rather do anyway. For those of you who are interested, we will try to get a group together to go see "Taming...".

Also, we (considered) a viewing of the Kenneth Branaugh's 1993 film of "Much Ado... " at Java's Coffeeshop on Byberry Road in Huntindon Valley, once we get clearance for the right to show it in a public place. That showing will be for registered participants only. I am recommending that film as a study aid.

We are growing as a troupe, but we do not have enough people involved yet. I do hope that we will get the kind of participation that we will need to present the play before the public. We are all convinced that we will succeed. As we've said before, our goal with Shakespeare in The Park is to pull together a troupe to perform in an open air environment. With the success of this years endeavor, we can look forward to more exciting things in the future. AG

Tamanend Park in Southampton, Pennsylvania, is a wonderful gem of a park on the North west end of Upper Southampton. It is located on Route 232, Second Street Pike, a little more than half way between Street Road and Bristol Road, right next to Klinger Jr High School. The number for the Park Office is 215-355-9781.

The Meadow Amphitheatre;

With in the park is a small meadow that is very well suited to serve as an amphitheatre and, as I have for many years been interested in this type of theatrical experience, I was drawn to propose this to the park officials. The response has been quite favorable.

Years ago, I worked for Joesph Papp at The Public Theatre in NYC for his Shakespeare in the Park, which took place in Central Park. Ever since then, I thought this was a nice concept and a way to present classical work in an environment that was more closely akin to the type of staging that existed in the day. Of course, Shakespeare's Globe was a large venue that could squeeze as many as two thousand people and by necessity of money collection, it was an enclosed theatre. The beauty of the outdoor amphitheater is the greatly reduced cost of operation & maintenance and the potential for creating an excellent summertime festival environment. Unless an amphitheater is an established facility and provided with secure boundaries, ticket sales and traffic control become issues. Thus we are striving to produce Shakespeare in the Park as an event that is free to the public.

For this project, I have conceptualized that the performances would be free to the public and that resources to produce the plays would be gathered primarily by way of sponsorship and bartering. The idea of passing the hat and having a free will offering is also an important part of the overall experience, not only to give the flavor of period performances, but also as a means of letting the audience show their appreciation freely. We have discussed the policy of paying for the show after you see it and this would implement such a concept. It would be most satisfying to find financial success based on the quality of the work and as a reward for providing the patrons with an enjoyable experience. This would also allow wealthy people to assist and the less fortunate to have the experience also. Collectively the diversity of the audience would add to the experience and the promotion of the effort.

The project will need people with all sorts of talents, not just performers in order to succeed. So if you may like to get involved in creating a wonderful cultural event that may have longer term possiblities and multiple performance opportunities, please attend one of the meetings.

If you are a performer, we intended to assign roles by the third meeting. Well, that doesn't seem to be happening as planned, because we assumed a greater initial responce. But things are building and we're looking with hopeful expectation to have a sufficient crew together before the middle of August. If not, we'll have to rethink things a bit.

A very active schedule has been developed in order for us to open a show in the third week of September. But we also have agreed that we will be adding the first week in October to the performance schedule. This is so that the first week scheduled for performance may take place at the Renaissance Faire in Wrightstown. We will discuss that in a separate posting or at the meetings.