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CSF Artistic Director Jasson Minadakis
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When William Shakespeare wrote for London's Globe Theater late in the 16th century, his plays were greeted as exciting new works, not as revered classics. The Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival (CSF), which last weekend announced its 2000-2001 season of nine Shakespearean classics and more contemporary works, has always modeled itself on Shakespeare's company, according to artistic director Jasson Minadakis.
As in the Elizabethan era, "We wanted to be a regular company, paid to be actors, shareholders who owned the company," Minadakis told me last week. "They worked together all the time to bring a deeper richness to the plays they were doing."
CSF's new season comes closer to that model, with four Shakespearean productions, a contemporary comedy based on Shakespeare's plays, two award-winning recent plays, a classic drama by Harold Pinter, and a newly commissioned work by Cincinnati playwright Joseph McDonough that will be workshopped during the year by the newly established CSF Studio.
"We've always considered Shakespeare to be a new playwright, and that's how we want to look at his plays," says Minadakis, who co-founded the company in 1994. For six seasons they have focused on Shakespeare's works, with an occasional classic such as Molière's The Misanthrope this season. The success of last fall's production of Samuel Beckett's modern classic, Waiting for Godot, confirmed the sense that more recent plays were a logical extension for CSF.
"We needed to start flexing different muscles. We looked for plays that continue to push the way we tell our stories. Our season is a solid, complete theatrical offering, rooted in Shakespeare, with new plays that complement the way we do Shakespeare."
The new season will be:
The Merry Wives of Windsor (Sept. 7-Oct. 1) with veteran Nick Rose as Falstaff.
The Weir by Conor McPherson (Oct. 12-Nov. 5), a series of ghost-story monologues with a dramatic outcome. The show won the 1998 Olivier Award for best new play in London.
The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged) (Nov. 16-Dec. 17), a funny send-up of Shakespeare's plays, which Minadakis hopes to make a regular holiday offering, using different actors each year.
Betrayal (Nov. 26-Dec. 13) by Harold Pinter. The psychological drama will run on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings during the holidays.
Macbeth (Jan. 4-Feb. 11).
The Merchant of Venice (Feb. 22-March 18). This show and Macbeth were last produced by CSF in 1995-96.
Lovers and Executioners (March 29-April 22), a new award-winning psychological thriller, staged by Washington's Arena Stage in 1999, based on a play by a contemporary of Molière.
Henry the Fourth (May 3-27), bringing together the cast of Merry Wives that opened the season for another dose of Falstaff, merging Shakespeare's two Henry IV plays.
A Chance of Lightning (June 7-24) by Joseph McDonough, the local playwright who has penned several shows for Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati.
A one-man show featuring CSF actor Giles Davies, Turgid Tales of Turmoil, Terror and Tortured Souls (Oct. 15-Nov. 1) will be onstage on off-nights during The Weir. The two shows' ghostly tales may come together for a Halloween extravaganza.
In addition to Davies, next year's acting company includes Rose, Jeremy Dubin, Brian Phillips, and two newcomers, Amy Hutchins and Anne Schilling. Sylvester Little Jr. returns as an intern.
CSF's companies of 10-12 actors in recent years meant no one earned much. The smaller company also makes it possible to use guest actors: CSF co-founder Marni Penning, moving in August to New York to pursue her acting fortunes, will return to Cincinnati to star in Lovers and Executioners. Local professional Dale Hodges, who recently thrilled audiences in the Cincinnati Playhouse's production of Wit, will star in The Merchant of Venice, and director Michael Burnham will go onstage for a key role in The Weir.
The Cinergy Foundation will sponsor the CSF Studio, which Minadakis describes as CSF's research and development arm. The studio will be a forum for emerging playwrights and artists to workshop and rehearse concepts. McDonough's A Chance of Lightning will be developed in this arena, then presented as the final production of CSF's season.
Minadakis can hardly suppress his excitement for next season. "We're building on the things you always get when you come here: intimate theater, powerful language and fascinating storytelling." ©
