[Alumni-chat] Legal Fund Needs - by Yazz Allen '66

[Sistersara at aol.com]

In a message dated 8/1/2007 9:44:02 P.M. Central Daylight Time,  
alumni-chat_forum at antiochians.org writes:

I am  dreaming of the day when "Shakespeare Under The Stars" returns to a 
place as a  regional event, bringing faculty, students, community, and audience  
together.  And I am working to make that dream happen.  I hope to  see you at 
the next show!  I'm nominating "All's Well That Ends  Well".

-Beth R. '04



Beth, Shakespeare Under the Stars -- and I think one way or another I saw  
all the plays (beginning with King John), either by being in the audience,   or 
sitting on the lawn and watching rehearsals.  At the time Antioch had  perhaps 
four tenured members of the Theatre Department, but the majority of the  
roles were played by professional actors from New York and other places, and  they 
were paid Union Scale.  Students understudied, did production, dealt  with 
ticketing and all -- and of course made costumes and all -- but essentially  it 
was a full blown professional production effort.  You didn't get theatre  bus 
tours coming in from New York, having read the Times Reviews, because  
something amateur was being done.  The Amphitheater was hardly an adequate  
replacement for the stage of those days -- It was a seven level thrust structure  
constructed of beams and platforms against the face of Main Building, that made  
use of windows in the towers for entrances and exits.  (this was before  Main 
Building was gutted and restored.)  And while Main Building was never  exactly 
Tudor, once it got a little dark and the lighting people did their thing  with 
our Towers, it was totally theatrical.  I always thought the  amphitheater a 
rather piss poor replacement for that stage.  For some  things it is great -- 
but it was never for Shakespeare.  
 
I have always wondered if anyone filmed any of the plays?  (no Video  in 
those days).  



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