| What’s Next Fest | August 22 – August 25 |
As the curtain falls on the summer season of classic plays, TAM will be right back at it with the inaugural What’s Next Fest: making old things new and new things classic. Every night at 7:30 p.m. from Tuesday, August 22 through Friday, August 25 TAM will present staged readings of adaptations of Shakespearean plays and poems, improv hijinks, and more!
Single Event Tickets can be purchased for $20 or see all four events with a “WNF Pass” for $65 redeemable for one ticket to every event.
Tuesday, August 22 @ 7:30 p.m.
It was 50 Years Ago Today: The Making of Sgt. Pepper
“…a decisive moment in the history of western civilization.” —Kenneth Tynan, The London Times, 1967
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the landmark album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Mark S. Cartier takes an in-depth look at the Beatles’ risky decision to become a full-time studio band, a move that was unprecedented at the time. The risk paid off, however, as the group created a psychedelic masterpiece which is still regarded as the most influential album in recording history. Songs include Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, With a Little Help from My Friends, When I’m 64 and the magnum opus A Day in the Life. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.
Wednesday, August 23 @ 7:30 p.m.
Staged Reading of Callie Kimball’s Lucrece and the Two Janes
“Callie Kimball’s skill at matching the Bard’s couplets with her own is impressive, as is her facility for delineating ancient politics, but it’s her literary wit that sets Rape of Lucrece apart.”
— Washington City Paper
Jane and Other Jane live in a nursing home for dying Roman gods. They bicker over their differing versions of an event that changed the course of history, the rape and suicide of Lucretia. They can only settle their disagreement by opening the archive and replaying once again what led up to the night when the birds were aflame and dying. Based on the narrative poem The Rape of Lucrece by William Shakespeare.
Thursday, August 24 @ 7:30 p.m.
Capital City Improv: A Night to Remember
“Quite possibly the best improv company I have ever seen.”—Michael R. Miclon, Johnson Hall
Dennis Price’s improvisational comedy troupe uses audience suggestions to create a completely zany and spontaneous evening of fun. Based in Augusta, Maine, Capital City Improv has been making people laugh for years with their quick-witted, lighting-fast, short-form laugh fests. The Capital City Improv team brings a charm and hilarity that you won’t want to miss.
Friday, August 25 @ 7:30 p.m.
Staged Reading of Lillian Groag’s “Play On!” translation of Shakespeare’s Troilus & Cressida
“When you find yourself marveling that Troilus and Cressida makes sense, it means you are at a very special show, indeed.” — Elizabeth Vincentelli, The New York Times
Both warriors and lovers play hard to get in this surprisingly modern epic about the hot blood, hot thoughts and hot deeds of the ancient Greeks. In the 7th year of the Trojan War, Troilus, a young prince, pines for the affections of Cressida, a bright young woman who knows how to play it cool. Meanwhile, the heroes of The Iliad—Hector, Paris, and the kings they serve—debate whether to return the dangerously beautiful captive Helen or continue to fight without end. Nations and lovers alike do battle in this funny, piercing drama about romance and revenge in a world at war.
About Play On!: Oregon Shakespeare Festival commissioned 36 playwrights and dramaturgs to translate 39 plays attributed to Shakespeare into contemporary modern English. By seeking out a diverse set of playwrights (more than half writers of color and more than half women), they hope to bring fresh voices and perspectives to the rigorous work of translation. Each playwright was asked to put the same pressure and rigor of language as Shakespeare did, keeping in mind meter, rhythm, metaphor, image, rhyme, rhetoric, and emotional content. The goal, to have 39 unique side-by-side companion translations of Shakespeare’s plays that are both performable and extremely useful reference texts for both classrooms and productions.