Different
Stages Presents
Pericles,
Prince of Tyre
by
William Shakespeare
Director/Designer Norman Blumensaadt
Lighting
Design Fallon
Lindsey
Costume
Design Jeanette
Driscoll
Stage
Manager Peggy Lee
Pleasant
Composer Kyle Sigrest
Choreographer Terri Lynn Raridon
Sound Frank
Benge
CHARACTERS
AND CAST
(in order of
appearance)
Gower Robert Rudie
ANTIOCH
Antiochus, King of Antioch Michael De Minico
Daughter of Antiochus Lucy
Jennings
Thaliard, an assassin Nicholas
Ivan
TYRE
Pericles Scott
Tesh
Helicanus, Counselor to Pericles Frank
Benge
Escanes Aleta
Garcia
Lords of Tyre Ronnie
Williams
Christopher
Brown
TARSUS
Cleon, Governor of Tarsus Michael Neilond
Dionyza, his wife Susan Poe
Dickson
Leonine, a murderer Nicholas
Ivan
Marina, daughter to Pericles Lucy Jennings
PENTAPOLIS
Fishermen of Pentapolis Frank Benge
Errich
Petersen
Christopher
Brown
Simonides, King of Pentapolis Steven Fay
Thaisa , Princess of Pentapolis Beth Burroughs
Foreign Kinghts wooing Thaisa Nicholas Ivan
Michael De
Minico, Ronnie Williams
Christopher
Brown, Errich Petersen
Lychorida, a nurse Christina
Frankenfield
EPHESUS
Cerimon, a healer Ronnie
Williams
Philemon, a nurse Aleta
Garcia
Dying Woman Susan
Dickson Poe
Servant to Dying Woman Errich Petersen
Diana, a Goddess Christins
Frankenfield
MYTILENE
Bawd of the brothel Aleta
Garcia
Pandar, her husband Steven
Fay
Boult of the brothel Frank
Benge
Lysimachus, Governor of Mytilene Errich Petersen
AT SEA AND ELSEWHERE
Sailors, Pirates, Attendants, Starving Tarsians,
Marshal,
Customers of the brothel and Others The Company
The play is performed in Two Acts with
one intermission.
THE PRODUCTION COMPANY
FRANK
BENGE (Helicanus, 1st Fisherman, Boult) This is Frank's third show for
Different Stages. He has appeared previously for us in "Fuddy Meers"
(Limping Man) and "An Ideal Husband" (Lord Goring). He has the
distinction of being twice nominated for ACoT's B. Iden Payne Award as
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy: for "An Ideal Husband" and also
for SBCT's production of "The Man Who Came to Dinner" (Sheridan
Whiteside). He was the recipient of the Renna Hunter Award in 1974 for his
performance as Nicely-Nicely Johnson in "Guys & Dolls".
Shakespearian roles in the past include
"The Taming of the Shrew" (Baptista), "The Life and Death of
King John" (King Philip), "As You Like It" (Duke Frederick)
and "The Merry Wives of Windsor" (Master Ford).
NORMAN BLUMENSAADT (Director)
is
the Producing Artistic Director for Different Stages. Recent acting roles
include: Millet in "Fuddy Meers", Aunt Augusta/Henry Pulling in
"Travels With My Aunt" and Vanya in "Uncle
Vanya". He was given the Austin Circle
of Theaters’ Deacon Crain/John Bustin Award in 1998 for his work with Different
Stages. For Different Stages he has
directed: "An Ideal Husband", "Two Gentlemen of Verona",
"The House of Bernarda Alba", and "Summer and Smoke". This
year, he will direct plays by Tennessee Williams. "Pericles" finishes
Different Stages productions of the Shakespeare Romances; "The
Tempest" (1982), "The
Winter's Tale" (1986), and "Cymbeline" (1994).
CHRISTOPHER BROWN (Ist Tyre Lord, 3rd Fisherman, Knight, 1st
Ephesus Lord) Christopher Brown is returning to the stage after a long hiatus.
Many moons ago he appeared in such roles as Lysander in "A Midsummer
Night's Dream", the Ghost of Hamlet's father in "Hamlet",
Mercutio in "Romeo and Juliet", Marc Antony in "Julius Caesar", and title roles in shows like "Li'l
Abner", Dracula", and "The Night Thoreau Spent in
Jail". Based on his performance in
"Equus" as Dysart in high school, he was named Best Actor in the
State of Texas, but opted for a less risky road than full-time college theater
studies or a professional acting career. Instead he completed a bachelor's
degree at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he was named to
Phi Beta Kappa. Later he completed a master's in public policy and a law degree
at the University of Texas at Austin, during which time he appeared as the
Mayor of London in "Richard III".
He is licensed to practice law in Texas and Louisiana and currently
serves as the Water Projects Attorney for the National Wildlife Federation here
in Austin.
BETH BURROUGHS (Thaisa)
moved to Austin almost 5 years ago from Virginia, and has appeared in local
independent films and theatre in Austin and the surrounding area. This is her
third production with Different Stages, after "The Hasty
Heart" and "The Misses
Overbeck". She loves to work in theatre whenever she can, and when she
can't, she works at Southwestern University and hangs out with her husband and
her 5 cats.
MICHAEL DEMINICO (Antiochus, Lord,
Knight, Sailor, Pirate, Tyre Sailor, Guitarist) just moved to Austin from
Boston. While in Boston, he performed with many theater companies, one band and
one improv group. Notable roles include "Romeo and Juliet",
(Benvolio), "How I Learned to Drive", (Peck), "Macbeth"
with the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, (soldier, understudy), and
"Picasso at the Lapin Agile", (Picasso). He has a BS from Skidmore
College in Theater Acting and studied with BADA's Shakespeare Program in
London. Thanks to the cast and crew. Love to his family, friends and Colleen.
JEANETTE DRISCOLL (Costume
Designer) has a Bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts from UT El Paso. She has been
working in the area of costuming for 8 years, mainly on touring shows. She has
been in Austin for 2 years and this is her sixth Different Stages production.
She also works regularly with Austin Lyric Opera.
SUSAN
POE DICKSON (Dionyza) is happy to be making her debut with Different
Stages. She was last seen in Austin
Shakespeare Festival's productions of Will Power (multiple roles) and as Brutus
in "Julius Caesar". She
previously appeared with ASF Reading Series as Valeria in
"Coriolanus" and Gaoler in "Cymbeline". Roles include:,
Alice in "Henry V" workshop,
Player Queen in "Hamlet", Emilia in "Othello",
Paulina in "The Winter’s Tale", and Margaret in "Much Ado About
Nothing". She also performed the
role of Adrianna in "A Comedy of Errors" at Sam Bass Theatre. She was
named Grisham's Teacher of the Year 1998, Round Rock I.S.D. Secondary Teacher
of the Year 1999, and was named to Who's Who Among American Teachers 2002 and
received the PTA Lifetime Membership Award in 2003. Susan would like to thank Scott & Miranda for their love and
support.
STEVEN FAY (Simonides et al.) was last seen at Different Stages as
Lord Caversham in "An Ideal Husband". He has also appeared in DS productions of "Two Gentlemen of
Verona", "Cymbeline" and "Titus Andronicus". He received a B. Iden Payne Award nomination
for "The Scarlet Letter" at Vortex.
Watch for him in the Scottish Play in March and April.
CHRISTINA
FRANKENFIELD (Pentapolis Lady, Lychorida, Pirate, Diana) This is Christina’s
second production with Different Stages. She was most recently seen as
Christina in the Paradox Player’s production of "Uh Oh, Here Comes
Christmas". Other recent roles include Hannah in the Different Stage’s
production of "The Misses Overbeck", the Christmas Fairy in Second
Youth’s production of "The Toys Take Over Christmas", and Judy in the
Rubber Repertory’s ACOT-nominated production of “The Designated Mourner.” Christina
has also acted in various independent films and earlier this year she made her
major motion picture debut as the Judge in Robert Rodriguez/Frank Miller’s “Sin
City.” “It is my 15 seconds of fame!” she says. She wishes to thank Norman
Blumensaadt, her brilliant director, and Different Stages for this wonderful
opportunity.
ALETA GARCIA (Escanes, Philemon, Bawd) A native of Tucson, Aleta has lived in Austin for four years.
Other Different Stages roles include Mabel in "An Ideal Husband" and
Martirio in "The House of Bernarda Alba", for which she received a B.
Iden Payne Award nomination. Other
favorite roles are Carol in "Oleanna," Frances in "Five Women
Wearing the Same Dress," and Rachel in "Reckless." Aleta holds a
BFA in Acting/Directing from the University of Arizona. Off the stage, she
spends her weekdays working as a web manager for Austin Community College.
Aleta would like to thank her uncle and parents for flying out from the
district and the desert to see her act in her first Shakespearean production.
NICHOLAS
IVAN (Thaliard, Knight, 2nd Sailor, Leonine)
earned
his B.A. in Theatre Arts at Northern Illinois
University
in 2000, and relocated to Austin shortly after. He has
previously
appeared at the Bristol and Texas Renaissance Festivals (1999-2001), in Melting
Moon Arts' "Love's Labour's Lost" (2001), and in various film
projects, in "The Rookie,"
"The Life of David Gale" and "The Alamo."
LUCY JENNINGS (Antiochus' Daughter, dancer, Marina) Previous roles
for Different Stages include Lady Marchmont in "An Ideal Husband",
Melanie in "The Misses Overbeck".
Sheila in "The Boys Next Door "(SWT UPAC) is also to her
credit. She received her BFA in Acting from SWT (TSU-San Marcos). During this time she attend a one-year
course at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Future plans include
pursuing an MFA in Shakespeare Studies in Stratford-upon-Avon and perhaps
surviving on Top-Ramen in New York City, Chicago or London.
FALLON LINDSEY (Light
Design) graduated
from the University of Texas at Austin in 2004. She has worked at the
Santa Fe Opera and the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe, NM, as well
as the UT Performing Arts Center in Austin. For the past year she has worked in
many of Austin’s theatres and for the City of Austin with the "Trail of
Lights". Some of her Lighting Designs include: "Dance Action"
(2003), "E.A.R.S. and Feet"
(2004) at the University of Texas and "Arms and the Man" with Different Stages (2004).
MICHAEL NEILOND (Cleon) appeared previously for Different Stages
in last season's "An Ideal Husband" as Sir Robert Chiltern. Previous
Shakespearean roles he has had included "Richard III", "The
Merchant of Venice", "Romeo and Juliet", and
"Cymbeline". Principal roles he has recently assayed include Marc in
Yasmina Reza's "Art" (Colorado Springs), Sir Peter Teazle in
Sheridan's "School for Scandal" (Aptos, CA) and Sherlock Holmes in
Charles Marowitz's "Sherlock's Last Case" (Monterey, CA). He received
his theatre training at Georgetown and Berkeley. His favorite productions, as
always, are daughter Kiara, 15, and son Kyle, 11.
ERRICH PETERSEN (Messenger, 2nd Fisherman, Knight, Servant,
Lysimachus) This is Errich's second Different Stages production after acting in
"The Misses Overbeck", written by the great Austin playwright, Tom
White. He recently played in the Vortex's "Wake for the Dark Poet: The
Antonin Artaud Project", and Naughty Austin's "Debbie Does Dallas -
The Musical!"
PEGGY LEE PLEASANT (Assistant Director and Stage Manager ) was
drafted for "Pericles" after Norm found her loitering around the
rehearsals. Last year she worked with Different Stages as
Assistant Director for the lovely and talented Karen Carver Sneed in
"Molly Sweeney." Among some
of her acting credits are "Anton in Show Business" at the State
Theater, "Play On" and "Sing On" at Way Off Broadway in
Cedar Park and the "Summer Musical for Children" with Chorus Austin.
TERRI LYNN RARIDON (Choreography)Terri Lynn has been
choreographing and directing shows such as "The Boyfriend"," La
Cage aux Folles"," The Will Rogers Follies" and
"Fame", in Austin since 1983. She continues to freelance in the
theatre while currently serving as consulting artistic director and guest
choreographer for local burlesque sensation "Kitty Kitty Bang Bang",
drumming in the band Jasmine Reign and serving as a director and wildlife
rehabilitator for The Bill Hicks Foundation.
ROBERT
RUDIE (Gower) began his acting career at the Claire Tree Major Children's Theatre
in New York. As a teenager, he played roles in French for the Theatre
François. There was a many year hiatus,
while he graduated from the Julliard School of Music, and pursued his long and
successful musical career. This includes stints as Concertmaster of the
Oklahoma Symphony, The American Symphony, Aspen Festival, international tours
as conductor and soloist. His acting career was resuscitated when he began
performing his one-man show "Paganini!" in which he acted five
different roles and played brilliant violin solos. His acting and violin
playing won an Emmy award on the PBS-TV program "Meeting of Minds"
with Steve Allen. Since moving to Austin, he has continued his musical career
and is now in his 15th season as Music Director of the chamber series, Salon
Concerts. This is his fourth role for Different Stages. He also appeared as
Scrooge for several years at the Paramount and Zachary Scott Theatres.
KYLE SIGREST (Composer) holds a Master of Music from the
University of Texas at Austin in piano performance focusing on choral music,
conducting and music theory. Kyle is
the composer of scores for "The
House of Bernarda Alba" and Ann
Ciccolella's "Madame X",
for which he received a B. lden Payne nomination. He is collaborating with Ann
again to compose a chamber opera. Kyle
received a B. Iden Payne award for his acting role as Manny in "Masterclass" at Zach Scott
Theatre. He was also musical
director/pianist/conductor for numerous shows, most recently Pro Arts
Collective's "Black Nativity", Zilker Theatre Productions’ "The Secret Garden", and
Silverstar Theatre's "Fame!"
He received an Austin Critic's Table Musical Director nomination for the last.
SCOTT
TESH (Pericles) makes his first appearance on an Austin stage with this
role. Favorite previous roles in
Houston include Jess in "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Abridged" (New Heights Theatre), Theseus in "A Midsummer Night's
Dream" (Barter Theatre), Trent Conway in "Six Degrees of
Separation" (Main Street Theatre), and Jack in "The Witlings"
(Main Street Theatre). He thanks his
family for all their love and support.
RONNIE WILLIAMS (2nd Tyre Lord, Knight, Cerimon) is a native
Houstonian. This is Ronnie's first Shakespeare performance and first show in
Austin. He is grateful for this interesting and confusing journey. He would
like to thank his wonderful mother for her support, Emily, Lamar and Stephanie
for their craziness, Lucy for our good times, singing and knowledge of
scansion. And last but not least, Errich for the tea!
PRODUCTION STAFF
Light Operator
Beth Ornales
Sound Operator Peggy
Lee Pleasant
Set Construction
Norman
Blumensaadt, Steve Fay.
Aleta Gracia, Ronnie
Williams, Christina Frankenfiled
Scott Tesh, Lucy Jennings, Errich
Petersen, Beth Burroughs,
Linda
Rickard
Costumes Jeanette
Driscoll
Dressers Richard
Gibson, Elizabeth Kasprowicz,
Matt
Mumaugh, Penny Rivero
Michelle
Sims, Ann Salerno
Hair Kay Brown
Electricians
David
Grafe , Roy Young
Graphic Artist Sarah Hauck
Seaton
Photographer Brett
Brookshire
Program Norman
Blumensaadt
Properties Irene Dubberley, Adan Kluth, Norman
Blumensaadt
Publicity Carol
Ginn, Norman Blumensaadt
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND SPECIAL THANKS
Blake Yelavich and Keely Williams,
Arts On Real, Dougherty Arts Center
for Rehearsal Space,
Laura
Sandberg and Second Youth Family Theatre, Phil Judah,
David & Carol Kluth, Austin Circle of
Theatres, Austin Lyric Opera
Different Stages, Inc. has been a
community-based organization since its inception in 1981 and incorporation in
1984. It produces works by playwrights
whom we believe to be defining forces in theatre. We seek to entertain with performances that reveal life in all
its comedy, tragedy and intensity; and we hope to educate by choosing plays
that provide exceptional insight into the human condition. By challenging ourselves as artists and our
audiences as participants, we endeavor to provide the community with vigorous
and exciting live theatre.
Board of Directors: Karen Jambon Henry V. Fitzgerald, Jr. &
Randolph Stripling. Operating Board: Norman E. Blumensaadt, Mike Groblewski,
Royce Gehrels & Paula Ruth Gilbert.
Pericles' Adventures
TYRE
Founded
in 2750 BCE, Tyre is still a thriving city in the present- day country of Lebanon
on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. An island in ages past, Tyre was
connected to the mainland by landfill in the 10th century BCE. The Greeks
attributed the invention of the alphabet to a Tyrian named Cadmus, and his
sister, Europa, was supposedly the namesake of the European continent. Tyrians,
also called Phoenicians, were famous for their unmatched sailing ability, which
led to a thriving maritime trade. In addition, Tyre's purple-dyed clothing was
worn throughout the ancient world as a mark of royal rank. Ancient Tyrians
extracted the purple dye from a maritime snail and each gram of dye was worth
ten or twenty grams of gold. Pericles, then, would have been the ruler of a
wealthy and well-respected land.
ANTIOCH
Pericles'
journey begins in Antioch, a city in the ancient kingdom of Syria, established
in 321 BCE as part of the Seleucid Empire. Pericles would have reached this
city from Tyre by a land journey of about 220 miles northward-Shakespeare has
Pericles make the journey by sea. Today, the site of ancient Antioch is
occupied by the Turkish town of Anatakya.
TARSUS
Fleeing
Antiochus, Pericles is befriends by Cleon, the governor of Tarsus, when
Pericles arrives with food and supplies for the starving country on his first
sea voyage. Tarsus existed on the southern coast of Asia Minor (currently
southern Turkey) and was surely a point of trade with the Tyrians
(Phoenicians). Scholars debate whether "Tarsus" might actually refer
to Thasos, a small island in the northern Aegean Sea, near present-day Greece.
Either way, Tarsus as Shakespeare writes it is largely fictional
PENTAPOLIS
After
Pericles leaves Tarsus, he is shipwrecked and lands in Pentapolis. Pentapolis
literally means "five cities" and was a district of five cities on
the north African shore, then part of the kingdom of Carthage and currently
part of the nation of Libya. Pentapolis lies 950 miles southwest of Antioch and
550 miles west of Egypt's city of Alexandria.
BACK TO TARSUS
On
his way back from Pentapolis, Pericles's ships are threatened by another severe
storm, during which his daughter Marina is born. Pericles, believing Thaisa
dead and that his daughter will not survive the trip to Tyre, casts his wife
overboard and heads once more to nearby Tarsus to leave Marina in the care of
Cleon and Dionyza. If Pericles was indeed headed from Pentapolis to Tarsus,
however, Thaisa's coffin would have had to travel 600 miles overnight to reach
the city of Ephesus where she washes ashore by morning.
MYTILENE
When
Marina is captured by pirates, they take her to be sold in Mytilene. Mytilene,
in both ancient times and present day, is the largest city on the Greek island
of Lesbos located in the eastern Aegean Sea.
EPHESUS
Ephesus
was a thriving city in Asia Minor. Located in present-day Turkey, Ephesus is
one of the best preserved ancient cities today. In ancient times, it grew to be
the second largest city in the Roman Empire and was home to one of the Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World: the Temple of Diana at Ephesus. The temple was
constructed of marble, contained 127 sixty-foot-high columns and four bronze
statues of Amazons sculpted by the finest artists of the time. The temple
served as both a shrine and marketplace, drawing worshippers and traders from
across the world. When St. Paul arrived in the city to preach Christianity in
the first century CE, he was met with great resistance from the Ephesians who
worshipped Diana (whom they called Artemis). Eventually the temple was destroyed
by Goth invaders in 262 CE. In Pericles, the sea deposits Thaisa on the shores
of Ephesus, and she resides in Diana's temple for 14 years before she is
reunited with her husband and daughter.
The
Shakespeare Theatre, Washington, DC, Pericles
Teaching Notes 2004
Programs by: UNIVERSAL
PUBLISHERS • Special Events
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ABOUT THE PLAY
Because large parts of the play, particularly its first two acts, seem
to critical readers so obviously defective and crude, both in style and in
dramaturgy, we may be surprised by the evidence that in Shakespeare's own time
and for a generation after, the play was highly popular. The First Quarto of
1609 speaks of it as "The late, And much admired Play...diuers and sundry
times acted by his Maiesties seruants, at the Globe on the Banck-side."
Other references from the time tell us of large crowds flocking to see it, and
of both the Venetian and French ambassadors watching an early performance.
Between 1610 and 1631 it was revived several times, not only at the Globe, but
on one occasion at Whitehall before distinguished guests; it was also performed
by a traveling company in the country. Moreover, the Quarto text was reprinted
no less than five times, thus confirming the unusual interest in the play. By
1635, the date of the Sixth Quarto, very few other plays had appeared as often
in print. We know, of course, that in Shakespeare's time other plays of little
dramatic subtlety and of far less literary merit than the best scenes in Pericles could produce a great stir. Yet
it does seem strange, especially in view of the play's fate on the stage from
Dryden's time to the 1920's and even later, that a work which appears so dismally
written and un-dramatic in its first two acts could experience such a success
on stage, and have so much demand for it by readers. But what should surprise
us most is that after producers hardly ever risked staging the play for
centuries several impressive revivals of it during the past thirty years
demonstrate that Pericles can hold
modern audiences throughout and that watching it can be an enchanting
experience.
F. David
Hoeniger, "Gower and Shakespeare in Pericles,"
Shakespeare Quarterly, Winter 1982
"The usual hero
adventure begins with someone from whom something has been taken, or who feels
there's something lacking in the normal experiences available or permitted to
the members of his society. This person then takes off on a series of adventures
beyond the ordinary, either to recover what has been lost or to discover some
life-giving elixir. It's usually a cycle, a going and a returning... There are
both kinds of heroes, some that choose to undertake the journey and some that
don't... In one kind of adventure, the hero sets out responsibly and
intentionally to perform the deed...Then there are adventures into which you
are thrown...You didn't intend it, but you're in now."
Joseph
Campbell, The Power of Myth
Lyrics for Marina's song by Martin Best,
The BBC Shakespeare Plays
Contributors
Director
Level $5000 +
The
City of Austin
Actor
Level $1000 - $5000
Karen
Jambon & Jennifer Underwood
Stage
Manager Level $500-$999
Tera
Quest Metrics, Inc.
Norman
S. Blumensaadt
Designer
Level $250-$499
Stage
Hand Level $100-$249
Connie
McMillan, Royce Gehrels, Ann Blumensaadt, Janie Hayes & Jimmy Bisese ,
Karen Kuykendall, Irene Dubberley, Suzanne Winkelman, Mary Margaret
Farabee,Richard A. Muscat Don Howell, Tom White, David Smith,
Audience
Level $20-$99
Carel
Anderson & Peyton Hayslip, Paul G. Minor & Erin Ochel,
Rodulfo r. Alamia
