Sunday, July 31, 2011

In the Spotlight: Laura Suttenfield

Name: Laura Suttenfield

Character: Paulina

Why Acting?
It's so much fun!

How and why did you get involved with Hampshire Shakespeare & this production?
I did Hampshire Shakespeare a couple years ago and had a great time, and when I saw the fliers up at my school I was in another production that had been going on great, and I decided, Why not?

Do you have a favorite role from any past productions?
Well, I was a crazy fanatical writer in the last show I was in, and I had a lot of fun with the character.

What is your Favorite Word?
Belvidere  (this will change)

What is your Least Favorite Word?
Snigger

What sound or noise do you love?
A nice clean alto or tenor saxophone playing jazz.

What sound or noise do you hate?
A saxophone that's not played well. or nails across a chalkboard. or a fork across a porcelain plate.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Starving writer (kidding) or some kind of scientist.

What profession would you not like to do?
.... Let me think on that.

What is your earliest memory of theater?
When I was Wendy in a Peter Pan play for school in fourth grade.

Why is Theatre Necessary?
Because it's awesome.

Has performing Shakespeare given you any interesting insights into Shakespeare?
He has a twisted sense of humor.

What’s next for you?
More theater! And music! And... yeah!

Saturday, July 30, 2011

In the Spotlight: Hannah Simms

Name: Hannah Simms

Role: Young Company Director

Why Directing?
You get to be nurturing of people's artistry and a complete control freak at the same time.  Plus, you can wear whatever you want.

I particularly love directing young people because they are so freakin insightful and are open to making magic happen onstage.  And they know how to have a good time.

How and why did you get involved with Hampshire Shakespeare & this production?
I was an outlaw in Two Gentleman of Verona when I was twelve or so. As I remember we were allowed to do our own make-up and my black eye got more elaborate every night.  This is my first show with them since.

Do you have a favorite role from any past productions?
I once played a character named Robot Mom in a play written by students.  That was pretty choice.

What is your Favorite Word?  Taberouette.  It's a mild oath in Quebec.

What is your Least Favorite Word?  Liability.

What sound or noise do you love? vocal harmony

What sound or noise do you hate? Mosquitoes buzzing in my ears.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
I'd like to be a blacksmith or a goatherd.

What profession would you not like to do?
Sean's or Tina's (ed note: HSC Producer and Production Manager, respectively).  They work their fool butts off.

What is your earliest memory of theater?
Putting on a show with my cousins.  Someone got kicked in the face for sure.

Why is Theatre Necessary?
Oh man. I don't quite know how to tackle that one other than just to keep doing it. 

Has performing Shakespeare given you any interesting insights into Shakespeare?
I am learning so much every time I sit down with the script, and that learning is going to multiply a thousand fold when we start the the intensive with the cast.  The man has a knack for expressing the states of the human soul. 

What’s next for you?  That is an excellent question.

In the Spotlight: Sierra Hausthor

Name: Sierra Hausthor

Character: Lady and servant

Why Acting?
Because i LOVE being on stage and being different characters.

How and why did you get involved with Hampshire Shakespeare & this production?
My friend Sahar who is doing it this year got me to do it with her. Thank you Sahar!

Do you have a favorite role from any past productions?
My favorite role was probably plying a bat when i was about four. I really loved running around with bat wings. I also love my role this year in YC.

What is your Favorite Word? Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

What is your Least Favorite Word? LOL

What sound or noise do you love? Children laughing.

What sound or noise do you hate? Children crying.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
I would love to be a dolphin researcher.

What profession would you not like to do?
Sitting in a cube in an office building.

What is your earliest memory of theater?
When i was about four a was a bat.

Why is Theatre Necessary?
It helps people be themselves. I know a lot of people that only really open up when they are on stage.

Has performing Shakespeare given you any interesting insights into Shakespeare?
It has really showed me that he was wicked awesome to be able to come up with so many great plays.

What’s next for you?
I want to act more and more and more and more and more!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

In the Spotlight: Sahar Eisenstein-Bond

Name: Sahar Eisenstein-Bond

Characters:
Mainstage: Lady/Mopsa
Young Company: Hermione

Why Acting?
I love being onstage, getting to try new things and be different characters.

How and why did you get involved with Hampshire Shakespeare & this production?
My family somehow made a connection with Tim Holcolm, who directed the Young Company Tempest last year, and told me I should audition. I loved it, and jumped at the chance to come back this year.

Do you have a favorite role from any past productions?
Honestly, I have to say I'm having the most fun I think I ever had with all my roles this year.

What is your Favorite Word?
Steampunk.

What is your Least Favorite Word?
Pulchritudinous.

What sound or noise do you love?
Rain.

What sound or noise do you hate?
Crying kids.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Currently, I think I'd like to be an acrobatics coach for my younger sister.

What profession would you not like to do?
Any kind of office job.

What is your earliest memory of theater?
My parents took me to see an opera when I was about two -- I think it was The Magic Flute. It scared me so much, and we left before intermission. I couldn't understand why all these people were doing strange things onstage.

Why is Theatre Necessary?
It tells stories in a different way than either books or movies, and if done well it can be a whole-body experience. You don't get that through any other medium.

Sahar in HSC's
"The Tempest"
2010
Has performing Shakespeare given you any interesting insights into Shakespeare?
Heck yeah. Mostly the fact that the more you study Shakespeare, the more you find in his plays. You could probably study just one scene for the rest of your life and keep finding new things in it every day.

Also, it's amazing how open his plays are to interpretation. You could set any one of his plays in outer space, underwater, in 1890's France, gender-reversed, almost anything, and it will still work. Each production is so different from any other production; more, I think, than with most other plays.

What’s next for you?
After Mainstage ends, I'm going to go right back onstage for Young Company intensive week for a different look at the exact same play. And thennnnn I'm going to take a little break. It is summer, after all.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

In the Spotlight: Alana Young

Name: Alana Young
Alana Young

Roles:
Taming of the Shrew: Assistant Stage Manager
Young Company: Cleomenes/Dorcas

Why Acting?
I do it because I adore the thrill of feeding off of an audience! I liked playing pretend/acting dramatic for my parents when I was little. I never really grew out of it. Then someone somewhere told me it could someday be considered a skill set. Things have never been the same.

How and why did you get involved with Hampshire Shakespeare & this production?
A very very long long time ago I took a sketch comedy class here with Steve Henderson which turned me on to this company. A few years later (now) I got to know some people through my school, Pioneer Valley Performing Arts (PVPA), who were involved with the company and encouraged me to become involved through acting/stage managing. I have been able to do both! I ASMed Shrew and after someone in Young Company dropped out, I jumped on board to fill in two smaller roles!

Do you have a favorite role from any past productions?
Honestly, my favorite role was playing "the Sheep" in a Children's Theatre production of The Gingerbread Girl. I had one line: "Baaaaaaaa". I said it a lot and I even had a song.

Alana in
The Proposal
What is your Favorite Word?
"defenestrate" Derived from the French word for window, "fenetre", this word means: the act of throwing something/someone out a window.

What is your Least Favorite Word?
"birth" It really brings out the awkward...

What sound or noise do you love?
Pop Rocks crackling on my tongue.

What sound or noise do you hate?
My alarm clock.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
I would love to be a teacher or a childhood therapist. I get my inspiration from both positive and negative personal experiences.

What profession would you not like to do?
Anything in the judicial system. Mostly an attorney.

What is your earliest memory of theater?
Alana in
Chekhov on the Rocks...
with a Twist
When I was about four I went to go see some cheesy show involving dancing bears. They had planted "audience participants" in the crowd. I didn't catch on to this, so I wholeheartedly ran onstage to be with my beloved dancing bears.

Why is Theatre Necessary?
When a touching theme is presented, it makes people think about what they have witnessed, form individual opinions, and respond in a personal way. This process helps us connect with ourselves, and the world around us.

Has performing Shakespeare given you any interesting insights into Shakespeare?
I now understanding what people mean when they say his themes are, "timeless". The best insight I have collected from this experience is "people haven't changed, but society has".

What’s next for you?
Right now my theatrical plans look like this: Finish an internship with Paintbox Children's Theatre and co-Stage Manage for a production of "Shiloh Rules. Then the fall I will return to PVPA and write/act in a sketch comedy troupe, "Headgear", play Emily in "Our Town" and return to my school's Mock Trial team. I'm pumped.


Saturday, July 16, 2011

In the Spotlight: Annalise Cain

Annalise Cain

Name: Annalise Cain

Characters:
In Mainstage: Dorcas, Emilia. 
In Young Company: Perdita

Why Acting?
Because I love it probably more than any other intangible thing.

How and why did you get involved with Hampshire Shakespeare & this production?
I got involved in Hampshire Shakespeare through knowing the producer, Sean Landers, who taught Improv and Scene Study classes at my school. He told me to audition last year for the Tempest and I did. And I came back this year because I wanted to continue to familiarize myself with Shakespeare.

Annalise as Emily
in "Our Town"
Do you have a favorite role from any past productions?
Well, I recently played Emily in Ashfield Community Theater's production of Our Town. That was probably the greatest role I am going to have achieved for a long time. It's a great role because of all the big events the audience sees you go through, falling in love, getting married and dying. It was certainly a lot to live up to!

What is your Favorite Word?
I'm a pretty big fan of 'splendid'. 

What is your Least Favorite Word?
I don't know . . . I don't like the word 'tolerate' because it sounds pretty passive aggressive to me. 

What sound or noise do you love?
Rain.

What sound or noise do you hate?
Fire Sirens.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Writing. I picked the two professions that will earn me the least amount of money. Aren't I an intelligent young individual!

What profession would you not like to do?
An accountant. I hate math.

What is your earliest memory of theater?
Probably the intense feeling of envy watching my older sister, Mia, light up the stage. My theory is I got into theater because I was jealous of the attention my sister received, and I just kind of stuck with it. Now its my greatest love. My parents also force fed me musicals at a young age, so that probably added something to the mix.

As Yelena Imanova Popova
in
"Chekhov on the Rocks with a Twist"
Why is Theatre Necessary?
Because its the best way to tell a story. It's good both for the audience and for the performers. It's good for the audience as a form of entertainment and maybe they'll even feel something or learn something along the way (that's the best kind of theater, when you learn something). And it’s good for the performers because you learn a lot about yourself through theater. To become someone else I think you have to examine who you are to change it onstage. It gives you insight into something you never thought you could grasp.

And as for why live theater is necessary along with film, I believe that there is a sort of excitement and presence that film actors can never achieve like live actors can. And that's fine. They are two fine mediums, I just think live theater is so magical in comparison.

Has performing Shakespeare given you any interesting insights into Shakespeare?
Interesting? To me, yes. To other people, I'm not so sure. But I'll take a whack at it. Over the last few months, I have been attempting to educate myself on theater by reading more plays, and I've read a heck of a lot of Ibsen. And reading his work made me realize how much he respected women. And the more I read and worked with Shakespeare the more I realized that Shakespeare really only used women as plot devices. He only used them when needed, hence the few roles for women, and he really only has two types of women. The pretty ones who tend to be well liked and kind, but tend to be soft spoken or even a little timid, and the strong women who either possess wit, or bravery and tend to always be annoying the other male characters. The pretty, nice women are always celebrated, and the strong, independent women are always shot down and 'tamed' (Taming of the Shrew is an excellent example). I think Shakespeare acknowledged women's presence in society, but I do not think he respected them. When I made this discovery, I decided that from now on, whenever I perform in Shakespeare's plays, it will be in attempt to create three dimensional characters and basically be showing Shakespeare that I can finish what he began.

"Pie in da Face"
with PVPA's
Headgear Comedy Troupe
What’s next for you?
Well, I will go back to Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public High School in the fall, which is my favorite place in the whole world. I will be taking Playwriting 101 and portioning when I perform my shows so as not to repeat last semester's insanity (I worked on 6 shows last semester). I will also be co-directing PVPA's comedy troupe Headgear, and we will be performing in March.