DON T ACTUALLY BREAK A LEG INSIDE THE ISSUE SUPERSTITION IN THEATRE. Page 2 Eboni-Jade Wooten Discusses Dramaturgy

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1 HE WEEKLY WILLIE INSIDE THE ISSUE Page 2 Eboni-Jade Wooten Discusses Dramaturgy Page 4 Meet Lauren Biscaldi: Our New Marketing Assistant VOLUME VIII, ISSUE 1 JUNE 13, 2014 Page 5 SPTP Spotlight: Austin Holt Photo: Laila Robins as Lady Macbeth Gerry Goodstein, 2004 We are all familiar with the phrase, Break a leg! However, there is often the slip of an equally enthusiastic, Good luck! It cannot be avoided: theatre people are superstitious. And this Friday the 13th, we re taking a look at some of the more infamous superstitions. DON T ACTUALLY BREAK A LEG SUPERSTITION IN THEATRE Avery Brunkus Photography/Media Intern During Shakespeare s time, to break meant to bend; this bending meant to bow. Actors were encouraged to acknowledge the audience s applause by bowing at the conclusion of each show. Of course, this odd phrase is not to be taken literally, but more as a symbolic expression. Other verbal superstitions include saying, Macbeth while inside a theatre. Many people believe that even whispering the title of Shakespeare s play will result in theatrical turmoil. Instead, the play is referred to as The Scottish Play, and the title character is known as The Scottish Lord. An effective remedy for a Scottish slip of the tongue has yet to be determined, but many believe that one must immediately exit 1 the theatre, spin around three times, spit, swear, and knock three times to be let back into the venue.

2 Many theatres believe that a ghost haunts their space, and there are various traditions that apply to each specific spirit. Even here at our own Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, there is rumor of a ghostly presence in the Kirby Theatre. Bowne Gymnasium, now the Kirby Theatre, was a sport facility with a lofted indoor track and a swimming pool below the gym floors. In the early 1900s, a man named Reggie allegedly drowned in that pool. According to believers, he still shares the building with The Shakespeare Theatre to this day. Reggie tends to make appearances in the middle of the night by ringing the bell in the theater s elevator, artistic director Bonnie Monte said in an interview with NJ Monthly. v SHE DOESN T EVEN GO HERE WHAT IS A DRAMATURG? Eboni-Jade Wooten Education/Dramaturgy Intern It s a word that feels weird on the tongue and is often mispronounced or misspelled. In theatre, this position is paramount to many performances, and yet, it is one of the least talked about. Moreover, one of the countless question that dramaturgs face is: What do you even do? At first, I gave a different answer every time. We re researchers. We re historians, We re analyzers. But the fact is, we re so much more than that. Whoever thought that my love of books, research, and all things theater would ever come in handy? I didn t. At least, not until I stumbled across a word in a playbill that I d never seen before: dramaturg. We re researchers. We re historians, We re analyzers. Over time, my own definition has become something more universal. As dramaturgs, our job is to help the directors, actors, and designers stay as true to the playwright s text as possible while allowing them to have their own vision. To me, the script is the Bible and the playwright is God. 2

3 We must stick to these tools: the work of other scholars, the work of other dramaturgs, and in-depth research. Dramaturgs don t want to be the bad guy or tell you that your character choice is wrong. Our only goal is to teach and enrich the creation experience for everyone involved. The next time you find out something new about a character or find deeper meaning within a piece of text, think about thanking a dramaturg. Or maybe even about buying them a new pack of highlighters. v SURVIVING THE SERVER CRASH A THANK YOU TO COLIN GALLO Mikayla Petrilla Marketing Intern On June 5, 3 Vreeland was in chaos. Interns and employees alike panicked. Suddenly and without warning, no one could access their drives. Lucky for us, our IT Systems Manager Colin Gallo stepped in to save the server and the day. This time, it took more than just turning it off and on again. Colin worked around the clock, sacrificing an evening and sleep in order to get the server and the drives back into working order. He eventually rebuilt the server from scratch. This time, it took more than just turning it off and on again, Colin said. But by the time the administrative team arrived at 3 Vree the next day, Colin had the systems in functioning order. What looked like an impending tempest resolved itself to clear skies as employees successfully logged onto the server. We extend our warmest gratitude to Colin for his hard work and devotion to getting our systems Shakespeare-ready. And next time there s a server issue, expect to hear a reassuring: Leave it to me; I m trained in IT coming from the colorful office down the hall (the one with the Tetris blocks). v 3

4 Q&A WITH LAUREN BISCALDI OUR NEW MARKETING ASSISTANT Stark Kirby Marketing Intern Q: Where did you go to school? I attended Emerson College in Boston, where I graduated with my BA in Writing Literature and Publishing (yes, that s all one thing) in May of Q: How did you become involved in theatre? I used to act when I was younger, and crippling stage fright took over at some point in high school. So I switched to behind the scenes, sound and producing mainly, at a community theatre level. Actually, a few friends and I created a community theatre called Creative Motion Players in the Hudson County Area. It is still going to this day, about three years later. There are always new people, actors, and artists around. It s mentally engaging... Q: When did you start working at The Shakespeare Theatre, and what drew you to the company? I started working here as the Development Coordinator at the end of January this year. I applied because of my theatre background. I had been out of school for almost nine months, looking into publishing and graphic design, but nothing caught my attention. I started looking into local theatres, and being a Shakespeare nerd, it truly caught my attention. I looked at the Theatre s past seasons; the works the company had done previously caught my attention. Plus, the 2014 season had not been announced, so I was excited to see what The Shakespeare Theatre was going to do! Photo: Lauren Biscaldi Avery Brunkus, 2014 Q: What s your favorite part of working at a theatre? I like that it s always different day to day. Every year we are working on a different set of material. There are always new people, actors, and artists around. It s mentally engaging, being involved in the current production and thinking ahead to the future and always being busy, which is something I like. Q: During your time here have there been any major highlights, or is there anything you are particularly looking forward to? I think the big highlight was the The Night of Dreams Gala because, when I came in in January, they had been preparing for it, but things were really kicking into gear. And, of course, I am looking forward to seeing Much Ado About Nothing. It is one of my favorites! v 4

5 Photo: Austin Holt Avery Brunkus, 2014 This week, The Weekly Willie is shining its SPTP Spotlight on Company Management Intern Austin Holt, who is spending her first summer with The Shakespeare Theatre. This year, Austin will graduate from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas with degrees in Theatre and Sociology. SPTP SPOTLIGHT AUSTIN HOLT - THE INTERN COMPANY Matthew Holowienka Marketing Intern I really enjoy performance studies, she said. And sociology is about how people interact in society, which in turn affects theatre. TO NOMINATE A FELLOW MEMBER OF SPTP FOR SPTP SPOTLIGHT, KEEP AN EYE ON THE SPTP FACEBOOK GROUP! In her spare time, Austin is also an avid equestrian. She has ridden horses for twelve years and has owned two. Although her theatrical background is primarily in stage management, she is now considering company management as a career option. And her work at The Shakespeare Theatre has already impressed her peers. Out of all the positions in SPTP, Austin is the only one who has to be on call 24/7, one nominator wrote. Not to mention, part of her job is to look out for us and make sure we are content! She is like our little fairy godmother! Austin works under Company Manager Amanada Lenti, tending to the needs of an expansive company that includes members of SPTP, Shakespeare LIVE!, and the professional acting and design companies. Austin has been an absolute joy to work with since she started. I ve enjoyed every minute teaching and working with her! Amanda said. v 5

6 THE WEEK IN REVIEW Rock and Bowl Mixer June 5 Shakespeare LIVE! presents A Midsummer Night s Dream June 6 The Tempest Symposium June 7 SPTP Movie Night June 9 SPTP BIRTHDAYS June 1: Rebecca Gomberg June 3: Tess Naval June 6: Matthew Holowienka June 11: Jennifer Kuhn OUR STAFF Layout Editor Matthew Holowienka Photographer Avery Brunkus Writers Stark Kirby Eboni-Jade Wooten Mikayla Petrilla Avery Brunkus Matthew Holowienka Staff Editor Elizabeth Greenfield The Weekly Willie is the official newsletter of The Summer Professional Training Program. Have an idea for an article, a project you ve been working on, or something you think your fellow SPTP members would find interesting? Submit your writing and photos to marketingintern@shakespearenj.org The Weekly Willy reserves the right to edit all submissions for publication.