For the first time, SCVi learners were fortunate to be invited to perform at the prestigious 43rd Annual Henry Kemp-Blair Shakespeare Festival at Chapman University in Anaheim.
Every year schools from as far away as San Francisco take part in two days of Bard-related workshops and competitions. Now in its 43rd year, the festival is a celebration of Henry Kemp-Blair, a professor who taught at Chapman from 1960 to 1986 and is curated by Professor Tom Bradac, founder of Shakespeare Orange County. SCVi fielded a small but accomplished team of four students under the guidance of theatre artists and facilitators Ian Johnston and Kevin Becker. Ian was particularly delighted to be able to take part as he has a chance to share his life-long passion for Shakespeare, and bring to bear his acting experience too, having recently performed at the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death in Shakespeare’s family house in Stratford Upon Avon for the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and Royal Shakespeare Company joint celebrations.
On the first day, our learners took part in two in-depth workshops delivered by senior Chapman University professors on the art of delivering a monologue and incorporating the physical theatre stock characters of Commedia dell’Arte into Shakespeare. Both workshops gave our learners a great deal of profound insight and information to take back and share with our theatre group and were great fun into the bargain! We also made friends with a school from near San Francisco; Marin School for the Arts and it was gratifying to see our learners mix and mingle with their peers so easily.
The following day we set off early from SCVi to compete in the competitive element of the festival. All schools are allowed to submit two monologues, one scene and one design for a production. Competition was of an exceptionally high standard and many of the 23 competing schools brought a whole range of costume, props, set and specialist performers such as puppeteers, chorus singers, dancers and musicians. Valencia High School even brought along a single-tyre electric scooter for their Malvolio to use to zip onto stage, to great comedic effect.
Our learners had spent several hours in the preceding weeks and every night last week preparing for their roles. Representing us in the monologue submissions were Belen Rivas and Adam Simpson. Belen delivered a beautifully pitched and playful Puck from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and Adam played a dark, brooding and troubled “Richard the Second.” In the scene category, Samantha Pearce and Adam Simpson took on the roles of the warring Petruchio and Kate from “Taming of the Shrew.” In the design competition, Lauren Mukherjee shared her innovative concept for the stage design of “Taming of the Shrew” based on an inverted duomo from the city of Padua. The result: of our four wonderful learners, all delivered excellent, creative and considered performances and two of the team won awards for outstanding work!
Adam Simpson was awarded ‘Outstanding Actor in a Scene’ for his portrayal of Petruchio and Lauren Mukerjee impressed the judges with her bold designs also receiving an ‘Outstanding Design’ award. Both were generously awarded books in the craft of theatre by the Chapman Arts Faculty.
Mr. Johnston would like to acknowledge Mr. Becker and the whole learner team as he was elated at how they took up the challenge and gave their all on the day!