'Shakespeare & Love' Presented By OLRC's Apprentice Program

The annual Apprentice Family Show for the Old Lyric Repertory Company 2007 season is Shakespeare & Love. It will be presented July 23 at 2 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m. and July 24 at 2 p.m. on the Utah State University campus in the Chase Fine Arts Center’s Studio Theatre (FA 224).

The apprentice showcase is made possible through the generosity of the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation and is presented by OLRC, a production program of the department of theatre at USU.

 

Tickets for Shakespeare & Love are $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12 and are available at the Caine Lyric Theatre box office, 28 W. Center, Logan. Admission is free to season Flex-Pass holders who reserve their tickets at the box office. Children under the age of 3 are not permitted in the theatre.

 

Fred Willecke, a member of Actor’s Equity Association and an OLRC regular, directs the production and heads the apprentice program this season.

 

The OLRC High School Apprentice Program provides learning opportunities for young people interested in pursuing advanced theater study. Apprentices are chosen on the basis of GPA, letters of recommendation and experience. This year’s apprentices are William Peterson (North Ogden), Bryan Buttars (West Haven), Ashley Ogzewalla (West Jordan), Clint Nordgen (West Jordan), David Husselbee (Cedar City), Curtis Eagan (Herriman City) and Scott Spencer (West Jordan).

 

According to Willecke the audience will explore, in one evening, some of William Shakespeare’s tricks and writings about love. The performance is one of OLRC’s premium events and includes Shakespeare’s most popular scenes depicting love. It features scenes from Romeo and Juliet, Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing and others.

 

Although Shakespeare is famous for many distinct genres of theater, Willecke chose scenes about love because it is a big part of every Shakespeare play.

 

“These scenes involve characters who students can identify with more easily, rather than those from Shakespeare’s more historical plays,” Willecke said.

 

Also, the situations in which Shakespeare’s characters find themselves are universal.

 

“They speak to modern times as well as Elizabethan times,” Willecke said. “We have the same problems today with over-zealous rulers and young people falling in love.”

 

Apprentices spend half of their time working on other OLRC productions and with company members and the other half working on Shakespeare & Love.

 

“The goal is to be well-rounded,” he said. “The apprentices will have experience in all aspects of the company, including costumes, props, lighting, house management, public relations and acting.”

 

“They do it all,” said Kris Bushman, OLRC stage manager.

 

Apprentice Buttars, a senior at Fremont High School, said the most challenging part of the OLRC apprentice program is doing things that he doesn’t particularly care for, such as shop or drafting.

 

“I’m not an artist,” he said. “But at the same time, I feel that everything is helping me become better.”

 

Although Willecke is directing the OLRC apprentice program for his first time, working with high school students is nothing new. Willecke spent 25 years teaching in the drama department at Highland High School in Pocatello, Idaho.

 

“It’s fun from the standpoint of working with kids again instead of highly trained professionals,” Willecke said. “They are so enthusiastic, trying and doing things. They are willing to jump in. But, it keeps me on my toes. Sometimes I have to go back and explain things again more fundamentally.”

 

The apprentices are stepping up, Willecke said.

 

“They work harder than anyone in the company, and they are still going,” he said.

 

Apprentice Peterson, a senior at Weber High School, recommends the OLRC apprentice program to all those who are seriously interested in theatre and are not afraid to work.

 

The apprentices are excited to be working with an Equity actor and believe that Willecke brings them a higher level of experience and expertise. He teaches them about theater in general, as well as new stage techniques.

 

“Working with an Equity actor really teaches you a lot about acting in general and especially what you can do to improve your talents,” said apprentice Eagan, a senior at Copper Hills High School.

 

“Because Shakespeare’s texts are heavy, one can lose interest,” said apprentice Husselbee, a senior from Cedar City High School. “The key is to involve a lot of action. The script doesn’t include instructions for blocking and direction, so you can perform it any way you want.”

 

Husselbee said Willecke has a vision of how Shakespeare & Love should be performed, although his directing style is different from what the apprentice has previously encountered.

 

“He has planned it all out and now we are creating what he’s planned,” said Husselbee. “He’ll get up on stage and show us exactly how he wants it done, using expressions and gestures. He is really easy to follow.”

 

“Fred is a fantastic director,” said Peterson. “He really pushes us to do our best and trusts that we will do it.”

 

Working with Willecke is fun, said apprentice Ogzewalla, a senior at West Jordan High.    “He’s real easy to work with,” she said. “Among many things, he taught me stage combat, which is something I’ve never done before.”

 

Apprentice Buttars said he likes Willecke’s directing style — one that he’s never experienced before. Often, his teachers have cast him in a part and let him go at it on his own. He said he likes the feedback Willecke provides.

 

“I’ve learned more in the span of a month working with Fred than from any other experience I’ve had,” Buttars said.

 

Ogzewalla said she is learning more with the OLRC than she would be at high school, and Peterson said the best part of his apprenticeship with the OLRC is the level of experience.

 

“It’s much harder than in high school,” Peterson said. “This is really going to help me out next year.”

 

The apprentices want the OLRC company members to see past the “apprentice” stereotype. “I have to step up and show what I can really do” Peterson said.

 

For Ogzewalla, the best part of being a member of the OLRC apprentice program is being able to do something she loves doing.

 

The OLRC apprentices are also able to see what Utah State University has to offer and what life on campus is like.

 

“I’m getting more than just a tour; I’m actually experiencing it,” said Buttars.

 

The OLRC 2007 season runs through Aug. 4, and productions include Cash on Delivery, The Spitfire Grill, The Member of the Wedding and Picnic. Schedule of performances can be found online at the OLRC Web site.

 

The OLRC is supported by grants from Marie Eccles Cain Foundation, George S. and Delores Doré Eccles Foundation, College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, Cache County Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Anne Kennedy Roskelley Memorial Endowment.

 

Utah State University makes the Caine Lyric Theatre available for rental at reasonable cost to Cache Valley community organizations, thanks in part to support from the City of Logan.

 

The OLRC partners with Cache Valley businesses, including Caffé Ibis, Le Nonne Italian Restaurant, Aggie Ice Cream, Utah Public Radio, Cache Radio Group, Thinker Creative and Cache Valley Center of the Arts.

 

To purchase tickets or for ticket information, contact Amber LaBau at (435) 752-1500. For general inquiries, contact Jeremy Gordon at (435) 797-1500. The Caine Lyric Theatre’s box office is located at 28 W. Center St. in Logan. OLRC’s main office is located in the Chase Fine Arts Center room 232 on the USU campus. The mailing address is 4035 Old Main Hill, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, 84322-4035.

 

 

 

Writer: Jenifer Jones, Old Lyric Repertory Company, (435) 797-1500