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+--- Thread: Shakespeare Festival At Concannon Vineyard, Livermore, CA (/thread-2496.html)
- jennylynn - 07-23-2002
Romantic Comedy Comes to life in Livermore - Shakespeare Style!
(Tri-Valley) Valley Shakespeare Festival, the Tri-Valley's newest non-profit theater company, began rehearsals this week for Shakespeare's Romantic Comedy, Love's Labour's Lost. This play of clowns and lovers will be offered under the night sky at Concannon Vineyards in Livermore August 9th through the 25th, with a cast of 16 professional actors, bright colors, and not a small amount of low-humor. "Shakespeare wrote this play for Queen Elizabeth, after she expressed an extreme fondness for the Italian Commedia troupe that visited England. The clowns fall in love; the gentles fall in love; the gentles clown and the clowns turn gentle. It is truly a romantic comedy, full of delight, sweetness and bawdy humor," suggested Lisa A. Tromovitch, Valley Shakes' Artistic Director. "And we're doing it the way it was meant to be done, with food and wine in hand, outdoors in a relaxed, adult atmosphere. I imagine it to be a perfect couples-outing for friends who want something fun and cultural to do together."
"The idea is to start a new professional theater company for the Tri-Valley area," explained Producing Director Gabriel Campbell. "My wife, Jenny Lynn Campbell, and I are homeowners here. We also happen to have professional theater backgrounds. We see a need here and we'd like to fill it." The Campbells enlisted the help of director Tromovitch, who had worked professionally with Jenny Lynn, in part as co-founders of the now 10-year-old Maine Shakespeare Festival. "The Tri-Valley community has really grown the last several years. Many of us commute to work. Once we commute home, it'd be nice to have professional theater available to us year-round. The artists are willing to come from all over to help make art happen here in the Tri-Valley. We're building that bridge between the greater arts community and our Tri-Valley community," added Jenny Lynn.
Cast members include: Norman Gee as Berowne, recently returned from a stint at New York's famed P.S.122; Michael Shipley as King Ferdinand, whose resume includes Utah, Idaho and San Francisco Shakespeare Festivals; Erica Rice of Los Angeles as the Princess of France who has also worked with Jean Johnston (Rosaline) and Andy Justus (Dumaine) at Shakespeare Santa Cruz. Mike Dederian of Pacifica (a favorite actor of several East Bay companies) and Erica Sodos (a.k.a. clown Rosey Rose Bud) of Berkeley together lead the clown troupe which includes: Christen Karle of San Francisco; Josh Ergas of Berkeley; and Tara Prescott, who grew up in Livermore. Also anchoring the artists in the local community is Kimberly Bury of Livermore, playing Maria across from David Bates, who is looking forward to putting his masters degree from the acclaimed NYU program to use. "We have a very talented cast, with experience and training from all over the country. It looks to be a very exciting show," added Tromovitch.
Show times are 8:00 PM Fridays and Saturdays, and 7:00 PM Sundays, August 9th- 25th, at Concannon Vineyard in Livermore. Gates open an hour and a half before show time. Tickets are $30 and $50 for Opening Night. Student/Senior/Military/Group discounts available. Tickets and information are available through the theater's web site at www.valleyshakes.org or by calling 925-556-9624.
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About Valley Shakespeare Festival:
Valley Shakespeare Festival is the Tri-Valley’s newest performing arts group, and is dedicated to bringing quality theatre to the area with professional performers and classical material. LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST marks Valley Shakespeare Festival’s inaugural season. www.valleyshakes.org
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About Concannon Vineyard:
History drips from the ivy-covered walls of Concannon where over a century of tradition has been bottled into wines of distinct character and individuality. Lose yourself in another era while enjoying wines that blend tradition with a modern-day zeal for excellence. Established in 1883, Concannon Vineyard has been producing award-winning wines for 120 years. The winery’s estate vineyards are planted in unique gravelly soil situated just east of the San Francisco Bay. As the first winery to produce a varietal Petite Sirah, Concannon continues to be a benchmark for the California wine industry. www.concannonvineyard.com