November 4 - November 6, 2016
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19th Annual Theatre Forum Sonja Bruzauskas, Tom Foral, Chesley Santoro Krohn, Felicia Hardison Londré, Kate Pogue, Vern Sutton, Ann Thompson August to April Series |
 The Forum will present performances, recitals, lectures, research projects and lecture-demonstrations to compare the Spanish theatre of Miguel de Cervantes (creator of Don Quixote), and the English theatre of William Shakespeare. Both of these writers lived in a glorious time, both dominated their national theatres, and both died in 1616, four hundred years ago this year. Click here to view and print downloadable brochure. To request a brochure by mail, email reservations@festivalhill.org or call 979-249-3129. Presenters from all over the country include Tom Foral, Felicia Hardison Londré, Vern Sutton, Ann Thompson, Sonja Bruzauskas, Chesley Santoro Krohn, and Kate Pogue. See bios below. Student Research Project The Sidney Berger Shakespeare Theatre Research Award for student scholarship focused on the theatre goes to George Martin for his paper entitled "Troubled with the Stone" or Deus Pecuniaque ex Machina, the subject being "The economics of castration in Massinger's The Renegado, Heywood's The Fair Maid of the West, and Rembrandt's The Baptism of the Eunuch". The award honors Dr. Sidney Berger who chaired the School of Theatre at the University of Houston, was the Artistic Director for the Houston Shakespeare Festival for 35 years, and helped in the founding years of the Theatre Forum at Festival Hill. View G. Martin Paper. The Mabel Leininger Award for Student Research for excellence in subjects related to Renaissance dramatic literature goes to LeeAnne Beckham Carlson for her paper entitled "Warring Views on Kingship as Seen Through Setting," a paper which analyses the effect of setting, dramatically and theatrically, on works of theatre with a particular focus on Shakespeare's Henry IV parts 1 and 2. This award honors Kate Pogue's grandmother whose graduate work in English at Northwestern University culminated with a Master's degree in English in 1905. Her thesis was on dramatic criticism embedded in Shakespeare's work and reminds us of the critical work that was done by women scholars in the 19th and 20th centuries. View L.B. Carlson Paper. World Premiere of Chamber Opera Performers in the opera include Sonja Bruzauskas, mezzo-soprano; Todd Miller, tenor; Octavio Moreno, baritone; Vern Sutton, baritone; Anne Leek, oboe; Erika Johnson, cello; Alexander Potiomkin, clarinet; Masahito Sugihara, saxophone; and Tali Morgulis, piano. Taking full advantage of the picturesque Festival Hill Campus, the three-day Theatre Forum also offers a tour of grounds and buildings, morning walks with Ann Thompson, and appetizing meals in the Victorian-style Menke House dining hall, as well as an open-air lunch in the lush Menke gardens on Saturday. Though casual dress is the norm for events, formal dress is encouraged for the Saturday evening reception in the Menke House Parlours followed by a gourmet dinner in the dining hall. Overnight accommodations are available. Complimentary breakfast is included. Please call the office or email reservations@festivalhill.org to check availability and make reservations. Refund Policy: A 20% cancellation fee for registration, meals and lodging applies until October 21. No refunds will be issued after October 21. Office/Information/Reservations: 979-249-3129 Location information below Performances, Recitals and Lectures Felicia Londré, award-winning author and professor from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, presents a thrilling video lecture introducing our audience to the highlights of Golden Age theatre and culture in Spain and England. The end of the 16th and the early years of the 17th century found Spain and England to be rivals in exploration, in the settlement of the New World, and in literature, music and art. Comparing the Spanish Miguel de Cervantes and the English William Shakespeare leads to a deeper insight to the work of each. Felicia's talks always lead to surprises and "Ah ha!" moments not to be missed, especially in this year honoring these two peerless writers. - presented on Friday at 7:30 p.m. by Felicia Londré  Tom Foral and Kate Pogue have chosen some of the greatest of Shakespeare's speeches and scenes to perform for your pleasure. Come and be reminded of the extraordinary verbal imagination at work in Shakespeare's plays and poems—and be ready for a surprise at the end! - Saturday at 9:30 a.m., featuring Tom Foral and Kate Pogue Performance/Talk: Zarzuela: Music and the Spanish Opera Ann Thompson has unearthed a Spanish musical treatment (a Zarzuela) of Cervantes's great work, Don Quixote. Her lectures (which she prefers to call simply talks) have entranced audiences in Houston and the surrounding area for three decades or more. Ann's wit, charm, originality, and deep research have opened many minds and hearts to the glories of opera. Here she introduces us to the particular form of musical operetta (a kind of comic folk opera) popular in Spain but less known in other countries. - Saturday at 10:30 a.m., featuring Ann Thompson with Sonja Bruzauskas  Marec Béla Stevens and Walter Steffens Marec Béla Steffens writes, "The chamber opera, Two Cells in Sevilla, with music by my father Walter Steffens is probably the first opera ever where a son wrote a libretto for his father. It is about a monk in a cloister, and a nobleman in debtors' prison, who are underfed by the cook who is in charge of both their institutions. She is an avid reader of romances, thus both the nobleman and the monk realise they have to write stories for her. So they start competing for her attention, and develop two characters for her, Don Juan and Don Quixote. A servant is part of the action, representing a giant subdued by Don Quixote, and later delivering a letter by Shakespeare's Sir John Falstaff." http://www.maerchenkater.de/Texas.htm - Saturday at 1:30 p.m., world premier of an original opera Recital/Lecture: Interludes, Songs, and Musical Accompaniments: Lope de Vega and Music in Spanish Play Construction Much is known of the uses of music in the theatre of Shakespeare. The Spanish theatre also incorporated music in less familiar ways. In this talk, Vern Sutton, performer, teacher, and researcher, details the many ways Spanish playwrights found music to be essential in their productions. - Saturday at 8:30 p.m., featuring Vern Sutton  Enjoy songs from Man of La Mancha, the musical inspired by Miguel de Cervantes and his seventeenth-century masterpiece Don Quixote. The 1964 musical tells the story of the "mad" knight, Don Quixote, as a play within a play, performed by Cervantes and his fellow prisoners as he awaits a hearing with the Spanish Inquisition. The storyline combines a semi-fictional episode from the life of Cervantes with scenes from his novel. The musical was adapted from Dale Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote, with lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh. The Impossible Dream (The Quest) is the most popular song from the production. Join the cast on the Festival Concert Hall stage as they perform selections from the award-winning Man of La Mancha. - Sunday at 10:00 a.m., featuring Chesley Krohn and Company Biographies       Location InformationFestival Hill Campus Location (one-half mile north of Round Top on State Highway 237): 248 Jaster Rd, Round Top, TX 78954 Google MapService Building Location: #22 on Campus Map Edythe Bates Old Chapel Location: #8 on Campus Map Concert Hall Location: #6 on Campus Map Menke House Location: 141 Jaster Rd, Round Top, TX 78954 #16 on Campus Map |
