1. A ModernTale for Winter
CSU’sProduction of ‘TheWinter’sTale’
By: LaurenScott
Shakespeare’s TheWinter’sTale mightbe bestknownandrememberedforaspecificstage direction,
“exit,pursuedbyabear.” Althoughthisdirectiongivesanaccurate depictionof the playassurprising
and intense,thereismore toit thanmeetsthe eye. TheWinter’s Tale offersaudiencesanexperience
not seeninmany plays:botha tragedyand comedyinone.ThisDecember,forthe firsttime ina very
longtime,the ColoradoState UniversityTheatre Department takesonafull-lengthShakespeareplay,
sharingwiththe audience one of hisgreatest,yetmostunder-ratedworks.
Ledby directorEric Prince, the technical elementsandactingtechniqueshave fused tocreate amodern
worlddepictingthemesof family,love,andloss.“Ibelieve TheWinter’sTale may be one of the
strongeststudentShakespeare showsyouare everlikelytosee,”saysPrince.“We are all workinghard
and are reallycommitted.”Ateverylevel,thisshow isamajor challenge the departmenthasfully
embracedandbuiltintoa powerful storyforall audiences.The tale openswithaslideshow of anew
familyintheirhappiestdays,whichislaterjuxtaposedwithafamilyleftinturmoil andsadness.It
followsLeontes,Kingof Sicilia andhisgentle wife,Hermione.Leontesendsupbecomingsuspiciousthat
hiswife mayhave beenhavinganaffairwithhisclose friend andKingof Bohemia,Polixenes.Afterthe
apparentdeathof Hermione,the playswitchesfromatragictale to a light-heartedstoryfollowingher
neglecteddaughtersixteenyearslater. ThisShakespeareanproductionisuniqueintwodistinctways:
first,itis setinmodernday,and second,ittakesplace intwo verydifferentworlds.
“I wantedto make itas accessible aspossible foramodernaudience,”explainsPrince astowhya
moderntime periodwaschosen.“Iwasalsoinfluencedbythe Royal National TheatreinLondon’s
productionof Othello whichhelpedme see the playina completelyfresh,excitingway.”Thishasmade
quite the impacton costume designer,DevinAnders,andsetdesigner, RogerHanna. “The textual
referencesof itemsof clothingorprofessionsandthingsthatdon’texistinthe same way,”saysAnders,”
I wouldsaywas one of the biggestchallenges.” Puttingthe playinamodernsettinghasalsohelped
spotlightcertainthemes.A majortheme isgenderrolesandthe modernsetdesignhashelpedto
emphasize thisidea.“The worldof the playisdefinitelyaplace where menrule andwomenare treated
savagely,”explainsHanna.Setpieceslike a20-footdeskbelongingtoLeontesand10-footdoorsusedas
a major focal pointall helptodefine the masculine feel of the firsthalf of the play.
Anothermajorchallenge everyone involvedfacedwasthe juxtapositionbetweenscenesinSiciliaand
scenesinBohemia.Siciliaiswhere the wholefirsthalf of the show takesplace.Ithasa classicroyal feel
and isruledbyLeontesandHermione.Bohemia,onthe otherhand,isplacedina muchmore relaxed
countrysettinganddominatesmostof the secondhalf.Costuminghelpsoutalot inthisrespect,with
Andersexplainingthat“the overall goal of mydesignwas to visuallyaddtoandenhance the high
contrast inthe show.”Therefore,the charactersinSiciliawearbusinessprofessionalsuits,ties,skirts,
and heels.Everythingissleekandsophisticated.Thenwe gettoBohemiawhere the characterssport
jeans,boloties,andoverallsastheysingaroundbalesof hay. Asfar as the set goes,projectionswill play
a huge role in creatingthe new,freshworldof Bohemia. The giantdoorsthatsetthe tone in Siciliawill
have left,leavingspace forthe projectionstoproduce acoherentcompositionforthisshiftintime and
place.
2. Perhapsthe playissummedupbestby a line fromMamillius,sonof Hermione andLeontes:“A sad
tale’sbestforwinter.Ihave one of spritesandgoblins.”Althoughitisastory of intense emotion, The
Winter’s Tale alsomakesroom foradventure and evenabit of magic. And if youwere excitedabout
seeingthe famousstage directiontake place before youreyes,youmostcertainlywill notbe
disappointed.Don’tmissoutonyourchance to see thatand more from WilliamShakespeare’s The
Winter’s Tale, takingplace inthe UniversityTheaterinthe UCA December4, 5, 10, 11, and12 at 7:30
p.m.and December6 and13 at 2 p.m.
