Although The Utah Shakespeare Festival is located across the street from Southern Utah University, nothing can separate the tie that connects USF to SUU and its students.
USF is a Tony award-winning theatre festival with shows that run from mid-June to mid-October. It is the host of many theatre professionals during these months as well as during the off-season.
“[It’s] built on a rotating repertory where a single company transforms every night to do multiple shows,” said USF artistic director John DiAntonio. “That goes beyond the actors, everybody has to wear multiple hats.”
Who’s who at USF
The 63rd season marks DiAntonio’s first with the festival. Previously, he was the Producing Artistic Director at Creede Repertory Theatre in Creede, Colorado, a position he held for several years before joining the team at USF.
“I’ve always put [USF] up on a pedestal as the pinnacle of great Shakespearean acting in this country. I’ve always loved it,” said DiAntonio, “So when the opportunity arose, it was sort of the biggest no brainer in history.
Joining DiAntonio in leading the festival is Executive Managing Director Michael Bahr. While it is Bahr’s first official year in this position, he has been the Interim Executive Managing Director since November 2022. Prior to this, he was USF’s Education Director for over 20 years.
“He is the most beloved man within a 10 mile radius. His energy level is unparalleled, his investment in this place is unparalleled,” said DiAntonio. “You want to work with people that care deeply about what they’re doing, and no one cares more than Michael Bahr.”
Programs and Initiatives
“Our cornerstone is on the works of William Shakespeare and has been for 63 years, but there’s a little something for everyone when it comes to programming,” said DiAntonio.
The festival is home to not only the repertory within its season, but also many programs and initiatives that set it apart from other theatres of its kind. One such initiative is the “Complete the Canon” initiative, a commitment from USF officials to produce the entirety of William Shakespeare’s works.
”Because Shakespeare is our cornerstone, years back, we made a pledge to complete the Canon… …so that audiences can see the lesser known Shakespeare works,” said DiAntonio.
This initiative follows in the footsteps of USF founder Fred C. Adams.
“His original sort of programming method was a well known comedy, a well known tragedy and then a lesser known work,” said DiAntonio.
Another program that makes USF so special is the Southern Utah University Fellowship Program, which grants fellowships to ten SUU students, five in performance and five in tech. DiAntonio has worked the most with the acting fellows, Zac Barnaby, Gracelyn Erickson, Rockwell MacGillivray, Emily Wheeler and Gabe Wright. All five actors are in “The Winter’s Tale,” and four of them star in “The Greenshow” each night.
”They bring this wonderful hunger to the rehearsal room. They want to learn from the older actors who are maybe a little further in their career and whatnot,” said DiAntonio. “That is such a good thing for a company, that spirit that they bring, because that feeds everybody… …it becomes this beautiful cycle where everyone’s looking out for everyone.”
USF has many events other than the shows they put on. In addition to their matinee and evening performances, patrons can enjoy backstage tours, play and production seminars with members of the company, occasional Curtain Call Luncheons and an event called Repertory Magic, where audiences can watch the crew change the sets in one of the theaters.
DiAntonio feels that most theatres and festivals promote the idea of a “festival,” but only offer one show per night.
“Here you have the opportunity to fully immerse in the culture of theatre arts. If you want it, it is there for you,” said DiAntonio.
The SUU Connection
Because USF is connected to SUU, it has many advantages that festivals unaffiliated with universities do not. This includes typical job benefits like health insurance, but extends far past that.
“These facilities, which are unparalleled, are only possible because of our connection to a university,” said DiAntonio. “I pinch myself that we’re doing theatre in these spaces that are just world renowned, top notch spaces”
The festival also benefits creatively from their relationship to SUU and the department of Theatre, Dance, and Arts Administration.
“In the offseason, when we forget why we do this, we get to go attend the Theatre Arts productions which are phenomenal,” said DiAntonio. “I got to see all the shows this year and I was taking notes, I was blown away by everybody. It was such a lovely thing while we were still months away from our season to be able to take in some great theatre.”
REACH
USF is also home to an artist-run program, Really Eager Artists Crying Hire. REACH fundraises to bring “artistic directors, casting directors, directors and agents of theatre, film and television from all over the country to the Utah Shakespeare Festival each season.”
REACH has multiple fundraising initiatives, including their weekly cabarets, which happen Thursday nights at Off the Cuff Comedy after performances of “Henry VIII.”
“It can feel very isolating when it comes to ‘how do I get my next gig?’ but this is a way to set up that next gig all throughout the summer,” said DiAntonio. “It’s an incredible opportunity to build your network and help set up your next gig or maybe a gig a few years from now.”
The 2024 season at USF is made up of seven shows across their three spaces. Four of seven are Shakespeare’s works, while the other three are contemporary pieces.
The Englestad Shakespeare Theatre
The Englestad, USF’s open air globe-style theater, is home to three of Shakespeare’s works this season: “King Henry VIII,” “The Winter’s Tale” and “The Taming of the Shrew.”
“Henry VIII” is the final of Shakepeare’s histories to be performed as part of the “Complete the Canon” initiative, and is being performed at USF for the first time in 30 years. It follows King Henry VII as outside forces influence his consideration of defying the church and seeking a divorce from Katherine of Aragon. It is directed by Derek Charles Livingston.
“It’s this epic drama, but what I love about this production is it feels so human, so immediate,” said DiAntonio.
DiAntonio’s favorite of Shakespeare’s plays, “The Winter’s Tale” follows King Leontes as he suspects his wife of having an affair with his best friend. The show, which features Shakespeare’s most famous stage direction, “exit, pursued by bear,” pivots in the second act to become joyful and hilarious with what DiAntonio says is one of the greatest Shakespeare endings. It is directed by Carolyn Howarth.
“It’s got one of the most beautiful endings in the whole canon when done right,” said DiAntonio. “I think this production really is a beautiful production that does it right.”
Perhaps the most well known show in the Englestad this season, “The Taming of the Shrew” centers around Katherina, a wild woman whose younger sister Bianca isn’t permitted to marry until Kate does. A man named Petruchio enters the show and takes on the mission of marrying Kate. It is known for being one of Shakespeare’s most controversial works in the modern day.
“We’re doing the induction, which is rarely done: this introduction that Shakespeare wrote into the play that probably 80% of the time is cut,” said DiAntonio. “So for any Shakespeare buffs, this is your chance to see it.”
USF’s production of “Taming” is directed by Valerie Rachelle and stars DiAntonio and his wife, Caitlin Wise, as Petruchio and Kate.
“As an actor, you’re always trying to build great trust so that you can very much be in the moment and listen and respond to your scene partner and create that very live experience that we all fall in love with in theater,” said DiAntonio. “When you’re acting opposite your partner you kind of get a head start on that in a way since that trust is already so high.”
The Randall L. Jones Theatre
This season at USF has two shows in their proscenium-style theater, one Shakespeare and one contemporary: “Much Ado About Nothing” and “The 39 Steps,” adapted by Patrick Barlow, from the Novel by John Buchan, from the Movie by Alfred Hitchcock, with an original concept by Nobby Dimon and Simon Corble.
“Much Ado About Nothing,” directed by Brad Carroll, famously follows rivals-to-lovers Beatrice and Benedick as their families, friends and other silly circumstances push them together. Festival frequent Melinda Parrett stars as Beatrice, while first time company member Walter Kmeic plays Benedick.
“They’re the epitome of the romantic comedy couple sparring wits back and forth, and you just fall in love with those guys from the audience perspective,” said DiAntonio.
“The 39 Steps,” directed by Aaron Galligan-Stierle, takes the Alfred Hitchcock film and turns it into a comedy, with four actors playing over 150 characters.It follows Richard Hannay, who has his life uprooted when he meets a young woman named Annabella Schmidt. He takes her back to his apartment upon her urging and is met with surprise when he wakes the next morning to find a knife in her back.
“He’s been framed with this murder, and then the chase goes all throughout England and Scotland and whatnot and it couldn’t be more fun,” said DiAntonio.
The Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre
USF’s intimate black box theatre hosts two plays during the 2024 season, “The Mountaintop” by Katori Hall and “Silent Sky” by Lauren Gunderson, both of which are inspired by true events.
Set on the final day of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, “The Mountaintop” is a “what could have been” story that takes place at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
“It’s a fiction of what may have been on his shoulders and what he may have been going through that final night of his life,” said DiAntonio.
Directed by Cameron Knight, “The Mountaintop” is the only play in the season to not have an intermission, with the cast of just two actors remaining on stage for the almost two hour runtime.
“It’s an hour and 50 minutes but for me, it feels like 15 minutes. I’m just so gripped and the performances are just fantastic,” said DiAntonio, who also remarked that the two tissues he brought to opening night were not enough for the emotion evoked by the show.
”Silent Sky,” directed by Melinda Pfundstein, follows Henrietta Leavitt and a group of female computers at Harvard Observatory who were unsung heroes in the efforts to discover where in the universe we are.
“[It is a] beautiful drama that juxtaposes you know, work versus family versus faith versus science,” said DiAntonio.
Both Anes shows feature projections brought to life by the five new projectors in the space.
“In a way the whole space becomes sort of a planetarium,” said DiAntonio. “It’s so filled with stars you feel like you’re both taking in a beautiful show, and also at the planetarium.”
The Greenshow
“The Greenshow,” a set of original short musicals written and directed by SUU professor Britannia Howe, are free, family friendly performances that take place at 7:10 before each Engelstad show on the Ashton Family Greenshow Commons. “The Greenshow” features six performers, four of which are current acting fellows and two of which are acting fellows from USF’s 2023 season returning to do “Greenshow” again.
“It’s a celebration of dance, music, language, clowning, comedy, romance, everything,” said DiAntonio.
Each “Greenshow” is written to accompany the Englestad shows and are performed before the evening shows. Before “Henry VIII,” the Greenshow actors put on “Royals,” “Folk Festival” accompanies “The Winter’s Tale” and “Commedia” is presented before “The Taming of the Shrew.”
“I love it more and more every time. So I think if you’ve never seen a show, it’s a great way to start,” said DiAntonio, who is a regular “Greenshow” attendee, along with Wise and their three children.
“The Greenshow” also features a collaboration with the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, with “Paiute Heritage and Celebration” having occurred on July 8 and 23 with a final performance slated to take place Aug. 29.
Getting Involved With USF
There are many opportunities for SUU students to be involved with the festival. The easiest of which is to see a show using the Student Access Pass. For forty dollars, students can see as many performances at USF as they want to.
“The entertainment is world class, it’s top notch and I think if you’re not taking advantage of it, you’re missing one of the great benefits of going to SUU,” said DiAntonio.
SUU as an institution puts a large emphasis on Shakespeare in their theatre program, making the opportunity to see professional Shakespeare performances for a low price invaluable.
“You probably had to read it back in high school, but if you haven’t had the opportunity to experience it, to hear it, to see it in action, it’s a whole different thing,” said DiAntonio. “I love me some Netflix too, but there’s nothing like seeing a live show on that first or second row and you see the sweat of the actor, you see the teardrop fall. It’s such a beautiful experience.“
DiAntonio encourages SUU students to not only attend the festival, but to say hello to him if he is out and about and get his recommendations on what shows to see.
“This place has been built on connection, on building relationships,” said DiAntonio. “Please say ‘hi,’ I’d love to meet you and I hope that [The Utah Shakespeare Festival] can become part of your tradition and one of your favorite things about going to SUU.”
Author: Tessa Cheshire
Editor: Heather Turner
Copy Editor: Ava Miner
Photos courtesy of Karl Hugh
eic@suunews.net
This article was originally published in the August 2024 edition of the University Journal