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Shakespeare (back) in the park

By Amy Jacobus

Go ahead and bring the birthday cake outside! This year marks Riverside Theatre’s 10th annual Shakespeare Festival, and its outdoor theater has been restored just in time for performances to begin.

The company will present Shakespeare’s fantastical comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at 8 p.m. Friday and the play will run in rotation through July 12 along with the sinister history “Richard III,” which opens June 19.

Ron Clark, resident artist and production manager, says the festival has really matured in the past decade.

“The first year we had no clue,” Clark says. “We studied other festivals, but we were very conservative.”

In its first year, the festival featured nine performances of one play in two weeks. A decade later, it has grown to include 23 performances of two plays spanning five weeks. The staff has grown, too. For example, originally employing one costume designer and one assistant, the company now uses three full-time costume staff and five or six part-time assistants.

While the festival has expanded in many ways, Clark says, some of the improvements have evolved from scaling back.

“We do a lot less scenically,” he says. The company discovered that set design is unnecessary given the natural charm of the outdoor, Elizabethan-inspired performance space.

The theater itself, of course, is a major part of the festival experience. The Riverside Theatre Festival Stage in Iowa City’s Lower City Park fell victim to the flood mere days before last year’s festival was slated to begin, and the company relocated to City High School auditorium. Now the theater is back up and running, equipped with brand new seats, wiring and plumbing.

Jody Hovland, Riverside’s artistic director, says she sometimes loses focus on her acting because she’s so thrilled to be back outdoors.

“I was on stage in rehearsal the other night and it was all I could do to keep my focus and not just stop and stare at the reflecting pond and the moon,” Hovland says. “Even though the air conditioning was nice, we missed our moon. We were never so well reminded of how important place is. We just love our home in City Park.”

Kristin Horton, director of “Richard III,” also admires the space — but she enjoys the stage for reasons other than its aesthetic appeal.

“At the beginning of the show, the house doesn’t darken like in an indoor theater,” Horton says. “It’s a very communal experience — the actors get to speak directly to the audience. Shakespeare was very aware of his audience also.”

Yes, Shakespeare knew what his audiences wanted. Romance. Murder. Comedy. Mayhem. This year’s festival-goers will find all of these and more in the summer repertory.

Horton says “Richard III” plays out “like a suspense thriller. I think there’s something very seductive in who Richard is and part of the fun of the play is watching him manipulate and charm his way to get what he wants. There comes a certain point where he crosses the line. For everyone that’s going to be a different place in the story. When are we seduced and when are we repulsed?”

Hovland thinks audiences will be surprised by how exciting the dark history truly is. She says “Richard III” offers a brilliant contrast when running alongside one of Shakespeare’s most famous comedies.

“‘Midsummer’ is a perennial favorite,” Hovland says. “It has mischief and romance and unlimited joy. Conversely, ‘Richard III’ is much less commonly produced. This is a unique opportunity to see this play about such a fascinating character. Horton sees it as a noir play — a hard-driving thriller. It has that kind of propulsion. From the very first speech, the audience becomes Richard’s confidant and goes with him on a very dark journey.”

Though the audience begins its journey at the opening monologue, the actors have been preparing for the festival since May 12. Hovland says the casts work three and a half hours on each play per day for six days a week. This month of preparation is a “luxurious schedule,” she says, when economic woes have led other theatre companies to cut back on their number of rehearsals.

No matter the recession, Riverside does not plan to reduce its rehearsal times.

“We just can’t do that,” Hovland says. “We just won’t do that. We think it’s important to have that cooking time to really investigate the plays and open with as much confidence and clarity that we can.”

Such clarity is needed when many of the actors star in both plays and take on multiple roles. Some even hold administrative positions.

Patrick Dulaney, who plays Bottom in “Midsummer” and Hastings in “Richard III,” says making the quick switch from comedy to history isn’t as difficult as one might assume. The challenge is in fully realizing each role.

“Because they are two tonally different pieces it becomes easy,” Dulaney says. “I look at the character and I start with: ‘How is this person like me?’ In the end, as an actor, the one unique thing you have is yourself. You start with a core of truth and then you magnify it.”

Finding that personal truth in Shakespeare’s plays may take a bit of digging according to Mallory Portnoy. Portnoy feels more comfortable in her comedic role as Helena in “Midsummer” and has to spend more time studying the text in order to relate to her part as Lady Anne in “Richard III.”

“One of the difficulties is embracing the circumstances,” Portnoy says. “They are so grand. The tragedies are so tragic you have to figure out a way to connect.”

Ron Clark, who adds four acting parts and directing “Midsummer” to his job as production manager, likens his accrual of many roles in this year’s festival to a famous juggler who used to perform on the Ed Sullivan Show. Clark says the juggler had 30 to 40 plates on rotating atop long sticks. He’d dart from one stick to the next, constantly trying to keep them spinning.

“It feels like that.”

To order tickets or learn more about the festival, visit Riverside Theatre online or call the box office at (319) 338-7672. Tickets are $25 to $37.

Green Shows, shortened versions of each play, begin one hour before every show and take place on a stage to the left of the festival stage, near the pavilion. These quick, comical interpretations of the works are performed by interns with the Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival.

Here is the schedule of main performances:

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
June 12, 8 p.m.
June 13, 8 p.m.
June 14, 7 p.m.
June 24, 8 p.m.
June 25, 8 p.m.
June 28, 7 p.m.
June 30, 7 p.m.
July 2, 8 p.m.
July 3, 8 p.m.
July 7, 7 p.m.
July 8, 8 p.m.
July 11, 8 p.m.
July 12, 7 p.m.

Richard III
June 19, 8 p.m.
June 20, 8 p.m.
June 21, 7 p.m.
June 23, 7 p.m.
June 26, 8 p.m.
June 27, 8 p.m.
July 1, 8 p.m.
July 5, 7 p.m.
July 9, 8 p.m.
July 10, 8 p.m.