Blaine Community Theater will be performing The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) from August 9 to 18.
Originally written in 1987, the script was adapted to modern times, said director Nick McDonald. Cultural references were updated, and McDonald and the cast found their own jokes about reality TV to be more relevant than the original ones about action movies, for example.
The writers themselves encouraged these changes within the script. The play is highly interactive, and requires the three actors to be comfortable performing in their own skin, McDonald said.
“My job is to guide the story and make sure it’s the right roller coaster,” McDonald said. “The actors are really doing most of the heavy lifting.”
The three actors – Rossner Randolph, Alexander Gehringer and Danielle Cheyenne Palmer – play overly dramatized versions of themselves. The performance covers a slew of Shakespeare works that Randolph, Gehringer and Palmer play different roles in.
Improvisation is a given. McDonald said what the audience sees is not the same show every night.
“There’s a lot of chances to talk with the crowd. Sometimes things change depending on the crowds,” McDonald said. “The show does have a script, but there’s a lot of room for interpretation.”
Randolph recalls the rehearsal nights spent making up new jokes with McDonald and his fellow actors. He and Gehringer previously worked together on a Halloween show for Blaine Community Theater, leading to easier banter between the two of them.
“With only three actors, it’s such a big slice of the show that we each have. That’s been a fun challenge,” Randolph said. “I’ve never worked on something that was as collaborative to this degree.”
Randolph has been involved in theater productions since the fourth grade, and has performed in Shakespeare plays with Shakespeare Northwest. Acting in a two-person show prepared Randolph for his role in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).
Encouraged by Randolph, Blaine High School alumnus Gehringer decided to audition for The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). Accustomed to playing supporting roles in projects for Western theater students, Gehringer’s role in Blaine Community Theater’s show has presented him with his biggest opportunity so far as an actor.
“It was kind of daunting at first because I’ve never had to memorize so much,” Gehringer said. “Having so much dialogue with other characters makes it easier to keep track of where my lines come in.”
One of the challenges of community theater can be generational gaps, Gehringer said. Fortunately, all three actors in the show are in their twenties, making it easier to create pop culture references that they all understand.
“It’s definitely a very funny show,” Randolph said. “When I initially tell people about it, they’re usually confused but then I tell them it’s a comedy.”
“If you like Shakespeare, come see the show. If you don’t like Shakespeare, come see the show anyway and you’ll laugh,” Gehringer said.
Tickets are $15, with a discounted price of $13 for students and seniors. This show will be the first of a new Repeat Offenders program. Ticket buyers will receive a voucher that allows them to come back and see the show again on another date for just $5, McDonald said.
Performances will be held August 9 to 18, at the black box theater at Blaine High School at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays.
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