Delaware Shakespeare Announces New Leadership

The contents of this post comes from a press release from Delaware Shakespeare... 

Delaware Shakespeare will begin 2024 with two dynamic arts leaders heading up the state’s largest professional Shakespeare company:

• Mariah Ghant, now the artistic associate and literary manager for the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia, will become Delaware Shakespeare’s artistic director.
• Robert Tombari, now the program director of Goshen Theater in Goshen, Indiana, will step into the role of managing director.

DelShakes' new Managing Director, Robert Tombari,
and new Artistic Director, Mariah Ghant. 

“After a months-long search, the board and I are incredibly excited to welcome Mariah and Robert to Delaware, and to introduce our audiences to them,” said Julie Russ, president of the board of Delaware Shakespeare. “Individually, they impressed us with their talent, their passion, and their drive to continue the work that David Stradley has pursued over the last decade. Together, they’ll be unstoppable.”

Delaware Shakespeare audiences will recognize Ghant as having played Hippolyta/Titania in the company’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Rodney Square, and last summer as the title role in Macbeth. She has served a term on the Delaware Shakespeare Artistic Squad and has held various arts administration roles in Philadelphia, as well as being a former Arden Theatre Company Apprentice (Class 26), a member of Theatre Contra, and an improviser with ComedySportz Philly. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, she is an alumna of Vassar College.

"I have a strong desire to continue making meaningful art for the Delaware community, a vibrant collection of folks and organizations who have embraced me and my artistry,” Ghant said. “This is a team and an organization that has an incredible opportunity to develop theatre for everyone in the community, and I look forward to the journey ahead!"

Tombari has been the program director of Goshen Theater since 2022. Robert and his partner, Peter, are both from Spokane, Washington. While living in Washington, Robert co-founded The Spokane Shakespeare Society, served as board president of Stage Left Theater, and was the executive director of Spokane Ensemble Theatre. He has previously served on the board of Goshen Pride, and is a current board member/production team member of The Cursed Players based in Los Angeles. He received his BA in Performance from Boise State University, and his MFA in Acting from The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

“It’s exciting to be joining such an amazing organization as Del Shakes,” Tombari said. “The work that previous leadership, board members, artists, creatives, and volunteers have done for this organization shows me how community minded and forward thinking it is, and I am excited to continue to work for and with my new community.”

David Stradley has led Delaware Shakespeare as the company’s producing artistic director since 2011, spearheading a period of exponential growth that saw the creation of the Delaware Shakespeare Community Tour and art programming throughout the state. He will step down from his role at the end of the year.

"I'm elated that Mariah and Robert have said 'yes' to leading Del Shakes during its continued evolution as a community-centered theatre company,” Stradley said. “It's been an honor to work with Mariah as a member of the Artistic Squad and watch her lead a wide variety of programs that spoke to a broad mix of Delawareans. And I can already tell that Robert is going to be a force upon his arrival in Wilmington, embracing the opportunity to provide theatre for as many of his new neighbors as possible. I look forward to supporting them both, and joining you all as audiences for the thrilling experiences that are coming our way."

Ghant and Tombari will announce plans for the 2024 season of Delaware Shakespeare early next year.

About Delaware Shakespeare
Now in its twenty-first season, Delaware Shakespeare creates year-round professional theatre and learning programs for residents and friends of the State of Delaware. At Del Shakes, people from all walks of life celebrate and explore their shared humanity through the lens of Shakespearean work.

Macbeth Comes to Life in Innovative DelShakes Production

By Mike Logothetis
Theater reviewer Mike Logothetis grew up in North Wilmington, performing in school and local theater productions. He lives in Newark, but you can find him wherever the arts are good.

The ensemble fights for Scotland. Photo by Alessandra Nicole.

Macbeth comes to life in an innovative production by Delaware Shakespeare in its 21st year of outdoor theatre at beautiful Rockwood Park. Utilizing two stages keeps the action moving as theater patrons descend the chute of bloody tragedy that is “The Scottish Play.” (Actors dare not speak its name during a production run.) Director AZ Espinoza has their cast enter and exit both stages from a variety of angles which changes the audience’s collective perspective as scenes change.

“By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes.” — The Witches

The classic Shakesperean tale of Macbeth exposes the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition to those who seek power. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, celebrated general Macbeth (Mariah Ghant) slays King Duncan (Katherine Perry) and takes the Scottish throne for himself. But he is quickly consumed by guilt and suspicion of those closest to him.

Consequently, Macbeth is forced to commit more murders and spiral deeper into paranoia and
tyrannical rule. The bloodbath swiftly takes Macbeth and his queen (Ciera Gardner) into the realms of madness and eventual death.

That’s my summary of the plot, but if you arrive at the park early, you can see four actors perform a “Macbeth in two minutes” routine which is hysterical and pretty accurate. Other pre-show entertainment includes a game of “Scottish Ninja Warrior” involving a spirited version of Capture the Flag and a dance-off. There is a nightly “orientation” at 6:50 before the comedy bits and games begin. The actual play runs just under 2.5 hours with one 15-minute intermission.

“What’s done cannot be undone.” — Lady Macbeth

The power of Macbeth resides in our sympathy with those who are spiraling downward. Ghant and especially Gardner take us with them as they journey to deeper and deeper depths of despair. We witness Gardner’s Lady Macbeth gleefully bathing in power yet to be assumed (or earned). We see literal blood on the hands of Macbeth after his unspeakable deeds. The Witches foretold this “violent sorrow” in the opening act, but how things unfold is revelatory.

Hecate (Katherine Perry) and the three witches
(CJ Higgins, Rachel O’Hanlon-Rodriguez,and Kimie Muroya)
greet Macbeth (Mariah Ghant).
Photo by Alessandra Nicole.

Returning to the Witches or Weird Sisters…
they are the best part of the show. CJ Higgins, Kimmie Muroya, and Rachel O’Hanlon-Rodriguez dominate the natural (and supernatural?) setting with their synchronized physical movements, pitter-patter of language, and eerie energy. The arrival of Hecate (Katherine Perry), queen of the witches, only enhances the mystical power of the coven. They also get the benefit of special effects like a smoke machine and spooky audio reverb in their microphones.

Other highlights of the production were the rhythmic dance-style murder of Banquo (Zach Valdez); the ghost of Duncan grabbing his buried crown; the changing of tartans upon new leadership; sword fighting without props; and the diverse cast taking on multiple roles successfully.

Attending performances outside in the round at Rockwood Mansion is a delight that longtime area theater-lovers and budding fans should make plans to experience. The entire Festival area is wheelchair accessible. It is necessary to traverse a gravel walkway and a grass lawn. The seating area is on a grass lawn and patrons should bring their own blankets or chairs. Picnicking is welcomed and light concessions featuring foods from Janssen’s Market will be on sale.

Macbeth runs from July 21 through August 6 with gates opening 75 minutes early for pre-show entertainment and picnics. Curtain is at 7:30 from Wednesdays through Saturdays and at 6 on Sundays. (Timing for pre-show events will alter accordingly for Sunday performances.)

General admission is $25 with discounted tickets for seniors and active military ($22) as well as students ($20). Sundays are Family Nights when children 12 and under are welcomed for free with a paid adult. New this year are “Pay-What-You-Can Wednesdays” where patrons can choose from a variety of ticket prices.

The 2023 Delaware Shakespeare season will include two full productions – the current Summer Festival (Macbeth) and a fall Community Tour (Cymbeline) spanning October 4-22. As usual, the Community Tour will bring high quality Shakespeare performances to non-traditional locations such as homeless shelters, prisons, and community centers.

“For Scotland!” — Company

DelShakes' Festival Roars Back into Rockwood with "The Tempest"

By Mike Logothetis
Theater reviewer Mike Logothetis grew up in North Wilmington, performing in school and local theater productions. He lives in Newark, but you can find him wherever the arts are good.

Stephano tugs at a covered Trinculo as Caliban looks on. Photo by Alessandra Nicole.

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Delaware Shakespeare’s revered Summer Festival is back at historic Rockwood Park in Wilmington with a spirited production of The Tempest. Producing Artistic Director David Stradley points out that the play is “...about what happens when you encounter chaos. And that certainly is apt. We’ve all been through quite a tempest in the last few years.” Agreed.

But what happens on stage is neither chaos nor merely a tale to “cure deafness.” The classic story centered on vengeance is put together quite nicely with a flowing style that is paced to perfection.

Also the show’s director, Stradley states: “The play asks us to consider what we do when someone has wronged us and also how we respond when we have wronged someone else. These are powerful questions to consider as a community.”

The Tempest is a tale of forgiveness and family. The show begins with the titular storm that Prospero conjures to bring his seafaring enemies to the island where he lives. The sorcerer and former Duke of Milan was usurped by his treacherous brother, Antonio, who took his dukedom with help from the Queen of Naples. After escaping by boat with his infant daughter Miranda, Prospero plots his revenge and uses his magical powers to keep the island’s only inhabitant (Caliban) as a slave and a local spirit (Ariel) as a servant. He torments the shipwreck survivors by separating them into groups which he can manipulate as he fancies. 

But now that his enemies are within reach, will Prospero exact his long-awaited revenge? Can forgiveness be found in recognizing the blossoming love between Miranda and the Prince of Naples (Ferdinand)? And, in the end, what should become of Ariel and Caliban?

Stradley emphasizes: “Everybody [on the island] either has either done something wrong or had something wrong done to them, and they’re all on this journey about how to move forward together as a community. That’s also something that we’re wrestling with maybe more now than we were — when things go wrong, how we reconnect and move forward together.”

Ariel threatens Queen Alonsa, Sebastian, and Antonio.
Photo by Alessandra Nicole.

Prospero is played by Jolie Garrett, who makes his DelShakes debut this summer. Garrett is able to successfully move from moments of serenity to those of anger convincingly, effectively showing Prospero’s mood swings and on-edge personality.

Lexi Thammavong is captivating as the fairy Ariel, who does Prospero’s bidding in hopes of one day earning her freedom from servitude. Thammavong is lithe and spritely – flitting between the disparate groups to cause mayhem or mend rifts.

The physical Gerrad Alex Taylor brought empathy to the “monster” Caliban. The dehumanized character only wants what’s rightly his, but is never fully acquitted the dignity he deserves. Only the drunkards Stephano and Trinculo – exceptionally played by Rachel O’Hanlon-Rodriguez and Jack O’Neill – give Caliban some modicum of respect. Plus, they delivered all the best jokes from their pieces of the script. 

The stage is a multi-angled space with a round flat center, which allows for dynamic action for all of the audience seated around it. Movements are easily followed and the innovative lighting set the various moods well.

If Shakespeare intimidates you, there is a pre-show orientation. Forty minutes prior to curtain, two actors from the production offer insight of the play. Plus, several of the actors out on an engaging comedic pre-show utilizing themes from The Tempest.

The Summer Festival will be employing “Pay-What-You-Decide” ticket pricing this year. The three price options are $10, $20, or $30. There is no student or group pricing in 2022. Children age 5 and under are free. Every Sunday is “Family Night,” with special activities before the performance and free admission for children 12 and under when accompanied by a paying adult. 

To buy tickets, go to www.delshakes.org or purchase at the door. Curtain is at 7:30pm from Wednesdays through Saturdays and at 6:00pm on Sundays. Gates open at 6:15pm for pre-show entertainment and picnics Wednesday through Saturday and at 4:45pm on Sundays. The festival concludes its run on July 31.

Attendees are invited to bring their own chairs, blankets, and picnic baskets to Rockwood Park. Alcoholic beverages are allowed on the grounds for those of legal age. If you have a particularly lush spread, let the staff know and be entered to win the Janssen’s Market Picnic Contest. DelShakes will take a picture of your picnic and post it on social media with other entries each week. At the end of the run, a favorite picnic will be selected as champion. The winner will receive a gift certificate to Janssens’ Market, tickets to the 2023 Summer Festival, and all-important bragging rights.

A limited number of reserved lawn chairs are available at each performance. These “Saved Seats” are set up in premium locations in the first row of the “lawn chairs” section, behind blankets and low-backed beach chairs. Reservations must be made in advance and cost $42.

The Delaware Shakespeare VIP Tent provides a place for groups of 10 or more to gather with clients, colleagues, and friends before the show. VIP Tent packages can be customized to include catered picnics, wine, reserved seats, and more.

Concessions tents will feature picnic-appropriate sandwiches and snacks from Janssen’s Market as well as soft drinks, candy, Delaware Shakespeare t-shirts, wine from Swigg, and beer…specialty beer.

New sponsor Stitch House & Brewery has crafted a Belgian Saison named “Strange Bedfellows” specifically for the Summer Festival. (The beer is named after Trinculo’s line in Act 2: “Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.”) Enjoy a pint at the show! Note: Strange Bedfellows is now on tap at Stitch House, where $1 from every sale will go to DelShakes.

The 2022 Delaware Shakespeare season will include two full productions – the current Summer Festival (The Tempest from July 15-31) and a fall Community Tour (a bilingual musical adaptation of Twelfth Night). The dates for the Community Tour are yet to be determined.

As an outdoor event, no masks or vaccine status will be required for audience members. Policies may change based on public health conditions at the time of the event. DelShakes artists will be fully vaccinated and engaged in testing protocols.

Don’t be a hater (see Prospero) and go experience the show. Remember: “The rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance."

See delshakes.org. 

DelShakes' The Comedy of Errors Delivers Madcap Fun Under the Stars

By Guest Blogger, Ken Grant

The Comedy of Errors stage at Rockwood Park. Photo by Alessandra Nicole.

Ken Grant has worked in Delaware media, politics and marketing for 25 years. He and his Lovely Bride enjoy Wilmington's arts and culture scene as much as they can. 

Before the Stooges and the Marx Brothers, there was The Comedy of Errors.

The play, one of William Shakespeare’s earlier works, is a madcap, slapstick, double mistaken-identity romp.

True confession: While driving to the opening night performance at the beautiful Rockwood Mansion, this reviewer asked his Lovely Bride to pull up the play synopsis on her smartphone and read it to him. Arguably, to offer a written synopsis of the play will lead to frustration and confusion for both writer and reader – The Comedy of Errors simply must be experienced.

And the experience with this cast and musicians under the direction of David Stradley is delightful, fun and surprising.

Luke Brahdt and Brendan Moser play the identical twins – both named Antipholus – separated at birth by shipwreck.Chase Byrd and Sean Close play the identical twins – both named Dromio – separated at birth by shipwreck.

(L-R): Brian Reisman (Dromio of Ephesus), Luke Brahdt (Antipholus
of Ephesus), Abdul Sesay (Officer). Photo by Alessandra Nicole.

Go back and re-read those last two sentences, and you’ll see why a written synopsis can be confusing and frustrating.

[Quick side note]: If you are a high school English teacher who only has your students read Shakespeare’s plays, please stop. Allow the students to experience the power, comedy, drama, tension, fullness, beauty, grittiness and even the silliness of Shakespeare through a live performance or even a video – you will help to shape a better future for all of us. [End of side note.]

The performances by this cast are wonderfully over-the-top, the dialog is downright musical, and the choreography has all of the fun of slapstick with none of the pain.

Everything about this comedy supports the creativity and innovation that is associated with the Delaware Shakespeare Festival: a long runway for a stage with doors on wheels; colorful lighting, costuming that is at once colorful and useful (remember, two sets of twins – the costumes really help in keeping the whole thing straight); and a jazz trio – saxophone, bass, percussion – that perfectly sets and elevates the tone throughout the performance.

If you're ready for a lighthearted, fun, engaging evening, you'll want to get these tickets, pack your lawn chairs or picnic blankets and come out to Rockwood Mansion. Oh, and read the signs on the sidewalk on the way up; there’s some great information there that will make the show that much more enjoyable.

The Comedy of Errors runs for 13 performance this month, Wednesday to Saturday at 7:30pm with gates opening at 6:15pm for preshow entertainment and picnics. Sunday performances begin at 6:00pm (gates open at 4:45pm). No shows are scheduled for Monday or Tuesday nights, although Tuesday, July 26 is a rain date, if needed.

The fourth annual Janssen’s Market Picnic Contest – in which patrons bring their best spreads to compete for the coveted Picnic Contest trophy and bragging rights – will take place on Saturday, July 23. General admission to the festival is $18 (some of the most affordable live theater tickets around). Tickets are $16 for seniors (65+), and active military (and their families), with identification. Student tickets are $14. Children 5 and under are free at every performance.

Every Sunday is Family Night, with special activities for children 12 and under admitted free with a paid adult admission.

See www.delshakes.org.

Sunshine on Leith Has Its US Debut in Delaware

The Scottish musical Sunshine on Leith, featuring songs by The Proclaimers, has never had a production outside of the United Kingdom -- until now. Under the direction of Allyson Good (the DE Shakespeare Festival's Education Coordinator and Poetry Out Loud State Coordinator), the heartfelt story of love, family, and community made its US debut on the amateur stage of the Wilmington Christian School.

It's a challenging show, not just with the required vocal harmonies and choreography, but because it tackles a modified version of the Leith dialect (the true dialect, Good explains, would be nearly impossible for the audience to understand). It's clear the actors spent a lot of time working on the accents, both in the dialogue and in the song lyrics.

The present-day story centers on Davy (Jeremy Gouveia in the production's standout performance) and Ally (Daniel Jacobson), two friends returning home to the working-class Leith section of Edinburgh after serving in the war in Afghanistan. They land jobs, hang out at the pub, and think about their futures. Davy's sister Liz (standout Katie Barton), who is also Ally's girlfriend, is restless. Through Liz, Davy meets her friend an fellow nurse, Yvonne (Kaylene Mummert), a young English woman, and they fall in love. Meanwhile, Davy and Liz's parents, Rab (Peter Spangler/Isaac Barrick in flasback) and Jean (standout Christina Sanders) hit a rough patch as they celebrate a milestone anniversary.

The youth cast handled the material well, from the stirring opening featuring "Sky Takes My Soul" to the popular "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" in the finale. Though the story is rooted in a community far away, it's one that transcends place and time; Wilmington Christian should be very proud.

Celebrating the Spooky Holiday with Shakespeare & Poe

By Guest Blogger, Bradford Wason. Brad is the Founder and Director of 23rd & 5th Design Group and currently works with DMG Marketing in Greenville. He is also on the faculty of Delaware College of Art & Design, and is an ardent Wilmington Arts & Culture supporter.

DSF's actors add the appropriate "flair" to
the macabre tales by Shakespeare & Poe.

As fall fast approaches, the nights grow colder, and with it we enter the Halloween season. Traditionally, Halloween means ghosts and ghouls, masks and candy, or hayrides. But if you're looking to experience an intimate evening in the dark side of theatre, the Delaware Shakespeare Festival (DSF) has all the mirth and matter you'll need this season. Ghosts, spirits, witches and haunting stories are included, in this mash-up of William Shakespeare plays and poems and short stories of Edgar Allen Poe. This format uniquely blends the two together in one fascinating macabre journey, as narrated by DSF veterans Caroline Crocker (A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Two Gentleman of Verona), Adam Darrow (The Two Gentleman of Verona), James Kassees (A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Two Gentleman of Verona), and a newcomer to DSF, Clare O'Malley.  

After its debut hit in 2012, The Shakespeare/Poe - A Night of Readings from The Dark Side returns, traveling to the gothic halls of Rockwood Mansion, the galleries of the Newark Arts Alliance and the grandeur of the Read House & Gardens in Old New Castle. As DSF Producing Artistic Director David Stradley said, "Our summer Festival audiences come from all over the area; so this year, we decided to share this fun evening in venues throughout New Castle County. I think each will bring its own interesting energy to the night."

I couldn't agree with him more, having thoroughly enjoyed the 30-seat, sold-out performance Saturday night at the Read House. The evening of readings runs just over an hour, which made for a excellent late dinner and conversation to follow.

The readings are compiled and directed by Stradley, who does a masterful job weaving the works into a continuous piece. The evening ebbs and flows, from dramatic delivery by James Kassess in The Fall of the House of Usher (Poe) to the "excited sensations" narrated by Clare O'Malley in The Masque of the Red Death (Poe). Not to be outdone by the dark short stories and poems of Poe, Adam Darrow and Caroline Crocker bring to life the juxtaposition of Poe's The Masque of the Red Death in an excerpt of Macbeth (Shakespeare), Act 3, Scene 4, where the tortured Macbeth is visited by the ghost of Banquo.

I appreciated the narrative notes and short quips added by the cast to lighten the mood and provide background. Although the evening is rooted in macabre storytelling — such as an excerpt from Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, or Poe's The Raven — it provides more humorous moments, such as the Hamlet/Raven Mash-up read by the Ensemble. The audience gave a good chuckle to fill out the room as the evening ended with Caroline Crocker's narration of the Caliban Monologue – Act 3, Scene 2, from The Tempest (Shakespeare).

"Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises,

Sounds and sweet aires that give delight and hurt not."

If you're looking to enlighten and indulge your senses, this short, intimate evening by the Delaware Shakespeare Festival is not to be missed! ONLY at www.delshakes.org.