Sunday, July 17, 2022

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."

Monday, June 13, 2022

Delaware Arts Alliance Names Neil Kirschling Executive Director

The content of this post comes from a Delaware Arts Alliance press release...

The Delaware Arts Alliance (DAA) announced today the selection of Neil Kirschling as its executive director, effective June 27.

Neil Kirschling, new DAA Executive Director
Kirschling most recently was director of policy and advocacy for Rodel, the nonprofit organization that partners with Delawareans and worldwide educational innovators to transform public education in the First State. He succeeds Jessica Ball, who in November 2021 was appointed director of the Delaware Division of the Arts (DDOA).

“We are confident that Neil is the right person to help the Delaware Arts Alliance continue our mission,” said Molly Giordano, DAA board president.

“Neil’s experience in education and government will be of immeasurable value as we continue our work with DDOA, the General Assembly’s Arts and Culture Caucus, and other stakeholders to promote equitable access to the arts in Delaware, particularly in classrooms,” she continued. “Neil also will guide our statewide cultural recovery and economic growth plan. Our plan is funded by a $1 million grant through Governor Carney’s American Rescue Plan Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation program secured by Jessica Ball during her tenure.”

At Rodel, Kirschling was responsible for strategic planning, policy development, coalition management, program management, and local and national stakeholder engagement. He previously served as a legislative fellow in the Delaware General Assembly; conducted research for the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration; and participated in the Delaware Department of Education’s “Future Education Policy Leaders” program.

Kirschling volunteers as a Governor-appointed commissioner on the Delaware Hispanic Commission, where he leads education and advocacy efforts in support of Hispanic youth and English learner students. He is an advisor for the Delaware Community Foundation’s Youth Philanthropy board, a volunteer and performer with various local theaters, and a regular patron of arts and culture organizations in the state.

He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Public Policy and Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Delaware.  

DAA is the unifying voice for the arts throughout Delaware, advocating for the central role of the arts and arts education in advancing dynamic communities and a creative citizenry. DAA informs, empowers, and mobilizes Delawareans who cultivate, support, and advance the arts

Monday, June 6, 2022

49th Annual Members' Fine Craft Show Kicks Off Summer at Rehoboth Art League

The content of this post comes from a press release from Rehoboth Art League...

The Rehoboth Art League (RAL) has an exciting range of shows coming up this June and July. Summer at RAL will kick off with the 49th Annual Members’ Fine Craft Exhibition, as well as Barbara Martin’s Eastward to Wyoming, Prints and Paintings by Alexi Natchev, and Faces of Many Nations clay masks by Amelie Sloan. All are on display June 10 to July 17. On June 10 from 5:00-7:00pm, RAL will host receptions for all the exhibitions, inviting anyone interested to visit the Corkran, Tubbs, Ventures, and Homestead Galleries to see these new shows.

The Members’ Fine Craft Exhibition is a signature summer show for the league and contains works created by member artists in a wide variety of media, including baskets, ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, wood, and more. Artists and the public are invited to hear from this year’s exhibition judge, Andrea Uravitch, during her free Gallery Talk on Saturday, June 11, at 10:00am in the Corkran Gallery. Uravitch, who has shown in over 300 hundred invitational, juried, and solo shows in museums, galleries, art centers, college galleries and institutions, will discuss her selection of the award-winning pieces.

Taking over the Ventures this month will be abstract works in Barbara Martin's solo show, Eastward to Wyoming. This collection was inspired by Martin’s time at the Jentel Artist Residency in the Lower Piney Creek Valley of the majestic Bighorn Mountains in eastern Wyoming. Using the rhythm of the passing landscape and summer sky, these works encompass the movement and sensations of the vast openness of the Montana and Wyoming area.  

RAL’s historic Peter Marsh Homestead will display Prints and Paintings by Alexi Natchev. Born, educated, and starting his artistic career in Bulgaria, Natchev’s body of work, as a whole, reflects the scope and range of his creative endeavors in different fields of visual art: illustration, drawing, painting, and public art. This exhibit displays Natchev’s range, giving viewers the chance to see his technical processes and layered technics. 

Finally, the DeWitt Gallery will showcase Faces of Many Nations, a display of Amelie Sloan’s ceramic hand-built masks. A longtime RAL member and niece of one of the league’s founding members, Ethel P.B. Leach, Amelie leaves a lasting legacy at RAL, with a namesake room in the pottery studio on campus as well as an endowed exhibition award offered annually for excellence in ceramic hand building. This exhibition will allow the public the rare opportunity to purchase some of Amelie’s masks.  

The exhibitions are free and open to everyone during regular gallery hours of Monday through Saturday, 10:00am to 4:00pm and Sunday, noon to 4:00pm.

Visit https://www.rehobothartleague.org/.