Trevor Nunn

By: GinaMarie Dieckmann and Joseph Caputo                            

                                                     

Trevor Nunn, also known as Sir Trevor Robert Nunn, was born on January 14th, 1940 in Ipswich, England. He is a well-known English theatre artistic director, who has worked at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. Nunn began his career studying at Downing College, Cambridge, where he studied and engulfed himself in acting, directing, and writing for the theatre. Nunn became known for not only his masterful work on Shakespeare’s plays, but for his directing in all aspects of entertainment, which has earned him Tony awards and other accolades.

He is known as a genius in directing Shakespeare, which allowed him to hold many positions in different theatres that were dedicated to Shakespeare's productions. He found great successes as the Artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, which is a position he held from 1968 to 1986. He then became the Artistic Director of the Royal National Theatre in 1997. In addition to his successes in the world of Shakespeare, he also had many great contributions to Broadway and the musical world. In 1981, he directed the musical Cats, which was the longest running musical in Broadway’s history. He also directed the first English production of Les Miserables, in 1985. Some of his other work has included; South Pacific, My Fair Lady, Starlight Express, and Sunset Boulevard. His work has not been limited to musicals. He directed opera at the Gylndebourne, and then he also contributed to television in 1993 when he restaged his production of Porgy and Bess. He directed three films, Lady Jane in 1986, Hedda, and Twelfth Night in 1996.

                           

Although we were unable to contact Trevor Nunn directly, we were able to find the answers to the majority of the questions that we would have posed to him. These questions were asked to Trevor in an article that was published fairly recently in the New York Times on February 22, 2016. 

Here are the questions, and their answers:

1.     

    1.  What are the differences you have noticed between doing Shakespeare with American cast versus with an English cast?

This was Trevor Nunn first time working with an American cast.  It is shocking to see that a man who has accomplished so much has never directed Americans before.  When asked if he was looking forward to it he said “’paralyzingly terrifying — maybe I will find that it’s a whole new ballgame.’  By the time a reporter could observe him in rehearsal, though, he seemed to have learned the rules.”  American actors have an emotional intensity, if less verbal grace and dexterity than their British counterparts.  (Solocki)

2  2.  We noticed that you had many of your leads speaking with an English accent: is this because the American way of speaking is too slow or because Shakespeare does not work with American cadences of speech or the American accent?  (We are just speculating here.)

The reason a few of the lead actors were speaking an English was because some actors in the play are Brits who now live in America. This explains why you heard English accents on occasion.  In addition to this, American actors are less verbally graceful and dexterity then their British counterparts.

    3.     Directors like Kenneth Branagh have transitioned from plays to film, is there a reason you stayed committed to the theater? 

While Trevor does indeed remain committed to theater, he has directed three films—including a highly regarded Twelfth Night with music by Pericles’s composer Shaun Davey.  He has been offered directing jobs in other genres, one of his other chances was when the composer Stephen Schwartz offered him the chance to direct “Wicked” on Broadway. Mr. Nunn declined due to the fact that he didn’t want to spend that much time away from his family.  “’I frequently tell Stephen that he owes me a lot of money,’ Mr. Nunn said. ‘Because if I’d done it, it wouldn’t have worked.’” (Solocki)

    4.   Pericles lends itself to the discussion of exotic portrayals of otherness. Given American politics on the thorny subject of race, did you worry about some of the casting decisions like casting the evil King Antiochus and his daughters as African Americans? 

“Happily, Mr. Nunn said that in auditions he found much of what he prizes, actors concerned with ‘making something real ahead of making it beautiful.’ (He also found a diverse company of actors, having recently received criticism for an all-white ‘The Wars of the Roses.’)” (Solocki)  We feel like he used African Americans in order to show a deeper understanding of Shakespeare.  In many cases Shakespeare writes that ugly and evil are people who are “unfair”, while beautiful and kind are people who are “fair.” (Fair referring to the color of their skin.)

                                                

All interview information is taken from New York Times article:

Soloski, Alexis. "Trevor Nunn, British Shakespeare Master, Tries Something New: Directing Americans." The New York Times. The New York Times, 27 Feb. 2016. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.

Modern History of Pericles Productions

Stephanie Evangelist & Anthony Guido

In the modern era, Pericles is one of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays. This was not always the case. In fact, in former centuries Pericles was actually one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays. The play is infrequently performed in the modern day. There a variety of reasons for this. One is that the play is rather difficult to stage effectively. There are a large number of characters, and a variety of different locations for scenes that change quite frequently. This difficulty in staging the play is actually a central plot point of a 1961 French mystery film entitled Paris Belongs to Us, directed by Jacques Rivette. The plot centers around a group of actors rehearsing for a performance of Pericles that never actually happens.

Another possible reason is that modern editors have come to the conclusion that Shakespeare was not actually responsible for writing the entire play. He collaborated with another playwright. The consensus is that Shakespeare is responsible for almost exactly half the play (827 lines), the main portion after scene 9 that follows the story of Pericles. Research has indicated that the first two acts were likely written by English dramatist and pamphleteer George Wilkins. Therefore, directors may not want to stage the play as it is not a “true” Shakespeare play.

Until the mid twentieth century, critics found little to praise in the play. The nineteenth century Irish scholar Edward Dowden stated that the play “as a whole is singularly undramatic” and “entirely lacks unity of action.” Other nineteenth century critics also did not care for the episodic, fragmented nature of the play, as well as the “lewdness” of the fourth act of the play. The rigid morality of the Victorian era influenced the way that people thought about the play. The references to incest and prostitution were seen as vulgar by people during this time period.

Shockingly, the play only has two recorded performances during the nineteenth century. The play was performed in 1660 and disappeared from the stage for almost two hundred years, with the exception of an adaptation by English playwright George Lilo entitled Marina. A production of the play occurred in 1854 under the direction of English actor and theater manager Samuel Phelps at the Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. This production was notable for the scencic display.  The highpoint of the play was the “Dioramic View of the Passage from Tharsus to Ephesus” when “rowers take their places on the banks, the vessel seems to glide along the coast, an admirably-painted panorama slides before the eye, and the whole theatre seems to be in the course of actual transportation to the temple at Ephesus”. Phelps cut Gower entirely, satisfying his narrative role with new scenes. In accordance with Victorian notions of decorum, the play’s frank treatment of incest and prostitution was muted or removed

The second performance during the nineteenth century occurred in Stratford-upon-Avon in1900 when John Coleman, an elderly tragedian (he was 72 years old at this time) performed his own version of the play. By the time Coleman cut everything that audiences might have found offensive, there was little of the original left. He removed the first act, cut most of the second, cut Gower completely, and eliminated all sexual explicitness including the majority of the fourth act. Coleman justified his changes by stating that the bulk of the material that he removed was not actually written by Shakespeare. Unfortunately, there were so many omissions in the play that Coleman had to add a lot of his own material and what was left was almost incomprehensible.

Some local reviewers of the play praised the scenery and music, as well as the acting skills of Coleman. Others were not so kind, with one reviewer describing it as a “tragic bungling”. Author Sally Beauman has written that the play has gone down as “the worst travesty of a Shakespeare play ever to be presented [in Stratford]”. Walter Nugent Monck revived the play in 1929 at his Maddermarket Theatre in Norwich, cutting the first act.

There was a brief period of time when the play was not put into production after the performance in 1929. However, once we reached the 1950s, a slew of productions of Shakespeare’s play, Pericles, Prince of Tyre, were performed.

The first of these performances occurred in 1958. Tony Richardson directed the play at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford. This particular production had several notable facets, including the following: First and foremost, it is imperative to note that Loudon Sainthill’s scene design unified the play. The stage was dominated by a large ship, in which Gower recounted Pericles’ tale to a group of sailors. Several famous English actors and actresses had a role in this production, including Geraldine McEwan as Marina, Richard Johnson as Pericles, Mark Dignam as Simonides, and Angela Baddeley as the Bawd. This production was a major success, and it was later viewed as a model for thematically unified approaches.

The next production of Pericles, Prince of Tyre occurred in 1969. This production also took place in Stratford, and was directed by Terry Hands. In contrast to the 1958 production, the set was almost entirely bare, with a hanging replica of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man above a bare stage. Another notable aspect of this production was Hands’ introduction of extensive doubling, which is a technique that has since become a staple for productions of this play. Gower was depicted as a Welsh bard, and was played by Emrys James, a Welsh Shakespearean stage actor. James also doubled as Helicanus. Susan Fleetwood, a British actress, doubled as Thaisa and Marina, except for scene where both characters were present: In the final scene, Susan Sheers took on the role of Marina. Since this play took place during the time of the Apollo landing, Hands added a special acknowledgement of the event to Gower’s speeches.

It is also important to note that there were four important productions of Pericles, Prince of Tyre that were staged at The Stratford Festival in Stratford, Canada (1973-4, 1986, 2003, 2015). 

Moving further along, in 1979, Ron Daniels directed the play at The Other Place, which was an unlikely venue for such a vast play. He compensated for the lack of stage space by making use of lighting, offstage music, and sound effects. 

The 1980s produced two major productions. First, Pericles, Prince of Tyre was first included in the BBC’s Shakespeare collection in December of 1984. Second, David Thacker directed the play at the Swan, a theatre belonging to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon. The production was centered on a grid-covered trap suspended in air: The brothel scenes were played below as if they were in a basement, and the shipboard scenes were played on and around the grid.

The productions that took place in the 1990s were different from earlier productions in that they did not strive for thematic coherence. Instead, they stressed the dislocation and diversity present in the play’s setting. Phyllidia Lloyd directed the play at the Royal National Theatre in 1994, but it was not regarded well. The production made extensive use of the mechanized wheel in the theatre to emphasize movement in time and space, but the wheel’s noise made some scenes difficult to hear, which was not favorable to critics.

In 2002, Adrian Noble’s production at the Roundhouse stressed diversity by accentuating the multicultural aspects of the play’s setting. Further, he featured belly dancing and drumming during the intermission of this production. The Hudson Shakespeare Company of New Jersey put on the play in two separate productions in their annual Shakespeare in the Parks series, the 2006 version directed by Jon Ciccarelli and the 2014 version directed by Noelle Fair.

Shakespeare’s Globe produced the play in 2015, with Dominic Drumgoole, the director. He utilized a minimalist set within the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, and this production was known for its humor. In 2016, the Guthrie Theater, under the direction of Joseph Haj in collaboration with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, put on a production of the play. Rather than using an elaborate set, this production used visual projections on a large screen. Musicians were able to effectively set the mood, create tension, and underscore the themes of the play.

Finally, the Theatre For a New Audience in New York City staged a production of Pericles, Prince of Tyre with Trevor Nunn as the director. This particular production utilized a generally bare stage, but compensated with more elaborate and ornate costuming to differentiate between the variety of cultures and areas present. In order to improve the pace and clarity of the play, Trevor Nunn moved some scenes around and brought in prose text from George Wilkins’ story of Pericles, especially since Wilkins is thought to be Shakespeare’s coauthor of Pericles, Prince of Tyre. Similarly to the original Shakespeare productions, this production included folk songs and dances interwoven throughout the play. Read more about the Theater For a New Audience and its production of Pericles, Prince of Tyre in the other entries on this blog!

Theatre For a New Audience and Pericles

Jeanbry Torres and Hampton Brown

Top of Form

The Theater

The Theatre for a New Audience has a rich history of performing plays since 1979. They have been at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center since 2013, providing quality performance to patrons who travel to Fort Greene, Brooklyn. For years, the Theatre for a New Audience was on a building hopping campaign as they sought out available space in Manhattan. With the establishment of a physical building, they not only contribute to the theater community but also add to the cultural hub that Fort Greene has become.

Their commitment to providing a full experience all can enjoy starts in the lobby. The all glass lobby, allows a patron to enjoy a well lit room with the option to purchase books and refreshments during intermission or while waiting for their show to start. After enjoying this refreshing entrance, patrons enter the auditorium. The auditorium is a combination of an Elizabethan courtyard and modern technology that bridge the ages. Not only does the stage change shape to accommodate the needs of the play, the seating plans can be changed from 180 to 299, as required. The three tiers top at 35 feet in height and because of the little space for seating, the intimacy between patrons and the stage is increased; the audience becomes part of the production. Since the seating arrangement varies, the auditorium can be shifted for productions that require a proscenium, thrust, run-way or in-the-round.

With their emphasis on maintaining a connection with the community around them, an education program that works with local high schools allows for students to work with the theatre community on their main stage at the Polonsky center.

Some of last year’s productions included The Two Gentleman of Verona and Tamburlaine the Great. In 2012, their production of Cymbeline earned the company the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for “Best Revival of a Play”.

Amongst their board members, the most notable to novice playgoers, is John Turturro and his wife Katherine Borowitz.

 

 

     This gift to New York is thanks to the efforts of founder Jeffery Horowitz. A graduate from University of California, with a bachelor of Fine Arts (Cum Laude) and a trained actor from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Horowitz was combined his skillset to establish the Theatre for a New Audience. Under his leadership, the Theatre for a New Audience has performed 60 plays and won a series of awards to include several OBIE and Lucille Lortel awards and a Tony award.

The Production: Pericles

Pericles is a Shakespearean play involving tragic misunderstandings that lead the characters into compromising situations that test their moral compass. Since February 25^th, Trevor Nunn’s first production of Pericles, along with his first appearance on the American stage with a Shakespearean play, becomes a New York Times Critic’s pick and leaves Charles Isherwood ‘entranced by the final scenes’. Isherwood’s review, promotes this play and how Nunn has employed his own amendments to perfect the play.  Some of the scenes are eliminated along with dialogue broken up or turned into songs.