The Plays The Summer Schedule Will On Wheels: Educational Outreach The Company Will's Pals: Get Involved FoolsCap Newsletter All About The Festival Special Needs Accessibility More Will: Links & Gifts Contact Us Home		Summer 1997 Dear Fellow Shakespeareans, June 1997 marked our thirty-seventh season of FREE Shakespeare in Central Park. That makes us the oldest, free, professional, independently operated Shakespeare festival in North America! What an incredible tradition we have here in Louisville, Kentucky! This summer we had an exciting production of Shakespeare's final play The Tempest directed by Curt L. Tofteland. All of the creatures on Prospero's island -- (Caliban, Ariel, Ceres, Iris, Juno, the sea nymphs and the dogs)-- were fantastical puppets and made this a stunning interpretation. We had been working on it for six months and it shaped up to be one of the most spectacular productions in our history. Working on The Tempest was an outstanding group of designers, artisans, crafts persons, technicians and actors to work on this play. John Holfland, our scenic and puppet designer, is a professor of theater at Dordt College in Iowa. John is a Fulbright Scholar who has worked with the Ukrainian Puppet Theater, one of the most respected puppet theaters in the world, on two productions in the Ukraine. James Vanderhaar, our puppet builder, is the artistic director of the American Puppet Theater. He was a student of Bill Baird, world famous American puppeteer, and for the past two summers has workshoped one of his puppet plays at the O'Neill Center Theater Conference. Our puppet consultant, Donna Bailey, has designed several shows for Stage One: The Louisville Children's Theater and has worked for Disney. Returning this season is our costume designer, Holly Jenkens-Evans. Holly previously worked at Actors Theater of Louisville for many years and has designed several productions for the Festival including last year's Henry V. Also returning was Andrew Hopson, a free lance composer and audio technician who has worked with us for the past two summers. Andrew composed an original score for The Tempest. James R. Tompkins, our choreographer, is a professor at the University of Louisville and has worked with us for the past four summers. Actors that rejoined our company included: for his thirtieth season; Monte Priddy; for his fourth season: Richard Hummert; for their third season: Be Boyd and Jens Rasmussen; for their second season: John Wayne Shafer, George Brown, and Michael Lee. Yours truly was also a part of the acting company playing that venerable old drunk -- Stephano. We also had seven new members of the acting company joining us from throughout the United States. Read about them in The Company! Pantalone Rides Again! is this season's fourth company developed commedia del 'arte production. This summer, join Pantalone, Capitano, and their zanni's in the Old West. Brandi J. Smith, our Director of Education, directs. We have many agencies, corporations, businesses, neighborhood associations, and individual patrons to thank for our longevity and success. Learn more in Sponsors. Please help us continue to give the gift of free Shakespeare. Give generously of your money and your volunteer time. See you in the park! Curt L. Tofteland, Producing Director
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