Cape Ann Shakespeare Troupe

CAST Premier Production

2012-01-30T23:23:00.003-05:00

Closets

The new four hundred year old comedy.

Nat Segaloff

Inspired by Ben Jonson's 1606 satirical comedy, Volpone.

Synopsis

Act I: Calvin Cohoon, a young gay escort, has been sent by his agency to the West Hollywood home of Julian Reynolds, a well off forty-something gay man. Julian surprises Calvin by informing him that he's not interested in sex, but wants his help in contriving a grand deception. Julian has spread word that he is fatally ill and has summoned to his side the three people who have been closest to him: his ex wife, his ex lover, and the straight man who got away. He tells them he will leave his entire estate to the one who proves most generous to him in his waning days.

The first to arrive is his ex wife, Sharon Wilson, a lawyer. She brings Julian a gold humidor as a gift and tries to persuade him to choose her as beneficiary. When Julian demands that she does a good deed as a requirement, she storms off.

Charles Claypool shows up next with his 18 year old son, Adam. Charles, Julian's college room-mate, is the straight man he always wanted but could never have. While Julian and Charles go over the pain of Julian's unrequited love, Adam, in the kitchen with Calvin makes a pass at him.

After the Claypools leave, the ex lover, Brendan Rockford arrives with his young boy friend, Paolo. Calvin and Paolo recognize each other from their street hustling days, and while Brendan and Julian bitch about old times, Paolo admits to Calvin that he is working Brendan for an income. After Brendan and Paolo leave, Julian is enticed by Calvin's description - and Brendan's jealousy - of him. To sneak his own peak at Paolo, Julian disguises himself as homeless man and follows Brendan and him on the street.

The next day, with the plan set in motion, Adam comes to visit Julian, but actually is there to cruise Calvin. When Brendan and Paolo show up, Calvin stows Adam in Julian's closet. Brendan has come to persuade Julian to name him beneficiary and Calvin suggests he use Paolo as a bargaining chip. Brendan reluctantly yields and sends Paolo into Julian's bedroom.

Suddenly Charles shows up looking for Adam. Julian, not knowing Adam is in his closet, pushes Paolo in there too. Charles angrily accuses Julian of still being attracted to him, and Julian responds by saying that Charles could inherit his wealth if he disinherits Adam and commits his holdings to him. Adam overhears this from the closet.

Now Sharon bursts in and threatens everyone by revealing that she and Julian are still married - Julian never signed the divorce papers - and that she is his heir. Adam and Paolo come out of the closet, Brendan hovers - and Julian has a heart attack. Curtain.

Act II: While everyone else is at the hospital awaiting word of Julian, Adam and Paolo stir in Julian's loft. Adam is enamored of Paolo, but Paolo discourages any idea of a continuing relationship, pointing out that Adam is young, attractive and has his life and the world spread out before him.

Brendan, Charles, and Sharon arrive angry that Calvin has not let them see Julian at the hospital. They reminisce and bicker before Calvin arrives with the news of Julian's death. He is about to read Julian's will when the doorbell rings and Detective Rupert Feckling strides in.

Feckling reveals that Julian did not die of a heart attack; he was poisoned. Everyone in the room had the means, motive, and opportunity to do him in and Feckling lays out scenarios of how each could have killed Julian. He makes each of the beneficiaries squirm under his interrogation, then takes off his disguise to reveal that he is - TaDaa! - Julian Reynolds. He explains that very few people get a chance to test their friends while they're alive, so he thought he would give "dying" a go.

Sharon leaves in a huff, Adam and Charles reconcile, and Brendan and Paolo agree to take it one day at a time. - And Julian is friendless.

Except for Calvin. But that's another story.

Curtain

About Closets

When Nat Segaloff wrote Closets, he was encouraged to keep developing it by his friend the comic actor Dom DeLuise who offered to hold a table reading at his home. This, he urged, would give Nat a sense of how his dialogue sounded when spoken and would give valuable clues for rewrites. Dom, his wife Carol, son Michael and others did the reading and gave support to Nat's effort.
One rewrite later, Nat sent the script to Joseph Stiliano as a possible production for the Cape Ann Shakespeare Troupe. Although a new play, its Elizabethan/Jacobean roots made it fit in with CAST's season without ruffling too many feathers - or doublets.

About Nat Segaloff

Nat Segaloff is a journalist (Boston Herald, CBS Radio), turned college teacher (Boston College, Boston University), turned author (11 books), turned producer (A&E, TLC, USA and others) with a background in motion picture marketing and publicity (Paramount, Disney, Columbia, Fox, UA, MGM, etc.). His varied works include Hurrican Billy: The Stormy Life and Films of William Friedkin and most recently, a biography of legendary director Arthur Penn (Bonnie and Clyde) titled Arthur Penn: American Director, published last spring by the University Press of Kentucky. (Not only a fine biography but an excellent source on the technique of directing. - J.S.) Nat's The Everything Etiquette Book, The Everything Trivia Book, and The Everything Tall Tales, Legends and Outrageous Lies Book are in multiple printings and reflect his interest in a wide variety of subjects. He formed the production company Alien Voices with John de Lancie and Leonard Nimoy to produce science fiction programs with Star Trek casts. He is co-author of The Waldorf Conference, about the secret meeting that began the Hollywood Blacklist. Nat has produced network Biography episodes on John Belushi, Larry King, Stan Lee and others; four documentaries on rock and roll; an HBO special on parole boards; and was staff producer for the Africa Channel. He is also a witty frequent guest panelist on the NPR word/game show "Says You".

Closets Cast

Jonathan Arnold as Paolo
Timothy "Cowboy" Bagley as Adam
David Cluett as Calvin
Rebecca Shrimpton as Sharon
Kenneth Stoeffler as Brendan
Jayson Winer as Charles
Edward Zaleski as Julian

Directed by Joseph Stiliano

UP NEXT

2011-12-14T19:58:00.003-05:00

CAST'S Next Production:

"Closets"

By Nat Segaloff
Directed by Joseph Stiliano

The premier of a new comedy inspired by the early seventeenth century satire "Volpone" (the fox) by Ben Jonson, William Shakespeare's friend and rival. Set in the gay community of West Hollywood, California, the protagonist, Julian Reynolds, feigns a fatal illness to test the loyalty of his closest freinds. Fast-paced, witty, and sometimes outrageous, it probes the bounds and bonds of love and friendship in a sometimes facile and self-centered society.
March 8, 9, 10, 16, 17 @ 8 PM
March 11, 18 @ 3 PM
Gorton Theatre
(Home of the Gloucester Stage Company)
267 East Main Street
Gloucester MA

2011 - 2012 Season

2011-09-29T09:37:00.003-04:00

"The Taming Of The Shrew"

October 27, 28, 29 @ 8 PM

October 30 @ 3 PM

Gorton Theatre 267 E. Main St. Gloucester

"Closets"

By Nat Segaloff

The new 400 year old comedy inspired by Ben Jonson's "Volpone"

March 8, 9, 10, 16, 17 at 8 PM

March 11, 18 at3 PM

Gorton Theatre

"A Shakespeare Celebration"

Our fifth annual tribute to the birth of The Bard of Stratford, this year sub-titled "Enter The Clown" and featuring some of Will's fools, jesters, buffoons and windbags.

April 27 & 28 @ 8 PM

Old Sloop Coffee House 12 School Street Rockport
(Rockport Congregational Church)

"I Hate Hamlet"
By Paul Rudnick

May 25, 26 @ 8 PM; Mat 27 @ 3 PM

June 1, 2 @ 8 PM; June 3 @ 3 PM

The Cape Ann 1 Washington Street Gloucester

Admission for all shows:
$15, general; $10, student; $5, Youth (18 & under)

CAST is casting!

2011-07-14T13:47:00.001-04:00

"The Taming of the Shrew" to be performed October 27 - 30 at the Gorton Theatre, with rehearsals beginning in September. For further information contact the director, Ray Jenness at rayjay045@comcast.net .

"Closets", the new four hundred year old comedy written by Nat Segaloff and inspired by Ben Jonson's "Volpone" will have its premier March 1 - 4 at the Gorton Theatre. Rehearsals will start in December, break for the holidays, and restart in January. The action takes place in present day West Hollywood with the following characters:
Corresponding figures from "Volpone" in ( )'s.
Julian (Volpone) - gay in his fit mid-forties.
Calvin (Mosca) - gay, good looking, thirty, been around the block.
Sharon (Voltore) - Julian's ex wife, late thirties/forty, a tough minded lawyer.
Charles (Corbaccio) - straight, handsome mid-forties, Julian's college room mate.
Brendan (Corvino) - Julian's ex lover, in his not so fit mid-forties.
Paolo (Celia) - Brendan's toy-boy, a bi-sexual hustler in his late twenties.
Adam (Bonario) - Charles' eighteen year old son, seeking his sexual identity. A virgin.
For further information, contact the director, Joseph Stiliano, at cast2008@prodigy.net .

Season Finale

2011-05-17T23:43:00.000-04:00

SHAKESPEARE'S 447TH

2011-03-21T13:37:00.001-04:00

CAST is presenting its fourth annual production of "A Shakespeare Celebration", a tribute to the Bard of Stratford-Upon-Avon marking his birthdate, April 23, 1564. Our production will play May 6th and 7th, 8 PM at the Shalin Liu Performance Center, 37 Main Street, Rockport. The SLPC is Rockport Music's exquisite new concert hall in the center of town and overlooking Sandy Bay.
Considering the venue, this year's theme will be scenes featuring music and song, with original compositions by Rebecca Shrimpton and also traditional Elizabethan pieces. Some of the dances from our production of "The Tempest", directed by Ray Jenness, and choreographed by Sarah Fader will also be performed. Along with the scenes, music, dance, and songs, several of the sonnets will be performed by Michael McNamara. Directors are Ray Jenness, Nick Neyeloff and Joseph Stiliano, the artistic dirrector and founder of CAST.
Tickets are $15, general; $10, student; $5, youth 18 years and under. They are available starting April 1st at the SLPC box office at 35 Main Street, reserved at cast2008@prodigy.net or at the door at the time of performance.

CAST On The Air

2011-02-14T22:22:00.000-05:00

Listen for an interview by Aureila Nelson with Ray Jenness and Joseph Stiliano on North Shore 104.9 FM, at 9 AM, Sunday February 20, 2011. Or on your computer at http://www.northshore1049.com/

CAST's Tempest - The Musical

2011-02-05T17:04:00.000-05:00

Cape Ann Shakespeare Troupe's coming production of "The Tempest" will feature an original musical score composed by musician/vocalist and New England Conservatory teacher, Rebecca Shrimpton.

Incorporating Music into the Play

When director, Ray Jenness, decided upon "The Tempest", one of the things he wanted was to bring the many songs and incidental music to the fore:

"To Shakespeare and his audience, the dance of life and the music of the spheres were very real elements in the world as they knew it. Some of his fellow players were accomplished singers and musicians and Shakespeare's final play is filled with songs and musical sounds", says Jenness.

Rebecca Shrimpton, Composer

Finding an Organic Sound

Shakespeare wrote lyrics for eight songs in the play, and there are stage directions for instrumental music, including a formal dance scene. The action takes place on Prospero's island, rich with magic, mystery and nature and the director and composer wanted to evoke its other-worldly qualities.

"We needed instruments that would sound organic to such a place", explained Rebecca Shrimpton, "so we chose voice, recorder, guitar, bodhran and a variety of hand percussion, played by Olivia Gale, Kevin Quinn and myself."

The Inspiration of Ariel

"In writing the melodies for the songs, I was largely inspired by the characters themselves", continued Shrimpton. "Much of the music is centered around the ethereal and playful sprite, Ariel, whose strange and haunting songs are meant to enchant and bewilder other characters. In this production, Ariel is able to divide into multiple beings (staged by a group of dancers), so I thought it would be fun if Ariel played duets with him/herself on voice and recorder. The rest of the music includes boisterous drinking songs, a stately dance, a tender love theme, and, finally, a merry jig to send everyone home dancing."

Performance Dates

Thursday, February 24 - Saturday, February 26 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 27 at 3 p.m.

The Gorton Theatre (Home of the Gloucester Stage Company).

How to Purchase Tickets

Tickets are $15 (General) and $10 (Student) and may be reserved at cast2008@prodigy.net or purchased at the door.

Youth tickets (18 years and younger) are $5 and are available only at the door.

Learn More

Check out behind the scenes coverage of the production on CAST's Facebook page.

NEXT PRODUCTION

2010-12-10T10:32:00.001-05:00

THE TEMPEST

February 24, 25, 26 @ 8 PM; 27 @ 3 PM

Gorton Theatre

(Home of the Gloucester Stage Company)

267 East Main Street, Gloucester

The Tempest is one of Shakespeare's most popular plays and also, the most abused by modern directors and producers. Over the last fifty years, this evocative fantasy has often been used in performance as a metaphor for all sorts of political and cultural agendas. Too often, lately, Caliban has been made the focus of the story !! I want to get back to Shakespeare's original intent, which was entertaining an audience.

With Prospero's magic at the center of things and the use of dance and music to heighten the emotional experience, I'd like audiences to leave the theater feeling transported and uplifted by a wonderful what-if- all-things-are-possible ride.

Ray Jenness, Director

Cast

Boatswain - Steve Aiello

Adrian - Beth Bevins

Ferdinand - David Cluett

Ariel - Sarah Fader

Miranda - Mia Formichella

Antonio - Travis Joyce

Alonso - Beebe Nelson

Ship's Master - Duncan Nelson

Sebastian - Marc Nelson

Caliban - Nick Neyeloff

Prospero - Jim Robinson

Gonzalo - Joseph Stiliano

Francisco - Ken Stoeffler

Trinculo - Elinor Teele

Stephano - Steve Turner

Fall Production

2010-10-22T13:33:00.002-04:00

SEASON 2010-2011

2010-06-16T20:59:00.005-04:00

"The Two Gentlemen Of Verona" - one woman, three men, something's got to give - November 18 - 21, 2010 at the Gorton Theatre (Home of the Gloucester Stage Company)

"The Tempest" - before there was "Lost"; magic and mystery with intelligence - February24 - 27, 2011 at the Gorton Theatre,

"A Shakespeare Celebration" - Scenes, Sonnets, Songs: mark the Bard of Straford's birthday with words and music - May 6 and 7, 2011 at the stunning new Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport

TBA, May 20,21, 22, & 27,28,29, 2011 at the newly renovated Rockport Community House.

CAST Benefit Dinner at Alchemy

2010-04-28T15:37:00.006-04:00

Please join us for an evening of great food and entertainment at one of the North Shore's finest restaurants. Included in the price of the dinner are wines and a ticket to a performance of Measure For Measure at the Gorton Theatre.

Measure for Measure

2010-04-28T15:29:00.007-04:00

Measure For Measure is a dark comedy of lust, intrigue and justice set in sixteenth century Vienna. The story involves, among others, a young man sentenced to death for fornication, his sister, a novice in a nunnery, a self-righteous judge, and the Duke of Vienna who goes about disguised as a monk. The young man's sister pleads for the life of her brother, only to be told by the hypocritical judge that if she will yield her virginity to him, he will spare her brother. The plot really thickens when the meddling, disguised Duke decides he will set things right through a series of bizarre manipulations. Ray Jenness directs the fine cast which includes Steve Aiello, Christina Applegate, Beth Bevins, Kelsey Bevins, Sherri Gray, Gregg McLaughlin, Beebe Nelson, Nick Neyeloff, Nathaniel Punches, Jim Robinson, Matt Schwabauer, Michael Siering, Elinor Teele, Michael Wescott and Jennifer Wilson. The stage manager is David Perrigo; costumes by Susan Frey. Produced by Joseph Stiliano.

Gorton Theatre
(Home of Gloucester Stage)

May 13-15 at 8 p.m.
May 16 at 3 p.m.

$15 general
$10 student/senior

Tickets available at the door
or by emailing cast2008@prodigy.net

A Shakespeare Celebration

2010-04-14T11:04:00.008-04:00

Celebrate William Shakespeare's 446th birthday with us!

April 23, 24 at 8 PM, April 25 at 3 PM
Spiran Hall, 18 Broadway, Rockport

The performance will include scenes, sonnets and songs with English birthday cake and punch afterward. Special guest group 'Leven will treat us to songs of the period with their particular flair and verve.

Tickets are $15, general; $10, student/senior and a special offer of $5 for Cape Ann students 18 years and under. Available at the door or reserve at cast2008@prodigy.net.

The London City Strolling Players

2010-02-23T17:50:00.005-05:00

Left to right: Haidee Elise, Martin Mulgrew, Tara Dowd, Thomas Tillery, Robin Hodges, Karen Walker, Ian Recordon

THE BRITISH ARE COMING! THE BRITISH ARE COMING! The London City Strolling Players to be specific, with their wonderfully entertaining production "Shakespeare A La Carte", brought to the USA by Cape Ann Shakespeare Troupe. Performances are at the Gorton Theatre (Home of the Gloucester Stage Company) 267 East Main Street, Gloucester on April 8, 9, 10 at 8 PM and April 11 at 3 PM. This talented company will perform a program of stirring scenes from William Shakespeare's plays plus wry and witty spoofs of the Bard of Stratford's works.
Tickets are $15, general admission; $10, student/senior (65 and over). Reservations can be made at cast2008@prodigy.net .

2010-02-04T12:52:00.000-05:00

An Elizabethan Valentine

2010-01-07T11:04:00.004-05:00

Rehearsals have started on our February production, "An Elizabethan Valentine" with scenes from Romeo and Juliet ( of course), Macbeth (really!), A Midsummer Night's Dream (other worldly), King Lear (filial devotion) , As You Like It (kinky), The Comedy of Errors (confused), Henry VI, Part 2 (politics and love), and Christopher Marlowe's King Edward II (the eternal triangle). The directors are Ray Jenness, Nick Neyeloff and Joseph Stiliano; featured actors include Ashlee Holm, Matt Schwabauer, Kierstin Searcy, Jonathan Arnold, Sarah Clark, Marcie McKenzie, Steve Aiello, Lisa Landy, Beth Bevins, Wendy Dagle, Bob Stewart and Beebe and Duncan Nelson. In addition to the scenes there will be songs sung by Elizabeth Cheney. Following the performance, pastries and punch suitable for a Valentine celebration will be served. Please come and join us February 12th, 13th at 8 PM and February 14th at 3 PM at Spiran Hall, Broadway and School Street in Rockport. Tickets are $15, general admission; $10 student/senior (65 & over) and may be reserved at cast2008@prodigy.net . Last season, this production played to sold-out houses so reservations are encouraged.

2009-11-07T16:20:00.002-05:00

Why "The Merchant of Venice"?

2009-09-28T14:58:00.008-04:00

Many have questioned staging "The Merchant of Venice" : it's anti-Semitic; Shylock is an insulting caricature; the play has been used by anti-Semites (including Hitler) to advance the perception of Jews as predatory usurers; it puts forth the perception of William Shakespeare as a bigot, etc.

As to the first objection: the play deals with bigotry, but is not bigoted. It portrays the Venetians locked into a school of thinking promulgated by religion and xenophobia, that placed the Jewish people into a sub-social order unequal to their Christian counterparts. In the play this prejudice and the hypocrisy it engenders hangs upon the Venetians like a dusty Sirocco and exposes them for the incomplete human beings they are. Their anti-Semitism is an illness that rots an otherwise sound community.

On to the second: Rather than being a caricature, Shylock is a strong, self-made man and the only character who is not a hypocrite: he says what he means and means what he says. He is cast as a villain by his Venetian counterparts, but has done nothing villainous and is a respected member of his community. He is not a thief or a cheat, but a businessman pursuing one of the very few professions open to him. As a money lender, he is deplored by the establishment and reviled for charging interest. But is it really ethics and morality that drive their condemnation of usury? Shylock offers credit and credit provides a path for upward mobility, something feared and certainly not encouraged by the upper class. He clearly loves his deceased wife and his daughter whom he wishes to protect, but is overbearing in his manner of doing so. This may be a fault, but not a crime, else many of we parents might be cast as villains. His tragedy is getting caught up in a thirst for revenge for the many inequities served him. It leads him to
the villainy of which he has been accused and down a path where he becomes vulnerable to the powerful forces of society that rule Venice. He is not crushed, however, but like the many before him and the many after forced into the diaspora, he stands up straight and moves on.

As to the question of serving anti-Semites as a polemic for their twisted views, the play has been used this way and will be again. If we ignore the human being created by Shakespeare and choose instead to create a character that is not flesh and blood, but a skewed creature of our own warped minds, that is not Shakespeare's play, not "The Merchant of Venice".

Was William Shakespeare a bigot? From today's perspective, the answer is yes - but so were all Christians at the time who held the Jews responsible for the death of Jesus. But, holding that opinion can cast one in anything from the role of chauvinist to a bloodthirsty hate monger and everything in between. Clearly, as a Christian, Shakespeare believed in the prevailing view of Jesus as the son of God, part of a holy trinity, and that the Jewish faith was wrong in rejecting this concept. But he did not use his faith to justify the mistreatment of an entire group of people. Rather, he drew a character whose humanity could not be ignored.

The Jewish nation has endured centuries of persecution, the worst of which is in our living memory. It has survived because its people have a strong faith in their belief and a sense of identity that is unshakable. Shylock is of this tribe; Shylock is a survivor.

Season 2009-2010

2009-07-01T12:15:00.005-04:00

The Merchant of Venice

November 19 - 22, 2009
Gorton Theatre
Home of the Gloucester Stage Company

An Elizabethan Valentine

February 12 - 14, 2010
Rockport Community House

An evening of scenes of famous couples from the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, plus poetry and song.

Shakespeare A La Carte

April 8 - 11, 2010
Gorton Theatre
Home of the Gloucester Stage Company

From the UK, The London City Strolling Players bring a program of scenes from Shakespeare and a comic revue in the wry and wacky English tradition.

A Shakespeare Celebration

April 23 & 24, 2010
Rockport Community House

Celebrating the Bard of Stratford's birthday with excerpts from his work to be folowed by cake and refreshments.

Measure for Measure

May 13 - 16, 2010
Gorton Theatre
Home of the Gloucester Stage

Shakespeare's strange and sensuous play on ethics, morality and proportion.

Celebrating the Inaugural Season

2009-07-01T11:31:00.016-04:00

Images from our 2008/09 productions!