To continue our motto that “we do Shakespeare all year ’round”, we’ve asked members to share a sonnet or speech in our third online Showcase! We hope you enjoy all the performances!
“Tennis balls, my liege” – Henry V 1.2 with TaiReikca L.A. as Henry V
TaiReikca L.A. is a San Diego-based Actor, Stage Manager, and Writer. Their credits include Roshni in House of Joy (San Diego Rep); and Priestess Bella/Ensemble in T.O.A.S.T., Alex in Body of Faith, and Sydney in Plantation! [Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) Staged Readings]. Stage Management credits: ASM – How To Catch Creation, Hairspray, Love’s Labor’s Lost, Henry V (OSF); The Little Mermaid (Alabama Shakespeare Festival); SM – Aida, Sassy Mamas, Ruined, and The House That Will Not Stand (Hattiloo Theatre). TaiReikca holds an MFA in Stage Management from California Institute of the Arts, and a BA in Theatre Performance from Alabama State University.
Sonnet 29 with Daniel Gurian
Daniel Gurian was a founding company member of Jim Simpson’s and Mac Wellman’s award-winning Flea Theater; he was one of the first “BATS,” the Obie Award-winning resident acting troupe of the Flea, which primarily presented new and experimental voices of the downtown New York theater world. San Diego credits include: Sir Hugo in “Sherlock Holmes and the Legacy of Blood” (La Jolla Theatre Ensemble); Joe in “Skin Deep” and Vito in “Flemming” (Scripps Ranch Theater); and Domitian in “Thunder at Dawn” (Lamb’s Players Theater). He can be seen as Mystery Man in the San Diego Indie Thriller “The Playground.” Daniel studied Shakespeare with George Bartenieff, Peter Eyre, and the late William Packard. Next up: “The Wall,” a memory play — a crazy, true, cold war story.
“To be or not to be” – Hamlet 3.1 with Rob Crisell as Hamlet
Rob Crisell is an author, actor, teacher, and Shakespearean in Temecula. He teaches poetry and Shakespeare with the Murrieta Valley Union School District as part of its Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) program. He is a Shakespeare lecturer with Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. He has acted in The Merchant of Venice, Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged), Baskerville, Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, The Tempest (Prospero), Macbeth, Othello (Iago), and others. Over the quarantine, he has acted in Much Ado About Nothing and Merry Wives of Windsor (with Nathan Agin’s “The Working Actor’s Journey”) and King Lear (Quarantine Players). He has written and performed several one-man plays featuring Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Shakespeare in America. He’s the author of Shakespeare’s Book of Wisdom: Advice on Living a Wiser, Happier Life from William Shakespeare & Friends. His 2016 TED Talk is “How NOT to Hate Shakespeare.” For more, visit robcrisell.com
“Come, vial” – Romeo and Juliet 4.3 with Heather Warren as Juliet
Heather Warren is excited to be making her debut with the San Diego Shakespeare Society. She had the pleasure of portraying Juliet in Romeo & Juliet at PowPac Theatre in 2018. Other recent acting appearances include Anna in And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little at Lamplighters Theatre (2019) and Ellie in Going to a Place Where You Already Are at Onstage Playhouse (2020).
“My conscience will serve me” – The Merchant of Venice 2.2 with Josh Freeman as Lancelet Gobbo
“It is clear that the character of Launce carries prejudice against his master, Shylock — and it would be hard to argue he isn’t anti-Semitic… was Shakespeare himself? If he was, cases could also be made that the Bard carried prejudices against other races and nationalities, including Africans and Spaniards; we witness the skewering of the Princes of both Morocco and Aragon in ‘The Merchant of Venice.’ And yet, Shakespeare imbues Othello, for example, as well as Shylock himself with undeniable humanity, as Rob Crisell’s speech from ‘Merchant’ for our Showcase last September demonstrated. Should the character of Launce make you cringe at times, that is understandable; we don’t desire to ‘shy away’ from difficult and/or controversial text. Some viewers may find the piece less funny or entertaining than others; we hope all appreciate the creativity, talent, and skill of long-time SDSS member, Josh Freeman.”
John Tessmer, Artistic Director of SDSS
Josh Freeman has been an attendee at the Society’s open readings since they began in the late 2000’s. He is a proud product of Grossmont College’s Theatre Arts program, appearing in ten department productions, including as Dogberry in “Much Ado About Nothing,” Ernie in Neil Simon’s “Rumors,” and Cleante in “Tartuffe.” Josh’s other SD theatre credits include his appearing in Vanguard Theatre’s “Macbeth” as the Bloody Sergeant, 1st Murderer, and Siward and Balboa Park’s Summer Shakespeare Program’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as Theseus. He has taken part in several staged readings put on by the Society, including most recently “King Lear,” in which he played the King of France, Curan, 1st Servant, the Doctor, and the Captain. Josh lives in El Cajon, CA, where he runs his online handmade arts and crafts business, hand-making the fantastic and whimsical.
Thank you to all our Showcase Performers and to YOU for watching!
Directed and produced by John Tessmer
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