SHAKESPEARE PLAYING ON ANNUAL FESTIVAL PRESENTED FOR 2ND WEEKEND.Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer PALMDALE - ``Hamlet,'' demonstrations in Elizabethan dancing and swordplay, and sonnet sonnet, poem of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter, restricted to a definite rhyme scheme. There are two prominent types: the Italian, or Petrarchan, sonnet, composed of an octave and a sestet (rhyming abbaabba cdecde readings will mark the final weekend of Palmdale Playhouse's annual Shakespeare Festival. The second weekend will feature two Los Angeles-based theater troupes, Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, named for the English botanist John Parkinson's herbal, Theatrum Botanicum (1640), is an open-air theater founded in Topanga Canyon, near Santa Monica, California by Will Geer in 1973. and Will & Company, plus actors Joyce Meadows and David Sage David Sage is an American television actor known for his various roles in television in the 1980s and 1990s. Mainly, he plays judges and doctors for his stocky build and white hair. and the Palmdale City Players performing a variety of Shakespeare's great plays and sonnets. ``We extended the festival over two weekends in honor of (the Palmdale Playhouse's) fifth anniversary,'' said Playhouse marketing specialist Jana Bitton. ``We also wanted to provide something pretty spectacular for the Shakespeare Festival because it's always so popular.'' Opening the weekend lineup today at 8 p.m. is Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum, presenting ``An Evening With the Bard.'' The presentation consists of four actors using material from ``Twelfth Night Twelfth Night, Jan. 5, the vigil or eve of Epiphany, so called because it is the 12th night from Christmas, counting Christmas as the first. In England, Twelfth Night has been a great festival marking the end of the Christmas season, and popular masquerading parties ,'' ``Richard III Richard III, 1452–85, king of England (1483–85), younger brother of Edward IV. Created duke of Gloucester at Edward's coronation (1461), he served his brother faithfully during Edward's lifetime—fighting at Barnet and Tewkesbury and later invading ,'' and ``As You Like It,'' in a workshop format. Performers also will teach Elizabethan dance and fencing. ``Hamlet,'' the favorite at the festival each year, will be performed by Will & Company at 8 p.m. Saturday. The story of the troubled Danish prince battling madness, greed and infidelity is the longest of Shakespeare's plays William Shakespeare's plays have the reputation of being among the greatest in the English language and in Western literature. His plays are traditionally divided into the genres of tragedy, history, and comedy. and also one of the most widely recognized. On Sunday at 2 p.m., ``Shakespeare's Sonnets Shakespeare's sonnets, or simply The Sonnets, is a collection of poems in sonnet form written by William Shakespeare that deal with such themes as love, beauty, politics, and mortality. They were probably written over a period of several years. in Performance: Will will Fulfill & 15-Minute Hamlet'' will be performed by professional stage actors Joyce Meadows and David Sage, who will offer readings and explanations of the bard's sonnets. Just before the performance, the Palmdale City Players will perform a fast-paced and comic performance called ``15-Minute Hamlet.'' The silent star of performances in 2000 will be the newly added projecting stage with seats on three sides - like the stage in the Globe Theatre in Elizabethan London where Shakespeare's plays were first performed. The stage addition is part of the five-year remodeling remodeling /re·mod·el·ing/ (re-mod´el-ing) reorganization or renovation of an old structure. bone remodeling project by the Playhouse. The remodeling project will be completed on the Playhouse's tenth anniversary in 2005. ``People will be able to get a good idea of what the Globe Theatre in London looks like by seeing the inside of the Playhouse when it's completed,'' Bitton said. Tickets for each performances are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $8 for children, available at the box office at 38334 10th St. E. in Palmdale, or by calling (661) 267-5685. For more information on these performances or future events, call (661) 267-5684. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Will & Company, a Los Angeles-based theater troupe, will present ``Hamlet,'' the favorite play at this year's Shakespeare festival, at 8 p.m. on Saturday. |
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