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Oberlin College
Theater & Dance Program Presents WILLIAM
SHAKESPEARE?S MEASURE
FOR MEASURE IN
The
Oberlin College Theater and Dance Program will present William Shakespeare?s
Measure
for Measure in
early December in its first feature production of the academic year. Almost four
hundred years after his death, Shakespeare continues to reign as one of the most
significant playwrights of modern times. Measure
for Measure maintains
its resonance in today?s society in its exploration of morality, corruption, and
justice, while contrasting them through the eyes of religion, governance and
sexuality. Considered one of Shakespeare?s ?problem plays?, a label attributed
in large part to its uneasily classifiable nature; neither completely comedic,
nor completely tragic, the play fuses both humor and seriousness through a
series of moral dilemmas. Within the confines of prisons, convents, brothels,
and courtrooms of a fictionalized Directed
by Associate Professor of Theater, Paul Moser, Measure
for
Measure,
will be presented by the Oberlin College Theater and Dance Program at Oberlin
College?s Hall Auditorium, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, December 6, 7, and 8
at 8PM. Hall Auditorium is located at 67 North Main Street in Oberlin,
Ohio and is wheel chair accessible. Parking is free, and hearing enhancement is
available. Tickets
are General Admission and are $4 for Oberlin Students, $6 for Seniors/Oberlin
Staff, $6 for Educators, and $8 for the public. To obtain tickets please contact
Central Ticket Service at (440) 775-8169 or 1-800-371-0178, open
Production
Notes The
play tells the story of a young nun-to-be, Isabella,
who finds herself pleading for her brother Claudio?s
life before the rigidly moral Duke?s deputy, Angelo.
The Duke,
who
relinquishes his power to the seemingly righteous Angelo
at
the beginning of the play, goes on to disguise himself as a friar in order to
covertly observe how the state will function in his absence. Under his reign,
the city has fallen into anarchy by a failure to implement the rule of law. Upon
taking control of the city, Angelo
tries
to restore order and imprisons Claudio,
who having made his fiancé pregnant before their marriage faces the penalty of
death. As Isabella
tries
to sway Angelo
in
showing mercy for her brother, she is confronted with Angelo?s
unsettling
feelings of lust for her and an even more unsettling demand that she must submit
herself to him in order to free her brother Claudio.
?It?s a portrait of how society, in terms of morality and justice, swings back
and forth on a pendulum and goes to far extremes at times,? explains director
Paul Moser. ?This resonates periodically throughout time, including today as
we?ve been going through a resurgence of fundamentalism.? The play delves into
the corruption of power as displayed through Angelo?s
hypocrisy.
In an emotional plea to his sister Isabella,
Claudio asks
her to abandon her pursuit of the sisterhood and sacrifice her virginity for his
life. The Duke,
hidden
in disguise, = propels the action of the play by plotting in the lives of the
other characters. ?It?s especially interesting to me how,
moment to moment in the play, the key figures, Isabella, Angelo and Claudio, try
to balance their sense of guilt with their own desires; these are highly complex
psychological portraits ? there?s nothing two dimensional about them,? ventures
Moser. The
fact that Measure
for Measure was
listed as a comedy in the first folio has puzzled many critics. ?Throughout his
career, Shakespeare experimented with traditional notions of genre and form,?
continues Moser. ?After Twelfth
Night,
he moved away from writing Romantic Comedies; still utilizing many comic
elements, the overall dramatic structure of his ?problem plays? is more akin to
melodrama, which allowed Shakespeare to more effectively explore moral and
theological questions.? This production of the play, led by Moser
and aided by Associate Professors Michael Grube (set design) and Chris Flaharty
(costume design), focuses on a close connection between church and state.
Through discussions of sin and punishment, the undercurrents of both moral and
legal argumentation throughout the play are very strong, highlighted even more
in being offset by the extravagant, sexualized, and lawless society of the pimps
and whores. The set uses strong geometric shapes with grids of bars for walls
and similarly inspired furniture. Architecturally based on a courtroom, the Ten
Commandments are written across the back wall along with the imposing shape of a
giant thunderbird and a sword of justice. ?The set creates surfaces upon which
light can artistically create the required moods of the scenes,? describes
Grube. ?You could obviously do a lot more spectacle, but when you?re dealing
with Shakespeare, it?s about getting the actors downstage so you can see them
and they can simply act?. The costumes tackle the important differentiation
between groups of characters within the play. The members
of the
church and state embody very somber, but elegant and chic blacks and greys
designed loosely in the style of uniforms. The pimps and whores take on very
vibrant and colorful costumes. The last group of characters is described by
designer Flaharty as the ?human? group caught within both conflicting worlds.
?The group caught in-between centers around both Claudio
and
Juliet,
who have these wonderful human qualities. We are using very simple colors and
basic lines for them. Nothing is being hidden from us; intrigue is not part of
their nature. They just are who they are.? Paul
Moser (Director),
is
an Associate Professor of Theater and Chair of the Theater and Dance Program at
OberlinCollege. He joined the faculty in 1990 and has directed such productions
as The
Cherry Orchard, Tartuffe, Picnic, All?sWell That Ends Well, The Cradle Will
Rock, The Wager, The Merchant of Artistic
Director), The Phoenix, Portland Stage Company,
Cast The
cast of Production
Team In
addition to director Paul Moser, the production team for Measure
for Measure includes
Meg Lindsey (Stage Manager), Michael Grube (Set Design, Production Manager),
Chris Flaharty (Costume Design), Jamie Benjamin (Lighting Design), Hunter
McCurry (Sound Design), Joe Natt (Technical Director), David Bugher (Asst.
Technical Director), Andrew Kaletta (Master Electrician), Robert Katkowsky
(Props), Sarah Frank (Asst. Director), Sarah Gasser (Asst. Stage Manager), Alex
Birnie and Emily Tinawi (Publicity) UPCOMING
THEATER AND DANCE EVENTS Vieux Carré by
Directed
by Associate Professor Matthew Wright Cabaret by
John Kander and Fred Ebb Directed
by Joshua Sobel ?09 Old Times by
Harold Pinter Acting
Honors Project Directed
by Associate Professor Paul Moser Essence Dance
Production Spring Back Student
Choreographed Dance Production |