OurRICHARDIIImasterclass(www.circleplayers.com/richardiii/)kicksoffthisSaturday.

Todaywe're
havingaQ&Awithouresteemedhost,awardwinningdirectorJessicaDamrowSherman!

Q: Tellusalittlebitaboutyourbackground,andhowyougotintotheatretobeginwith.

J: Igotintotheatreonadare.Inhighschool,mybestfrienddaredmetoauditionwithherforthe
schoolproductionof"GuysandDolls."Sheendedupnotgettingcast,andIwontheroleofArvide,Sarah's
uncle.(Yep.UNCLE.)
Ikeptauditioning,keptgettingpartsandeventuallygottoMuhlenbergCollege,whereIearnedmy
BAintheatre.MuhlenbergiswhereIstarteddirecting,beginningwithaproductionofJonathanMarc
Sherman's"WomenandWallace."
Ifellinlovewiththeprocessofdevelopingacorerelationshipwithaplayanditscharactersand
thenarticulatingthatvisiontoactors,designersandtheaudience.There'ssomethingsoabsolutelyabsurd
aboutreadingaplayandsaying,"Igottamakethishappen."Butit'sreal.Challengingandfrightening,but
sorewarding.
IwentontogetaMFAinActingatUCSDandthenaMAinTheologyandtheArtsatUnion
TheologicalSeminaryinNYC.I'mfascinatedbytheinnerworkingsofthemomentofcreativeinspiration
thatopeningupofyourselftosomethingbiggerthanyou.

Q: You'vedirected2ofShakespeare'splaysforCircle,andhavetaughtmasterclassesonhis
workaswell.WhatisitthatdrawsyouintoShakespeare'swork?

J: Shakespeare'splaysareallaboutrelationshipsmothersandsons,fathersanddaughters,lovers,
friends,brothers,sisters.Ineachofhisplays,Shakespeareandhischaractersstruggletoworkoutthe
difficultiesintheirrelationshipsandultimatelymakethembetter.Sometimesthatinvolvesamarriage,
sometimesamurder.
Thechoicesthesecharactersmake(bothgoodandbad)aretimelessandthatiswhythese
storiesarestilltoldtoday.Becausewestillfallinlovewiththewrongpeople,westillcanbetooprideful,
tooambitious,toodaring,tooloving.Shakespearewasultimatelyinterestedinpeople'svulnerabiltywhere
theygrewmost,wheretheyhurtmost.Eachofusstrugglestounderstandandnegotiateourownsoft
underbellies,decidingwhocanbetrusted,andwhocannot.

Q: WhydidyouchooseRichardIIIforthismasterclass?

J: WhatfascinatesmemostaboutRichardIIIaretwothings:1)Richard'sabsolutecontemptfor
everyonearoundhimand2)hisrelationshipswithallthewomenintheplay.
RichardIIIdoesnotworkasaplayunlessthedirectorandactorsfigureoutwhythehellhe'sSO
contemptuous.Andthebestreasonsarehistorical.Richardwasnotthefirstoreventhesecondbornson
inhisfamily,andsowasnowhere.Hegrewupinsideandattheheadofamassivecivilwar,withnoreal
parttoplay,unlessheforgedonehimself.Hewasdisabledmostevidencepointstoaseverecurvaturein
hisbackwhichwouldmakemovementpainful,yetheisrenownedasagreatwarrior.
Thisisamanwhoconstantlypushedbackagainsttheobstaclesinhiswayarealforcetobe
reckonedwith.Buttherewasnorewardforhimunlessheclaimedithimself.
Additionally,Richard'srelationshipswithwomenareattheforefrontoftheplaywomenofallages.
ThereisLadyAnne,thewidowofEdwardIII,sonofKingHenryVI.Richardwasresponsibleforbothmen's
deaths,andyetinonescene,playedoverthecoffinofHenryVI,Richardconvinceshertobecomehiswife.
ThereisQueenElizabeth,hisbrotherEdward'swife,hisownmother,CecilyandevenQueenMargaret,wife
ofHenryVI,whohangsonattheperipheryoftheplayasaCassandralikepresence.Thesewomenare
bothRichard'sfoilsandhisconscience.

Q: Themultipleweekformatofthisclassisnewtous.Whatmadeyousettleonitasawayto
presentthematerial,andwhatcanpeopleexpectfromitparticularlyiftheyattendallfour
sessions?

J:Inthepast,I'vetaughtbootcampsandmasterclassesthatinvolvedalotofinformationinaveryshort
periodoftime.Forthisseries,Iwantedtocreateaclassthatinvolvedafull,linearexplorationofaspecific
play,whereIhadabitmoreleisuretoplumbthedepthsofthetextwiththestudents.
Classmemberscanexpectsomeintroductoryworkwithscansion/meter,imageryandother
exercises.Thiswillkickoffeachclass,followedbycontinuedworkwiththetext.Thiswon'tbeahistory
lessonIplanonspendingallthetimeworkingthethetextlikeagroupofactorsjustlikein
Shakespeare'stime.

Q: ConsideringhowwellknownShakespeareis(andthefactthathisplaysareinthepublic
domain)itseemslikewedon'tseeallthatmuchofhimincommunitytheatre.Whydoyouthink
thatis?

J: IthinkShakespearedemandsalotfromhisaudience,andIthinkhisplaysareahugeriskformost
theatrecompanies.Also,theyain'tshort!Andthatcanbeaturnoffforsomefolks.Butincapablehands,
Shakespearecanbejustcaptivating.IttakesaLOToftrustonthepartoftheactors,directorand
audiencetomakeoneofhisplayscomealive.Butitissoworthit.

Q: What'syourfavoritepieceofShakespeareantrivia?

J: AlthoughtheactualchronologyofShakespeare'swritingofhisplaysisalwaysupfordebate,Ilearn
quiteabitaboutaplaybyreadingthetwoorthreeplaysbeforetheplayI'mworkingon,andthetwoorthree
presumablywrittendirectlyafterward.
Forexample,AsYouLikeItwaswrittenonlyaplayortwobeforeHamlet,andit'sclearthat
RosalindservesasaroughdraftforHamletshe'switty,hasunresolvedissueswithherdad,andher
friendshipwithCeliaisthehealthiestoneintheplay,asHamlet'siswithHoratio.Eventhestructureofthe
playsishighlysimilar.Verycoolstuff.

Q: Whatdoyouhopepeoplewhojoinyouforthemasterclassleavethinking,feeling,
knowing,andsaying?

J: Ihopepeopleleavethisclassfeeling,thinking,knowingandsayingthatShakespeareistotally
accessibleandaworldoffun.