The first documented staging of a Shakespeare play at Oregon State University was in 1895, a student-run production of “Julius Caesar.” In 2006, Bard in the Quad launched with a production of “Romeo and Juliet,” and the outdoor experience was so wildly popular that two decades later, audiences still pack the Memorial Union Quad for annual summer performances.
(A 1921 outdoor production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at Oregon State University)Elizabeth Helman has been directing and assisting with Bard in the Quad plays since 2009, after first experiencing the outdoor event as a front-row spectator to 2008’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” She loved the performance, but wished someone had told her how cold the Quad gets at night. Within a year, she was behind the scenes, directing “Twelfth Night.”
“It’s a joyful thing to be a part of,” said Helman, senior instructor in theatre arts in OSU’s College of Liberal Arts.
Staging an outdoor performance of Shakespeare comes with unique challenges, including weather, acoustics, bugs and where to do costume changes, but Helman’s been at it so long she now provides actors with a “Bard Bag” list of things the actors should always have on hand for rehearsals and performances.
“For newbies, they often don’t realize the physical scale of the space,” she said. “They’re used to performing in smaller, indoor venues, and I have to explain that they need to scale up their performances and energy accordingly to match the outdoors.”
(Bottom the Weaver (Daniel Barber) expounds in the current Bard in the Quad production)This is the second time Helman has directed “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and the third time it’s been performed for Bard in the Quad. “It’s such a bulletproof play,” she said. “I have a lot of affection for the show. There’s this beautiful idea of characters going into a green space where chaos is allowed to occur.”
This production is especially exciting for Helman because it highlights one of her childhood loves, 1980s fantasy movies like “Labyrinth,” “Dark Crystal” and “The NeverEnding Story,” as well as pop stars like Prince, Cher and Madonna. And like those performers, “Midsummer” plays around with gender, characteristic of Shakespeare, as his original productions were all cast with young men playing female roles.
“Clearly (the original players) understood the performativity of gender,” Helman said. In this production, some of the performers switch roles during parts of the play, including the two pairs of lovers, Lysander and Hermia and Demetrius and Helena, who at some point play their lover counterpoint.
(Hermia, Helena and Lysander discuss their voyage to the forest)“All the characters have a mirror character when they come into the forest, and it plays into gender roles and identity,” Helman said. She thinks the idea of exploring the deep human question of “Who am I going to be in the world?” is what good Shakespeare is all about.
Hank Smith decided that his role as Fairy, one of Titania’s main courtiers, is a feminine entity, so he worked hard to match the high-pitched giggles and female energy of the rest of her courtiers. While he found himself up to the challenge, he also imagines one day performing as Bottom the Weaver, who is the comedic heart of the play.
“I’ve always wanted to play Bottom because he gets to do so much stupid stuff and that just seems so fun,” Smith said. He is a complete idiot who says everything with 100 % confidence and the people around him think he is a genius. He is comedy gold. Daniel Barber, who is our Bottom for this production, is so funny and just an absolute joy to watch.”
Addison Hoppe stars as Hippolyta and Oberon in this year’s production. While Hippolyta is cast as typically feminine, as Oberon, Hoppe directly channels David Bowie’s character Jareth, the Goblin King, from the 1986 movie “Labyrinth.”
“Oberon is a hard pivot into a wicked fairy king. He’s sexual, he’s confident, and he’s pretty much everything that I’m not on a daily basis. I tend to tap into the energy that I use for drag performances when I’m playing him, and his gender is very much a queer one,” Hoppe said. “While characters like the lovers fit into very rigid roles, he is a bit more fluid. It’s always an interesting challenge to try and take up space as him given my height, but posture and costumes go a long way.”
Oberon’s sidekick is the mischievous Puck, played this year by veteran Bard performer Sophia Brown, who brings goblin energy to the role.
“I’ve done Bard five years in a row now, and what I’ve learned is that you have to mentally prepare yourself to run around a lot,” Brown said. “Stamina is everything, which can be difficult when you have to run around and project lines all at the same time. For that reason, hydration is key.”
The Memorial Union is a critical partner for Bard in the Quad. Its steps and columns provide the perfect backdrop for performances, and dramatic lighting highlights the building’s nearly century-old architecture in new and exciting ways. MU Director Deb Mott says it was an easy yes when Bard creator Scott Palmer first approached the MU about staging performances in the Quad.
(Fairies dance on the MU steps)“Given how we look at why a student union exists, this fits our mission exactly,” Mott said. “There was never a question. It’s a partnership I’m so grateful for as it allows students to create magic, and is a place where the community can come lose themselves in stories.”
MU staff are careful to not let any interior activities impact the external mood of the play, turning off lights in offices facing the quad during the performance and delaying loud custodial work until after the show. Landscaping crews also make sure the grounds are immaculate.
The building itself becomes a main character in some plays. Mott recalls a version of “Julius Caesar” when the interior dome of the MU entrance was lit up and flashed red with each stab of the knife during the assassination scene.
“This building can be very powerful when it’s lit in a certain way,” Mott said.
Matt Holland has acted in Bard productions a whopping 13 times, including this year, where he performs as Theseus and Titania. He also happens to be married to Helman. Like others, he finds the scale of outdoor Bard productions to be the biggest challenge.
“The physical and mental effort are all proportional to the massive size of the stage,” he said.
(Matt Holland as Titania)Of all his Bard shows, Holland said the most memorable moment was a 2010 production of “Macbeth,” when the normal audience of around 200 members was increased by more than 300 international START students who came to watch the show.
“So, we had a huge house of over 500 people,” Holland recalled. “They were so engaged and vocal, too. It was an absolute thrill to play to such a large audience.”
Three-time Bard performer Haille Lantz-Sweeney said outdoor theater is a gift as well as a struggle.
“It’s the most challenging work you’ll do with things you’re not able to control but it is also an electricity like no other,” Lantz-Sweeney said. “The challenge of so much being out of your control and forcing you to truly think creatively to do your job makes for the best art and artists.”
Costuming mixed with the elements can also be tricky, as when Jennifer Waters played Puck in the 2008 “Midsummer” production.
“We did the show in a very cool 1920s silent-film style which involved it all being in black and white. So all our costuming and makeup were black and white and we were all supposed to be different people or characters of the era,” Waters said. “I was Nosferatu in a very dark, hot, full sui and arguably moved around the most. It was very hot and my makeup would constantly sweat off, so I had to keep pots of cornstarch around the quad to re-powder myself to keep the makeup on.”
For Kelsea Vierra Ashenbrenner, Bard is a family affair. She’s performed in two productions and in 2016 starred in “Love’s Labour’s Lost” alongside her now -husband. They married that same summer and come back as audience members whenever they can.
“I have a toddler and brought her when she was still just a baby,” Ashenbrenner said. “Once she’s a bit older and can sit still for longer than 20 minutes, then I’ll definitely be bringing her.”
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” takes place tonight, and from Aug.7 to 10, at 7:30 pm, in the Memorial Union Quad. Box office opens at 6:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $17 general, $15 youth and seniors, and free to OSU students at door with valid student ID. For questions and assistance contact the PRAx Box Office at (541) 217-3921 or tickets.prax@oregonstate.edu. For more information about the program visit bardinthequad.org
Story and current photos by Theresa Hogue
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