I invited several Artistic Directors of local theatre companies to preview their upcoming 2011-2012 seasons for you. We begin our series “Let Us Entertain You” with Matthew R. Wilson, Founding Artistic Director of Faction of Fools.
Matthew R. Wilson, Founding Artistic Director of Faction of Fools.
Improv rules insist, “Always say Yes,” so when Ethan Sinnott, the Chair of Theatre at Gallaudet University, invited Faction of Fools to be Artists in Residence, we replied with an excited affirmative.
We have already enjoyed working with Gallaudet through workshops at the school and with three Gallaudet students as part of the cast of our 2nd Annual “Fool for All“: Tales of Courage and Poultry at this summer’s Fringe. Now we look forward to partnering with Theatre Arts faculty and students to further explore the multilingual history of Commedia dell’Arte and the rich ways in which gesture and physicality can communicate, enlighten, amuse, and inspire.
The support of Gallaudet Theatre Arts also means that we can present a season of three fully-produced, extended-run shows. It’s a new era for Faction of Fools and for Commedia in Washington, DC!
Our season opens with a classic Renaissance comedy written by a man more notorious for his politics: Machiavelli’s The Mandrake creates an unlikely happy ending out of the hilarious deceptions people employ for love. Physical comedy, Renaissance garb, and Machiavellian mischief abound as a young scholar returns to Florence in search of a legendary beauty. The only problem is that she is married to a dithering old judge who wants desperately to father a child. With the help of a crooked friar, a shameless mother-in-law, some bumbling servants, and a self-serving conman, a web of grotesque manipulations results in everyone getting exactly what they want! As Machiavelli famously argued in his political treatise The Prince, “The ends justify the means.”
The Mandrake, opening September 15, 2011, will be our inaugural performance in Gallaudet’s Eastman Studio Theatre. Audiences can expect the same masked, physical comedy they have come to associate with Faction of Fools, but their senses will also be treated to Palladio-inspired forced perspective scenery by Daniel Flint (Faction of Fools, Taffety Punk), luxurious period costumes by Lynly Saunders (Washington National Opera), picturesque lighting design by AJ Guban (Constellation Theatre), and original music composed by Jesse Terrill (Folger’s The Comedy of Errors). Rehearsals are underway, and I’m already having fun!
In the New Year, I’m thrilled to offer a semester of Shakespeare – adapting two of the Bard’s most famous tragedies to the Commedia dell’Arte style that so greatly influenced him. This experiment began with our Shakespeare Made Foolish production at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage in 2010. It has grown to become two fully-produced interpretations of Shakespeare’s greatest hits.
Romeo and Juliet, the classic story of two young lovers divided by a family feud, borrows heavily from the tradition of the Italian Comedy, and our high-octane version (featuring five actors in a one-hour cutting) brings physical spectacularity to Shakespeare’s poetry and highlights tragedy by juxtaposing it with humor. Our Commedia Romeo and Juliet will premiere at Flashpoint’s Mead Theatre Lab in January 2012, and then begin touring local schools and universities.
We follow this love-story-gone-wrong with another unlikely tragicomedy: Hamlecchino, Clown Prince of Denmark, which puts the Commedia servant Arlecchino in the lead role of Hamlet, matching Shakespeare’s poignant philosophy with Commedia’s surprising physical comedy. Joining Shakespeare’s original language with Faction of Fools’ inventive style, Hamlecchino is sure to be a Hamlet like no other and will premiere at Gallaudet in April of 2012.
From 'The House with Two Doors.' Left to right: Toby Mulford as the Dottore, Vanessa Buono as Isabella, Chase Helton as Coviello. Masks by Antonio Fava. Photo by Colin Hovde.
And, of course, we will cap the season by inviting other artists from the DC theatre community to join us in our 3rd Annual “Fool for All”: Tales of Marriage and Mozzarella at the 2012 Capital Fringe Festival. Over 60 DC actors have performed in previous “Fool for All” productions, and the third installment promises to be bigger, bolder, and funnier than ever.
In addition to producing our three mainstage shows and our annual “Fool for All,” we will continue to offer in-school and after-school workshops for all ages through our Education Department. Furthermore, we are delighted to bring our brand of Commedia to a variety of upcoming festivals and conferences. Once again, we will coordinate the worldwide Commedia dell’Arte Day on February 25th, and in DC we will host our annual “Masked Ball,” full of fun and feasting on the eve of Commedia dell’Arte Day. Additionally, we will present new works at the Kennedy Center’s Page-to-Stage Festival, DC’s Arts on Foot Festival, and the Shakespeare Theatre’s “Happenings at the Harman” Series, to name a few. We will also partner with Gallaudet to host the northeastern academic “hub” for this year’s International Commedia dell’Arte Conference.
In the brief time since our founding in the fall of 2009, the Faction has grown to include 22 Associated Artists and has reached thousands of audience members and students. I am humbled by the enthusiasm with which spectators and performers alike have welcomed Commedia dell’Arte to Washington, DC. In partnership with Gallaudet University Theatre Arts, we are honored to take this grand tradition into a new season of laughter and discovery.
And…“Always say Yes.”
Matthew R. Wilson
Founding Artistic Director
Faction of Fools
