Nevada Shakespeare Company
Encyclopedia
The Nevada Shakespeare Company (NSC) is an activist theatre based in Reno, Nevada
, near Nevada
's border with California
. It defines its mission to be to "meeting the needs of our uniquely challenging and diverse community. Embracing principles of Universal Access, we serve more than 100,000 children, youth and adults each year with theatre outreach."
While NSC has produced non-Shakespearean works since 1989, each season continues to include at least one of Shakespeare’s plays.
Currently, the company’s focus is on A Single Woman (play)
by NSC artistic director Jeanmarie Simpson
and also the new work, On Track based on the life of peace activist S. Brian Willson. A Single Woman is also a film in-process, directed by Kamala Lopez-Dawson. In 2007, NSC will present the American premiere of Shakespeare's Will, a solo-work by Canadian playwright Vern Thiessen
about Anne Hathaway
, wife of Shakespeare.
Founded in May 1989 by Jeanmarie Simpson
and Roderick Dexter, Nevada Shakespeare Company produced artist-driven theatre in venues throughout Nevada. NSC’s work has ranged from the Greek classics to Shakespeare to modern playwrights to new work. In 1993 Nevada Shakespeare Company and the City of Reno co-created Theatre in the Park in downtown Reno. In 1998 they began collaborating with the Nevada Museum of Art
when they presented Arthur Miller
’s Elegy for a Lady to capacity houses in conjunction with their exhibit, The Horengracht, by Edward Kienholz
and Nancy Reddin Kienholz. In June 1999, Piper's Opera House
invited Nevada Shakespeare Company to present Season 2000 at the historic Opera House located in Virginia City
, where NSC was the first resident theatre company since 1896.
2000 - 2005
In 2000, NSC seated thousands more patrons at Piper’s Opera House than had seen the inside of the beautiful old theatre in the entire previous century. Country singer Lacy J. Dalton
starred in their unique adaptation of Irving Berlin
’s Annie Get Your Gun. They produced a six-actor Hamlet, a Monty Python Midsummer Night’s Dream and a black-leather, rock and roll Macbeth. They presented Hal Holbrook
in his Tony Award-winning, Mark Twain Tonight! 2001 gave birth to NSC’s perennial educational program, Shakespeare In School. The spring offering that season was The Music Man, and later that summer they offered Twelfth Night and Richard III in repertory. August 2001 brought Leonard Nimoy
and his wife, Susan Bay in Reader’s Theatre and the season closed with Romeo and Juliet
. “Better than the RSC,” said the Reno News and Review, of Nevada Shakespeare’s summer 2002 version of The Tempest. In 2003, Nevada Shakespeare produced Athol Fugard
’s The Road to Mecca directed by Tony Award Winner Zakes Mokae
in association with the University of Nevada La Vegas. Amigas, an original Nevada Shakespeare adaptation, premiered at the Nevada Museum of Art, followed by Jeanmarie Simpson’s four actor treatment of King Lear. 2004 kicked off a national tour of A Single Woman, which ran Off-Broadway
in May and June 2005 at the Culture Project in New York
. The play closed at the Invisible Theatre in Tucson, Arizona on November 5, 2006.
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, near Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
's border with California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It defines its mission to be to "meeting the needs of our uniquely challenging and diverse community. Embracing principles of Universal Access, we serve more than 100,000 children, youth and adults each year with theatre outreach."
While NSC has produced non-Shakespearean works since 1989, each season continues to include at least one of Shakespeare’s plays.
Currently, the company’s focus is on A Single Woman (play)
A Single Woman (play)
First drafted as a one-woman show by Nevada Shakespeare Company founding Artistic Director, Jeanmarie Simpson, A Single Woman, based on the life of first female Congressmember Jeannette Rankin, developed into a "duet performance work" by the time it premiered at the Oats Park Art Center in Fallon,...
by NSC artistic director Jeanmarie Simpson
Jeanmarie Simpson
Jeanmarie Simpson is an American peace activist and theatre/film artist.- Early life :Simpson was born in Ray, Arizona. Her parents are Maria Luisa Jugo, a Venezuelan immigrant, and Donald Leroy Simpson, an American mining engineer. Jeanmarie Simpson was raised in rural Arizona...
and also the new work, On Track based on the life of peace activist S. Brian Willson. A Single Woman is also a film in-process, directed by Kamala Lopez-Dawson. In 2007, NSC will present the American premiere of Shakespeare's Will, a solo-work by Canadian playwright Vern Thiessen
Vern Thiessen
Vern Thiessen is a Canadian playwright.Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Thiessen studied at the University of Winnipeg and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. He later attended the University of Alberta, where he obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree.Thiessen currently lives in Edmonton, Alberta and was...
about Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway (Shakespeare)
Anne Hathaway was the wife of William Shakespeare. They were married in 1582. She outlived her husband by seven years...
, wife of Shakespeare.
History
1989 – 1999Founded in May 1989 by Jeanmarie Simpson
Jeanmarie Simpson
Jeanmarie Simpson is an American peace activist and theatre/film artist.- Early life :Simpson was born in Ray, Arizona. Her parents are Maria Luisa Jugo, a Venezuelan immigrant, and Donald Leroy Simpson, an American mining engineer. Jeanmarie Simpson was raised in rural Arizona...
and Roderick Dexter, Nevada Shakespeare Company produced artist-driven theatre in venues throughout Nevada. NSC’s work has ranged from the Greek classics to Shakespeare to modern playwrights to new work. In 1993 Nevada Shakespeare Company and the City of Reno co-created Theatre in the Park in downtown Reno. In 1998 they began collaborating with the Nevada Museum of Art
Nevada Museum of Art
The Nevada Museum of Art, located at 160 West Liberty Street in Reno, Nevada, is the only American Association of Museums accredited art museum in the state of Nevada. The museum is thematic, focusing on the growing interest in the protection of the land...
when they presented Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
’s Elegy for a Lady to capacity houses in conjunction with their exhibit, The Horengracht, by Edward Kienholz
Edward Kienholz
Edward Kienholz was an American installation artist whose work was highly critical of aspects of modern life. From 1972 onwards, he assembled much of his artwork in close collaboration with his artistic partner and wife, Nancy Reddin Kienholz...
and Nancy Reddin Kienholz. In June 1999, Piper's Opera House
Piper's Opera House (Virginia City, Nevada)
Piper's Opera House is a historic performing arts venue in Virginia City, Storey County, Nevada in the United States. Piper's served as a training facility in 1897 for heavyweight boxing champion Gentleman Jim Corbett, in preparation for his title bout with Bob Fitzsimmons...
invited Nevada Shakespeare Company to present Season 2000 at the historic Opera House located in Virginia City
Virginia City
Virginia City is a city located in Storey County, Nevada.Virginia City may also refer to:* Virginia City, Montana* Virginia City, Nevada* Virginia City, Virginia* Virginia City , a 1940 film starring Errol Flynn...
, where NSC was the first resident theatre company since 1896.
2000 - 2005
In 2000, NSC seated thousands more patrons at Piper’s Opera House than had seen the inside of the beautiful old theatre in the entire previous century. Country singer Lacy J. Dalton
Lacy J. Dalton
Lacy J. Dalton , is an American country and western singer and songwriter, known for her gritty, powerful vocals, which a number of critics likened to a country equivalent to Bonnie Raitt . She had a number of hits in the 1980s, including "Takin' It Easy," "Crazy Blue Eyes" and "16th Avenue." ...
starred in their unique adaptation of Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
’s Annie Get Your Gun. They produced a six-actor Hamlet, a Monty Python Midsummer Night’s Dream and a black-leather, rock and roll Macbeth. They presented Hal Holbrook
Hal Holbrook
Harold Rowe "Hal" Holbrook, Jr. is an American actor. His television roles include Abraham Lincoln in the 1976 TV series Lincoln, Hays Stowe on The Bold Ones: The Senator and Capt. Lloyd Bucher on Pueblo. He is also known for his role in the 2007 film Into the Wild, for which he was nominated for...
in his Tony Award-winning, Mark Twain Tonight! 2001 gave birth to NSC’s perennial educational program, Shakespeare In School. The spring offering that season was The Music Man, and later that summer they offered Twelfth Night and Richard III in repertory. August 2001 brought Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
and his wife, Susan Bay in Reader’s Theatre and the season closed with Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
. “Better than the RSC,” said the Reno News and Review, of Nevada Shakespeare’s summer 2002 version of The Tempest. In 2003, Nevada Shakespeare produced Athol Fugard
Athol Fugard
Athol Fugard is a South African playwright, novelist, actor, and director who writes in English, best known for his political plays opposing the South African system of apartheid and for the 2005 Academy-Award winning film of his novel Tsotsi, directed by Gavin Hood...
’s The Road to Mecca directed by Tony Award Winner Zakes Mokae
Zakes Mokae
Zakes Makgona Mokae was a South African-born American actor.-Life and career:Mokae was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, moved to Great Britain in 1961, and to the United States in 1969. He turned to acting at the same time as playwright Athol Fugard was emerging...
in association with the University of Nevada La Vegas. Amigas, an original Nevada Shakespeare adaptation, premiered at the Nevada Museum of Art, followed by Jeanmarie Simpson’s four actor treatment of King Lear. 2004 kicked off a national tour of A Single Woman, which ran Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
in May and June 2005 at the Culture Project in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The play closed at the Invisible Theatre in Tucson, Arizona on November 5, 2006.
See also
- A Single Woman (movie)
- Theaters Against WarTheaters Against WarTheaters Against War , is a coalition of theaters and volunteer theater artists organized to protest the Iraq war and the perceived concomitant restrictions on civil liberties in the US...
- Theatre Communications GroupTheatre Communications GroupTheatre Communications Group is an organization dedicated to the promotion of non-profit professional theatre in the United States. TCG has over 450 member theatres located in 47 states; 17,000 individual members; and a growing number of University, Funder, Business and Trustee Affiliates...