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SUMMER 2016

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

DATES TO REMEMBER

It’s Almost Here!

This Just In! Two Bits of Banner Line News:

for those Interns who had to fly to Texas or make a long car trip that required them to spend a night on the road. Thank you to each one of the generous Intern Sponsors. Your name will appear in the season program alongside your Intern’s photo as well as on a separate page and on the hallway wall beside the Company photo of the Intern(s) you sponsored.(2) The first day of ticket

sales this year (May 25) exceeded the total of last year’s first day sales by more than 40%, and at the time of this writing, the overall ticket

Notes from Raymond Caldwell, Festival Artistic Director

Now is the time for all good Guild members to come to the aid of

their Festival!Read ahead for ways that you

can participate in supporting East Texas’s only professional theater company—here for only a few short weeks. There’s plenty to enjoy, plenty of ways to learn, plenty of opportuni-ties to provide some Texas hos-

pitality for the Compa-ny. Let’s make the most of it, whether donating money or meals, giving time or talents, shop-ping in the Stratford Room or buying a raffle ticket, and most importantly, attending the plays! After all, they ARE the thing. Happy Festival, y’all!

Lunch Bunch ...........................................2TSF Road Show .......................................2Wish List Update .....................................3Summer Workshops ...............................3Where Are They Now? ............................4Adopt-an-Artist ......................................5 Green Group ...........................................6Executive Board .......................................6

(1) All 23 of this year’s TSF Interns were “Sponsored” within three weeks after the request went out in the last Newsletter! Some good-hearted Guild members adopted two or more, in fact. All Interns have been notified, their Sponsors’ names and addresses have been given to them, and all of them have expressed sincere gratitude. More good news – because we had a few more Sponsors than required to offer the Interns a small raise in pay, a couple of Sponsors allowed us to use their donation to help pay the transportation costs

see Extra, page 2

sales for the season are more than $20,000 above last year’s total for this date. This is, of course, encouraging news, and it reflects an unflagging interest in the Festival, even in a less-than-robust economy for East Texas. It also means, however, that many of the “best” seats in the Van Cliburn Auditorium may already be sold, so if you haven’t chosen which performances you want to see, you may need to do that as soon as possible to avoid having to sit along the far edges or on the overflow bench at the back.

Don’t Forget the Extra AttractionsAlthough all of these per-formances are listed in the Season Ticket Brochure mailer as well as on our website, this is just a reminder.Don’t forget to buy your tick-ets to The Belle of Amherst. It happens in our new UpStairs

Black Box Theater in the Fes-tival Center, which means that the seating is limited to only 72 per performance (and the seats are beautiful, new, and com-fortable, thanks to Jan Jaynes and Nancy McWhorter!)After the performance of Belle

on Saturday, July 23, you can attend “Lunch with Miss Em-ily” – a catered lunch in the Festival Center that includes a Question and Answer session with Jennifer Burke, the Festival Vocal Director who

Lunch with Miss EmilySaturday, July 23After performance

Chinese Theater NightMonday, July 257:30 p.m.

Annual Talent NightTuesday, July 267:30 p.m.

Panel DiscussionsHenry V PanelSaturday, July 9, 11 am

Blithe Spirit PanelSaturday, July 16, 11 am

The Merchant of VenicePanelSaturday, July 23, 11 am

Carousel PanelSaturday, July 30, 11 am

2STRATFORD TRIBUNE, SUMMER 2016

Food, Food, Food!—A Volunteer Opportunity for Guild Members and Friends

The Festival provides lunch for the entire TSF Company three days each week – Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. To sup-plement the sandwiches and green salads that are offered every day, Guild members and their friends volunteer to bring side dishes – anything from a main course such as fried chicken or a casserole to a vegetable dish, fruit bowl, or a dessert. If you are interested in participating in the Lunch Bunch Group, you are not expected to contribute more than one time, and you don’t need to bring enough for the whole company of 75, just the amount you might take to a pot-luck dinner for 20-24. The idea is to have a variety of side dishes, especially vegetables, to enhance the basics already provided by the Festival Guild.A second opportunity to

“feed the famished” is during change-overs between per-formances. After the shows open on June 30, the scenery, lighting, properties, and sound crews do not have time to go to the cafeteria with the rest of the Company to eat dinner between the end of the after-noon show and the curtain for the evening show on Thurs-days, Fridays, Saturdays, and

Sundays. For several years, Linda Craig from Henderson has “adopted” the crews every Thursday by cooking a full meal for the entire group of 25 and bringing it to the theatre during the final act of the afternoon show. She has be-come their Fairy Godmother and our Angel by going far beyond the call of duty in her generosity to the Festival. If you would like to be a “Din-ner Donor,” either individu-ally or as a member of a team, to provide a “change-over dinner” for 25 hard-working crew members, or if you want to join the “Lunch Bunch,” please contact Gem Meacham at [email protected].

performs the role of Emily Dickinson. The lunch requires a separate ticket that costs $20, and those seats are even more limited. There are only 70 seats, and at the time of this writing (June 1), less than half of the tickets remain unsold.The Spirit of the Sea is our 2016 play for young audi-ences, and it is Jason Richard’s fifth original script for the Festival. I am certain that audiences of all ages will enjoy this play, which includes a life-size puppet of a dog, some clever special effects, and a charming story that is both exciting and heart-warming. The schedule of performances is on the website and in the ticket brochure.The Annual Talent Show is called “Uncharted Waters” because the songs are taken from Broadway musicals that the Festival has not produced in the past. The musical

numbers range from beauti-ful ballads written during the Golden Age of Musicals to more contemporary numbers from recent Broadway suc-cesses, and the performers are members of our Acting Com-pany (and a few others) who have volunteered to show-case their musical talents to provide you with a memorable and entertaining evening. Last year, the Talent Show sold out very quickly, and it is certain to sell out again this season. In fact, on June 1, only 69 seats were still available! Tickets are $20 each. Mark your calendar: Tuesday, July 26 at 7:30 P.M. A light reception will follow the performance.Finally, if you have never at-tended the Chinese Theater Night, I encourage you to come this year. Admission is free. For the past seven years, a group of Chinese univer-sity students from Chongq-ing, Shanghai, and Beijing have spent three weeks with us, taking special classes in acting and other elements of American theater, and at the end of their stay, they perform an original play followed by a talk-back with the audience. Those of you who have attend-ed in the past already know that their performances are always “soulful” and inspir-ing. We learn as much from these earnest and brave young people as they learn from us, and the Festival is proud to have played an important role in establishing this valuable cultural exchange. In return, TSF has been instrumental in advancing their goals of establishing an American-style, private theater company in their native country where they face constant challenges in order to be heard. Please come lend your support and

encouragement to our young artists from the other side of the world. Chinese Theater Night is Monday, July 23 at 7:30 P.M. A light reception fol-lows the performance.

Extra, continued from page 1

TSF Lunch Bunch

Want to bring a touring pro-duction of Shakespeare into your school?The Texas Shakespeare

Festival’s Roadshow brings performances and workshops directly to your school or community. Book a perfor-mance of Romeo & Juliet, Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits, or for younger audiences, The Princess and The Players, and with it you’ll receive:

• an in-depth study guide about the play• a four-week lesson plan to implement leading up to the performance• an exercise and activity booklet packed with ways to bring Shakespeare’s plays to life in the class room

2017 Tour Dates:January 30th-March 4th

TSF Road Show

Panel Discussions with the Artists

Join TSF associates and a panel of artists on Satur-day mornings for a lively discussion of the previous night’s play in the Technical Vocational building directly behind the theater. Admis-sion is free and discussions last for about an hour.


Summer WorkshopsUpdate to Our Wish—List!Update to Our Wish-List!At the February meeting of the Guild Officers, Festival staff were asked to create a “Wish-List” of items the Festival needs and to include the price of each individual item. So here it is. If you, your family, your business, your civic or social club, your church, or any other entity would like to help the Festival by purchasing any of the following items, please contact Raymond Caldwell at 903-983-8291 or [email protected]. Thank you very much!

NOTE: Nell Collins bought the router, and Melinda and Terry Johnson bought a cordless drill as well as the recipro-cating saw. Thank you from the Scenery Department!

In the Scenery Department:2 1 Porter-Cable Variable Corded Jigsaws @ $60 each1 Porter-Cable 20-volt Oscillating Tool Kit $702 1 Dewalt 15-amp Corded Circular Saws @ $119 each10 Irwin C-Clamps @ $12 each6 Irwin 36-inch Bar Clamps @ $25 each

In the Props Department:1 Dewalt 12-inch Miter Saw $2191 Porter-Cable 13 5/8-inch Band Saw $4493 Porter-Cable 20-volt Cordless Drills @ $1292 Dewalt 20-volt Cordless Circular Saws @ $1291 Porter-Cable 20-volt Reciprocating Saw $601 Kobalt 1.8-hp 20 gal. Air Compressor $1991 Hitachi ¼-inch Narrow Crown Stapler $901 Porter-Cable Med. Crown Stapler $273

In the Costumes Department:1 #601 Female Dress Form, size 8 $2251 Male Dress form, size 38 $2693 Bernina Sewing Machines (# 1008 or newer) Prices range from $350 (used) to $1,500

In the Painting Department:1 Solo 418 1-liter sprayer $171 Solo 420 2-liter sprayer $252 Fineline 4” Lay-in brushes @ $372 Fineline 6” Lay-in brushes @ $52

This summer, TSF is bringing back two of the most highly attended educational workshops, The Bard & Breakfast for the-atre teachers, and the High School Acting Workshop.

The Bard & Breakfast WorkshopGo behind the scenes with the Texas Shakespeare Festival and engage in a variety of hands-on exercises, discussions, Q&A Panels, and demonstrations to create a well-rounded approach to teaching the fine arts. This workshop is designed and taught by professional actors, directors, artisans, and technicians from all over the nation.

Dates: June 30th-July 3rd, 2016· Earn 30 CPE hours in one weekend· See four professional productions· Work with professional actors, designers and directors· Swap exercises and lesson plans with other educators· Develop new strategies for teaching theater

Cost: $250 (includes tickets to four shows, a reception dinner, and breakfast each morning)

Registration is now open! To register call Meaghan Simpson at 903-983-8613 .

The High School Acting Workshop***Thanks to the incredible response to this workshop, we only can accept two more students, and they must be male, based on the housing assignments.***Immerse yourself in the life of a professional actor as you live and train amongst the Texas Shakespeare Festival Company during this 8- day workshop intensive. This workshop is de-signed for students who are serious about taking their work to the next level and seeing what life as a professional actor is re-ally like. The workshop culminates in a showcase performance free to your family and friends.

Dates: July 16th-July 24th. 2016· Over 50 hours of instruction from our professional company· Admittance to six Texas Shakespeare Festival shows· Housing and meals provided throughout the workshop· Professional contacts from across the county· Classes in Voice, Movement, Acting, Shakespeare, Auditioning, and much more Cost: $595 (includes housing, meals and tickets to six shows)To register or for more information contact Meaghan Simpson at (903) 983-8613 or [email protected]


Where Are They Now?We are blessed each summer to have professional actors / artists providing wonderful theatre right here in our community for the month that the Festival runs. However, their accomplishments here are often a jumping-off point for these talented individuals. During its thirty-plus years, TSF has been home to many who have gone on to work on Broadway, in film, and on television.

Kelly AuCoinTSF 1996-97: Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Horace in School for Wives, Charles Thomson in 1776, Orsino in Twelfth Night, Dauphin in Henry V Broadway: Julius Caesar with Denzel Washington; National Tour: Copenhagen Film: Julie and Julia with Meryl Streep, The Kingdom with Jamie Foxx TV: Billions, The Americans, House of Cards, The Blacklist, Madame Secretary, Person of Interest, Unforgettable, Elementary, Blue Bloods, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Gossip Girl, White Collar, The Good Wife

Seamus DeverTSF 2002: Posthumus in Cymbeline, Hotspur in Henry IV, Marauder in ShenandoahTV: Kevin Ryan on Castle, Dr. Ferlinghetti on Army Wives, Dr. Devlin on General Hospital

Holley FainTSF 2004: Laura Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie, Nerissa in Merchant of Venice, Julia in The RivalsBroadway: Harvey with Jim Parsons, Present Laughter TV: The Astronaut Wives Club, Dr. Julia Canner on Grey’s Anatomy, Maureen on Gossip Girl, NCIS, CSI, The Mentalist, Law and Order, The Good Wife

Keythe FarleyTSF 1989: Claudius in Hamlet, Orgon in Tartuffe, Corin in As You Like ItWinner Lucille Lortel and Outer Critics Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical for book of Bat Boy, the musical TV: vocal director and voice-over actor for numerous productions

Glenn FleshlerTSF 1991-92, 94: Cicero in Julius Caesar, Clitandre in The Misanthrope, Second Merchant in Comedy of Errors, Richard III in Richard III, Proteus in Two Gentlemen of Verona, King of Navarre in Love’s Labour’s Lost, Edmund in King Lear, Pedro in Man of La ManchaWinner Drama Desk Award Stuff Happens; Broadway: Death of a Salesman, Arcadia, Merchant of Venice, A Behanding in Spokane, Guys and Dolls, Spring Awakening Film: Blue Jasmine TV: BrainDead, Billions, Errol on True Detective, George Remus on Boardwalk Empire, Det. Milton Trammell on Damages

Michael C. HallTSF 1995: Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing, Lancelot in Camelot, Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s DreamBroadway: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Realistic Joneses, Cabaret, Chicago, Skylight Winner Golden Globe Award Best Actor in a Drama for the title role in Dexter (three Emmy nominations), David Fisher on Six Feet Under (one Emmy nomination)

Richard HolmesTSF 1988-89: Macbeth in Macbeth, Grumio in Taming of the Shrew, Laertes in Hamlet, Oliver De Boys in As You Like It, Damis in TartuffeBroadway: Matilda, The Visit, Peter and the Starcatcher, Spamalot, The Pillowman, Major Barbara, The Deep Blue Sea, Cabaret, The Government Inspector, Timon of Athens, Saint Joan Film: Melinda and Melinda with Will Ferrell, The Stepford Wives with Nicole Kidman; TV: Elementary, The Good Wife, Law and Order


Rachel KellerTSF 2013: Dorcas in The Winter’s Tale, Courtesan in The Comedy of ErrorsTV: Fargo, Supernatural, The Mentalist

Glenn KesslerTSF 1995: Oberon/Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Don John in Much Ado About Nothing, Macduff in MacbethWinner Golden Globe as creator, producer, director and writer Damages starring Glenn Close; creator, producer, writer Bloodline; actor Law and Order: SVU, The Sopranos, NYPD Blue

Tony MeindlTSF 1993: Caliban in The Tempest, Angelo in Measure for MeasureFounder/Teacher: Anthony Meindl Actor Workshop in Los Angeles and New York (students include Cory Monteith Glee, Shailene Woodley The Fault in Our Stars); Author: At Left Brain Turn Right (text), The Wonder Girls (play). Please visit www.anthonymeindl.com

Lucas Near-VerbruggheTSF 2004: Jim-Gentleman Caller in The Glass Menagerie, Gratiano in Merchant of Venice, Stephano in The TempestBroadway: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, The Ritz; Off Broadway: The Common Pursuit Film: Fountain of Youth, Our Idiot Brother; TV: Grimm, Wallflowers, Law and Order

Danny PinoTSF 1998: Fenton in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Harry Percy in Richard II, Master of Ceremonies in Guys and DollsFilm: Flicka with Tim McGraw, Desi Arnaz in Lucy; TV: BrainDead, Scandal, Detective Nick Amaro on Law and Order: SVU, De-tective Scotty Valens on Cold Case, The Shield

Andrew SamonskyTSF 2001: Smudge in Forever Plaid, Jester in Once Upon A Mattress, Charles in As You Like It, Player King in Hamlet2012 nominee Drama Desk Award featured actor in a musical for Queen of the Mist; Broadway: Scandalous, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Lt Joe Cable in South Pacific; National Tour: Bridges of Madison County, Disney’s On The Record; Off Broadway: Merrily We Roll Along; TV: Elementary

Ted SwindleyTSF 1988 and 1993: Director MacBeth, The Last Titan and The TempestAuthor of book: Always…Patsy Cline and Honky-Tonk Angels; Founding Artistic Director: Houston’s Stages Repertory Theatre

Adopt-an-Artist—PleaseSince 1986, TSF has asked patrons to participate in the Adopt-an-Artist Dinner pro-gram by inviting two or more Company Members to lunch or dinner, either at your home or at a restaurant. It can be a simple, casual cook-out in the back yard, a sit-down affair in your dining room, or a quick snack at a fast-food joint. Any-thing you want to do is fine, as long as there are at least two Company members invited.

You do not need to provide transportation, since we can send them to you. This is a fun opportunity to get to know members of the Festival who either appear onstage or work diligently behind the scenes, and it gives them a chance to meet you as well. Marilyn Lewis, a charter member of the Guild, suggest-ed what was originally called the “Adopt-an-Actor” pro-gram in 1986, and it became

a popular activity for Festival members as well as their hosts. To correct our initial over-sight, we changed the name to “Adopt-an-Artist,” and within a few years, our idea had been adopted by other festivals across the country.Since individual work and performance schedules vary, we cannot guarantee a par-ticular person as your adoptee, but you may request whomev-er you wish, and we will do all

we can to send you the people you choose. It would be ideal if everyone in the Company could be adopted once during their time in Kilgore, so we also try to assign artists who have not already been adopted this season.To schedule an “Adopt-an-Artist” event, contact John Dodd at 903-983-8119 or [email protected].


2015-2016 Executive Board

President Lesa Maatouk

President—Elect Claudia Morgan-Gray

Recording Secretary Cornelia Chambers

Membership Secretary Lois Knouse

Treasurer Sue Brown

Past President Nell Collins

VP—Meetings/Programs Kimberly Macedo

VP—Company Events Gem Meacham

Co–VP’s—House Events Melinda Johnson

Martha Rutherford

VP—Publicity Martha Dalby

VP—Membership Claudia Morgan-Gray

TSF Artistic Director Raymond Caldwell

TSF Managing Director John Dodd

Artistic Associates Meaghan Simpson

Matthew Simpson

If you have not yet joined the “Green Group” by signing up to receive The Stratford Tribune newsletter via email rather than through regular postal service, please consider doing it today for three reasons: (1) it saves the Guild substantial cost in printing and postage; (2) it allows you to receive a greatly enhanced version of the newsletter, including full-color pictures; and (3) it includes you on the Festival’s email list, which lets you receive more timely notifications of many TSF activi-ties. And there is a fourth reason, too: it saves trees!We are dividing the TSF Green Group into two specific groups.

• Green Group—You will receive the TSF newsletters only via email.• Green Group Plus—You will receive the TSF newsletters via email and occasional correspondence about Festival activities. Examples of these might be info about the Lunch Bunch, TSF Foundation, raffles, and special TSF events, and so forth. These emails might be informa-tive or request help with events, etc. and will not be excessive. We do not share your email address with other entities.

When you join the Green Group, please let us know your choice—Green Group or Green Group Plus.

To join either Green Group, send an email to [email protected]. Please be sure to include your name. Sometimes it is difficult to identify you by your email address.

Join the Green Group—for Three Reasons

TSF Foundation Monday Event at the Cherokee Club—TSF Company members enjoy a dinner of hamburgers with their TSF Foundation hosts.

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TSF Foundation Monday Event at the Cherokee Club—directors, Leslie Reidel and Steven Wyman relaxing at Lake Cherokee

TSF Foundation Monday Event at the Cherokee Club—Actors Lea DiMarchi, Nathan Salstone, Christian Thomason enjoying the beautiful weather.

TSF Foundation Monday Event at the Cherokee Club—TSF artists enjoying the Texas sunshine.

Progressive Dinner Monday Event—TSF Company moving to the next venue.


Progressive Dinner Monday Event—Enjoying one of three pools.

Progressive Dinner Monday Event—Relaxing and testing the water.

Progressive Dinner Monday Event—Caitlin Cavannaugh, Jennifer Burke and Jacob Offen in intense conversation on a relaxing Monday afternoon.

Progressive Dinner Monday Event—Queuing for some of the best pound cake in the world.

Monday Night Events

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