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SAN DIEGO (May 21, 2020)—The Old Globe believes that theatre matters, now more than ever, and is determined to continue to serve the public through theatre art. We consider it paramount that we continue to be a leader in programming for our community, and to continue to support and maintain valued connections with those hungering for artistic content and continued personal growth. We continue to add free online programs and new dates for existing ones, all part of The Old Globe’s ongoing commitment to serve the public good by providing programs that make theatre matter to more people.
Celebrating the completion of Community Voices playwriting workshops, the plays developed are being showcased in live-streamed readings on Facebook. These original short scripts by online community participants were seen in a first round of final presentations on May 7: Dubb Thee Fear by Declan Kallberg, Communication by Markey Jones, Lioness by L.S. De Anda, Lyft Off by Tim Cole, Safe by Adam Parker, and Days Lurch Weeks Fly by Shelly Williams. Actors in the presentation included Gerardo Flores Tonella, Katherine Harroff, Jake Millgard, Arielle Siler, Gill Sotu, Miki Vale, and Valeria Vega. Join us for the next round on Thursday, May 21 at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time on The Old Globe Arts Engagement’s Facebook page, and tune in for more dates and more plays!
As part of our continuing efforts to include all those on the spectrum—a process that began with sensory-friendly performances of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and has since grown into its own Globe family—Community Voices has introduced a private Digital Sensory-Friendly Workshop, with Teaching Artist Samantha Ginn, a nine-week program for neuro-diverse theatre lovers to learn how to create their own plays. For more information, please email kharroff@TheOldGlobe.org.
A new joint Humanities and Arts Engagement project, Playwrights Unstuck begins June 2, hosted by Arts Engagement Programs Manager Katherine Harroff and Literary Manager and Dramaturg Danielle Mages Amato. They will check in with Globe-commissioned San Diego–based playwrights Miki Vale, Jonathan Mello, Jessica Hilt, and Mike Sears on the status of their developing work. Be a fly on the wall as they meet weekly with a different playwright—first for a check-in and reading of their script by actors in The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program, then for discussions of the progress made over the ensuing month. We hope to encourage playwrights of all levels to jump into the creation of their own work, inspired by these professional explorations of the various stages of development. Playwrights Unstuck will broadcast every Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time from June 2 to July 21, live on The Old Globe Arts Engagement’s Facebook page.
The Globe’s coLAB/Community Voices program branches out this spring with The Living Room Plays Workshop. Tune in every Thursday starting June 4 to learn how to write, develop, design, direct, and present your own “living room”–inspired short plays in a final live-streamed, site-specific presentation. The Living Room Plays Workshop will broadcast every Thursday at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time from June 4 to July 23, live on The Old Globe Arts Engagement’s Facebook page.
For the full press release, click here! For more information and updates on our new online theatre programs, click here! To follow The Old Globe on Facebook, click here! To follow The Old Globe Arts Engagement on Facebook, click here!
SAN DIEGO (May 19, 2020)—The Old Globe today announced that it is moving the productions in its 2020 Summer Season to the summer of 2021, although exact dates have not been settled upon. The season’s titles include a classic American musical, a new adaptation of a 20th century thriller, and two of Shakespeare’s masterworks on the Globe’s outdoor stage.
Barry Edelstein, The Old Globe's Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director, said, “As the coronavirus pandemic continues to hold the world in its grip, The Old Globe, like so many theatres everywhere, is moving to adapt. Our decision to postpone our summer season is prudent and necessary in order to protect the wellbeing of our artists, staff, and audiences, and to ensure the long-term viability of the company.” Edelstein continued, “The ongoing crisis has already required us to take some difficult steps, but this one is especially painful. Summer 2020 will be the first time since World War II that there will be no live theatre in Balboa Park, no Shakespeare under the stars. Just as the Globe reopened after the war, so we will reopen when the pandemic eases, and at some future date these shows and the wonderful work of the great artists making them will once again bring light into our venues. But for now we acknowledge a real and grievous loss to our region and its culture.”
The health and safety of our audiences and the wellbeing of our artists and staff remain our primary concerns. We are extremely grateful to all for bearing with us as we continue to respond as best we can to circumstances beyond our control. We look forward to seeing our loyal audiences back in Balboa Park soon!
Globe staff is currently reaching out directly to subscribers. We are pleased to offer a range of ticketing options, which include moving existing tickets to the play’s rescheduled run when it is announced; converting tickets into a 100%-tax-deductible donation to support the Globe’s ongoing operations; receiving a credit toward a future ticket purchase, including a subscription renewal; or receiving a refund.
The coronavirus pandemic has devastated the nation's not-for-profit arts institutions, and The Old Globe has already experienced significant financial losses. If possible, retaining their tickets for rescheduled shows from this season is the easiest way for ticket holders to show their continued support for The Old Globe and the artists on our stages. Their choice to do that and/or to make a donation will help ensure the ongoing stability of the Globe, now and when we reopen.
For the full press release, click here! For the updated 2021 Summer Season press page, click here! For more information and updates on our new online theatre programs, click here! To follow The Old Globe on Facebook, click here! To follow The Old Globe Arts Engagement on Facebook, click here!
SAN DIEGO (May 8, 2020)—The Old Globe regards William Shakespeare as our premiere resident playwright, whose works and universal themes continue to resonate more than 400 years after his plays were written. For many San Diegans, their ability to understand and appreciate the wonders of the Bard during our Summer Shakespeare Festival has increased exponentially since they joined us for Thinking Shakespeare Live! During this unwanted intermission, the Globe’s Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein—assisted by Globe veteran classical actors Grantham Coleman, Megan Ketch, and Richard Thomas—will pivot to offer a free live online version, taking place on Tuesday, May 19 at 6:30 p.m. on The Old Globe’s Facebook page.
During this 90-minute exploration of the language of Shakespeare, Edelstein reveals a performer’s approach to Shakespearean language so audiences may easily understand the poetry of the Bard. Consistently one of our most popular offerings, this special program is based on Edelstein’s book Thinking Shakespeare: A How-To Guide for Student Actors, Directors, and Anyone Else Who Wants to Feel More Comfortable with the Bard. An ideal introduction to Shakespeare for families and young audiences as well as an exciting new look at the playwright for Bardophiles, Edelstein has performed this across the country, including at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC. The book was re-released in a 2018 revised edition by Theatre Communications Group.
In addition, Edelstein returns with further free online editions of Thinking Shakespeare Live: Sonnets! on Tuesdays, May 12 and May 26 at 6:30 p.m. Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets, each only 14 lines long, contain some of his most beautiful and moving poetry. This “social-distance” expansion of Thinking Shakespeare Live! introduces the sonnets and delves into one masterpiece of the form, exploring its language and how it works, and how it relates to Shakespeare’s work for the stage. Thousands watched the first three Sonnets!; join us on The Old Globe’s Facebook page.
“Doing Thinking Shakespeare Live! as we gear up for our Summer Shakespeare Festival every year is always a joy for me,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “In our current strange circumstances, with our theatres closed, we can’t gather in Balboa Park, but we can meet virtually. And it turns out that Shakespeare translates extremely well to the digital world. This fun hour is a way to keep our Shakespeare chops in good form and keep our love of this writer and his work front and center. Until we reopen, we can listen to and luxuriate in these extraordinary words even as we learn a little about how they work in the rehearsal room, in the hands of experienced actors and directors. I’m really looking forward to sharing a fun and fast-moving program with audiences in San Diego and beyond.”
For the full press release, click here! For more information and updates on our new online theatre programs, click here! To follow The Old Globe on Facebook, click here! To follow The Old Globe Arts Engagement on Facebook, click here!
SAN DIEGO (May 7, 2020)—The Old Globe today announced the world premiere of a 10-minute play created by renowned theatre artist Bill Irwin: In-Zoom, featuring Irwin and Broadway veteran Christopher Fitzgerald. The two-hander will premiere live online on Thursday, May 14 at 6:30 p.m. on The Old Globe’s website! A special preview performance will be streamed exclusively for Globe donors and subscribers on Wednesday, May 13 at 6:30 p.m., and a recorded version will be available to stream on the Globe website through Saturday, May 16 only! The short play is free to stream, but viewers are asked to make a donation if they can to help support The Old Globe in these extraordinary times.
Two comic minds convene a meeting on Zoom and surprise themselves as they look at our particular pandemic moment and the virtual way we’re living it. Two-time Tony Award winner Bill Irwin (Fool Moon, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) and three time Tony Award nominee Christopher Fitzgerald (Broadway’s Waitress, Young Frankenstein, Wicked) delight in Irwin’s beguiling take on our new reality.
The creative team includes Leila Knox (Production Stage Manager) and Kevin Anthenill (Digital Platform Director). Special thanks to Jake Millgard, Kevin Hafso Koppman, and Kyrsten Hafso Koppman for their work in developing this piece.
For the full press release, click here! For more information and updates on our new online theatre programs, click here! To follow The Old Globe on Facebook, click here! To follow The Old Globe Arts Engagement on Facebook, click here!
SAN DIEGO (April 27, 2020)—The Old Globe believes that theatre matters, now more than ever, and is determined to continue to serve the public through theatre art. We consider it paramount that we continue to be a leader in programming for our community, and continue to support and maintain valued connections with those hungering for artistic content and continued personal growth. We continue to add free online programs and new dates for existing ones, all part of The Old Globe’s ongoing commitment to serve the public good by providing programs that make theatre matter to more people.
Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets, each only 14 lines long, contain some of his most beautiful and moving poetry. The Globe’s Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein returns with a third sonnet in this free online edition of Thinking Shakespeare Live: Sonnets! on Tuesday, April 28. This “social-distance” version of his popular Thinking Shakespeare Live! introduces the sonnets and delves into one masterpiece of the form each time, exploring its language, how it works, and how it relates to Shakespeare’s work for the stage. Thousands watched on March 31 and April 14; join us Tuesday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m. on The Old Globe’s Facebook page.
Behind the Curtain, one of our most popular weekly offerings, is expanding! The advanced Behind the Curtain: Technical Assistance Facebook group—which went live on Wednesday, April 22—creates channels for aspiring technical theatre designers to learn more, build their network, and connect with Globe industry professionals. Members of the team—including Production Manager Ben Thoron, Associate Production Manager/Production Stage Manager Leila Knox, Costume Director Stacy Sutton, Technical Director Joe Powell, Sound Director Paul Peterson, Properties Director Dave Buess, and Interim Lighting Director Jason Bieber—will directly answer questions and suggest materials for deeper learning. While the Facebook live-streamed workshops of Behind the Curtain introduce the world of theatre, the Technical Assistance group is the next step for those who enjoyed the workshops and want further learning in these weekly open-forum discussions—but young people early in their theatre design careers could also benefit!
Word Up! joins our online roster on Friday, May 1 at 6:00 p.m. More of a gathering than a show or a class, Word Up! is a digital opportunity for community members to connect with each other. Every Friday night, join Arts Engagement Programs Manager and host Laura Zablit for a fun, festive word-based collaboration between audience and artist. This Mad Libs–style communal storytelling will feature a new performing artist every week, as well as special community guests from around San Diego. Together, they will create opportunities for viewers to learn from and participate in their art form, creating accessible art in real time. Art forms on offer may include spoken word, rap, puppetry, singing, and more, often with bilingual and multicultural elements. Tune in and partake every Friday at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time on The Old Globe Arts Engagement’s Facebook page.
Shows may close, but the fun lives on! Flashbacks videos bring you songs and scenes from the Globe productions you have loved, introduced by cast or creative team members who share backstage stories and fond memories of their time with the show. Jump back in time with us and relive all the excitement from the Globe’s stages. Participants thus far have included Gordon Greenberg chatting about The Heart of Rock & Roll, Sophie Hearn performing a beautiful song from Life After, and Jennifer Paredes reflecting on American Mariachi. Check them out on the Globe website here!
“Theatre endures, even in the most challenging circumstances,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “The Old Globe’s 85-year history of providing exciting and entertaining programming for our community continues with these special initiatives. I’m so proud of our staff, whose hard work and endless creativity have developed ways for us to bring our work to San Diego and beyond, and I’m so thrilled to be able to fulfill our mission to serve and support our community in this unprecedented moment. Our arts engagement programs are nationally renowned, and I know that participating in them will be a balm. Our humanities programs keep us in conversation about how theatre maintains the world spinning forward. And personally: a great mentor of mine taught me that there’s no problem in this world that can’t be eased at least a little by having some Shakespeare thrown at it, so I’m raring to go. We all look forward to seeing you, at least virtually, very soon.”
For the full press release, click here! For more information and updates on our new online theatre programs, click here! To follow The Old Globe on Facebook, click here! To follow The Old Globe Arts Engagement on Facebook, click here!
SAN DIEGO (Abril 17, 2020) – El Old Globe cree que el teatro importa, hoy más que nunca, y estamos determinados a seguir sirviendo a la comunidad a través del arte que es el teatro. Continuamos siendo líderes en la creación de programas para nuestra comunidad, apoyando y manteniendo conexiones valiosas con aquellos que buscan sentido y entretenimiento en las artes. Debido a los efectos de la pandemia del COVID-19, nos hemos visto en la necesidad de detenera las funciones públicas en nuestros teatros. Aunque nuestras instalaciones se encuentren a oscuras, la necesidad por contenido artístico y el continuo crecimiento personal nos inspira a ofrecer programas nuevos y existentes de manera digital y gratuita como parte del compromiso del Old Globe de servir como bien común al proveer programas que compartan la importancia del teatro a más gente.
Behind the Curtain será bilingüe con su versión en español: Detrás del Telón. Esta serie gratuita de talleres interactivos que ofrece la oportunidad de explorar la magia de la creación de una producción teatral era ofrecida en los espacios de nuestros aliados en la comunidad, pero se ha tenido que mudar al mundo digital hasta previo aviso. Gracias a su creciente popularidad y al deseo de extenderse a todas las audiencias, ahora contaremos con esta edición para audiencias hispanohablantes para disfrutar desde casa. Este divertido y educativo taller cuenta con la misma estructura e invitados profesionales de la industria que la versión en inglés, pero será traducido en vivo para que la audiencia pueda comentar y participar. El primer Detrás del Telónexplorará el mundo de la diseñadora de iluminación Heather Reynolds con la ayuda de las Artistas Docentes del departamento de Vinculación Artística (Arts Engagement en inglés) y anfitrionas Tara Ricasa y Valeria Vega. Los espectadores serán introducidos cada semana a distintas disciplinas de producción incluyendo diseño de vestuario (Shelly Williams y Charlotte Devaux), escenografía (Joe Powell), sonido (Paul Peterson), utilería (Dave Buess), peinado y maquillaje (Ali Reyes), y audiciones y dirección (Lamar Perry). Ellos ofrecerán conocimientos únicos y guiarán a los participantes en las actividades prácticas enseñando los principios de estas disciplinas mientras ofrecen herramientas transferibles y prácticas. Únete a nosotros el siguiente lunes, abril 20 en vivo en el Facebook del Departamento de Vinculación Artística: The Old Globe Arts Engagement Facebook. Detrás del Telón continuará cada lunes a las 3:00 p.m. hora del Pacífico por seis semanas.
Además de Behind the Curtain, hemos también hecho la transición y creado nuevos programas con mucho éxito a nuestras plataformas digitales. Estos incluyen nuestro aclamado taller de dramaturgia Community Voices; Thinking Shakespeare Live: Sonnets! introducciones del lenguaje de Shakespeare en sus sonetos impartidas por Erna Finci Viterbi Director Artístico Barry Edelstein; On Book: The Old Globe’s Shakespeare Reading Group, o el club de lectura interactivo del Old Globe sobre Shakespeare, donde se discuten obras de Shakespeare; Act Breaks, donde se comparten pequeños videos con canciones y mensajes positivos de artistas del Old Globe; y la iniciativa nacional Play At Home, en la cual se han comisionado a dramaturgos aclamados pequeñas obras para toda la familia disponibles en línea y de manera gratuita para leer en casa.
For the full press release, click here! For more information and updates on our new online theatre programs, click here! To follow The Old Globe on Facebook, click here! To follow The Old Globe Arts Engagement on Facebook, click here!
SAN DIEGO (April 16, 2020)—The Old Globe believes that theatre matters, now more than ever, and is determined to continue to serve the public through theatre art. We consider it paramount that we continue to be a leader in programming for our community, and continue to support and maintain valued connections with those hungering for artistic content and continued personal growth. We are happy to announce additional free online programs, rescheduled dates for our valued summer Shakespeare classes, and a fundraising campaign, all part of The Old Globe’s ongoing commitment to serve the public good by providing programs that make theatre matter to more people.
“Theatre endures, even in the most challenging circumstances,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “The Old Globe’s 85-year history of providing exciting and entertaining programming for our community continues with these special initiatives. I’m so proud of our staff, whose hard work and endless creativity have developed ways for us to bring our work to San Diego and beyond, and I’m so thrilled to be able to fulfill our mission to serve and support our community in this unprecedented moment. Our arts engagement programs are nationally renowned, and I know that participating in them will be a balm. Our humanities programs keep us in conversation about how theatre maintains the world spinning forward. And personally: a great mentor of mine taught me that there’s no problem in this world that can’t be eased at least a little by having some Shakespeare thrown at it, so I’m raring to go. We all look forward to seeing you, at least virtually, very soon.”
Not even these uncertain times could make us miss our fifth annual Happy Birthday, Mr. Shakespeare! The popular daylong celebration of Bard-inspired activities on the Globe’s Copley Plaza commemorating our resident playwright will still happen, but live-streamed online, hosted by Director of Arts Engagement Freedome Bradley-Ballentine! The whole family can play and learn from the comfort of home, with interactive activities including a sonnet reading with introduction by Shakespeare scholar Barry Edelstein, the Henry V Saint Crispin's Day speech performed by actors in The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program, creative ruff-making with Master Teaching Artist and Programs Manager Lisel Gorell-Getz, a Reflecting Shakespeare lesson (usually shared with our incarcerated populations) with Programs Manager Erika Phillips and Master Teaching Artist James Pilar, a hip-hop sonnet-writing workshop with Teaching Artist Miki Vale, a weapons and sword-handling demonstration by Ben Cole, and a solo performance from San Diego Ballet’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Tune in on Saturday, April 25 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time, live on The Old Globe Arts Engagement’s Facebook page.
Behind the Curtainis going bilingual with its Spanish version: Detrás del Telón. This free series of interactive workshops offering a chance to explore the magic of creating a theatrical production was originally held at our Community Partner venues, but has moved online for the time being. Due to their growing popularity and a wish to reach all audiences, there will now be a separate edition for Spanish-speaking audiences to enjoy at home. This fun and educational workshop features the same structure and industry guests as the original, but will have simultaneous live translations for audiences to comment on and engage with. The first Detrás del Telón will explore the world of lighting designer Heather Reynolds with the help of Arts Engagement Teaching Artists and co-hosts Tara Ricasa and Valeria Vega. Viewers will be introduced to a different design discipline each week by Globe designers and artists in several fields, including costumes (Shelly Williams and Charlotte Devaux), sets (Joe Powell), sound (Paul Peterson), props (Dave Buess), hair and makeup (Ali Reyes), and casting and directing (Lamar Perry), all of whom will provide unique insights and lead hands-on activities teaching the principles of design while offering practical and transferable skills. Join us for the premiere next Monday, April 20, live on The Old Globe Arts Engagement’s Facebook page. Detrás del Telón will run every Monday at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time for six weeks.
Back on campus! During the four-week intensive curriculum of the Pam Farr Summer Shakespeare Studio, high school students and recent graduates dive into acting, movement, music, and writing classes, and training in voice and speech, stage combat, and text. This summer’s new dates at The Old Globe are July 13 – August 8 (dates subject to change), with master classes led by Globe artists and staff, many of them leaders in their respective fields. The work deepens students’ understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare’s writing and shows them how to use his work as a model for engaging with their own experiences. It incorporates non-Shakespearean material, including modern music, original texts, and the participants’ own freewrites, where the group brainstorms topics essential to the play, leading them to discover uniquely personal ways to express them. Tuition is $725, students are admitted without regard to ability to pay, and financial aid (and a bus pass) are available for all students with demonstrated need. The application deadline has been extended to April 30. For information, please email Studio@TheOldGlobe.org.
To help us continue in our 85 years as an institution central to the cultural and civic lives of San Diego, The Old Globe announces an important new campaign: GlobeRISING. When our stages were closed by war or destroyed by fire, we continued to make theatre as the community rallied to bring the Globe back better than ever. Today we are one of the nation’s great theatre companies, creating sublime productions that bring joy and laughter, that connect us to each other, and that remind us of our common humanity. The coronavirus pandemic has brought great change to our world, but the Globe is responding to this period of upheaval with energy, adaptation, and innovation, delivering theatre programs online and planning a reopening worthy of this great institution. Until then, we need the public’s support to help keep the GlobeRISING. Donate to help the Globe rise above this challenging time.
For the full press release, click here! For more information and updates on our new online theatre programs, click here! To follow The Old Globe on Facebook, click here! To follow The Old Globe Arts Engagement on Facebook, click here!
SAN DIEGO (April 9, 2020)—Late last month, a small group of regional and not-for-profit theatres, all committed to finding ways to keep people connected to live theatre, came together by phone and email and Zoom to create the Play At Home project, a series of short plays commissioned specifically for this moment of unprecedented isolation to inspire joy and connection for all—especially for you and your family to read at home! The Old Globe is proud to join this cohort, which includes Baltimore Center Stage, Long Wharf Theatre, The Public Theater, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, with others across the country joining in. Play At Home allows theatres to fill two major goals: to steer some financial support to struggling artists, and to inspire new work at a challenging time.
The Old Globe believes that theatre matters, now more than ever, and we are determined to continue to serve the public through theatre art. We reached out to our extensive loyal cadre of artists, and these playwrights have been commissioned to create short plays for this program: Ngozi Anyanwu (playwright of The Homecoming Queen, actor in Off Broadway’s Good Grief and War); Barry Edelstein (The Old Globe’s Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director; director, and author); Nathan Englander (Globe’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, The Twenty-Seventh Man); Selina Fillinger (Globe’s Faceless; The Armor Plays: Cinched/Strapped, Something Clean); Jose Cruz González (Globe-commissioned Under a Baseball Sky, Globe’s American Mariachi; Sunsets & Margaritas at Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre Company); Gordon Greenberg (Globe’s The Heart of Rock & Roll, Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show, and Working; West End revival of Guys and Dolls) and Steve Rosen (Globe’s Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show; The Other Josh Cohen, Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors); Tony Meneses (Powers New Voices Festival’s El Borracho; Guadalupe in the Guest Room); Heather Raffo (Globe’s Noura; 9 Parts of Desire, Fallujah); Mike Sears (Globe workshop of When It Comes; How High the Moon at La Jolla Playhouse ); Gill Sotu (Globe-commissioned playwright and Teaching Artist for Reflecting Shakespeare); Whitney White (original concert-play Lover I’ll Bring You Back to Life, Macbeth in Stride); and Anna Ziegler (Globe’s The Wanderers and The Last Match; Actually, Photograph 51).
“I’m so grateful to my colleagues running the great theatres who kicked off this wonderful initiative, and I’m very proud to join them,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “Theatre artists nationwide are inspiring all of us with their amazing capacity to adapt to trying circumstances, and to create art even in the face of uncertainty and upheaval. The Globe is thrilled to support 13 of our talented writers and to commission them to join in the fun. Play at Home is an idea that’s brilliant in its simplicity: you go to the website, download a play, and read it aloud. You make theatre in your own home, on your own terms. The range of writers and writing is breathtaking, and I promise that you’ll find invention, diversion, and most of all a celebratory sense of release in these works.”
As plays flood in, scripts are posted and will be available for free, immediate downloading at www.playathome.org. These plays are joyful, meant to exist in your imagination beyond the usual limits of what might be possible onstage. They are family-friendly world premieres that can exist in their fullness in your living room. No rules of engagement necessary—you decide how and when to read the plays. At home, by yourself, in your pajamas. In the living room with your family or roommates or pets. While cooking dinner or waiting for delivery from local businesses. And, if you want, share what you’re up to—images, videos, and soundbites—on social media by tagging #PlayAtHome!
Freelance artists are among those hit hardest by COVID-19 closures, and even a $500 commission helps support them in doing what they do best—creating! Part of the irreplaceable magic of live theatre lives in the unmediated space between artists and the audience’s imagination, making worlds together. Play At Home is an invitation to unplug the oversaturated tech and plug into your creativity. You can binge watch Netflix later. You’ve got a brand-new library of short plays at your fingertips to share as you shelter in place!
For the full press release, click here! For more information and updates on our new online theatre programs, click here! To follow The Old Globe on Facebook, click here! To follow The Old Globe Arts Engagement on Facebook, click here!
SAN DIEGO (March 26, 2020)—The Old Globe believes that theatre matters, now more than ever, and we are determined to continue to serve the public through theatre art. We consider it paramount that we continue to be a leader in programming for our community, and we are developing plans to support and maintain valued connections with those searching for meaning and entertainment in the arts. Although our campus is dark, we are aware of the hunger for artistic content and continued personal growth, so our staff has been planning ways to offer some of our programs online for free, part of The Old Globe’s ongoing commitment to serve the public good by providing programs that make theatre matter to more people.
The Globe will transition our existing groundbreaking work in diverse arts engagement programs developed with our Community Partner venues onto our online platforms. The first of these will include Community Voices, a playwriting workshop that begins Thursday, March 26, 2020 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Behind the Curtain, a how-to-make-theatre workshop, starting Wednesday, April 1, 2020 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. They will both be available on The Old Globe Arts Engagement’s Facebook page.
These public offerings are built upon the success of ongoing arts engagement programs, which were in the midst of classes in Community Partner venues. Immediately following the initial stay-at-home rulings, participants were offered the chance to continue their workshops through Zoom, utilizing their phones and computers. Globe Teaching Artists held our first Community Voices Zoom workshop for Lemon Grove Branch Library participants on Saturday, March 21—a resounding success.
The Old Globe’s Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein will lead a special free online sonnets edition of Thinking Shakespeare Live!, a fast-paced, funny, and altogether fascinating guide to the language of the Bard. An ideal introduction to Shakespeare for families and young audiences, as well as an exciting new look at the playwright for Bardophiles, Thinking Shakespeare Live: Sonnets! will take place on Tuesday, March 31 at 6:30 p.m. on The Old Globe’s Facebook page. Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets, each only 14 lines long, contain some of his most beautiful and moving poetry. This half-hour, “social-distance” version of Thinking Shakespeare Live! will introduce the sonnets and then delve into one masterpiece of the form, exploring its language and how it works, and how it relates to Shakespeare’s work for the stage.
While the Globe’s stages are dark, audiences are invited to explore Shakespeare’s plays in On Book: The Old Globe’s Shakespeare Reading Group. Beginning with the two plays announced for the Globe’s 2020 Summer Shakespeare Festival, The Taming of the Shrew and Henry V, the group will offer an online space to read and discuss Shakespeare’s work with directors, actors, and other artists who have tackled these great masterworks for the Globe’s stages. The roster of artists is being assembled now and will be announced shortly. Beginning Thursday, April 2, meetings will take place every Monday and Thursday at 12:00 noon on The Old Globe’s On Book Facebook group page. (Timeframe may shift as interest develops).
In addition to these initial offerings, conversations are taking place and plans are evolving for exciting additional online content from past Globe artists and upcoming productions. Check in for exciting new content on our social media platforms, and check our website and emails for future institutional news. All programs are first come, first served, subject to interactive class limits.
“Theatre endures, even in the most challenging circumstances,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “The Old Globe’s 85-year history of providing exciting and entertaining programming for our community continues with these special initiatives. I’m so proud of our staff, whose hard work and endless creativity have developed ways for us to bring our work to San Diego and beyond, and I’m beyond thrilled to be able to fulfill our mission to serve and support our community in this unprecedented moment. Our arts engagement programs are nationally renowned, and I know that participating in them will be a balm. Our humanities programs keep us in conversation about how theatre keeps the world spinning forward. And personally: a great mentor of mine taught me that there’s no problem in this world that can’t be eased at least a little by having some Shakespeare thrown at it, so I’m raring to go. We all look forward to seeing you, at least virtually, very soon.”
“In times of uncertainty, people crave not only information but community,” added Director of Arts Engagement Freedome Bradley-Ballentine. “Since its inception, the Globe has been a vital gathering place to offer comfort, discuss big ideas, and entertain. Whether on Broadway, in prisons, or at senior centers, we are dedicated to the public good. It is our responsibility to be responsive to our community, to make theatre that matters, and to offer people who depend on the Globe a place to gather, connect, share their stories, and not feel alone.”
For the full press release, click here! For more information and updates on our new online theatre programs, click here! To follow The Old Globe on Facebook, click here! To follow The Old Globe Arts Engagement on Facebook, click here!
(San Diego, March 12, 2020)—Following guidelines released last night by Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health in response to the increasing challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic and COVID-19, The Old Globe has announced that it will suspend public performances effective immediately, and, per the guidelines, at least through the end of March.
Two productions now in rehearsal, Little Women and Faceless, will be postponed until further notice.
Further, all community-based programming run by the Globe’s Department of Arts Engagement in partnership with neighborhood non-profit and other organizations will be temporarily suspended, or, where possible, conducted online. And The Old Globe Classical Directing Fellowship, scheduled for next week, will be rescheduled for later this year.
As all other Globe operations continue uninterrupted, we maintain and augment mitigation and containment strategies as recommended by the CDC and WHO, and as directed by all relevant public authorities.
Revised policies regarding ticketing for all subscribers and single ticket buyers will be released in due course.
“The Globe’s commitment to the health and safety of our audiences and artists is paramount, and though these steps are difficult and painful, we are glad to take them,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “We are grateful to Governor Newsom for the clarity of these public health guidelines. The productions whose schedules are affected are extraordinary pieces of theatre, and as this anxious situation unfolds, we will seek ways to be able to share them with our audiences, albeit slightly later than planned. We are grateful to all the artists and craftspeople who are impacted by these upheavals in their professional schedules. They have been flexible and positive, as have our arts engagement community partners, and the directors in our Fellowship. The Old Globe has approached the unfolding coronavirus situation with seriousness and care, and we have not made these decisions lightly. We will continue to monitor the situation, and we wish to assure our supporters and all of San Diego that we will institute every possible measure to ensure the continuing health not only of our many constituencies, but also of this institution.”
AN DIEGO (March 6, 2020)—The Old Globe is pleased to announce the 2020 Classical Directing Fellowships, a program of the Karen and Stuart Tanz Fellowships at The Old Globe, led by the Globe’s Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein, a leading Shakespearean scholar, author, and director. Four directing fellows—Meg DeBoard (assistant directed at The Old Globe and La Jolla Playhouse; local credits include Spring Awakening, Failure: A Love Story), Manoel Felciano (actor in the Globe’s The Tempest, Ken Ludwig’s Robin Hood! and Twelfth Night; Broadway’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Sweeney Todd, Amélie), Lavina Jadhwani (As You Like It at Guthrie Theater, Peter and the Starcatcher atOregon Shakespeare Festival, The Cake at Asolo Repertory Theatre), and Edward Torres (the Globe’s Familiar, Native Gardens, Water by the Spoonful, 2017 and 2020 Powers New Voices Festivals; award-winning world premiere of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity)—will participate in the second session of Shakespeare directing workshops. They will be in residence from Monday, March 16 to Saturday, March 21, 2020.
Thanks to the generosity of Karen and Stuart Tanz, who have made a significant 10-year pledge to the Annual Fund of The Old Globe, the program is part of the Karen and Stuart Tanz Fellowships at The Old Globe. Their gift supports theatre training programs such as Edelstein’s Classical Directing Fellowships, and will be recognized with production sponsorships of two shows each year and with a permanent paver stone on the Globe’s Copley Plaza.
Karen Tanz is a proud member of the Board of Directors at The Old Globe, as well as one of the 2019 Globe Gala Co-Chairs, and is active with many philanthropic organizations in San Diego. Originally from Toronto, she studied theatre management at the Banff School of Fine Arts, which inspired her work in live theatre and television in Canada. she served as a producer of the musical Allegiance, which premiered at the Globe in 2012. Stuart Tanz is President and CEO of ROIC, a position he has held since 2009. He also serves as Chairman of the University of Toronto Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases. They moved to Rancho Santa Fe in 1989 to raise two children, and they now have a granddaughter. They have previously sponsored October Sky, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, Life After, and this year’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank.
As one of the leading Shakespeare theatres in America, the Globe presents four full productions of the Bard’s plays annually, and Shakespeare is central to the theatre’s nationally renowned arts engagement programs. All of this work exemplifies the Globe’s values-driven commitment to making theatre matter to more people, a commitment that expresses the Globe’s view of theatre art as a public good. This commitment and this view require the Globe to think about the future of the American theatre and to train artists whose work will embody the values we champion. We can make a contribution not only to our own work but also to the field at large by expanding the ranks of exciting Shakespeareans ready to make theatre at the Globe’s level of excellence.
This Classical Directing Fellowships will continue to broaden our professional artist-training work, which initially centered on The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program, which focuses on actors. The 2019 Classical Directing Fellowship pilot-program cohort included four diverse young directors from San Diego and across the U.S., including Globe veterans Daniel Jáquez and Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, as well as Sam White and LA Williams, and we are excited to see it evolve into an ongoing part of the Globe’s artistic life.
The Classical Directing Fellowships focus on Shakespeare’s text, how it is put together, and how it works in the imaginations and voices of American actors. In master classes, Edelstein will present a series of techniques that the fellows will then employ in rehearsals with a company of professional actors. The work will culminate in a private presentation on Saturday. After that, all involved will debrief and broaden the conversation to some larger questions about Shakespeare, American culture, and the director’s art and life. Throughout the week, in addition to the artistic work, the fellows will meet with members of the Globe’s staff in many departments, and with representatives of the San Diego theatre community beyond the Globe. They will gain not only a set of specific tools to use in directing Shakespeare, but also a sense of the community in one of America’s most dynamic theatre towns. In exchange, the Globe will have the chance to begin a conversation with a group of gifted artists with so much to offer this theatre.
“Last year the Globe launched a new initiative aimed at enriching American Shakespeare, and the results were so exciting that we decided to make it a permanent program,” said Edelstein. “The Globe is one of the country’s leading producers of Shakespeare, and we embrace our role in training the artists who will carry this great writer’s canon forward and stage it with new imagination and innovative interpretation. Our first cohort of fellows—Daniel Jàquez, Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, Sam White, and LA Williams—have already, in the course of only a year, made major contributions to American Shakespeare, and our second cohort is poised to do the same. Meg, Lavina, Eddie, and Mano are artists of great skill and accomplishment, and the Globe is delighted to be part of their trajectory in this way. I’m particularly grateful to Karen and Stuart Tanz, whose philanthropy is central to this theatre and whose commitment to the future of our art form is as impactful as it is commendable. I look forward to another wonderful year of this fellowship as it grows in excellence and depth.”
For the full press release on the 2020 Classical Directing Fellowships, click here!
