The Summer of Déjà Vu

Contributed by: Andrew Papa, one-third of the cast of our hilarious daylight show this season

My summer of 2014 could probably best be labeled “The Summer of Déjà Vu.”   Not only is this my second year working for the Water Works Theatre Company, it’s also my second time performing in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised].  Despite the befuddlement that usually accompanies déjà vu moments, these particular repeat experiences are both humbling and exhilarating.  This is a magnificent company to work for, and I get to perform in one of my favorite shows of all time.  What could be better?

But looking ahead at this particular production, there are so many new and exciting elements.  What makes this show so much fun is that no two productions are alike.  I suppose you could say that about any play, but it could not be truer than with this one.  Many of the show’s key moments are completely made up by the cast – not just by what’s in the script – and a great deal of it is improvised.  Just which parts are made up, you might ask?  You just might have to comes a few times to see for yourself.  J

This is a great cast, a great company, and a wonderful way to spend the summer…even if it is, as the great Yogi Berra once said, “déjà vu all over again.” 

Visit www.shakespeareroyaloak.com for tickets to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abriged) [Revised].

An Obsession Realized....

Contributed by Sara Catheryn Wolf

Director of Henry V

It all begins with a thought that becomes an idea.  That idea quickly becomes obsession, and then you have to find a way to realize it.  When that germ of a thought became an idea which morphed into an obsession to direct this play, I was enormously fortunate when I met with Ed Nahhat at that coffee shop in downtown Royal Oak to pitch it.

Fast forward about a half a year later, and that dream has been realized. I’m back home with Water Works Theatre, watching record crowds watch my obsession, being completely realized by talented local artists. Actors with such heart and determination, they rehearsed six out of seven days, learned the choreography to two major battle scenes, studied and worked the language- and some learned it in two languages- all since July 5. We have local designers, technicians, fight choreographers and prop masters who have fleshed out a great story and made it even greater. We have volunteers who work the shows for free- in marketing, PR, box office, hospitality, concessions, ushering- all out of love for the theater. I might also add that these designers, technicians, prop masters, interns and volunteers are working all three shows of our season (Henry V, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Summer Sonnets). Yet, of course, the most important part of Water Works is the audience. Imagine having a story to tell if there is no one there to tell it to? And what a story to tell...

Henry V  is a play for under dogs; it asks us to find our own greatness, to rise above the people we were, or how others may have viewed us.  "Harry" certainly does that- he goes through doubt, worry, loneliness, judgment and overwhelming odds. He shows us that WE are warriors for the working day, and that there is greatness in us all. In working through and rediscovering this play, the most striking thing was its honesty. Henry wears his heart on his sleeve, at least to the audience. He takes us on that journey with him, through his darkest hours to his incredible victory that surprises even him.  The story is an inspiration told by a mosaic of memorable characters.

All of this began from an obsession that was once an idea that started as a thought that was nourished by an Executive Director and a theater that believed in it.  How can I keep from singing?  I invite everyone to come and enjoy this truly wonderful production!

Please visit www.waterworkstheatre.com for more information on scheduling and tickets.

Rewriting Shakespeare

By Audra Lord
WWT Administrative Manager and Resident Playwright







The great thing about working for Water Works Theatre Company is that they truly recognize and honor the varied skills of their team; in fact, so many of us wear different hats that it's not at all uncommon to see the bookkeeper making masks or the office wench writing a play! 

Last season, Executive Director Ed Nahhat wanted to offer a new event: afternoon performances of Shakespeare's sonnets in Starr Jaycee Park. Ed was familiar with my successes as a local playwright and suggested that I be involved.  I got to work and cobbled together a script from Shakespeare's sonnets, creating a theatrical event which would ultimately become the one-act play, Summer Sonnets. To give it narrative structure, I set it in the Classic Hollywood era, using the basic bones of All About Eve, a classic Bette Davis film that explores the rivalry between an aging stage diva and a much younger newcomer. Throw in some wacky film fans, a tuneless minstrel, a violent death, and...wham! It was a play. The staged reading was well received (and well-executed by Director Holly Conroy and her talented cast) that we decided that Summer Sonnets should have an encore.

Flash forward to this year's Version 2.0. The rewrite is complete, and currently in rehearsals under the able direction of JM Ethridge, a woman whose comic instincts are impeccable. If I die before she does, I'd like her to write the eulogy. I would probably laugh myself back to life. The new script has been contemporized, sexied-up and moved to contemporary Hollywood. We've added more music and amped up the wackiness, celebrity, bitchiness and sleaze. It's fantastic, unique and hilarious, and I am very proud of the part I played in making this happen. When I began to write plays, I never dreamed I would end up rewriting Shakespeare, but again this summer, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Please join us for this FREE show Saturdays and Sundays August 4, 5, 11 and 12 at 3:00pm. No tickets necessary, just come as you are. We look forward to seeing you at the park!