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!

Contributed by Jeff Thomakos, Artistic Director & Director of The Tempest



Well it is Mid-March and already things are well underway for Water Works this summer. In fact, we have been working and planning since late last year. The first thing to decide was what the Shakespeare show would be. Hamlet was tossed around. So was Cyrano de Bergerac (not written by Shakespeare, I know, but it would still be great to do, don't you think?). In the end, we decided to go with our most requested show, The Tempest.

I have big plans for this show. The seeds of which started two years ago when we decided to add a family Commedia show to our summer repertoire. Commedia requires masks and I was on the hunt for a local mask maker who would be up to the task. After weeks of fruitless searching, Ed mentioned that he had a mask sitting in his office from a really talented lady named Nina Barlow. (Nina, it turns out, donated some masks for our 2002 art auction fundraiser and Ed bought one). I gave her a call and she turned out to be inspiring. Do you remember the awesomely realistic and bloody severed head of Macbeth? Yeah, that was her.

Ever since then, I have been determined to do a show that would highlight her work and The Tempest seemed like a perfect fit.

For those of you unfamiliar with the story, Prospero, the Duke of Milan, and his infant daughter are put out to sea in a small boat and left for dead by his usurping brother, Antonio. As luck would have it, however, they end up as castaways on an enchanted island inhabited by monsters and supernatural beings. Prospero, who also is a wizard of enormous power, ends up becoming ruler of the island. Many years later when a ship whose passengers include Prospero's evil brother and several of his fellow conspirators happens to pass by the island on the way home from a royal wedding, Prospero uses his magic to send a storm to sink the ship and bring the conspirators to the island where he can exact his revenge. Does he get his revenge? Is the boat really sunk? Does he get back home? Come see it and find out.

Monsters? Supernatural beings? Enchanted Island? Yes. Yes. AND YES! Ariel, Prospero's chief spirit, according to the script is a master of disguise. She (yes, she will be a "she" in our production) takes the form of a water nymph, a forest nymph, a harpy, and can turn invisible. There are also devils, mystical dogs, cannibalistic monsters, magical farmers (yep, magical farmers), and actual gods and demi-gods. In case you haven't figured it out yet, this is unlike any other play Shakespeare wrote. Even Midsummer Night's Dream doesn't contain this many magic spells and supernatural creatures.

Yes, masks seemed like the perfect way to bring all of this to life. Nina's work is spectacular and we've been giddily planning, prepping, and designing the wonderful faces you will see this summer. I have the show half cast at this point and have sent the actors that are already signed on to Nina's house to have their faces set in plaster so that their masks can be custom built.

The big question, though, is where do the masks fall in the scheme of things in our production? Are they costumes? Yes. Props? Yes. Some masks will require microphones, so that will put them under sound. Some masks will have LED lights built into them, so that is a lighting issue. Some masks may even be used to create sound. I have never worked a show in which collaboration and coordination was so vital to the production's success. But my team is, as usual, composed of an extraordinary list of great local talent which really helps me keep my hair from going white.

Of course, masks are just one part of the equation this summer. There's also the music, the set, some great new initiatives and programs, the awesome cast, the Daylight Family Show (which will be The Commedia Aladdin by Lane Riosley, in keeping with our magic theme this year), and, then there's what we're hoping to do in the trees…

Stay tuned and believe in magic.

Jeff