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Bakersfield Californian
Camille Gavin: Mountain Shakespeare Fest on the rise
by CAMILLE GAVIN, contributing columnist
e-mail: gavinarts@aol.com | Wednesday, Jun 25 2008 10:42 AM
Last Updated: Wednesday, Jun 25 2008 10:42 AM
Some local residents may be surprised to learn, as I was, that a budding Shakespeare festival awaits them at the top of the
Grapevine and that it’s now in its third season. A few years ago I wrote a few lines about live theater performances in the Frazier
Park area but had no idea it’s grown into what is now called the Mountain Shakespeare Festival.
True, the festival is still in its formative stages, with performances on weekends only from July 5 to 27, outdoors at Pine
Mountain Club.
Even so, Peter Kjenaas, the artistic director, thinks it has the potential to become an attraction equal to that of the Oregon
Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Ore., which draws people from all over the country during its 10-month season. The director
is no stranger to Ashland, having spent three seasons there playing lead roles. He’s also got solid professional credits, with
memberships in the Dramatists Guild, Screen Actors Guild, and Actors Equity Association.
Kjenaas believes Frazier Park itself could well be the biggest draw for a festival, given the beauty of its natural environment and
its location, only an hour’s drive from either Bakersfield or the northernmost communities of Los Angeles.
“We’re trying to get folks to see it as a great weekend getaway, a place where the whole family can have fun and breathe clean
air,” said Kjenaas, who has lived in the area for the past eight years. He and his wife, actress-teacher Michelle Morain, are the
parents of two children.
“We had been living this theatrical lifestyle — 15 days here, 15 days there — and we realized we couldn’t do that anymore,” he
said. “So we moved here in 2000, then we adopted twins from Bolivia, a boy and a girl.”
Many of those in the festival’s company live in the mountain community, including a number of Frazier Park High School
students. As for the more experienced actors, several involved in this summer’s productions — “Comedy of Errors” and “You
Can’t Take it With You” on alternating weekends — will be familiar to Bakersfield theatergoers.
One is Bob Kempf, who is directing “Comedy of Errors.” He has been involved with Bakersfield College’s Kern Shakespeare
Festival and has acted in and directed productions at other local venues.
Among the actors appearing are Roger Mathey, former manager of Spotlight Theatre; Don McClure, who played the lead role in
BC’s “Hamlet”; and Joe Mitchell, who was in the cast of “You Can’t Take it With You.” That show, written by George S. Kaufman
and Moss Hart, just finished a three-week run at Spotlight, and was directed by Kempf. Kjenaas, however, will direct the
Mountain Shakespeare Festival’s production of the play, which opens July 11.
Coupling an Elizabethan play with a 20th century comedy may seem a bit odd. But, says Kjenaas, they are linked by a common
thread.
“They are both about the uniting of very different worlds and the coming together of different walks of life,” he said.
Both, he added, have enjoyed a rich and successful production history.
Performances are on a thrust stage that has been added to the gazebo at Pine Mountain Club. Chair seating is provided.
Camille Gavin: Mountain Shakespeare Fest on the rise
by CAMILLE GAVIN, contributing columnist
e-mail: gavinarts@aol.com | Wednesday, Jun 25 2008 10:42 AM
Last Updated: Wednesday, Jun 25 2008 10:42 AM
Some local residents may be surprised to learn, as I was, that a budding Shakespeare festival awaits them at the top of the
Grapevine and that it’s now in its third season. A few years ago I wrote a few lines about live theater performances in the Frazier
Park area but had no idea it’s grown into what is now called the Mountain Shakespeare Festival.
True, the festival is still in its formative stages, with performances on weekends only from July 5 to 27, outdoors at Pine
Mountain Club.
Even so, Peter Kjenaas, the artistic director, thinks it has the potential to become an attraction equal to that of the Oregon
Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Ore., which draws people from all over the country during its 10-month season. The director
is no stranger to Ashland, having spent three seasons there playing lead roles. He’s also got solid professional credits, with
memberships in the Dramatists Guild, Screen Actors Guild, and Actors Equity Association.
Kjenaas believes Frazier Park itself could well be the biggest draw for a festival, given the beauty of its natural environment and
its location, only an hour’s drive from either Bakersfield or the northernmost communities of Los Angeles.
“We’re trying to get folks to see it as a great weekend getaway, a place where the whole family can have fun and breathe clean
air,” said Kjenaas, who has lived in the area for the past eight years. He and his wife, actress-teacher Michelle Morain, are the
parents of two children.
“We had been living this theatrical lifestyle — 15 days here, 15 days there — and we realized we couldn’t do that anymore,” he
said. “So we moved here in 2000, then we adopted twins from Bolivia, a boy and a girl.”
Many of those in the festival’s company live in the mountain community, including a number of Frazier Park High School
students. As for the more experienced actors, several involved in this summer’s productions — “Comedy of Errors” and “You
Can’t Take it With You” on alternating weekends — will be familiar to Bakersfield theatergoers.
One is Bob Kempf, who is directing “Comedy of Errors.” He has been involved with Bakersfield College’s Kern Shakespeare
Festival and has acted in and directed productions at other local venues.
Among the actors appearing are Roger Mathey, former manager of Spotlight Theatre; Don McClure, who played the lead role in
BC’s “Hamlet”; and Joe Mitchell, who was in the cast of “You Can’t Take it With You.” That show, written by George S. Kaufman
and Moss Hart, just finished a three-week run at Spotlight, and was directed by Kempf. Kjenaas, however, will direct the
Mountain Shakespeare Festival’s production of the play, which opens July 11.
Coupling an Elizabethan play with a 20th century comedy may seem a bit odd. But, says Kjenaas, they are linked by a common
thread.
“They are both about the uniting of very different worlds and the coming together of different walks of life,” he said.
Both, he added, have enjoyed a rich and successful production history.
Performances are on a thrust stage that has been added to the gazebo at Pine Mountain Club. Chair seating is provided.
In Yonder Mountains
Written by AMY LYONS for the North Valley Community News
It's summertime and that means many theatres in the San Fernando Valley are dark, saving the next round of curtain
hoisting for the fall. But all is not lost for North Valley audiences hungry for quality summer stock fare. Nestled in the
mountainous region of Frazier Park, a one hour drive up the 5 freeway, sits the Mountain Shakespeare Festival (MSF), a
company that produces the Bard's scripts and other classic plays in an outdoor setting fit for warm weather lounging. The
festival's Northridge connection is co-founder Peter Kjenaas, president of Nancy Cartwright's Northridge-based Cartwright
Entertainment and SportsBlast (for those of you who are not aware, Nancy Cartwright is the Honorary Mayor of the North
Valley and the voice of Bart Simpson). Kjenaas refers to the theatrical undertaking as "my grand moonlighting project."
Kjenaas certainly has the chops for his Shakespearean side gig. He worked for three seasons at the Oregon
Shakespeare Festival, playing some of the leading roles in the prestigious, Tony Award-winning, Ashland-based program.
He has also worked for the California Shakespeare Festival and the Kern Shakespeare Festival. He has a BA in theatre
from San Francisco State and has had several of his plays and an animated series produced.
"We are trying to create a professional festival with the vibrancy and viability of the Ashland festival," Kjenaas said. "We are
in such a beautiful location and there wasn't much theatre up here when I arrived." While Kjenaas has worked on camera
in commercials, television and film, his involvement in Shakespearean staging is exceedingly vast. In 2005, he directed a
production of "The Taming of the Shrew" at North Hollywood's El Portal Theatre, then brought back the show in 2006,
adding a production of "Romeo and Juliet" in repertoire. These shows were the early seeds of MSF, which is now in its
third season. In a show of commitment to craft, Kjenaas runs Stage Coach, a Wednesday night class in Frazier Park that
helps theatrical actors, writers and directors hone their on-stage skills. He is also currently co-teaching a unit plan on
theatre arts with his wife, Michelle Morain, at Frazier Mountain High School.
But when July roles around, MSF takes center stage as productions get underway.
This year's bill includes two shows, Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors" and Kaufman and Hart's "You Can't Take it
With You." Tickets cost a mere $5, the shows are up every weekend in July (on July 4 weekend, there are no showings of
"You Can't Take it With You"), and the setting is an outdoor gazebo in Pine Mountain Village, surrounded by majestic pine
trees.
The actors are mostly professionals, with some opportunities for young people and beginners. MSF managing director Kat
Fair is a teacher at Frazier Mountain High School with a vested interest in education. "Getting young people involved is an
important part of the festival," Kjenaas said.
It shouldn't be hard to get the whole family on board with a trip to MSF, as the surrounding community offers hiking, biking
and a wide array of activity for all ages. Cabins are available for rent and it's an easy drive from the North Valley.
If you're tired of the beach, but want to get away for a weekend during the dog days, why not head to the mountains for a
taste of outdoor drama? Kjenaas and crew invite you to "stay and breathe a while."
For more information about the Mountain Shakespeare Festival, visit www.mountainshakes.org.
Written by AMY LYONS for the North Valley Community News
It's summertime and that means many theatres in the San Fernando Valley are dark, saving the next round of curtain
hoisting for the fall. But all is not lost for North Valley audiences hungry for quality summer stock fare. Nestled in the
mountainous region of Frazier Park, a one hour drive up the 5 freeway, sits the Mountain Shakespeare Festival (MSF), a
company that produces the Bard's scripts and other classic plays in an outdoor setting fit for warm weather lounging. The
festival's Northridge connection is co-founder Peter Kjenaas, president of Nancy Cartwright's Northridge-based Cartwright
Entertainment and SportsBlast (for those of you who are not aware, Nancy Cartwright is the Honorary Mayor of the North
Valley and the voice of Bart Simpson). Kjenaas refers to the theatrical undertaking as "my grand moonlighting project."
Kjenaas certainly has the chops for his Shakespearean side gig. He worked for three seasons at the Oregon
Shakespeare Festival, playing some of the leading roles in the prestigious, Tony Award-winning, Ashland-based program.
He has also worked for the California Shakespeare Festival and the Kern Shakespeare Festival. He has a BA in theatre
from San Francisco State and has had several of his plays and an animated series produced.
"We are trying to create a professional festival with the vibrancy and viability of the Ashland festival," Kjenaas said. "We are
in such a beautiful location and there wasn't much theatre up here when I arrived." While Kjenaas has worked on camera
in commercials, television and film, his involvement in Shakespearean staging is exceedingly vast. In 2005, he directed a
production of "The Taming of the Shrew" at North Hollywood's El Portal Theatre, then brought back the show in 2006,
adding a production of "Romeo and Juliet" in repertoire. These shows were the early seeds of MSF, which is now in its
third season. In a show of commitment to craft, Kjenaas runs Stage Coach, a Wednesday night class in Frazier Park that
helps theatrical actors, writers and directors hone their on-stage skills. He is also currently co-teaching a unit plan on
theatre arts with his wife, Michelle Morain, at Frazier Mountain High School.
But when July roles around, MSF takes center stage as productions get underway.
This year's bill includes two shows, Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors" and Kaufman and Hart's "You Can't Take it
With You." Tickets cost a mere $5, the shows are up every weekend in July (on July 4 weekend, there are no showings of
"You Can't Take it With You"), and the setting is an outdoor gazebo in Pine Mountain Village, surrounded by majestic pine
trees.
The actors are mostly professionals, with some opportunities for young people and beginners. MSF managing director Kat
Fair is a teacher at Frazier Mountain High School with a vested interest in education. "Getting young people involved is an
important part of the festival," Kjenaas said.
It shouldn't be hard to get the whole family on board with a trip to MSF, as the surrounding community offers hiking, biking
and a wide array of activity for all ages. Cabins are available for rent and it's an easy drive from the North Valley.
If you're tired of the beach, but want to get away for a weekend during the dog days, why not head to the mountains for a
taste of outdoor drama? Kjenaas and crew invite you to "stay and breathe a while."
For more information about the Mountain Shakespeare Festival, visit www.mountainshakes.org.
| The Foreigner by Holly Van Houten Larry Shue’s The Foreigner, begins on a stormy night in rural Georgia, when Charlie Baker, a depressed and painfully shy proofreader from England, accompanies his friend, Froggy LeSueur, to a fishing lodge for a quiet weekend getaway. Charlie’s wife is terminally ill and Froggy hopes the vacation will do him good. Froggy, a demolition expert, visits Georgia each year to teach a weekend class for the U.S. Army and always stays at the lodge of his friend, Betty Meeks. Charlie, however, can’t bear the thought of being left alone to make conversation with strangers for 3 days while his friend is teaching, so to mollify him, Froggy tells Betty that Charlie is from an exotic foreign country and can’t speak or understand any English. With this, the fun begins! Since Betty and the other guests assume he can’t understand what they are saying, they hold private conversations in his presence and make him an increasingly willing confidante for their various personal secrets and fiendish plots. The Foreigner is well known as the sort of comedy that leaves audiences weak from unceasing laughter, but there’s more here than just a raucous good time. Shue uses the characters of Charlie, Betty, Ellard and Catherine to explore how individuals redefine themselves as their confidence increases. He also confronts issues of prejudice and fear, raising the specter of the Ku Klux Klan and deftly disarming it with laughter. Originally produced in 1984 for the “Off Broadway,” Astor Place Theater, The Foreigner ran for 685 performances, becoming Shue’s most commercially successful play. Today it is widely performed and has become a favorite of theater groups all over the country. |
| Twelfth Night by Holly Van Houten Imagine, if you will, a modern-day Illyria… somewhere on the Texas coast, after a hurricane has shipwrecked a pair of twins – Viola and Sebastian. Separated, each believes the other has died at sea and each is consumed with sadness at the loss. This is the setting for The Mountain Shakespeare Festival’s 2009 production of Shakespeare’s well-loved Twelfth Night. On her own now, Viola thinks it best to disguise herself as a man (Cesario) and serve the local duke. Duke Orsino, lovesick for Lady Olivia, asks Cesario to act as his messenger and plead his case with Olivia who is in mourning for her own brother and is refusing all suitors. It’s hard to imagine a more melancholy cast of characters for a Shakespearean comedy, but the fun begins when Olivia falls in love with Cesario/Viola, who has herself fallen in love with Duke Orsino. As the mistaken identities wreak havoc among the lovers, we’re equally entertained by a sub-plot in which Olivia’s uncle, Sir Toby Belch, her maid Maria and her fool, Feste conspire to humiliate her pompous butler Malvolio by making him believe that Olivia is actually in love with him. In the true tradition of Twelfth Night revelry, this play reflects a world where the Lord of Misrule reigns supreme. Twelfth Night is literally the eve of the Epiphany, 12 days after Christmas, when Christians celebrate the arrival of the magi bearing gifts to the baby Jesus. On this eve before the last day of the Christmas celebrations, the revelers would eat a cake containing one bean – whoever was served the slice with the bean would be dubbed the Lord of Misrule and in a world turned upside down, would take charge of the festivities and rule in his master’s place. It’s easy to see Sir Toby Belch in this role as Shakespeare’s subplot unfolds and it increasingly appears that while the “cats” of the play are busy with their various love triangles, the “mice” are having a rollicking good time! |