The call to delve into a series of scenes from Shakespeare’s lovers came from our desire to produce an uplifting romantic series for Valentine’s Day.
Our deadline was delayed when an actor got Covid and, again, when a frightening surge of the virus brought another stay-at-home order. The rain, although a welcome gift to our scarred, fire-weary Napa Valley, prevented outside rehearsals from taking place. Perseverance in finding ways to rehearse and videotape, including Zoom rehearsals, fueled our efforts to begin airing our plays in early spring.
UpStage has managed to keep producing work for our community during the pandemic. Thinking outside the stage has been my goal in 2020-2021. The “Shelter in Place” episodes and “Until the Flood” production have pushed my skill as a theater director into the virtual realm of video.
Looking back in history, London’s theatres closed when another severe bout of plague hit from April 1603 to April 1604. During these times, the only option for Shakespeare’s company and other actors was to tour the provinces. For us at UpStage Napa Valley, it is finding locations to video our work outdoors. If Shakespeare wrote “King Lear” in quarantine, it certainly shows in Lear’s desolate outlook as he cries into the storm, “Vengeance! Plague! Death! Confusion!” We can all relate to these exclamations as we experience daily upheaval and devastating loss.
The setting and props for the “Love Gone Awry” series are contemporary, yet the dialogue is pure Shakespeare. In Two Gentleman of Verona, Shakespeare leaves us with:
"Hope is a lover’s staff
Walk hence with that
And manage it against despairing thoughts.”
