Shakespeare’s 70s Flashforward

A week into our Fall 2012 semester an some students of Yuba College opted to take a risk and audition for the theater’s fall presentation “The Twelfth Night,” a comedy of Shakespeare’s. Let it be told that the school’s theater director and teacher, Geoffrey Wander, has decided to throw them a curveball and send them back, or forward in Shakespeare’s case, to the 70s.

Wander’s selection of actors and actresses have grown to be like family to each other, adapting to one another’s personalities fairly well. They have all welcomed me to experience with them the hard work and dedication it takes to make a great show for our audience.

In several weeks they have spent every evening, Monday thru Friday, rehearsing their lines and trying to find that perfect voice within themselves for their characters. With all that practice they have developed their characters to the best of their ability with one another.

They have had their costume fittings, props are being put up, and now it’s down to the nitty gritty where they won’t have the comfort of the script in their hands. It’s time to put away the books and practice without them on the stage.

Amazingly I have recently experienced that without their books they have worried less about messing up and have become more in tune with their inner self, much better than when practicing with a script in hand is for sure.

With Geoffrey Wander making ‘The Twelfth Night’ I’m sure our audience will laugh just looking at the 70s wardrobe he has selected. He has his cast rehearsing til they can’t keep those eyes open any longer. Every rehearsal they come in tense from their daily lives and have managed to not let it affect their acting. They do warm-ups, loosen up and forget about what’s out there. Its a wonderful thing for our cast to just come and enjoy the art of acting.

Many of them hope to bring the 70s bell bottoms, tie dyes, afros, and other memories back to life for our audience, without having them miss the point of Shakespeare’s story.

While they have had the time to learn the script now, the play is quickly approaching and Wander isn’t going to make it easy. They have come a long ways since auditions, and while they are doing well, he feels he wants to push them to do their very best. As Wander would say, “watch me stress them out when they’re done…if you’re not doing well I’ll push it, if you are doing well I will push it even more!”

Opening night will be here October 5th, 2012 at Yuba College Theater. So, now they will buckle down and put in the extra time need. Come support your fellow classmates for all the time, sweat and tears they put into this presentation piece. It’s a good laugh you don’t want to miss whether or not you know Shakespeare’s stories. If you can’t make it to the opening, you will have plenty of opportunities throughout October 2012, don’t miss a good laugh.