April 2007 Archives

More great reviews for Measure

posted by Cheshire on Sat, Apr 28, 2007
in Reviews

The praise is continuing to roll in...

"The three central performances in Hillman's production are rock solid.... Hillman has a few tricks up her sleeve, and even if it means re-writing Shakespeare in the play’s final moments, let it be said that her inventions seem much more in tune with the violent, hot-tempered tone of the play."
--Oakland Tribune (read review)

"[Jeremy Forbing] is in all ways hilarious as Lucio.... Get ready for a shocking final few seconds. Think the ending of The Departed, where everything can turn on a dime, and leave you stunned, silent, and frozen before your next breath.... I can tell you right now, it isn’t what you think."
--PlayShakespeare.com (read review)

Permalink | Comments (0)

Rave review for Measure for Measure!

posted by Melissa on Tue, Apr 24, 2007
in Current Shows

Louis Peitzman of the Daily Cal came to see the show opening night, and here's what he had to say:

"Impact Theatre’s production of Measure for Measure is a rousing success, a sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll adaptation that the Bard himself would approve.... This is Shakespeare as it was meant to be performed: bold, confrontational and in your face.... amid all the corruption, exploitation and beheading, it’s really a lot of fun.

"Director Melissa Hillman has an eye for making Shakespeare modern without losing any of his thematic concerns. Better yet, she adds her own touches, like a surprise ending that’s twisted but well earned. This is not just Shakespeare with a facelift -- it’s an update that understands and responds to the original.

"It helps that the production boasts a talented cast, who not only have a strong command of iambic pentameter, but also seem to be having a blast."

Read the whole review here.

Permalink | Comments (0)

Christian protesters attempt to destroy a piece of theatre

posted by Cheshire on Sat, Apr 21, 2007
in News

I just got word that Thursday night, during a performance at American Repertory Theatre by Mike Daisey (a monologuist in the Spalding Gray tradition), a group abruptly got up, all 87 of them, and walked out. On the way out, one person dumped water on Mike's table, damaging the original copy of his notes (he performs without a script, and his handwritten notes are his original outline). Reports are that the protesters were part of a Christian group, but I don't know any more details than that. Update: it was a public high school group, from California no less (albeit part of red-state California), but the chaperones indeed invoked their Christianity as the basis for the protest.

Here's the whole thing caught on video.

Mike is someone I know (he's performed at Berkeley Rep), and I like him personally. I'd hate for this to happen to anyone, but I'm especially angry that it happened to Mike. They could have just walked out -- it would have been extremely rude and bewildering, but it would still have been free speech (mostly). The extra action of pouring water on his notes is where it really crossed the line. It's a constitutional right to declare publicly that you don't like something, but it's utterly unconscionable to attempt to destroy someone's art.

Permalink | Comments (2)

Well...?

posted by Cheshire on Sat, Apr 21, 2007
in Reviews

What did you think of Measure for Measure?

Permalink | Comments (0)

Measure for Measure opens tonight

posted by Cheshire on Fri, Apr 20, 2007
in News

Of course you'd expect me to say this, but the show is really, really good. People will be talking about the ending for years to come. If you've seen Measure for Measure before, I guarantee you've never seen it like this. If you've never seen Measure, once you see ours, it'll ruin every other production for you for the rest of your life. Guaranteed. You come back at the end of your life, and if what I say turns out not to be true, I'll totally refund your ticket. No questions asked.

Get your tickets now -- they're already selling briskly, and our previous Shakespeares have sold out, so don't wait.

Permalink | Comments (0)

Absolutely the final post about the special offer that went out in yesterday's email

posted by Cheshire on Wed, Apr 18, 2007
in News

A lot of people took us up on our 2-for-1 offer, which was heartening. What? You didn't know about it? Make sure you're on the mailing list so you don't miss a similarly terrific offer the next time around.

Permalink | Comments (0)

This is the special offer you could have received

posted by Cheshire on Tue, Apr 17, 2007
in News

The email went out this morning with a special offer, good for today only. You want to know what it is, but you're just not sure if you really want to commit to being on our mailing list to receive such good news in your inbox? Well, if you can keep a secret, here's what the email said.

Permalink | Comments (0)

Tuesday's email to our mailing list will contain a special offer

posted by Cheshire on Sat, Apr 14, 2007
in News

Make sure you're on the list.

Permalink | Comments (0)

Donors enjoy Measure for Measure preview

posted by Cheshire on Fri, Apr 13, 2007
in News

This week Impact held its first-ever donor event, a rehearsal of Measure for Measure and a talk with Artistic Director Melissa Hillman, who is directing this play as she has with all of Impact's Shakes productions.

Donors at the Solid Hit level and above ($50+) have as one of their benefits a chance to watch a rehearsal and talk with the artists involved. I was thrilled by the enthusiasm our donors showed when I sent out the invitation -- even those who couldn't attend said how excited they were about the chance to go behind the scenes at Impact.

And everyone who came had a great time (I'm not just guessing at this; I have the emails to prove it!). Melissa talked for about half an hour before the rehearsal as actors trickled in. She recounted the history of Impact and our stabs at Shakespeare, she explained her philosophy behind making our productions contemporary, and she let her freak flag fly with a discussion of Elizabethan language that only a dramatic lit PhD can pull off with authority.

I'm so glad this has proved to be such a popular benefit. Want to get in on the action? Become a donor, and all this and more can be yours. (There are still pizza-and-beer coupons up for grabs, but there are only a few left, so hurry before they're gone.)

Permalink | Comments (0)

Impact on Twitter

posted by Cheshire on Tue, Apr 3, 2007
in News

The cool kids sure are excited about this Twitter thing, so we decided to hop on it before it becomes uncool.

(beat)

Damn.

Permalink | Comments (0)

April pinup calendar posted!

posted by Cheshire on Sun, Apr 1, 2007
in Downloads

This one's no cruel joke: April is here, and so is our new pinup girl calendar, for your downloading pleasure. This month Des shows you how hot your bowling night could be...

Permalink | Comments (0)

2007-08 Season Announced: Musicals, Musicals, Musicals!

posted by Cheshire on Sun, Apr 1, 2007
in

We're fresh from a couple of weekends of intense season-planning mini-retreats, and we've decided that it's time for Impact to take a new direction. As you know, it's often challenging to attract audiences to new plays by little-known (if emerging) playwrights. So we've decided to give you what you want: musicals!

Of course, we'd have to do our musicals the Impact way, so we'll start off the season with a thrash-metal version of The Sound of Music, then segue into an all-lesbian take on The Music Man. Naturally, we also have to have a Shakespeare in our season, so following those two will be an all-singing, all-dancing Taming of the Shrew. And finally, the crowning jewel will be the world premiere of a brilliant new show before it heads for Broadway after its run at La Val's: Pulp Fiction: The Musical!

Please join us for this exciting, groundbreaking season by subscribing today.

We should also note that we will have to add a musical surcharge to our affordable ticket prices, but the surcharge will only be $50/ticket. Thanks for understanding.

Permalink | Comments (2)