The American Shakespeare Center

In one of my previous posts, I wrote that on occasion I would also head over to Staunton, which is further west of Waynesboro. Staunton is pronounced by dropping the "u" in the name and pronouncing a short "a", thus "Stan-ton". In downtown Staunton is located a fabulous place called the American Shakespeare Center, housed in the Blackfriars Theater. The American Shakespeare Center "does it with the lights on"--their slogan, not mine--staging their plays as close to the way Shakespeare himself would have done it in the 16th century as is possible. This means having lights--although candles and natural sunlight are today replaced with electric lights--and involving the audience in the play. You can read more about them at www.americanshakespearecenter.com. And if my recommendation is not enough incentive to get you to check them out, here's another one: Dame Judi Dench sits on the advisory board. No kidding.

I discovered this wonderful place first, because I saw signs for it on Interstate 81, and second, because one day when visiting my Thrivent representative in Staunton, I again saw signs for it. I decided I just had to check this place out. I believe the first performance I went to see there was "Twelfth Night." It was staged so well that I just fell in love with it, and got my parents to come along with me for the next performance. To my great surprise, I discovered that my mother was not a big fan of Shakespeare and begged off going after one outing, but my father was the one who really enjoyed it and would come with me when he could. The performances that I've seen include: The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, All's Well That Ends Well, and finally, last night, The Winter's Tale.

The Winter's Tale holds a special place in my heart. It was one of the plays that I studied when taking a Shakespeare class at Middlebury. There's more to it than that, but that part of the story is best told verbally rather than trying to attempt to capture it on a blog. What I will say is that I got to read the part of Paulina in that class, and had a blast doing it. Last night was the first time that I had seen The Winter's Tale performed in full, and ASC, as usual, did an excellent job with it. And as they approached Paulina's speech, my anticipation grew, until, when she got to the speech I had read in class, I began to mouth the words along with the actor, who did a superb job portraying this character. But I was amazed--over 20 years ago that I took this class and I still remember the words of that speech. And as I viewed the play last night, I identified quite a bit with Paulina. Read the play if you haven't and tell me if you agree. I think that Shakespeare must have known some very strong women in his day.

After the play was over and I drove back home, I started crying again. I don't know when I will be able to see a play at the Blackfriars Theater again. When it comes time for me to be ordained, if the bishops involved will allow it to happen in Waynesboro, I may have to insist upon allowing enough time in the area so I can catch one more performance. And who would have ever thought that a gem like the American Shakespeare Center would have been found in little Staunton, Virginia? Just one more reason I'm sad to be leaving this area.