Classics on the Rocks | Blog

"Bare boards and a passion." - Peter O'' Toole

The Winter's Tale: A Colloquial Summary

At Classics on the Rocks, we fancy ourselves somewhat known for our tongue-in-cheek, contemporary, relatable plot summaries in our playbills each summer. It's finally gotten to the point where they're just too giggle-worthy to keep to ourselves any longer. So if you've just been pretending to know what we're talking about when we reference plot points in The Winter's Tale, well, it's your lucky day. WARNING: ALL of the spoilers. Winter to Spring. Death to life. A bear. And a

Interview with the Director: William Downes

Interview with the Director: William Downes

For the final Winter's Tale blog adventure, I sat down with director (also the company's Artistic Director), Will Downes, to annoy him with all of my difficult questions about the play. Per usual, he had only lovely, enlightening things to say about Shakespeare's characters and language... The Winter's Tale performs July 20, 21, 27, 28 at 7pm and July 29 at 5pm at the Alchemical Theatre Laboratory. Tickets may be purchased in advance here. How does The Winter's Tale fit into

Meet the Cast of The Winter's Tale! Spotlight on Sharon Stevens (Hermione)

Meet the Cast of The Winter's Tale! Spotlight on Sharon Stevens (Hermione)

Sharon Stevens is Classics on the Rocks' Managing Director, and also finally back onstage this summer playing the role of Hermione. One of Shakespeare's more intense roles for women, Hermione must endure a false accusation, a harrowing trial, and sixteen years "dead" before she gets her (SPOILERS!) maybe-sorta-happy ending. In addition to the below Q&A, Sharon shared some of her insight into Hermione specifically in another recent blog post. What's your favorite thing about y

Meet the Cast of The Winter's Tale! Spotlight on Lev Harvey (Camillo)

Meet the Cast of The Winter's Tale! Spotlight on Lev Harvey (Camillo)

The wonderful Lev Harvey joins us for another summer in a more serious, studied role. Camillo is the fiercely loyal right-hand man to first Leontes, then Polixenes. He serves as one of the bridges between the two countries and two acts of the play, and his noble sincerity is riveting. Lev has much to say about his hometown, his puppy, and the structure of and characterizations in The Winter's Tale. Read on, and catch the whole crew at the Alchemical Theatre Laboratory startin

Meet the Cast of The Winter's Tale! Spotlight on Alexandra Doman (Cleomines/Mopsa/3rd Gentleman)

Meet the Cast of The Winter's Tale! Spotlight on Alexandra Doman (Cleomines/Mopsa/3rd Gentleman)

The lovely Alexandra (Ally) Doman shows off some of her wide range as an actress in this summer's production of The Winter's Tale, from a somber representative of the Oracle of Apollo to an unlucky-in-love country girl in the second act's pastoral comedy, to the gentleman on the street who relays the pivotal moment of the act five finale. She's also a singer, and you'll get to hear a bit of her talent in that department in The Winter's Tale. What's your favorite thing about y

The Women of The Winter's Tale Pt. 3: Hermione

INTRO RECAP (skip this if you already read about Paulina in Pt. 1 and/or Perdita in Pt. 2): As I was starting to explore The Winter’s Tale, a couple of things really jumped out at me. One: haven’t we seen an awful lot of these characters and scenarios before? And two: can I think of another Shakespeare play with such purposefully powerful female characters? As our Artistic Director, Will, says – The Winter’s Tale may be Shakespeare’s first truly successful experimental piece.

Meet the Cast of The Winter's Tale! Spotlight on Lucas Serby (Clown/Lord)

Meet the Cast of The Winter's Tale! Spotlight on Lucas Serby (Clown/Lord)

Lucas Serby gets to clown around in The Winter's Tale - literally. He kicks off the much-needed comic relief at the start of the second act as the adopted brother of a lost princess (spoilers!) who has...more than doting fond lady friend. An unrelated fun fact about Lucas: he can rap in multiple languages (though unfortunately we can't promise you'll see all three in The Winter's Tale). What's your favorite thing about your hometown? How beautiful it is in the summer. What do

Meet the Cast of The Winter's Tale! Spotlight on Connor Scott (Antigonus/Time)

Meet the Cast of The Winter's Tale! Spotlight on Connor Scott (Antigonus/Time)

Connor Scott takes on a pair of the more intense roles in The Winter's Tale. Without too many spoilers...Antigonus is the one who has to exit pursued by a bear (so you can imagine how that ends for him). And Time is a concept personified at the start of the second act. Connor also recently participated in Shakes Day, celebrating Shakespeare's birthday with Classics on the Rocks. Read on and get to know this wonderful new addition to our family! We think he might be from somew

The Women of The Winter's Tale Pt. 2: Perdita

INTRO RECAP (skip this if you already read about Paulina): As I was starting to explore The Winter’s Tale, a couple of things really jumped out at me. One: haven’t we seen an awful lot of these characters and scenarios before? And two: can I think of another Shakespeare play with such purposefully powerful female characters? As our Artistic Director, Will, says – The Winter’s Tale may be Shakespeare’s first truly successful experimental piece. Pericles, which comes before, is

Meet the Cast of The Winter's Tale! Spotlight on Thomas Daniels (Autolycus)

Meet the Cast of The Winter's Tale! Spotlight on Thomas Daniels (Autolycus)

Thomas Daniels is our Autolycus - a clever, tricky rogue who only ever does good by accident. In this role, Thomas talks more than any other actor directly to the audience, and provides the show's musical element while we're in Bohemia. With any luck, he'll have you laughing, clapping, and singing along through The Winter's Tale's second act. Read on and get to know Thomas! What's your favorite thing about your hometown? Despite my being "technically" from Northern Virginia,

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