MEASURE FOR MEASURE
MAY 2017, DIRECTED BY RACHEL REAM
“Some rise by sin and some by virtue fall.”
Sponsored by York P-B Truss
With disregard for the law on the rise, the Duke of Vienna decides to leave the city in the hands of the ruthless and efficient Angelo, hoping his iron fist will be what the sinners of Vienna need to change their wicked ways. When Angelo turns out to be less virtuous than he appears, it is up to Isabella, a young nun in training, along with a Friar who may not be what he seems to make things right.
Live music was performed by a four-person ensemble, intertwining Richard Wagner’s Das Liebesverbot with OrangeMite’s energetic romp of a production.
DIRECTOR'S NOTES - MEASURE FOR MEASURE
It has been two years since The OrangeMite Shakespeare Company graciously accepted me into their organization and today I could not be more thankful for the opportunities this company has provided me. I have been assistant director for three plays, co-director for one, and I am now delighted to announce my solo directorial debut with Measure for Measure.
This play was first presented to me a few months before auditions, when I was offered the position of director. It was not a play I had been familiar with before, and I was told it was often considered a ‘problem play’ of Shakespeare’s. I have found throughout my months of working with this script that its jokes still remain hilarious and the characters bright and ridiculous in their law-defining shenanigans. Abuse of power has always been a favorite topic of Shakespeare’s, and the lording of that power by a man over a female inferior, leaves us with a dark plot that remains disturbingly relevant over 400 years after its original publication.
Despite the heavy gravity of the main plot line, the chaos of Vienna that is painted in this play makes for what has quickly become one of my favorite Shakespearean comedies. Lucio, Elbow, Pompey, and so many others have been such fun characters to work with and bring out as much ridiculousness as we can, and I can only hope that our audience will have half as much fun with them as the actors and I did in the creation of this production. Even after watching some of these scenes for weeks on end, I still find myself laughing every time.
CHECK OUT CLIPS OF THE PRODUCTION ON ORANGEMITE'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL!
Measure for Measure has been an incredible experience and I am so grateful to both the organization for their faith in me as a director and my cast for all of their hard work. This play has proven itself timeless and seeks to remind us that people are as they have always been, and they will continue to have the same vices and downfalls no matter what century it is. They will also continue to always try to talk their way out of it, no matter what it is that they’ve done. Thank you so much for attending our interpretation of Measure for Measure, and we certainly hope you enjoy the show.
Rachel Ream, Director
