August 30, 2013

What Say You? Shakespeare Santa Monica


Shakespeare Santa Monica Twelfth Night Players
Reed Park 2013
Photo Credit: Natalie Fong

SUSAN CLOKE
Columnist


“Shakespeare is as much an attribute of summer as ice cream and BBQ,” commented Jessica Cusick, Cultural Affairs Manager for the City of Santa Monica, when talking about Shakespeare Santa Monica at Reed Park.  

I think the Bard himself would have been pleased with the sounds of merriment coming from the laugh out loud audience at the Shakespeare Santa Monica performance of Twelfth Night. 

Twelfth Night is a classical shipwreck romantic comedy. 
The grown twins Viola and Sebastian are separated when their boat is shipwrecked.  To survive until she can be reunited with her family Viola pretends to be a young man and goes into the service of the local duke, Orsino.

Viola promptly falls in love with Duke Orsino but he is in love with Countess Olivia.  As part of her responsibilities Viola is
required to woo Olivia on behalf of the duke when she would much rather be the one he wooed.

The complications of mistaken identity and the audience knowing the truth create great humor as the dramatic twists and turns of the play bring about its rightful end with the matching of the lovers.

Vincente Cardinale directs Twelfth Night.  John Copeland plays Malvolio to the hilarious delight of the audience.  Elizabeth Godley and Chelsea Brynd share the role of the enchanting Viola.

We see Copeland again in The Taming of the Shrew, this time
as Hortensio.  Lillian Beaudoin is Kate.  Her suitor, Petruchio, is played by Tim Halligan.

“The Taming of the Shrew is typically known as a battle of the sexes,” the play’s director, John Farmanesh-Bocca said, “Kate is a wounded bird – fighting for liberation.  And the story is one of two people, each of whom is given to trouble and how they become paired.  It is a case of a mischief maker finding another mischief maker and making a match.” 

John Farmanesh-Bocca, who is also the Artistic Director of Not Man Apart, the parent company of Shakespeare Santa Monica, said, “ To give perspective on the plays, in the late 1500’s and early 1600’s when these plays were first performed was also the time when the New World was being discovered and explored.”  He went on to say,  Taming of the Shrew was an early play, simplistic, its adolescence is right there whereas Twelfth Night is a complex and heart centric play.”

Not Man Apart Physical Theatre Ensemble is known for use of athleticism and dance to tell their story. They communicate character and plot through intense movement.  All performers are both dancers and actors.  Not Man Apart has produced plays at the Getty Villa, the Kirk Douglas Theater and the Los Angeles Theater Center.

Every year they hold a “Fortnight Training”.  Louis Schneeder, Chair of the Classical Studio at NYU and Jean-Louis Rodrique, Chair of Master’s Acting at UCLA join Farmanesh-Bocca in guiding the actors’ workshop and to form the ensemble for Shakespeare Santa Monica.

When the Shakespeare plays were first performed The Lord Chamberlain’s Men were the players.  Often plays were staged in grass tennis courts with torches to light the action.

Shakespeare Santa Monica carries on the tradition by holding performances in the tennis court at Reed Park in Santa Monica.

The last two shows of this summer’s season are this weekend with Taming of the Shrew playing August 30 at 8:00 and Twelfth Night  August 31 at 8:00.   Suggested donation is $20 and 18 and under have free admission. For more information go to:    www.shakespearesantamonica.com

I think and hope the physicality and athleticism, the antics and high jinks used in the telling of these enduring plays will make you laugh out loud in this fun romp through Shakespeare.

Let me know!

August 16, 2013

What Say You? Rem Koolhaas in Santa Monica


Koolhaas/OMA proposal for 4th/5th Street and Arizona
Copyrighted Photo Courtesy of OMA

 SUSAN CLOKE
Columnist, Santa Monica Mirror

Rem Koolhaas is not a household name in Santa Monica.  But that is about to change.  Koolhaas, a Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate (think Best Picture/Best Director/Best Actor/Oscar) is the lead architect for the design of the public/private project at the 4th/5th and Arizona Street site.

Thomas J. Pritzker, President of the Foundation said,  “Koolhaas has been called a prophet of a new modern architecture.”   The Koolhaas firm, OMA, (http://www.oma.eu/oma) has built projects all over the world.  In the U.S. OMA may be most widely know for the design of the Main Library in downtown Seattle.

When the Koolhaas firm OMA was given the commission for the Main Library in Seattle the City was warned that they needed to “brace for a wild ride with a man famous for straying outside the bounds of convention.”  While it is true that the library is not conventional it is also true that it is a beloved public destination in the heart of downtown Seattle.  A beautifully conceived and executed space comfortably accommodating and welcoming large numbers of library users of all ages and an exemplar of green design.  

Looking at OMA’s conceptual proposal for the Santa Monica site we see how this proposal is specific to Santa Monica.   Specific to the climate, specific to the site, specific to the cultural of creativity and innovation that has been an historical tradition of Santa Monica. 

The open and porous building is designed to capture ocean breezes, offer spectacular views, express sustainable architectural principles, meet practical requirements such as parking and provide for restaurants and shops and housing at various income levels and more.   The oh so popular ice rink is included within a grand outdoor activity area designed to be programmed for markets and concerts and dinners and festivals and performances.  Koolhaas and his partner at OMA, Shohei Shigematsu, don’t live here but one gets the idea they know the City.

Santa Monica is in the midst of yet another building boom period.  Light rail, new parks, the Colorado Esplanade, many new hotels, Bergamot, the old Paper Mate site, Santa Monicans are discussing and arguing over size and scale and community benefits.  Under all the discussion and argument is the constant theme of how Civic identity is defined and protected.

It seems Koolhaas is offering a way to both build the City and to keep faith with the existing character of the City.  The building’s design expresses Santa Monica’s spirit of creativity, the high standards the City sets for itself in sustainability, and the identity of a City as an easy and fun place to live.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be discussion and argument.  The current proposal is conceptual.  One where the scale is human and understandable even though the building proposed is the 12 stories currently being discussed in a City-wide reassessment instead of the previously allowed 6. 

“OMA was chosen,” said John Warfel of the development company Metropolitan Pacific Capital (MPC) because we knew we needed to have a great piece of architecture.  The site deserves it and it will be welcomed in Santa Monica.  It couldn’t be just good, it had to be great and it had to be done right.”

MPC and its partner, Clarett West, will be before the Council at the August 27 meeting to seek approval to enter into exclusive negotiations for development of the 2.5 acre parcel which is currently the site of the Ice Rink, B of A, Chase Bank and Carlson’s.

City of Santa Monica Director of Housing and Economic Development, Andy Agle, said, “the City purchased these properties starting in the early 2000’s with the idea that we needed ancillary parking and other amenities to support the Downtown.  Soon after the properties were purchased we began the Community Visioning Process to set goals for the development of the properties.

“The Ice Rink had to stay, there was consensus on that.  We needed to meet public objectives for a very active public use of the site.  We needed to provide substantial public parking. 

“The City purchased these properties with Redevelopment Funds,” said Agle. “ Even though the State has now ended Redevelopment funding, previous contracts continue to be honored.  The City will own the land and the developer will build and run the project.”  City Documents, Staff Reports and developer proposals are available at: http://www.smgov.net/Departments/HED/eddContent.aspx?id=31664

2018 is the estimated move-in date.   There will be an ongoing public process.  Questions of scale, height, and the edge conditions of the property will be vigorously debated.  Programming of the property, the public uses and the public benefits will be vigorously debated.  Financial agreements should also be given great consideration.  Transparency is a keyword as this is City owned property. 

This City is changing.  In fact all cities change over time, for better or for worse.  It is up to Santa Monicans to make sure that the coming changes will continue to make Santa Monica an interesting, compelling and fun place to live.

Santa Monica City Hall displays signs boasting, “We Do the Right Thing Right.”  They are setting standards for their work and asking for public feedback.  That same motto could be applied to the Koolhaas proposal.  The OMA submittal to the City offers Santa Monica an opportunity to do the right thing right.   Great architecture needs a great client.  Koolhaas has made the offer.  Now it’s up to the City.

What Say You?