This is the first of a series that talks about other creative things our very talented staff are up to. This is Emma Gruhl, our Company Manager and Audience Development Assistant. She also is starring as Hero in Flatwater Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Becky Key Boesen (who is in NRT's production of Making God Laugh and will be directing one of the Destination shows). Since part of the goal of the NRT blog is to share behind the scenes stories, I asked Emma to write about how she got involved in Flatwater.
This summer, I have had the pleasure of being involved in Flatwater Shakespeare Company’s production of Much Ado About Nothing directed by Becky Key Boesen. My work with Flatwater Shakespeare began when I was in 6th grade and I was in their youth production of The Comedy of Errors directed by Tom Crew.
I never had a strong aversion to Shakespeare when I was younger, as some students do, but I also wasn’t drawn to it. Even after The Comedy of Errors, I wasn’t “hooked.” Still, my parents thought it was a beneficial experience for me to have. So I played Armado in the youth production of Love’s Labor’s Lost the following year. It was after this production that I began to enjoy Shakespeare’s works more and more. I continued to play in the youth productions for several more years, appearing in Julius Caesar and Two Gentlemen of Verona.
My passion for Shakespeare and his works grew as the years went on. Steve Buhler, the co-founder and Dramaturg for Flatwater Shakespeare, worked with our youth casts on rhythm and dialect work while the director; Tom Crew pushed us to develop connections with each other as actors as well as with the language. A group of us in the youth productions made a habit of going to the Flatwater performances of our mainstage counterparts. I looked forward to these productions every year, and it was always a wish of mine that I would be able to be a part of the mainstage production one day.
This year, I have been granted that wish. It has been such a joy to work with Becky and Bob Hall, Artistic Director of Flatwater Shakespeare, along with the rest of the cast and crew members. I will be playing “Hero” in this rendition of Much Ado About Nothing, the young daughter of Governor “Leonato” who falls for star rugby player, “Claudio." We have set our production in the year 1988, which has allotted for both interesting challenges, as well as fun musical additions to the show.
After our opening weekend, as we embark into our next three weekends of performances, I can say this process has been magnificent. I have had the opportunity to work with artists who share a passion for the Bard and his play, just as I do. Performing it in the open air space of the Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens only adds to the experience. I’m sure this will not be my last year with Flatwater Shakespeare (they couldn’t keep me away if they tried!), and I hope the company continues to have success in making Shakespeare accessible to the city of Lincoln.
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This summer, I have had the pleasure of being involved in Flatwater Shakespeare Company’s production of Much Ado About Nothing directed by Becky Key Boesen. My work with Flatwater Shakespeare began when I was in 6th grade and I was in their youth production of The Comedy of Errors directed by Tom Crew.
I never had a strong aversion to Shakespeare when I was younger, as some students do, but I also wasn’t drawn to it. Even after The Comedy of Errors, I wasn’t “hooked.” Still, my parents thought it was a beneficial experience for me to have. So I played Armado in the youth production of Love’s Labor’s Lost the following year. It was after this production that I began to enjoy Shakespeare’s works more and more. I continued to play in the youth productions for several more years, appearing in Julius Caesar and Two Gentlemen of Verona.
My passion for Shakespeare and his works grew as the years went on. Steve Buhler, the co-founder and Dramaturg for Flatwater Shakespeare, worked with our youth casts on rhythm and dialect work while the director; Tom Crew pushed us to develop connections with each other as actors as well as with the language. A group of us in the youth productions made a habit of going to the Flatwater performances of our mainstage counterparts. I looked forward to these productions every year, and it was always a wish of mine that I would be able to be a part of the mainstage production one day.
This year, I have been granted that wish. It has been such a joy to work with Becky and Bob Hall, Artistic Director of Flatwater Shakespeare, along with the rest of the cast and crew members. I will be playing “Hero” in this rendition of Much Ado About Nothing, the young daughter of Governor “Leonato” who falls for star rugby player, “Claudio." We have set our production in the year 1988, which has allotted for both interesting challenges, as well as fun musical additions to the show.
After our opening weekend, as we embark into our next three weekends of performances, I can say this process has been magnificent. I have had the opportunity to work with artists who share a passion for the Bard and his play, just as I do. Performing it in the open air space of the Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens only adds to the experience. I’m sure this will not be my last year with Flatwater Shakespeare (they couldn’t keep me away if they tried!), and I hope the company continues to have success in making Shakespeare accessible to the city of Lincoln.
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