From Taking Tickets to Taking the Stage

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- See more at: http://nrtbehindthecurtain.blogspot.com/2013/06/flatwater-shakespeare-from-youth.html#sthash.AlxQE8Ov.dpuf

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.   

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- See more at: http://nrtbehindthecurtain.blogspot.com/2013/06/flatwater-shakespeare-from-youth.html#sthash.AlxQE8Ov.dpuThis 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.   

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- See more at: http://nrtbehindthecurtain.blogspot.com/2013/06/flatwater-shakespeare-from-youth.html#sthash.AlxQE8Ov.dpuf

And so it begins! Another season with the Nebraska Rep! The management team is in, the actors have been cast, costumes are underway, and everyone is anxiously anticipating the annual welcome party! I know what you’re thinking. “This girl needs to lay off the exclamation points.” I believe an introduction is in order. My name is Emily Martinez and I have worked with the Nebraska Repertory Theater for the past 3 years. It’s home now, and anything less than an exclamation point just won’t do. I began as a Front of House student intern, moved to the Associate Director of Audience Development, and this year I hit the stage as Harriet Smith in our production of “Emma”!

I have been blessed with so many of the opportunities this theater has to offer. In the past, I have learned such things as to how to plan/execute opening night parties, how to interest new audiences, and how to accommodate any guest of the theatre. This year is a whole new ball game! (Yes, I just referenced sports in a blog about the Arts. Ah, the beauty of the theatre... Anything is possible!) I have been cast as Harriet Smith in the Rep’s production of “Emma”! This is my first role as a graduate of the Johnny Carson School of Theater and Film. This is also my first show working with Actor’s Equity, the actor’s union.

My future holds opportunities to work with a new (and I’ve heard, amazing,) director straight out of Chicago, a wonderfully talented cast including two brilliant members of Actor’s Equity (both of whom have taken the Rep stage before), and an exciting British dialect! Speaking of dialects, my first lesson was yesterday with the always lovely, Sasha Dobson. After a strange moment of deja vous, I realized that, sometimes, life truly does come full circle. We met last as “actor and dialect coach” two years ago as I prepped for UNL’s production of “Lady Windermere’s Fan,' my first leading role at UNL. Now we meet again, preparing for my first professional role!

Rehearsals begin on the 17th! I can’t wait to share Jane Austen’s beautiful story! In the words of Harriet, “Something extraordinary has happened, which I am longing to tell!”

Flatwater Shakespeare: From Youth Productions to the Mainstage!

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.   

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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.