“Love Gone Awry”, are a series of short, light-hearted, comedies on the love affairs in William Shakespeare’s plays. The six plays will begin streaming this spring on the theater’s website www.upstagenapavalley.org and will be available to watch at your convenience. With performing arts theaters dark across the country, UpStage Napa Valley has needed to think “outside the stage” and its cast of volunteers are producing on-line productions as gifts to the community.
“Love Gone Awry” will add a much-needed bit of humor to the Covid-sequestered days of our community. Twelve local actors are rehearsing their lines in Elizabethan English for these clever modern-day interpretations of Shakespeare’s works, which are filmed on-location and directed in the Napa Valley by Artistic Director Sharie Renault.
“The 12th Night” will be performed by Bruce Miroglio, Antonia Allegra and Rob Barlow. “The Merchant of Venice”, acted by Alexis Forni and Barbara Barling, will be followed by two episodes of Two Gentlemen of Verona,” with Shannon McDermott and Danielle Devitt performing a duet and then Fred Ireland in performing a monologue. David Evans becomes Benedict in “Much Ado About Nothing.” To give you the flavor of the modern-interpretations of The Bard’s love scene in Antony and Cleopatra, actress Elaine Jennings plays an eccentric woman, who is convinced that she is Cleopatra waiting for a letter from her lover, Mark Antony. Howard Fisher is the mailman (as he is in real life, too) who fights off Jenning’s attempts to steal a letter, while the character of Cleopatra’s maid of honor, Charmian, is captured by Deborah Todd.
“Love Gone Awry”, are a series of short, light-hearted, comedies on the love affairs in William Shakespeare’s plays. The six plays will begin streaming this spring on the theater’s website www.upstagenapavalley.org and will be available to watch at your convenience. With performing arts theaters dark across the country, UpStage Napa Valley has needed to think “outside the stage” and its cast of volunteers are producing on-line productions as gifts to the community.
“Love Gone Awry” will add a much-needed bit of humor to the Covid-sequestered days of our community. Twelve local actors are rehearsing their lines in Elizabethan English for these clever modern-day interpretations of Shakespeare’s works, which are filmed on-location and directed in the Napa Valley by Artistic Director Sharie Renault.
“The 12th Night” will be performed by Bruce Miroglio, Antonia Allegra and Rob Barlow. “The Merchant of Venice”, acted by Alexis Forni and Barbara Barling, will be followed by two episodes of Two Gentlemen of Verona,” with Shannon McDermott and Danielle Devitt performing a duet and then Fred Ireland in performing a monologue. David Evans becomes Benedict in “Much Ado About Nothing.” To give you the flavor of the modern-interpretations of The Bard’s love scene in Antony and Cleopatra, actress Elaine Jennings plays an eccentric woman, who is convinced that she is Cleopatra waiting for a letter from her lover, Mark Antony. Howard Fisher is the mailman (as he is in real life, too) who fights off Jenning’s attempts to steal a letter, while the character of Cleopatra’s maid of honor, Charmian, is captured by Deborah Todd.
The call to delve into a series of scenes from Shakespeare’s lovers came from our desire to produce an uplifting romantic series for Valentine’s Day.
Our deadline was delayed when an actor got Covid and, again, when a frightening surge of the virus brought another stay-at-home order. The rain, although a welcome gift to our scarred, fire-weary Napa Valley, prevented outside rehearsals from taking place. Perseverance in finding ways to rehearse and videotape, including Zoom rehearsals, fueled our efforts to begin airing our plays in early spring.
UpStage has managed to keep producing work for our community during the pandemic. Thinking outside the stage has been my goal in 2020-2021. The “Shelter in Place” episodes and “Until the Flood” production have pushed my skill as a theater director into the virtual realm of video.
Looking back in history, London’s theatres closed when another severe bout of plague hit from April 1603 to April 1604. During these times, the only option for Shakespeare’s company and other actors was to tour the provinces. For us, at UpStage Napa Valley, it is finding locations to video our work outdoors. If Shakespeare wrote “King Lear” in quarantine, it certainly shows in Lear’s desolate outlook as he cries into the storm, “Vengeance! Plague! Death! Confusion!” We can all relate to these exclamations as we experience daily upheaval and devastating loss.
The setting and props for the “Love Gone Awry” series are contemporary, yet the dialogue is pure Shakespeare. In Two Gentleman of Verona, Shakespeare leaves us with:
Hope is a lover’s staff
Walk hence with that
And manage it against despairing thoughts.”
“Love Gone Awry”, are a series of short, light-hearted, comedies on the love affairs in William Shakespeare’s plays. The six plays will begin streaming this spring on the theater’s website www.upstagenapavalley.org and will be available to watch at your convenience. With performing arts theaters dark across the country, UpStage Napa Valley has needed to think “outside the stage” and its cast of volunteers are producing on-line productions as gifts to the community.
“Love Gone Awry” will add a much-needed bit of humor to the Covid-sequestered days of our community. Twelve local actors are rehearsing their lines in Elizabethan English for these clever modern-day interpretations of Shakespeare’s works, which are filmed on-location and directed in the Napa Valley by Artistic Director Sharie Renault.
“The 12th Night” will be performed by Bruce Miroglio, Antonia Allegra and Rob Barlow. “The Merchant of Venice”, acted by Alexis Forni and Barbara Barling, will be followed by two episodes of Two Gentlemen of Verona,” with Shannon McDermott and Danielle Devitt performing a duet and then Fred Ireland in performing a monologue. David Evans becomes Benedict in “Much Ado About Nothing.” To give you the flavor of the modern-interpretations of The Bard’s love scene in Antony and Cleopatra, actress Elaine Jennings plays an eccentric woman, who is convinced that she is Cleopatra waiting for a letter from her lover, Mark Antony. Howard Fisher is the mailman (as he is in real life, too) who fights off Jenning’s attempts to steal a letter, while the character of Cleopatra’s maid of honor, Charmian, is captured by Deborah Todd.
Bruce A. Miroglio is honored to have appeared in many past performances with UpStage Napa Valley. He has also appeared on screen and done voice-over work for a variety of productions. Bruce loves the creativity of stage work and the instant feedback from the other actors and audience. He relishes the opportunity to get back in front of an audience post-COVID. Statement about “12th Night”-Any chance for an actor to work with the bard's nuanced language is a treat. Though the language does not translate easily to modern usage, the fact that an actor is repeating the exact same words that have been spoken on stage for over 400 years is mind boggling. Sir Toby is one of those cantankerous, really odious roles that seems almost abhorrent, until you recognize he is both fictional and caricatured. He is fun to play and in this scene is truly humorous to experience. Bruce is a second generation native born St. Helenan, a lawyer in private practice and an ordained minister as a deacon at St. Helena Catholic Church. He and his wife Mary have been married 38 years, have 5 children and 12 grandchildren, and counting.
Alexis Forni was last seen in 2019 as Sylvia in UpStage Napa Valley's production of "Sylvia”. She holds a degree in film production from Cal State Northridge. Her previous roles under the direction of her aunt Sharie Renault include Oyster in "Alice In Wonderland" for the St. Helena Children's Theater (1986), Titania in "Midsummer Night's Dream" with Calistoga High School (1997) and Jane in UNV's production of "Clever Little Lies"(2018). Alexis has been instrumental in helping UNV with her filming knowledge since Covid stopped live theater.
Antonia Allegra is glad to join the UpStage Napa Valley Players as Maria/Mary in a scene from Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” This is her first performance with the group, though she is no stranger to the stage. Her grandparents featured a family-sized Shakespearean theater on the top floor of their residence in San Francisco in the early 1900s. Speech & drama was her major at the University at Santa Clara, where she played in many musicals and dramas. From 1965-‘69, Toni directed and acted for Children’s Theater in Davis, CA, a favorite role being the witch in “Hansel and Gretel.” She enjoys public speaking, Readers’ Theater with Rianda House in St. Helena, writing and the culinary world, which she sees as a form of “delicious staging.”
Barbara Barling is excited to be performing with UpStage Napa Valley and doing a bit of Shakespeare, both for the first time. She has been in various musicals at 6th St. Playhouse, Jenner Playhouse and an opera at Cinnabar Theater. In 2019 she was honored to playDiedre and sing the finale duet in “Private Lives, Private Lies” by local playwright Dianna Grayer at Ner Shalom in Cotati. In 2020 Music to My Ears did an adult version of the musical “The Show Must Go Online!”, which was written specifically for kids during Covid so they could film themselves at home. Using stuffed animals and puppets for the show was a blast!
Danielle had been with UpStage Napa Valley since 2014. Most recently she played Mandy in "Time Stands Still". Performing Shakespeare has always been a dream of hers, but never came to fruition, until now! She is excited to play Julia and thanks Sharie for believing in her ability to bring Shakespeare’s character to life.
David graduated from the acting program at the Centre for the Performing Arts in Adelaide, South Australia in 1997. He was a terrible waiter at the time, spilling a tray of drinks over a table of people! So to support his acting habit, he started making websites. This began his career in technology and now runs Learning and Development at San Francisco based ‘unicorn’, Amplitude. This is his first return to acting in over 20 years.
After a 2 year hiatus to recharge his batteries, Rob could not stay away from the theater any longer and is proud to be back with UpStage Napa Valley for this production. Rob has always wanted to be cast in a Shakespeare role, and playing Sir Andrew is a dream come true. Past favorite roles have been Terrence in "Handle With Care" and Father Flynn in “Doubt”, both here with UpStage Napa Valley. Rob has also played the Steward in "Into The Woods" at Lucky Penny Productions, Captain Treville in "The Three Musketeers" at Napa Valley Conservatory Theater and the role of Frank in "Mere Mortals" for Valley Players. Rob has also been seen in the Netflix original series, "13 Reasons Why".
Deborah has been in community theater since 1993. She believes the arts define, inform and shape life. Here's to each of us creating community. Cheers!
For the past nine years Fred has been a regular in the UpStage actors’ ensemble. His most memorable roles have been Greg in “Sylvia” and the NYC fire chief during 9/11 in “The Guys”. Fred didn’t think he was up to the challenge of playing Shakespeare. The director asked him to read the part and he was knocked out by the humor and the prose. In the role of Lance, he wears his Marine boots that still fit in his portrayal of a veteran soldier who visits a memorial and recalls the day he was called to war--All in his family wept except his dog, Crab.
"I did flower things up. But there are no bold untruths."—Howard Earl Fischer III. Howard has been quietly entertaining folks in the Napa Valley since his birth at the St. Helena Hospital in 1962. Playing the Messenger is Howie’s first endeavor into stage entertainment but something tells us it is NOT likely to be his last. Today you can find Howie behind the wheel of a boxie mail delivery truck cruising around Calistoga. He drives the 57 mile 589 stop rural mail route daily and knows each of his customers names by heart. Still gregarious and quick to make a joke, Howie embodies the best of what it means to be a Napa Valley native.
Elaine is delighted to be appearing as Cleopatra in UNV's Shakespeare series. During Covid, she has pivoted from the stage to film. Her film credits include “This Side Up,” a feature length film which will premier on Amazon Prime in 2021. Prior to the "shut down", Elaine’s stage work includes “Gyspy" at Bay Area Musicals and 6th Street Playhouse, "Mama Mia!” at CCSF, “Oedipus" at Palm Springs, and "Gertrude Stein And A Companion” at Theatre Rhinocerous. Her previous roles with UNV include Sister Aloysius in “Doubt", Kate in "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and Juliana Smithton in "The Other Place". Elaine lives in Calistoga with her husband and her two dogs, Dolly & Spuddy.
Fanatical about theater, Shannon McDermott has been an active participant both on stage and off. She has enjoyed roles as varied as Lizzie Borden in "Blood Relations", Laura in "The Glass Menagerie", Alice in "You Can’t Take It With You" and most recently with UpStage Napa Valley as Mary Ellen in "The Happy Ones". From directing to producing, standup to improv and musicals to dramas, Shannon has dabbled in it all. She is excited to have found UNV and all the wonderful folks involved. She is particularly grateful for this opportunity to participate in live theater during the pandemic!