Robin Hoodby Larry Blamire Show sponsor: Blue Cross Season Sponsor: Progress Energy Performed in the Cantey V. Sutton Theatre On this page: Robin Hood: A SummaryBy Naea Emigh! and Jes Gephart! Act One. Deep in the woods, outside of Notting(and Ham)shire, Robin Hood and his buddy, Will Gamwell, are frolicking about, hunting deer. They run into a thoroughly disguised Maid Marian, who is also hunting deer. Wacky hijinks ensue, throwing Robin and Will into hiding. Back in Notting(and Ham)shire, the Sheriff is unhappy. The tax collections are not going well, and King John has demanded the Sheriff make a change - or else!
Meanwhile, Robin and Will have met Little John and are enjoying a drink at the Blue Boar Inn. Suddenly, the Sheriff enters and punishes the people for not paying back taxes; a large battle follows, in which Ellen Dierwold is captured for the Sheriff's evil purposes. The entire village goes into hiding, becoming Robin's band of Merry Men (and Women), vowing to exact revenge on the Sheriff by stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. In London, King John is trying to convince his mother, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, that invading France is a jolly-good idea and that the Queen should kick it into gear with the barons. Eleanor argues, but King John brings Marian into the picture, threatening to have her arrested for her involvement with Will and Robin.
Back in the woods, Robin encounters (and fights) Friar Tuck, who then joins the band of Merry Men (and Women). They return to camp, where the Merry Men empty their pockets of the days' spoils. This done, Robin's cousin, the Prioress comes to collect it all. They are interrupted when Eleanor and Marian come onto the scene debating Marian's future. Marian agrees to hide out in the woods to save the Queen further trouble. She reluctantly joins the Merry Men (and Women) in order to put Robin in his place. In the Sheriff's castle, Ellen is trying to escape upon hearing that she is to marry the Sheriff; sadly, she is unsuccessful. The Bishop enters with a grand idea: a secret weapon that may just capture Robin Hood - a man-horse called Guy of Gisbourne, who at this very moment is persuading Much, the Miller, to take him to Robin's camp. End Act One.
Act Two. Marian and Robin flirt in the wood until interrupted by the Bishop and his entourage. Will intercepts the Bishop under the guise of being a pie seller, out to sell his pies. Things become more convoluted as other Merry Men (and Women) join the crowd. The scene ends with the Bishop being thoroughly trounced. Back at the castle, the Bishop complains of his humiliating attack. The Sheriff is angry because Guy has produced no Robin Hood - then suddenly, Guy appears and proclaims that he has found it! The camp of Robin Hood! Then, much to our surprise, the Prioress enters and cuts a deal with the Sheriff to help bring in her cousin. Guy makes his entrance at the bandit camp, pretending to want to join the Merry band; Robin accepts him and then realizes his mistake. There is a battle and Guy is defeated. Robin finds himself in the woods about to rendezvous with his cousin, the Prioress. Will and Marian are hiding in the bushes, suspicious of the meeting.
Unbeknownst to us, the Sheriff is also hiding in the bushes! He attempts to arrest Robin Hood but Marian and Will come to the rescue. Robin and Marian are captured and sentenced to be executed on the Sheriff's wedding day. Upon hearing this, Eleanor demands Marian's release. Marian rejoins the Merry Men (and Women) and they plot the rescue of Robin Hood and Ellen Dierwold. An immense final battle determines the outcome. Duh-duh-duh! The End. Stage manager's musingsEvery Teens on Stage is a remarkable experience; a diverse group of teenagers coming together at RLT everyday for five weeks, working to create a show. "Robin Hood" was no exception.
Faced with a daunting script that included eight different fights, many scene changes, lots of props, language full of English idioms, and some actors who had to play both "the bad guys" (Foresters) and "the good guys" (Merrymen), the cast and crew had to work hard. The thirty-five teens would come in every morning, warm-up and check in, go to classes, have lunch (and sometimes a costume fitting), then rehearse or build all afternoon. They would split up for scenework - to the lobby, Gaddy, rehearsal studio, Rose Garden, anywhere we could stash them! - build off each other's ideas, and come back to present their work to the rest of the group and Carmen, eventually creating a complete show.
We played "1,000 Directors" a lot, where people got to yell out various styles that the scene would have to adapt to, which led to Robin and Will become cowboys in the Wild West, the bar patrons being members of Cirque du Soleil, and the Sheriff knowing karate. What I remember most is laughing a lot.
The cast had amazing ideas for their characters and relationships, always willing to take risks and supporting each other. They had us practically rolling in the aisles: Caitlin and Claire making up bits for the opening lazzi, Angus' endless impersonations, Steve as the smarmy Baron Hardankles, Anna and Simon hunting deer, Erin as her aptly-named character "Ham", the Merrymen confusing Ryan's Bishop over "pies?!", the bar patrons learning a drinking song to dance to, Stephanie practicing eating with whatever food we could find around while wearing about ten layers of clothing, Delia learning how to be much bigger than she really is, Katylin's Prioress trying to be seductive in a habit, Joe and Tom finding the ridiculousness in their characters' fights.
The wonderful TOS teaching staff gave them the skills they needed to explore the story, while Carmen, Jes, and Linnea shaped the show as a whole. Linnea researched the historical aspects of Robin Hood, Will Scarlett, and their gang, as well as the King and Queen, which helped in developing characters. The crew worked in the shop to build columns, which could be turned to trees or pushed together to make stone walls, and blocks, which were stone pedestals for the guards to stand on or mounds of grass to be hid behind, creating multi-functional pieces that made scene changes fast and easy. And who can forget how we managed to get Robin Hood to swing onstage into Sherwood Forest?
As with every TOS, we faced the teen angst, rescheduled around unfortunate illnesses, and blended beginners with more experienced talent, but overall it was a smooth five weeks. The entire group of people who made up TOS worked together (with an almost-daily fortification from Moe's... and coffee) to make the show possible, staying flexible to new ideas. Hopefully our audiences had as much fun watching as we had creating. -- Pamela Reichen Members of the cast(in alphebetical order) Steven Ackerman: Will Gamwell
Production crewProgram & Show Director: Carmen-maria Mandley Box Office Volunteers: Joe Ali, Harvey Bumgardner, Patsy Clarke, Deanna Eckert, Chuck Goins, Lynn Hardison, Martha Noyes, Pats Palmer, Edythe Stanislaw, Hope Steinman, Jane Stikeleather, Marian Susann Costume Shop Crew: Marie Berry, Christine Brandt, Jennifer Brandt, Mary Currin, Elizabeth Currin, Gracie King, Yvonne Terrelounge, Beth Weaver, Lindsey Weaver, Raven Wei, Rebecca Werlin, Jean Wilkinson Public Relations Crew: Meredith Babbs, Shirley Botkin, Deanna Eckert, Jeff Eckert, Ming-Wei Farrell, Olympia Friday, Melissa Ricketts, Judy Szustakowski, Raven Wei Set Construction Crew: Ed Bodell, Brooks Denton, Joe Kolb, Richard Mancini, John Price, Jon Robbins, Courtney Ross, Kate Ross, Dick Shirk, David Watts, Laura Weber, AJ Wheeler, Christine Zagrobelny You are here: Photo home > 2003-2004 Yearbook > Robin Hood |
