Three leading roles in the production were played by (left to right) Jan Rogge (Mistress Ford), Phil Fiorini (Sir John Falstaff) and Karen Errington (Mistress Page).
During rehearsals, I was asked to do some investigate the character of Slender, in order to determine whether or not he was from Gloucestershire, which is where his relative Shallow hails from. After investigating multiple sources, I was able to determine that it is impossible to tell, but the effort certainly wasn't a waste of time, since it served to validate the intuition that the actor playing Slender had about his character's ambiguous origins.
I also had a wonderful opportunity to present a lecture titled "The Many Faces of Falstaff" as part of a lecture series for fans and supporters of the festival. This series was sponsored by SPARK (Senior Peers Actively Renewing Knowledge)--a local affiliate for senior citizens--in conjunction with the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, UMKC, and the Kansas City Public Library. My lecture and slideshow employed over 350 images to trace the character of Falstaff in his many guises: his role in Shakespeare's history plays, known as the 'Henriad' (Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, and Henry V), and in The Merry Wives of Windsor. I also discussed Falstaff in advertising and the popular arts, and provided a performance history of famous (and a few not-so-famous) Falstaffs on the stage.
I also had a wonderful opportunity to present a lecture titled "The Many Faces of Falstaff" as part of a lecture series for fans and supporters of the festival. This series was sponsored by SPARK (Senior Peers Actively Renewing Knowledge)--a local affiliate for senior citizens--in conjunction with the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, UMKC, and the Kansas City Public Library. My lecture and slideshow employed over 350 images to trace the character of Falstaff in his many guises: his role in Shakespeare's history plays, known as the 'Henriad' (Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, and Henry V), and in The Merry Wives of Windsor. I also discussed Falstaff in advertising and the popular arts, and provided a performance history of famous (and a few not-so-famous) Falstaffs on the stage.
