Good surprises like discovering an extra vacation day on your work time sheet. Or seeing that the noisy, poop-filled bird family who had set up shop under your front porch has flown the coop. (I seriously thought "mama" and her 7 kids would never leave.)
While I've denied it in the past, I do like being surprised every now and then. That's why I decided to surprise myself with a free evening of "Surprise Shakespeare," hosted by Sycamore Rouge in Petersburg.
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| Welcome to Sycamore Rouge. |
The concept is this: No one knows which Shakespeare play will be performed until the last minute. No one. The cast is kept in the dark until two hours before it is time to hit the stage, and the audience remains clueless until the curtain rises.
Well, not completely clueless.
The theatre's Facebook page revealed a few interesting hints about some of the props that would be used: 2 flutes, a shepherd's crook, three cloaks, a picnic basket and a bunch of guns. (Looks like my weekly shopping list!)
Like a kid on Christmas Eve, I tried my best to figure out what the "surprise" would be. Instead of shaking colorfully wrapped gifts, I took to the Internet, refreshing myself on the works of the bearded bard, who wrote between 37 to 39 plays.
It probably wouldn't be "Romeo and Juliet" or "Hamlet." Too easy.
Perhaps one of his lesser known plays like "Troilus and Cressida" or "Coriolanus"? These titles alone weren't intriguing, so I secretly prayed that it wouldn't be either one of these.
What could it possibly be?
I knew I was making "much ado about nothing" (wait, could that be it?), but the question clouded my thoughts as I drove to downtown Petersburg.
By the time I arrived to the quaint, storefront theatre, a casually-dressed crowd of about 50 people had gathered inside, mingling over glasses of wine and light snacks. I noticed many of them had the same excited yet frazzled look in their eyes as I did. I assumed they, too, had been trying to solve the mystery, and the suspense was killing them. (Although, in reality, they could have just had a long day...)
However, as I waited for the MAJOR surprise to be revealed onstage, artistic director KB Saine filled me in on a few little surprises regarding the theatre itself:
-Sycamore Rouge has been around for centuries. At least, the building has -it's over 200 years old! Over the years, this spot at the intersection of West Bank and Sycamore, has served as an antique shop, an art studio and gallery, as well as a warehouse for a neighboring antique shop. Today, it is the city's only professional performing arts venue.
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| The official mascot of Sycamore Rouge - "Rougie" |
-"Rougie" keeps this place running. He serves as the theatre's mascot. He greets everyone as they walk through the doors, while quietly asking for donations to help keep the doors open. He gets star treatment - literally. If you look closely at his chef's hat, you'll notice several notable stars have signed it, including Tony Kushner, Blair Underwood, and Tim and Daphne Reid. But in spite of all of this attention, "Rougie" is far from being bougie.
-A ghost haunts the theatre. The ghost doesn't have a name or a determined gender, but those who have seen it says it is the ghost of a young person. Saine says she has only seen the work of the ghost - for example, set pieces moved even though no one was in the building to move them. Spooky!
Speaking of ghosts, Shakespeare's play "Richard III" had not one, but an entire group of them. Could this be the play?
It was about five minutes before the production was set to begin. I made small talk with the lady sitting next to me, trying to calm my impatient nerves. I took out my cell phone for the 5th time to see if any new emails had popped up in my inbox since I last checked 2 minutes ago. Nope. Nothing new.
Finally, the lights dimmed. The director, who introduced himself as Adam, walked on stage, wearing a devilish grin that read "I know something you don't." He reviewed the theatre do's and don'ts, and just before he turned to exit upstage, he stared at the audience and shouted "And now presenting..."
He paused and took a long, deep breath. I sat on the edge of my seat.
"As You Like It."
Yes! A comedy! (I figured "Richard III" was a little too deep for a Saturday night.)
The crowd cheered as the diverse cast proceeded to entertain us with the complicated love story of Orlando and Rosalind. The production was simple- no elaborate costumes, goofy wigs, or a colorful set depicting the Forest of Arden. Remember, these actors had just found out what play they were doing and what parts they would be playing only 2 hours earlier, so part of the evening's surprise included watching the accomplished thespians saunter on to the stage wearing only the items they could fit into their duffel bags (mainly skinny jeans and maxi dresses), and reading from notebooks decorated with images of Justin Bieber. It's what Shakespeare would have wanted.
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| The phenomenal cast of "As You Like It". |
The evening was filled with laughter, kisses, hilarious flubs, off-key songs, and a stuffed plush lamb. In other words, my kind of night!
"Surprise Shakespeare" was certainly a pleasant surprise, and as the famous playwright would probably say if he were still alive, it’s a surprise I planneth to treateth myself to more oft.
Sycamore Rouge is located at 306 N. Sycamore Street in Petersburg. Check out the theatre's website for a look at upcoming productions and events!
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