The Merry Wives of Windsor

Synopsis

"Falstaff decides to fix his financial woe by seducing the wives of two wealthy merchants. The wives find he sent them identical letters and take revenge by playing tricks on Falstaff when he comes calling. With the help of their husbands and friends, the wives play one last trick in the woods to put Falstaff's mischief to an end."

Director's Note

Welcome to USU Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. Director’s notes traditionally articulate the artistic significance of the dramatic literature or production concept. And sometimes they outline why the producing organization selected the title and its relevance to the overall season offerings. I refer you to the compelling packet prepared by our student dramaturg for the historical and cultural significance of Merry Wives.  

What I desire to address are the actor and designer training goals that prompted the inclusion of Merry Wives in our season. USU actor and design/tech training strives to create a full slate of creative opportunities for our students over the four years of their curriculum. As Shakespeare festivals provide one of the primary options for post baccalaureate employment for our students, it is our responsibility to train them to engage the language, acting challenges, and production demands of classic texts.   

For actors, Shakespeare’s text is a challenge all by itself, but it also provides acting exercises that are applicable to all of dramatic literature. Actors learn to decode the text to integrate the character specifics, stage directions, subtext, and actions embedded in a script written about 425 years ago. The required textual analysis hones skills that are applicable to living the words off the page and making them live for all genres of drama.   

Merry Wives also provides splendid opportunities for all the individuals to work as a team. In the theatre it is known as ensemble. All of us need to work together to fulfill the demands of the story, the characters, and the comedy, so we have a worthy gift to present to you, and to tempt you to join us as the last, vital, and oh-so-necessary component of our ensemble.  

I don’t want you to be too conscious of it while you’re enjoying the performance, but as a trainer, I do hope you take a reflective moment or two, after the performance, to appreciate, the energy required, the attention, the calm assurance of a stage manager calling cues to direct the whole, the practiced precision of a button pushed at just the right time to give us a sound or light cue, the crew accomplishing their scenery shifts in a way that you don’t even really notice, the actors entering and exiting not too early, not too late, but right on time, the hours of rehearsal required to devise and craft dance, combat, and movement, the tempo exactitude to land a joke at just the right Ime, and the cleanliness of a single turn of the head. As an audience, you’re not supposed to notice all the training and skill required to bring off a large ensemble scene. But, afterwards, I invite you to think about all the moving parts involved backstage, in the booth, and onstage that are drilled over and over - all for your joy. I admire the efforts, care, and commitment of our student artists. I hope you do too. Please, enjoy.