Hello, and Happy New Year, dear reader!
I'm your host, Rivka, and I'm tickled to bring you the January edition of the Shakespeare Tavern Blog.
No doubt, at some point you have
been in the theater, enjoying your delicious dinner before a Tavern show, and have become aware
of the music playing in the background. Sometimes it’s recordings of period
pieces by Thomas Morely or John Dowland. Sometimes it’s original music written for Tavern shows by our incredible in-house composer, Bo
Gaiason. But sometimes… it’s not. If you’ve ever been enjoying your Shepherd’s
Pie or Cornish Pasty and have heard The Beatles or Lady Gaga, perhaps you’ve
wondered how that fits in amongst the leaded glass windows and portrait of
Gloriana Regina.
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| Jaclyn Hofmann Faircloth |
Well, some of our directors like to
create playlists that comment upon the characters or the play. Jaclyn Hofmann Faircloth,
director of this year’s Twelfth Night, is one such playlist creator.
Jaclyn joined the Tavern family as an Acting
Apprentice in 2010. Following her Apprenticeship, she worked both on our
Mainstage and in our Education Department, eventually landing a job with Aurora
Theater in Lawrenceville. Her impact on their education department has been
profound. But even with a full-time job and two kids at home, she still makes
time to direct for us upon occasion (and to create curated playlists).
Let’s hear
from her!
Jaclyn, I understand that you created your
own playlist for Twelfth Night. Is there an overarching theme to the
playlist you created?
“When
considering the pre-show playlist, I first started listening to Baroque music,
thinking that most be the most appropriate, but it just didn't feel
right. For every show I direct I ask the cast to submit songs for their
own backstage pre-show playlist... it can be something that feels right for
their character, something that thematically ties into the show, or just
whatever connects them to the story they are about to tell. I compile all
of the songs onto a Spotify list and share it with the cast so they all have
access if they like. I am always really excited to see what people pick
and love the variety of songs we wind up with. So, when I wasn't having
much success in the time-period appropriate genre, my mind kept going back to
the Cast Playlist. "I wish I could just play that", I thought.
But that super contemporary mix didn't quite feel right too. We are doing an
Original Practice Play that is made to speak to a Modern Audience... so
musically, what's the balance? That's when I started to think of my love of The
Piano Guys... the instrumentation always feels a bit classical in nature to me,
yet when they pair it with modern songs it organically has a familiar feel.
Perfect. So, I started to search their repertoire, as well as other
similar groups: Vitamin String Quartet, Simply Three, etc. I searched for
song titles put together by our Cast and many wound up on there: "Dear Prudence", "Thank u, next", "I Kissed a Girl".
And then I added anything that felt likewise thematically appropriate:
"Secrets", "What Makes You Beautiful", "I Wanna Hold
Your Hand", etc.”
How does a playlist help set the mood before a show?
“The show
hits unrequited love from every angle, and for some it turns out well, for
others not so much. So to me the Playlist is meant to capture the
roller-coaster of emotions a person goes through while in chasing
love: hope, rejection, joy, fear, butterflies, longing, despair, intense
happiness, and everything in between!”
Are there particular songs that match up with particular
characters?
“Yes and
no... since the cast submitted many of the songs, some of them are very much
from their perspective. For instance, one of the songs Marlon submitted,
"Dear Prudence", works beautifully for Orsino… but I would say Sir
Andrew and Olivia could also likely relate. Avery (who plays Sir Andrew)
actually submitted 10 songs, some that made him think of specific characters
and others that were related to a scene.”
Any inside jokes included in the playlist that you’d care to share with the readers?
“If any
readers want to check the playlist out, I think they might find that there are
some that make you chuckle if you know the play (like "I Kissed a Girl"):
Jaclyn, thank you. It’s been wonderful talking with you, and
I’m sure our readers appreciated the little “peek behind the curtain”. Any last
thoughts to share with us?
“One of my favorite things about our pre-show Playlist is that it was
truly inspired by all of the talent in the room throughout our Process. And
that is my favorite thing about working in the theatre in general: it is team
sport, through and through, and the best moments of any play are birthed from
great collaboration.”
Twelfth Night is playing now through
January 26th.
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| Some of the Twelfth Night cast and crew |
