Dates: August 7 - August 14, 2010

The Plays

William Shakespeare – Merchant of Venice

Directed by Bill Rauch

A comedy about bigotry? -- Comedies end in weddings, and, true, The Merchant of Venice closes with three happy couples. But is Shakespeare’s play a comedy? Shylock, a moneylender from Venice’s Jewish ghetto, makes a loan, interest-free, to an upper-class Christian merchant. When the deal goes bad, years of discrimination surface as Shylock makes a harsh demand for repayment. If this is comedy, it is a fearless, ironic one in which, amidst comic moments, the quality of mercy is cross-examined and complex issues of difference are unmasked.

William Shakespeare – Hamlet

Directed by Bill Rauch

Something is rotten -- In Denmark, a king is dead. His brother, Claudius, has snatched the throne and the widowed queen. Life goes on—for everyone but Hamlet. The prince, fixated on his uncle as the murderer, is charged by his father’s ghost to avenge the wrong. Disconnected from the foul world around him, Hamlet strains under the weight of his task. OSF’s first production in a decade of Shakespeare’s disturbing and psychologically rich masterpiece digs into the enigma of a man’s mind.

William Shakespeare – Twelfth Night

Directed By Darko Tresnjak

Crazy for love -- Both Orsino and Olivia’s households have love on the brain. But who, really, are the objects of desire? When Viola, a shipwrecked castaway, disguises herself as a boy and finds work as Orsino’s servant, she becomes entangled in an awkward love triangle. Things come unglued, but for almost everyone, Shakespeare’s treasured comedy ends happily. Our 75th anniversary production of the play that launched OSF in 1935 brims with antics, beds and bathtubs, and beloved characters, both prudish and crudish.

William Shakespeare – Henry IV, Part 1

Directed by Penny Metropulos

Fit to be king? -- Prince Hal will be king some day, but right now he’s hanging with a crowd of lowlifes, led by the round-bellied and irresistibly magnetic John Falstaff. Hal’s having the time of his life, but King Henry wishes his son were more like the valiant Hotspur, head of the rebellious Percy family gunning for the throne. For Henry and his line, it’s a life-or-death military struggle for England’s political future. Will Hal rally to the cause and marshal leadership qualities worthy of a crown?

Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice

Directed by Libby Appel

Pride knows no class -- Mrs. Bennet will stop at nothing to obtain advantageous matches for her five middle-class daughters. This shouldn’t be difficult for Jane, the eldest and the family beauty. Her sister Elizabeth is another story. Witty and outspoken, Elizabeth takes an instant dislike to the high-born Mr. Darcy. He professes to find her barely tolerable. Or does he? Can their simmering attraction overcome class distinctions and prejudices about each other? Jane Austen’s beloved classic sparkles in this fresh and entertaining period adaptation.

Richard Montoya and Culture Clash – American Night

Directed by Jo Bonney

Home of the brave -- As Juan José studies for his citizenship exam, his obsession to pass takes him on a fantastical odyssey. On a zig-zag journey through U.S. history, Juan discovers America’s best in a handful of unsung citizens who made courageous choices in some of the country’s toughest times. L.A.’s legendary Culture Clash partners with company actors in a cutting, comic mix of past and present, stereotype and truth that will move you into a deeper vision of our shared story. American Night premieres OSF’s highly anticipated U.S. history cycle, American Revolutions.

Ping Chong – Throne of Blood

Directed by Ping Chong

An epic theatre event not to be missed -- In 1957, legendary film director Akira Kurosawa created a landmark version of Macbeth. Set in the remote, ritualized world of feudal Japan—where haunted woods and mysterious spirits work their macabre magic on the warrior Washizu and his ambitious lady—it is Shakespeare’s story as you have never seen it before. Theatrical and cinematic artistry merge in this first-ever stage adaptation of Kurosawa’s masterpiece, which moves to the lauded Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival after its run in Ashland.

Enrollment limited
Early payment recommended

'From Page to Performance'

will be conducted in the beautiful Renaissance setting of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. This year we will be attending seven outstanding plays: Merchant of Venice; Hamlet; Twelfth Night; Henry IV, Part 1; Pride and Prejudice; American Night; Throne of Blood .

English 35
Major Dramatist
In this course we will view and discuss the four plays by Shakespeare.
1 unit transfer credit

English 135
From Page to Performance
A course in which we view the relationship of the printed text to the stage performance of a variety of plays seen in Ashland.
1 unit non-transfer credit (Credit/ no credit grading)

Faculty Biographies

Dustin Hanvey - Dr. Dustin A. Hanvey is a Professor of Composition and Literature at Pasadena City College. He received his BA from UCLA in English and his MA and Ph.D. in English from UC Riverside. His interests include literature, travel, theater, and his two kids. This will be his second trip to beautiful Ashland. Building on the experience from last year, he looks forward to sharing the experience of drama with a group of eager students and community members. Dr. Hanvey also has experience with theater in New York City, London, and San Francisco.

Christopher McCabe - As a member of the English Division at PCC, Christopher McCabe teaches composition, literature, creative writing, and serves as the faculty advisor to Inscape, the campus student literary magazine. He has also published widely in academic and general interest publications, which have included his interviews with American authors and travel pieces on California destinations, among many other topics.

Mr. McCabe's love for theatre has taken him to New York to see special productions of David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross" and "Oleanna," and to London to see "Romeo and Juliet" performed at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and "Hamlet" at the Old Vic. He attended the Ashland Shakespeare Festival with his family several years ago and looks forward to joining PCC students at Ashland this summer.

Schedule

Mandatory orientation meeting and registration for class: Friday, June 4, 2010, noon, at PCC, room to be announced.

English 35 and 135 will meet in Ashland, Oregon , August - August 14, 2010.

Program fee of $720, includes:

• Seven nights, double occupancy room (additional $140 for single room)
• Theater tickets for seven plays
• Tours of theaters
• Class sessions with professional actors and directors
• Insurance
• Program fee does not include class fee

Payment deadline: Friday June 25, 2010

For further information:
please contact the co-leaders of the trip:
Dustin Hanvey, (626) 585-3251, dahanvey@pasadena.edu

Chris McCabe, (626) 585-3190, cjmccabe@pasadena.edu

Registration Form:

Brochures and enrollment forms are available in the English Division C245.