Dates: July 26 - August 2, 2008

The Plays

William Shakespeare – The Comedy of Errors

Anything can happen, and does—in double-time. It's a mad, mad world, especially when Shakespeare busts into Penny Metropulos's wild, whacked-out Old West. It's a rough-hewn, lawless place, where the townsfolk, given half a chance, break into song. Two sets of separated-at-birth twins are causing serious mayhem. In fact, everyone in the whole darn town is off-kilter—gunning for love and order in this hilarious, music-infused brawl of a comedy.

William Shakespeare – Coriolanus

The wrong man for the job? Bred for the battlefield, Coriolanus is out of his league back in the Roman Senate, where leaders pursue their own agendas and the people are mad as hell. He can't control his contempt and won't compromise to save his life. Blame Volumnia, whose mother's milk fed him heroism, but not humanity. Food for thought as we near our next presidential election.

William Shakespeare – A Midsummer Night's Dream

What happens in the forest stays in the forest. When phosphorescent beams of passion mingle with the dark mysteries of the Athenian Wood, the resulting alchemy dares those under its influence to take risks not ordinarily embraced. Young lovers, an honest tradesman with theatrical aspirations, and a fairy queen feverishly pursue each other through a love potion-fueled night.

William Shakespeare – Othello

The Moor Othello, a celebrated general but also an outsider, shares a boundless love with Desdemona, a Venetian aristocrat. Defying her family and social convention, they marry. Enter Othello's military aide, who nurses a vengeful hate for his commander. The deceitful Iago plants seeds of envy that lead to catastrophe for Othello and Desdemona, and their perfect union comes tragically unraveled. Lisa Peterson's muscular Shakespeare interpretation boils over with fury, sexual heat and consuming passions.

Luis Alfaro – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Super size me! Minerva's family is a hotbed of appetites. For Minerva, it's Sno Balls and pork rinds. For Alice, it's men. Minerva's husband gorges on sports, and Alice's latest flame is obsessed with being a cop. Funny thing, though, as Minerva outgrows her clothes, she outsizes her life too. Life is a carnal and spiritual banquet, and Luis Alfaro's new work takes a big yummy bite out of it.

Sudraka – The Clay Cart

Can a play this ancient be this much fun? Bursting with music and dance, color, action, and romance, this 2,000-year-old Indian classic—utterly Shakespearean in spirit—proves that great storytelling transcends the centuries. Jewels are stolen. A Brahmin faces execution. A beautiful courtesan is at the mercy of the King's bad-boy brother. Journey through a world where gamblers, holy men, political fugitives, and royal scoundrels intersect and good people triumph.

Thornton Wilder – Our Town

Our town is your town. Although daily life in this small town looks pretty humdrum, powerful currents—love, disappointment, joy, heartbreak—transform ordinary lives into something extraordinary. Call it a sense of the eternal or just the ties that bind us in the human adventure. Director Chay Yew distills this beloved classic down to its astounding, uncertain, joyous essence. If you think you've been to Grovers Corners, it's time to revisit.

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: The Comedy of Errors; Coriolanus; A Midsummer Night's Dream; Othello; Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner; The Clay Cart; and Our Town.

Dates: Summer session

July 26-August 2, 2008

Registration deadline:

May 30, 2008

Program fee of $670, includes:

• Seven nights, double occupancy room (additional $105 for single room)
• Theater tickets for seven plays
• Tours of theaters
• Class sessions with professional actors and directors
• Insurance
• Fee does not include class fee

For further information:
please contact the co-leaders of the trip:
Debra Bronstein, (626) 585-3249, dlbronstein@pasadena.edu

Jane Hallinger, (626) 585-7424, jshallinger@pasadena.edu

Registration Form:

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

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

Debra Bronstein came to PCC after doing her graduate work in early modern and eighteenth-century literature at Oxford and UCLA. Her dissertation examines Catholic and Islamic images in Renaissance and Restoration drama. At PCC, she teaches composition classes and the early British Literature survey course. She is very excited to be making her first trip to the Shakespeare Festival this year.

Jane Hallinger has been to Ashland more than twenty times as either a leader or a student in the program. She has also co-led the Theatre in London program many seasons and Theatre in Ireland several times. Her emphasis in her graduate degree was modern American literature and drama.

Schedule
Mandatory orientation meeting and registration for class:

Sunday, June 8, 2008. Place and time to be announced

English 35 and 135 will meet in Ashland, Oregon , July 26 - August 2, 2008.