Gallathea Rehearsals

Catherine Gilbert as Diana and Stone Stowers as Neptune

      We’ve reached week three here at the ASC Theatre Camp.  Campers, counselors, directors, and dramaturgs alike are rearing to go for our big performances on Sunday. By now everyone is off book, costumes are materializing, and actors are polishing up their delivery and blocking with the help of their directors and dramaturgs. Of the three plays that we are performing for session one, John Lyly’s Gallathea stands apart for two reasons: First, it is the only one of the three written by someone other than William Shakespeare. Second, it is entirely in prose. These differences should in no way discourage would-be viewers. As Lilly Carr, one of our campers, said: “Gallathea is ridiculous and funny; complete with cross-dressing that is Twelfth Night on steroids.”  Lyly’s Gallathea includes witty servants, supernatural intervention, and problematic love not unlike many Shakespearean comedic plots. Though the version that will appear on the Blackfriars stage has been cut down to meet the one-hour time limit, Lyly’s text and the performers are not short on humorous charm.   

Doing Text Work for a Scene

Chelsea Phillips, the director of Gallathea, has created an open, organized, and positive environment for the campers. Leila Silberstein spoke to this effect when she said: “I love the freedom that Chelsea gives us. She is always very energetic and positive.” This sentiment is one that many other performers in Chelsea’s cast repeated. At the start of each rehearsal, Chelsea typically informs the campers of what they will be working on and what they can expect during the day. After brief warm-ups hailed as “spontaneous and fun” by Caroline Link, the campers split up into their different subplots to work on their scenes. These divisions do not mean that the campers in one subplot are unaware of the progress and work that their peers in other groups have made. As Calliope George explained to me: “Rehearsals are made up of split-up and group work. We get a lot done while also interacting on a personal level with other members of our cast.” In short, Chelsea Phillips has given her actors the freedom to work and to develop their characters while also providing a structured and positive work environment.

Josie Kritter and Maren Ericsson

Each cast only has three weeks to work on their shows, so there isn’t much time to waste. Even so, Gallathea rehearsals are full of laughter and physical comedy. The characters that Lyly has created are a varied bunch. While some of our campers only play one role, many get to experience several roles through doubling (or even tripling). Lily Carr, for example, plays Robin and the alchemist. In doing so, she faces the challenge presented by clowning: “Playing a clown is a new experience for me. Everything is a lot bigger and expressive.” As the campers soon realized, each new role involves its own set of discoveries and challenges to work with. Since the plot of Gallathea calls for more than just clowns, there are many types of characters. For example, much of the plot revolves around the pesky problems posed by the involvement of deities in both life and love. As such, some of our campers have been faced with playing the parts of Roman gods. When I asked about her experience playing Diana, goddess of the hunt and the moon, Catherine Gilbert said, “Diana has been a challenge. She is very headstrong and stubborn. Not at all like the more lovey characters I’ve had to play in the past.” Gallathea also features a set of lovers, played by Campbell Long and Calliope George. Gallathea and Phillida are similar characters. For this reason, Cam and Calliope emphasized that their “challenge lies in making our characters their own people. Our characters have essentially the same backstory and motives. We need to make it clear to the audience that they are vastly different… oh, and in love.”

Stone Stowers as Neptune and Marina Finelli as Venus

It has been an absolute delight to observe the rehearsals for Gallathea. Chelsea’s positive energy combined with the natural humor and creativity of the campers has yielded a production that is bound to delight. Already a wonderful show, Gallathea has doubtlessly been made better by what assistant director and counselor Francis Whitesell called “the deep abiding love that the cast has for each other.”  A great amount of effort, energy and hard work has gone into making Gallathea, and I hope that anyone who can will take advantage of the opportunity and come out to watch it Sunday, July 8^th at 2:45 at the Blackfriars Playhouse!  

-Madeleine M. Oulevey