The Backstage Tale
“And thus ends our tale. Of this please allow,
If ever you have spent time worse ere now.
If never, yet that Time himself doth say
He wishes earnestly you never may.”
-The Winter’s Tale (5.3.120–123)
Directed and adapted by Kate Drummond
by William Shakespeare
Photo by Sunny Martini, permission granted to use by the University of Washington, School of Drama.
And thus, closes another show.
We get to see what the audience sees through production photos. The photos that encapsulate weeks of work. The photos that encapsulate the talents of many people from actors, to designers, to director and stage management. A team that keeps everything polished for a pose. Ready for a snapshot taken by a photographer- which in and of itself is a skill and talent. I find so much joy in bringing a film camera to the theater. One thing is, you never know if it’s even going to come out. There’s something so beautiful about that. In a day and age when we have endless abilities to capture moments, something about film is fragile and full of uncertainty. Having the patience to wait for film to get developed is my skill I am working on (more to come on that.)
Adriana Gonzales as Perdita, backstage with our collection of farm animals. Dulcita Guerrita, Unamed cow,Hefty and Hennifer
All these moments come together onstage in a pretty package,
ready for the audience. I love it, the lights, the costumes, the set, getting to share moments with my cast, telling a story that we each have to personalize for ourselves. I found so much joy in bringing the sheep shearing festival to life. A reminder that I love farm animals.
Once we leave the rehearsal room, we get to enter the space. We get to incorporate the technical elements that bring the show to life. It’s my favorite part of the process. So many new moving pieces. So many moments we get to luxuriate in, repeat after repeat. So many moments we get to see our friends shine onstage,
Jerik Fernandez as Leontes
Backstage, a whole other show is going on.
Our stolen moments as cast and crew. Nothing fuels a cast like a good snack pile. From sweet to salty from junk to healthy. Nothing is too good when it can be shared with your cast and crew. The glimmer of joy in our eyes when a new snack is introduced. The bonding moments we decide to have when one eats an apple, now we all eat an apple. The debates and rankings of top hi-chew flavors- which as well know, Mango lands on top.
Minki Bai, Taylor McWilliams-Woods and Yeonshin Kim
Backstage has its own choreography. An ensemble choreographed as part of the larger ensemble.
Composed of stage hands, dressers and stage managers. All things that happen onstage are because of this crew. And to be completely honest, they never get enough credit. (Even I couldn’t capture all of them in one place.)
Megan Kay Wright, George Luo, Natalia Poliakova, Priya Hendry, Tabarak Abosabaa, Mei Li Babuca Jones
Something I really admired about this cast was their ability to stay in the work.
So completely enthralled by the words of the bard to bring his words to life.
Continually revisiting variations of the text and words from those much wiser than us. When you care about what you do, you stay curious and invite varying perspectives to provide a deeper understanding.
Taylor McWilliams-Woods reading The Arden Shakespeare The Winter’s Tale
With every show, it is one of a kind.
This one was full of joy and playful energy.
Telling a story about forgiveness in this whimsical set made every moment feel like a real life fairytale. The fairytale where the friends get to play dress up. The friends get to dance to a mashup of Chappel Roan and Taylor Swift. The friends get to sing, dance and share these moments.
Thank you cast of The Winter’s Tale: Youran "Sebastian" Wang, Jerik Fernandez. Marena Kleinpeter, Betzabeth Gonzalez, Yeonshin Kim, Taylor McWilliams-Woods, Tess Raz, Minki Bai, Kyler Simons, John Austin and Finn Jordan.
Photos shot on 35mm film. Developed and scanned at Not Another Film Lab.
