The Performing Arts Department, headed by Patricia Maloney-Titland was integral in rounding out the performance aspect of the springtime dedication to the most influential writer in the English language, William Shakespeare. This year also saw the beginning of the annual outdoor summer Shakespeare production created by Artistic Directors/Founders – Patricia Maloney-Titland & Christopher Plummer an
d the Performing Arts Department. The kick-off production of Romeo and Juliet was a truly ambitious and worthwhile endeavor. The fledging, but passionate group of Actors, Directors and Shakespeare enthusiasts attempted something that has never been done here at RCC or in Rockland County - Bringing the Bard to the community for free. They succeeded.
1999
The season’s comedic production of Much Ado About Nothing, was a triumph. Taking the creative process further and further into new dimensions, the Company had begun to experiment with varied staging and themes for the Bard’s timeless plays. Productions were no longer locked into one particular area of the beautiful campus courtyard, and as the second annual summer Shakespeare production ran its course, word spread and audiences began to grow.
2000
If Romeo and Juliet opened the doors to the future for the company, then the third annual outdoor production blew the doors completely off the hinges, literally. With the companies third seasons production of Macbeth all the barriers were broken down. With Macbeth, the company evolved into a true modern day Shakespeare Company, with the likes to be reckoned. Complete with motorcycles, guns, and leather-clad warriors that would have made Mad Max proud. Macbeth reverberated with intense passion and ambition, not only for the Actors but for the Company and the College as well. Macbeth achieved the biggest audience turn-out to date.
2001
The company's next and fourth adventure led them to a beautiful and loveable land called Illiria, as Twelfth Night rounded out the 2001 summer season. Yet again, audiences spoke in word and action as the turnouts continued and the positive feedback rolled in. In 2001 we not only saw the beginning of a new millennium, but the inception of a new moniker for the courageous young company, the Rockland Shakespeare Company, a little 'RSC', this side of the pond.
2002
With our fifth annual summer Shakespeare production of Othello, set within a contemporary neo-political realm, we cemented our position in the Theatrical community of Rockland County.
2003
Following Othello and his tale of marital woes, this season we produced an island themed A Midsummer Night’s Dream. With Midsummer came yet more attention, and articles and commentary rolled in about our ‘little’ company. We laughed, we cried, we went home. However, we knew not what we were in for following Midsummer, though we continued our endeavor to give our audience a well-rounded and exciting vision of Shakespeare’s works.
2004
Nothing could be more different and exciting following Midsummer than Shakespeare’s immortal tragedy, Hamlet. It is a play we wanted to tackle from the very outset of our company, and now the time was right. Our version of Hamlet was set in feudal Japan near the end of the Samurai reign, and what an ending it was. Hamlet was one of our most ambitious productions, with the largest cast to date and one of our largest collective audience attendance numbers since our inception.
2005
We thought our audience (and the Company) needed a well-deserved break from tragedy after Hamlet, so we decided to have some fun and send up our version of As You Like It. Set in the 1930s, As You Like It is one of Shakespeare most musical works as well as a staple in the Shakespearean cannon of comedies. You asked for more comedies… and we heard you!
2006
We deviated from our usual pattern of alternate Tragedy-Comedy-Tragedy-Comedy to follow-up the successful run of As You Like It with not one, but two comedies, back to back! We staged our first ever double-Bill Shakespeare event with our 1980s themed musical version of Love’s Labour’s Lost and, if that were not enough to dislodge your padded shoulders and get your crimped hair in a knot, we added our first work that was not written by the Bard, but was inspired by him; the irreverently funny and raucous comedy, The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shakpr (abridged). Our audiences laughed...we cried... I mean, sighed! We did it! Two shows in one summer season! However, the best was yet to come...
2007
In this, our tenth anniversary year, our productions continued to mark a momentous and exciting reality; that we were in fact a Theatrical Company. An enthusiastic, ambitious and passionate group of Actors, Directors, Designers...Artists, we were bringing Shakespeare to the public, some of whom previously thought they didn’t like the Bard. We began to look forward with great anticipation to many enlightening and thrilling years with Shakespeare, with Rockland County, and with our audiences that have grown in numbers and appreciation. Our tenth anniversary season was an amazing year-long blitz of the Bard. We celebrated him, producing not only his words, but also those that were inspired by him. Plays such as Joe Calarco’s R&J and the hit Broadway musical, Kiss Me, Kate as well as Shakespeare’s first Comedy, The Comedy of Errors, which we set in a Pirates of the Caribbean type port city, to great success. Errors garnered our largest audience turnout to date. HUZZAH!
2008
We followed our version of Shakespeare’s first comedy with his first and by far, bloodiest tragedy, Titus Andronicus...and Bloody, it was! Never have we enacted so many deaths in such rapid succession as we did in Titus. A stabbing, a drawn and quartered body, a r**e, two mutilations, two decapitations, two slit throats with exsanguinations and utter desecration of bodies baked into pies, as well as a broken neck, a few more stabbings and finally a drawn-out torture...and a partridge in a pair tree.
2009
Changing our compass setting, the production of The Merry Wives of Windsor was set in the American Old West - complete with dancing girls at the Garter Inn and thieves and trickery around every corner. No production of Merry Wives would be complete without the loveable rascal Sir John Falstaff, who donned a gun belt rather than a sword this time ‘round! Oh, the wives of Windsor sang that song, doo dah-doo dah and people sang with them, as Merry Wives delivered a wonderful public turnout!
2010
In our reprised production of Much Ado About Nothing, (first performed during our second season) we explore the ever-popular and mystical world of superheroes and villains.
2011
We turned our attention to what is believed to be the Bard’s last great solo written masterpiece, The Tempest. Always an audience favorite due in part to the tragicomedy elements and the whimsical nature of the magical characters, our Tempest swept us away to Prospero’s remote island which has seemingly been ‘Lost’ in time.
2012
We returned to the magical land of fairies, love and donkeys in our second visit to A Midsummer's Night Dream. Set in the early 20th century, our company transported our audience to a magical forest in the outskirts of Athens where a fairy King and Queen are on the outs, 4 people try to discover love and all its complications and a mischievous spirit who fools them all. PUCKY!
2013
Our company moved in great leaps and bounds in 2013. We started our Shakespeare Jr. company, which set out to reach our high school generation and introduce them to the magic of the Bard. They jumped on board with great gusto in their Great Gatsby rendition of the timeless Romeo and Juliet. Our core company also decided to try something new. Instead of our traditional one show repertory each summer, we decided to bring two full length shows to our audience. We revived Twelfth Night and set it to the BBC powerhouse Downton Abbey, which was packed with plenty of downstairs whispering and upstairs drama and shenanigans to make the Dowager Countess blush. We also grabbed another powerhouse import show, which is filled with moments that make you grab your chair in excitement, gasp in surprise and sometimes exclaim, 'Hodor?' What better to have a show where people will kill to have power than Macbeth, Game of Thrones style. Our mission is a challenging and exciting task for the Rockland Shakespeare Company, one that is looked upon as fulfilling and ultimately vital for the community. We are the only adult Shakespeare Company in Rockland County and our productions are free to all who wish to attend and experience the words and passions of one of the greatest writers of all time. Bringing important insight and culture to the community, as well as artistic education to the students of Rockland Community College, we offer our productions for all who wish to learn, and for those who enjoy classic literature performed. So join us, if you will, as we share another spectacular season and continue our tribute to the Bard-of-Avon here at Rockland Community College, with Rockland County and with you, our noble audience.
“The actors are at hand and by their show you shall know all that you are like to know.”
