“The Fox” Comes Into View

By the 2019-2020 Apprentice Class

Hi everyone! Philip here. It’s already that time of year again – our fantastic apprentices are busy preparing their capstone for you! You’ve seen their work on and off stage all season long. But what you may not know is that apprentices always tackle the design elements (Lights, Costumes, Etc.) for their show as well. We caught up with this year’s class to see how their process has been going!

Jodi Rushing – Stage Manager/Lighting Design

Jodi Rushing and Brandt Roberts oversee rehearsal of The Fox
Jodi runs a rehearsal alongside director Brandt Roberts.

I wanted to do this show because it addresses a very real issue.  I think there needs to be more awareness and discussion about toxic/abusive relationships.  I’ve had a very mixed experience when it comes to producing this show.  There have been moments where it has been a little difficult to work on this show because of my personal experience with toxic/abusive relationships, but those are also the moments that reinforces how much this story needs to be told.  I have learned so much about lighting design throughout this process and am excited for our audiences to see all of our hard work!”

Matthew Donahue – Scenic Design

Apprentice Matt Donahue prepares the set of The Fox
Matthew putting some finishing touches on the set.

So far, this experience has been challenging yet ever so rewarding. As an actor, Henry has been such a complex character to bring to life. At the end of the day, all he wants is to live freely, on his own terms – something we can all connect with. This is my first experience designing a set. This would not have been possible if it weren’t for two very specific people. The first is our director and my mentor here at the Commonweal, Brandt Roberts. He has helped me through every step of this process, and instead of doing things for me, he taught me so that I was able to do them myself. The second would be Norb Kelly, a local Master Carpenter, and supporter of the Commonweal who has helped me build this entire set, while teaching me little tips and tricks along the way. The support system here at the Commonweal is absolutely wonderful, and that includes our blog readers, so thank YOU!”

Caroline Hawthorne – Sound/Props Design

Caroline Hawthorne working on sound for The Fox
Caroline continues to fine tune the Sound Design.

I wanted to do ‘The Fox’ because even though it takes place post-World War I, it feels so modern. It tackles toxic masculinity, LGBTQ issues, as well as pandemic. It leaves people with more questions than it does answers. However, I believe when D.H. Lawrence wrote the novella the play was based on, he did not want to provide solutions to the problems presented… all he wanted was for people to think. I hope whoever sees it will be immersed in the world we create, and will leave the theatre reflecting not only on the world around them, but on themselves. I’m feeling good about my sound design. The goal of this sound design is to make it realistic. It needs to be embedded in the story, rather than its own separate entity. I have also been working on props (I am baking bread for this show… wish me luck), and learning to play the 12-string harp.”

Alicia Ehleringer – Costume Design

Alicia Ehleringer distressing a costume for The Fox
Alicia works her magic on a costume piece.

Producing the apprentice show has taught me so much! Working side by side with our team, we really have learned how to recognize our strengths and areas of improvement. It has opened my eyes up to exactly how much time and energy goes into the production elements, and has created a new found appreciation for each and every person that dedicates themselves to making a show great! I have loved working as the costume designer for ‘The Fox’! This is my first experience seeing my own design be brought to life and it has proved to be very rewarding. My favorite part has been working on the intricate details that give the costumes stories and history.” 

Don’t miss all of their hard work. Come see the apprentices and their designs in action when The Fox begins performances on March 13th. For Tickets —> Performance Calendar

A Fresh Face: Welcome Jaclyn!

By Jaclyn Johnson

Hey there, friendly reader! 

It’s me, Jaclyn June Johnson. I’m the newest team member here at the Commonweal! After living in Wisconsin for the better part of a decade, it’s lovely to again call my native state home. Returning to the state to join the Commonweal fills me with enthusiasm and inspiration. I’ve long been familiar with this company and its legacy of community-mindedness and artistic excellence.

Jacklyn Johnson
Best Friends Stab (You In the Back) by Gina Gomez premiered at Broom Street Theatre in Madison with Jaclyn as Kyle opposite Elizabeth Joy as Finn. Photo by Benjamin Barlow.

Since my graduation from Cornell College in 2006, I have galvanized my theatre skills both artistically and administratively. I am an Actor, Director, Costume Designer, and Playwright. Collaboration and empathy are at the core of my artistic identity. They also happen to be the reason I find theatre compelling for audience and company, alike. Theatre is the ultimate collaborative art-form, and can be a transcendent exercise in empathy.

After several years as a freelancer, In 2010 I joined St. Croix Festival Theatre’s staff as the Associate Artistic Director. Festival Theatre utilizes a similar Artist/Administrator model. Later I became the Artistic Director. After a planned exit in 2015, I returned the following year as the Co-Artistic Director and helped Festival Theatre to restructure and restrategize as it acquainted itself with a new facility and its new organizational needs. Having worked in theatres all over the country – from Creede Repertory, to Riverside Theatre, to National Theatre for Children – I’ve long admired the Artist/Administer model. From afar, Commonweal has inspired me and countless other multi-talented theatre workers.

Jacklyn Johnson
Jaclyn as Catherine Holly in Stage Q’s production of Tennessee William’s Suddenly Last Summer, at the Bartell Theatre in Madison, Wisconsin. Photo by Brett Williams.

In 2020, you will find me in a half-time position in the Commonweal Resident Ensemble as I complete a few other artistic responsibilities, and ensure I see my husband (and our three beautiful cats) whose work has him tethered in Wisconsin (my husband’s work, not the cats’). Towards the end of the 2020 season, I will transition into a more full-time presence in Lanesboro as I take on the role of Development Manager. 

This year brings a lot of excitement. I’m performing in two dream roles at St. Croix Festival Theatre – The Witch in Into the Woods, and Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible – but it is this dream Artist/Administrator position at Commonweal that is thrilling me the most about my year. Here’s to the intersection of community and artistic excellence, collaboration and empathy! 

Thanks for reading, friendly reader! I can’t wait to meet you in person at the Commonweal.
~Jackie (Jaclyn June Johnson)

Keep an eye out for Jaclyn this season at the Commonweal. Do you have your Season Passes yet? They’re going fast so be sure to order yours online, or give us a call at 800-657-7025!

Searching for “The Fox”

By Brandt Roberts

There was a moment last fall when I was having dinner with Elizabeth Dunn and she asked who I thought could direct the apprentice capstone project? I cautiously raised my hand. It had been seven years since I directed a full-length play, and I realized I was craving the process. I have tried to support our apprentices’ capstone in past seasons in any way I could, and this seemed like the perfect chance to throw my hat into the ring to direct again.

The Fox will play March 13th to March 29th
Alicia Ehleringer and Caroline Hawthorne in The Fox, 2020
Alicia Ehleringer and Caroline Hawthorne

When I read the play I was hooked. This year’s apprentice class (Caroline Hawthorne, Matthew Donahue, Alicia Ehleringer, and Jodi Rushing) has chosen The Fox by Allan Miller, based on the novella by D.H. Lawrence. The play is set in 1918 on a farm near Berkshire, England. The farm is run by two young women named Jillian and Nellie. The two decided to leave the town because of the gossip and the influenza epidemic. Their main source of income is their hens, but the hens have ceased to lay eggs because a fox continually raids the chicken coop. On a windy November night, a young solider named Henry unexpectedly arrives at their doorstep, having just returned home from the war. He seeks refuge—but what does he really want?

That is all I will venture to say about the plot. The Fox is simultaneously beautifully poetic and strikingly realistic. The characters are colorful and complex. So much of what is expressed is unsaid. The play bounces from dry sardonic wit to terrifying thriller. It is a shocking reminder that while the story is fiction, these characters represent reality. Humanity is brought to light in the shadows of this dilapidated farmhouse.

Although the play is set during the twilight of World War I, the issues it presents are timeless: pandemics, war, sexuality, gender roles, toxic masculinity, gaslighting, social norms, etc. I could go on and on about the script and the novella, but I’ll just say you’ll have to see it for yourselves!

I am proud of our apprentice class for their selection and who they are as artists. I am honored to be on this journey with them, we are having a blast! Their hard work in rehearsals and behind the scenes will bring this incredibly human story to life. Come visit the past to gain clarity on the present at the Commonweal this March.

Don’t miss Brandt’s directorial debut with the Commonweal, and the hard work of all of our wonderful apprentices! Get your tickets for The Fox, opening March 13th —> Performance Calendar