♪♪
JIM: THIS NEXT STORY BROUGHT TO
MIND SOMETHING THAT A FORMER
ST. LOUIS PARKS
OFFICIAL, CHARLOTTE RUMBOLD,
SAID A LONG TIME AGO,
MORE THAN 100 YEARS AGO.
SHE SAID, AND SHE BELIEVED, "THE
CITY THAT PLAYS TOGETHER WILL
WORK TOGETHER," AND SHE PUT THAT
INTO PRACTICE HERE AT ART HILL
WITH SOMETHING CALLED
"THE PAGEANT AND MASQUE".
IT WAS 1914 -- A DAY-LONG
PRODUCTION IN FOREST PARK THAT
DREW HUGE CROWDS,
BUT, MORE IMPORTANTLY,
IT INVOLVED HUNDREDS OF
PERFORMERS AND CREW MEMBERS,
PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE
CITY WORKING TOGETHER.
IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A MODERN
VERSION OF THAT ON A SMALLER
SCALE, WELL, "SHAKESPEARE
FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS",
WHICH IS BEST KNOWN FOR PUTTING
ON PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTIONS
HERE IN THE PARK, ALSO
HAS BEEN DOING SOMETHING
CALLED "SHAKESPEARE
IN THE STREETS".
ACTRESS: YOU KNOW I
HATE IT WHEN YOU DO THAT.
ACTOR: WHY DO YOU
ALWAYS DO THAT?
JIM: IT BRINGS TOGETHER
PROFESSIONAL ACTORS AND LOCAL
RESIDENTS TO PERFORM IN
PLAYS WITH LOCAL THEMES.
THE FIRST ONE WAS IN 2012 IN
THE CHEROKEE NEIGHBORHOOD.
BUT LAST YEAR, AS
RUTH EZELL SHOWS US,
THEY TOOK THIS IDEA
TO, SHALL WE SAY, GREAT LENGTHS.
RUTH: HERE AT THE INTERSECTION
OF PAGE AND FERGUSON AVENUES IN
PAGEDALE, HUNDREDS OF
THEATER-GOERS GATHERED TO WATCH
"SHAKESPEARE IN THE
STREETS'" 2019 PRODUCTION.
TITLED "LOVE AT
THE RIVER'S EDGE",
IT'S MARIAH RICHARDSON'S
ADAPTION OF "AS YOU LIKE IT".
THIS PRODUCTION TOOK
"SHAKESPEARE IN THE STREETS"
TO THE NEXT LEVEL BECAUSE IT
SIMULTANEOUSLY INVOLVED
COMMUNITIES IN NORTH ST. LOUIS
COUNTY AND SOUTHERN CALHOUN
COUNTY IN ILLINOIS.
AS A RESULT, ACT ONE WAS
PERFORMED IN PAGEDALE.
THAT AREA REPRESENTED
THE CITY IN THE PLAY.
ACT TWO SHIFTED LOCATIONS TO THE
MISSISSIPPI SHORE NEAR BRUSSELS,
ILLINOIS, WHICH REPRESENTED
THE FOREST IN THE PLAY.
MEMBERS OF THE CAST AND
CREW HAILED FROM BOTH
SIDES OF THE RIVER.
MARIAH: THIS IS
"KINDER'S RESTAURANT",
AND THIS IS WHERE WE DID
THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW.
RUTH: PLAYWRIGHT MARIAH
RICHARDSON RODE THIS FERRY TO
CALHOUN COUNTY,
ILLINOIS, MORE THAN ONCE.
MARIAH: IT WAS BEAUTIFUL.
OUR SET WAS RIGHT THERE.
ADAM: WE'VE HAD LOTS OF
FEEDBACK FROM PEOPLE SAYING,
YOU KNOW, "THAT WAS CRAZY.
YOU'RE INSANE."
UH, I KNEW THAT ALREADY.
RUTH: ADAM FLORES IS MANAGER
OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND
EDUCATION FOR "SHAKESPEARE
FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS".
ADAM: FOR THIS SHOW, WE STARTED
AT THE CORNER OF PAGE AND
FERGUSON, SO WE ALREADY
HAD PEOPLE COMING
TO A NEW PLACE, RIGHT?
PAGEDALE IS NOT SOME PLACE
THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE GO ON THE
REGULAR, AND IT'S DEFINITELY
NOT SOME PLACE THAT PEOPLE FROM
ILLINOIS GO TO ON THE REGULAR.
SO, WE STARTED
BRINGING PEOPLE THERE,
THEN HALFWAY THROUGH THE SHOW,
EVERYONE PICKED UP THEIR CHAIRS
AND LOADED TEN
DIFFERENT SCHOOL BUSES,
AND THEN WE DROVE ALL THE WAY
OUT HERE TO THE "GOLDEN EAGLE
FERRY" AND THEN CAME ACROSS
THE RIVER TO RELOAD OUR SEATS UP
HERE AT THE EDGE OF THE
RIVER TO WATCH THE SECOND ACT.
AND THE JOY THAT THEY
HAD BEING HERE -- SO,
TO ACTUALLY DO THE WORK OF
THAT FELT REALLY REWARDING.
RUTH: ADAM FLORES AND MARIAH
RICHARDSON RETURNED TO CALHOUN
COUNTY AFTER THE PLAY CLOSED.
THEY WENT TO A REUNION OF CAST
AND CREW IN A DIFFERENT TYPE OF
PERFORMANCE SPACE WHERE
HORSES TAKE CENTER STAGE.
MARGARET: RIGHT HERE.
COME ON.
COME ON.
RALPH: THAT'S ENOUGH.
MARGARET: NO!
STOP!
YOU DOIN' TOO MUCH.
[LAUGHTER]
RUTH: THAT'S MARGARET MISCHEAUX
GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH A HORSE.
MARGARET, A NORMANDY
HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR,
PLAYED CEE CEE IN "LOVE
AT THE RIVER'S EDGE".
STUDENTS AT HER SCHOOL AND AT
BRUSSELS HIGH SCHOOL WEIGHED IN
ON THE SCRIPT, A CRITICAL
ELEMENT IN THE CREATIVE PROCESS.
MARGARET: THIS
EXPERIENCE WAS VERY,
VERY, VERY GRAND.
I HAD NONE OTHER
THAN A GOOD TIME.
I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT NOT ONLY
MY COMMUNITY BUT A WHOLE
'NOTHER COMMUNITY -- BRUSSELS.
RUTH: ACTRESS LINDSEY
WATTERS, WHO PLAYED ROSALIND,
LIVES IN ST. LOUIS COUNTY
BUT GREW UP IN CALHOUN COUNTY.
LINDSEY: IT WAS REALLY COOL.
LIKE, THEY CAME IN.
THEY SAT DOWN IN VARIOUS
MEETINGS WITH COMMUNITY
MEMBERS, GAVE US PORTIONS OF
THE SCRIPT AND ASKED US,
"DOES THIS REPRESENT CALHOUN THE
WAY YOU WANT IT TO BE SHOWN?"
LIKE, "IS THIS ACCURATE?
WHAT DO YOU THINK?"
AND IT JUST SEEMED REALLY
INCLUSIVE AND LIKE THEY WERE
TRYING TO MAKE SURE
EVERYONE WAS REPRESENTED
THE WAY THEY SHOULD BE.
RALPH: THAT'S THE WAY.
RUTH: RALPH MOSES
HOSTED THIS REUNION AT HIS
HORSEMANSHIP-TRAINING FACILITY
IN THE UNINCORPORATED COMMUNITY
OF GOLDEN EAGLE.
RALPH: SEE, I GOT A BRIDLE.
WOMAN 1: OH, OKAY.
RALPH: IT'S RIGHT THERE.
WOMAN 1: UH-HUH.
RUTH: MOSES FIRST GOT TO KNOW
MEMBERS OF THE PLAY'S PRODUCTION
TEAM WHILE THEY WERE SCOUTING
FOR AN ILLINOIS LOCATION.
EVENTUALLY THEY ASKED HIM TO
READ FOR A SUPPORTING ROLE.
RALPH: AND SO, I
SAID, "YEAH, I'LL READ."
YOU KNOW, AND I DIDN'T
EXPECT TO GET A PART.
WELL, THEY -- WHEN
THEY OFFERED ME THE PART,
I SAID, "OH, I CAN DO
A HALF A DOZEN LINES."
WHAT I DIDN'T REALIZE WAS THAT
THEY WERE GONNA HAVE ME SINGING
AND DANCING AND
SPEAKING AT THE SAME TIME.
I DIDN'T KNOW THAT.
LINDSEY: RALPH DID
AMAZING, REALLY GOOD.
HE WAS FUNNY.
HE WAS PRESENT.
HE WAS -- HE DID AWESOME.
[TOGETHER]: HEY!
RUTH: LIKE THE PLAY, THE
REUNION ENDS IN A CELEBRATION,
ONE THAT MARKS NEW
CROSS-CULTURAL FRIENDSHIPS.
RALPH: I GOT BEYOND
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF PEOPLE.
WHEN YOU MEET
SOMEBODY THE FIRST TIME,
YOU HAVE A FIRST IMPRESSION.
AND I GOT TO KNOW PEOPLE AT A
DEPTH AND A LEVEL OF INTIMACY
THAT YOU WOULDN'T
NORMALLY ENCOUNTER.
MARGARET: GETTING ON A
BUS, DOING THE ACTIVITIES,
INTERACTING WITH THE
TWO COMMUNITIES COMBINED,
I THOUGHT THAT WAS JUST
THE MOST LOVELIEST PART.
RALPH: IT'S LEFT ME WITH SUCH
FOND MEMORIES OF THE WHOLE --
THE WHOLE CAST,
THE WHOLE ENTOURAGE,
YOU KNOW, ALL THE PEOPLE.
IT'S JUST GREAT.
IT'S JUST GREAT.
MARIAH: IT WAS MAGICAL!
IT WAS MAGICAL.
♪♪
