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Antony and Cleopatra

In July 2003, the Red Bull Players presented Shakespeare's epic tragedy, Antony and Cleopatra in the beautiful wooded setting of the Guy Nearing Summerhouse at Cornell Plantations. The free production drew an audience of over 600 people, many coming from Binghamton, Syracuse, and elsewhere around the region to see it.

• About the Play
• The Cast
• The Music
• Special Thanks
• The Red Bull Players
• Audience Quotes
• Sponsors

About the Play:

Following the murder of Julius Caesar, control of the Roman world was divided between the three triumvirs ­ Octavius Caesar (the adopted son and heir of Julius Caesar), Mark Antony, and Lepidus ­ who joined together to defeat Caesar's murderers. A few years later, Antony met Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, whose former lovers included both Julius Caesar and Caesar's rival, Pompey the Great (in the play, at least; this is a historical inaccuracy on Shakespeare's part. Cleopatra was actually involved with the oldest son of Pompey the Great). Antony left his wife, Fulvia, in Greece, and went to live with Cleopatra in Egypt.

At the beginning of the play, Antony is in Egypt; Octavius Caesar and Lepidus are attempting to persuade him to return to Rome to help them deal with the threat of Sextus Pompeius, the younger son of Pompey the Great and leader of a fleet of pirates that is menacing the Roman empire. At the same time, Antony's wife and brother have been raising armies and waging war against Octavius Caesar.

The play covers a span of ten years, and chronicles both the political and military battles between Antony and Octavius Caesar and the personal relationship between Antony and Cleopatra over that period. It is an extraordinary story of larger-than-life characters playing for the highest stakes imaginable; our goal has been to try to let the play speak for itself ­ to present these characters, their passions, and their story as clearly and forcefully as possible.

Cast

The music:

All musical selections are taken from three pieces by Johannes Brahms Symphony no. 4 in E minor; Piano Concerto no. 1 in D minor; and the Piano Quintet in F minor. Arranged for solo viola by Steve Ponton and Ruth Roland. Performed by Ruth Roland.

Special Thanks:

Melanie, Ruth, and Dave D. for all their hard work and organizational support; Lauren and her wonderful crew of costumers ­ Ruth and Melanie, Barbara Usher, Betsy Cowdery, Gretchen Poulos, Vanessa Bowman, Mandy Monroe, and Zoe Romm; Tanya, Kent, and Pam in the Cornell Theatre department for their efforts on our behalf; Krista Scott for lending her time and expertise; Alternatives Federal Credit Union, Tompkins County Trust Company, Borders Books and Music, Ogbo Awa, evolution, and Loose Threads for financial assistance; Mer Boel/Water Bear; Jason Keagle at Gnomon Copy for all his help and skill; Bryan Van Campen, Jessica Del Mundo, and Pamela Goddard of the Ithaca Times for the wonderful articles; and Angelica Mitchell (Ithaca Times), and Barbara and David Usher for the beautiful photographs.

The Red Bull Players:

The Red Bull Players are an Ithaca theatre group dedicated to the performance of English Renaissance drama ­ the works of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Their name is taken from one of the most popular of the public theatres in Renaissance London, the Red Bull.

The Red Bull Players began as a student organization at Cornell University but have now expanded to include members from all around the community. In addition to performing at Risley Theatre and elsewhere around Ithaca, they have been invited to perform at national Shakespeare conferences and have taken their shows to the summer Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.

This production of Antony and Cleopatra begins a new tradition outdoor Shakespeare performances on the beautiful grounds of Cornell Plantations. These outdoor daylight performances present Shakespeare's works under conditions very similar to those for which they were originally conceived.

For more information or to get involved, contact Steve Ponton at smp53@cornell.edu.

Audience Quotes

Audiences raved about The Red Bull Players' Summer 2003 production of Antony and Cleopatra at Cornell Plantations.

• "You made me realize what a great play this is."
• "It was brilliantly staged — the use of the site was wonderful."
• "I was riveted."
• "It was just magical."
• "Overwhelming."
• "It was fantastic. Thank you."
• "There were so many levels to the performance."
• "The intensity was amazing."
• "Brilliantly done."
• "What a perfect location for this."
• "The cast was first-rate."
• "I’ve been telling everyone I meet to go see it!"
• "The level you were able to achieve was incredible."
• "What a feat!"
• "I was completely blown away by it."
• "I can’t believe that was your opening day — it was so flawless." — from a professional actor after the first performance
• "Thank you for this contribution to our community."
• "Why didn’t you tell me it was this good? I would have come to see it several times." — after the final show
• "I go to New York all the time to see theatre. They do very little with a lot of resources. You did a lot more with very little."
• "I just came back from England, where I saw a performance by the R[oyal] S[hakespeare] C[ompany] at Stratford-upon-Avon. This was better."
• "How can I join the group?"

Sponsors

This production was sponsored by:

• Moosewood Restaurant
• Collegetown Bagels/Ithaca Bakery
• Cornell Plantations
• Cornell Department of Theatre, Film, and Dance
• Ithaca HOURs

Thanks for your support!