Photo by Sarah Elmquist
GRSF Design Director Erik Paulson and his newborn, Rhys, who arrived in Winona for the festival when he was about a week old. |
The newest addition to the Great River Shakespeare Festival isn’t an actor or a designer or apprentice, although he may be destined for thespian greatness. He’s 13 days old, just opening his eyes to the world around him, a darling to the cast and crew who, over the years, have founded a family of their own.
Some members of the GRSF family come from quite literally across the globe, like Stephanie Lambourn, actor intern from Australia. She often calls home at the end of the day, morning in Australia for her parents, but says that GRSF and the Winona community have become like a second home for her.
Others who make Winona State University East Lake Apartments their temporary abodes through much of the summer here find creative ways to stay connected with those who can’t be near, with frequent Skype encounters -- sometimes a virtual dog walking with a loved one miles away with a bluetooth cell phone fitted in ear.
And some, like newborn Rhys and his mother, Shelley, here visiting dad and Design Director Erik Paulson, make Winona their second home too, here to share in GRSF festivities and to make new family memories along the way.
Staying close
GRSF actor Andrew Carlson was on stage during the annual Chocolate, Shakespeare and Champagne, previewing a scene from Loves Labor Lost. It was the 2009 season, and he and wife Kate’s daughter, Lyda, was in the crowd. Suddenly, to the background of her father performing as Longaville, a loud, clear “Daaa Daaa,” rose from the audience. Carlson didn’t miss a beat, what must have been a difficult feat, as this was the first time his daughter had said his name.
Lyda was the first GRSF baby, a title she’ll likely wear for many years. And the touching story of such a family moment is one among many, as GRSF has become a family affair for cast, crew and audiences alike.
Lyda’s mother, Kate, spearheaded the welcoming campaign for baby Rhys, with signs and balloons and decorations ushering in the second of the festival babies. She also coordinated meals for the new family each night, and father, Erik, said that the company has been a real support as the couple tries to balance some of the busiest moments of their lives with some of his most taxing work with the company.
And although the families of the cast and crew aren’t always around, weekends and other times the halls of the apartments they share are alive with family life. This year, actor and director Doug Scholz-Carlson’s three daughters got unicycles as gifts, and brought them to Winona for a visit. The youngest, Ava, mastered the art of riding it all the way up and down the halls of the apartment.
“This apartment never really feels like home until they’ve been down here,” said Scholz-Carlson of his daughters. And looking around the living room in his summer East Lake Apartment, you can feel their presence, even though the girls won’t be back until the season picks up. But lining the walls, a project that started years ago as a birthday present for dad has turned into a yearly decoration, as the girls trace their shapes onto long sheets of paper, then decorate them and hang their portrait art on the walls of the apartment.
From miles away
Scholz-Carlson’s oldest, Helena, has fallen in love with Winona and the friends she makes, and keeps, here each summer. But like many of the cast and crew’s family members, she can’t be around all the time. And for that, there’s this newfangled thing called technology.
On Wednesday, Helena was sitting at the coffee table with her dad, even though the two were more than a hundred miles away from one another. Her grin was beaming from dad’s laptop screen via Skype, which she says is a great way to talk, even though she still misses her dad.
Many of the cast and crew use technology to communicate with family members who can’t be with them, from e-mails to text messages to web cams and frequent phone calls.
“We’re so grateful for the technology,” said Advancement Director Laurie Flanigan-Hegge. “There’s something about hearing a voice, seeing a face.” Flanigan-Hegge has been with the festival for two years, juggling a family in the Twin Cities as they work to renovate a home in Whitehall, Wis.
Scholz-Carlson and his wife each bought a bluetooth phone so they could easily talk during busy days, hands free. The two did talk during nightly dog walks for awhile, he said, and Skype has been another neat way for him to stay connected while the family is apart.
Many cast and crew members have family around at least for part of the season to take in a show or two, to get to know Winona and see just what the festival is all about. “Yeah, my parents are groupies,” admitted Paulson, adding that they’ve always been involved in his summer ritual in Winona. This year, the couple will have an added treat in visiting new grandson Rhys, topping off a terrific summer celebration.
A second home
While technology helps, some cast and crew members are very far from home, and may go the entire summer without seeing a loved one from home. Lambourn, whose family is across the globe in Australia, does talk to her parents and sister on Skype. And costume designer Kyle Schellinger, although he’ll see his parents this weekend, said that they aren’t quite technologically advanced enough for frequent web cam conversations.
But coming to Winona for the Shakespeare Festival is kind of like coming home to a second family, cast and crew agree. The lay person in the audience may not quite be able to put a finger on it, but there is something truly unique about the festival crew and the Winona community that just feels like home.
“We love coming here because of the people,” said Schellinger. “It’s an extraordinary theater, an extraordinary place, and the people make all the difference. A lot of people in this company could work wherever they want to, but this place is magical, it gets under your skin and you think, ‘I just want to go back to Winona, I just want to go back to Winona.’”
Many of the actors and artists spend much of the year traveling, and GRSF might be their longest stint in one place (one member was told by his tax professional that Winona was actually his legal place of residence). Schellinger said that young artists can often lead a rather vagabond life, and that Winona and the community here are something unique and special.
Flanigan-Hegge said that Winona and the festival are very grounding for an artist, a core group that returns to a community with arms open wide. “It’s that sense of returning, it gives you a sense of belonging, an artistic home that is a touchstone to go back to,” she said. “The community embraces us.”
For Lambourn, that community embrace is pretty special too. Many crew members far from home like herself are picked up from the airport by volunteers, Friends of Will, involved community members. They get care packages, people keep in touch year-round, worry about one another. “There are a couple people who are kind of like my mom here,” she said, “especially because I’m so far away.”
That love of Winona and the festival isn’t lost on the little ones, either. Helena, via Skype, weighed in on how excited she was to come back this summer. “I love all of it, the shows, the actors, I just love being able to learn what they do and how they do it,” she said. “The people are so great, and the town is just fantastic.”
Want to become a part of the big GRSF family? Visit grsf.org and find out more about performances, learning opportunities and other events, as well as how you can get involved.
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