The 37th annual Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival is offering two very different plays directed by two very different directors: ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and for the first time, ‘Measure for Measure.’ One of the only things they have in common is the cast; one of those members is Camille Abelow.
Besides being a complete ray of sunshine during our 20-minute conversation, Abelow is the only Tahoe native in the cast. A recent graduate of UNR, she is one of four acting interns in the production. ‘Basically, there was a sign-up sheet at school, I put my name on it and then I just came in, gave Henry (Woronicz, executive Producer) my headshot and resume, did my audition. A few weeks later I heard back and started rehearsals in May,’ Abelow said.
She makes it sound so easy, eh? Abelow cheerfully states that rehearsals started in May and ran from 1 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. every day, with cast spending four hours on one show, breaking for an hour and a half, and then another four on the other show, alternating daily.
I look for a hard-nosed journalistic angle on this – maybe some on-set drama? – but alas, there is none. Abelow says between Fontaine Syer, director of Much Ado About Nothing, and Carole Healey, director of Measure for Measure, she has no favorite.
‘They are both pretty different, directors…it was fun in different ways – and it was trying in different ways, trying to figure out what each director wants,’ she said. ‘But I feel like both directors knew what they wanted and had their ways of accommodating their vision of their show.’
Abelow also says that she has no favorite show. ‘On Measure nights, Measure is my favorite and on Much Ado nights, that is my favorite.’
I start to feel as if Abelow should have a position as a diplomat. In my head I had dreamed of passionate arguments, actors walking off stage, cries of integrity being compromised. Perhaps that was just my high school production of ‘Pirates of Penzance.’ On the other hand, her enthusiasm is growing on me, as I imagine being an intern for my first Shakespeare experience within a cast that combined, has over 300 years of producing Shakespeare.
Abelow got her first taste of theater when she was a freshman at South Lake Tahoe High School. ‘While there wasn’t a lot going on at my school, that first taste was enough for me to know that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,’ she says.
While she says she feels as if she still has a lot to learn, she plans on attending graduate school at Portland State University in the fall to build the confidence she needs to become a professional actor.
All interns were assigned a mentor this summer to give them tips along the way. Abelow’s mentor is Gina Daniels, who plays Isabella in Measure for Measure and a Watch/Party guest in Much Ado About Nothing.
One of the basic distinctions between interns and other actors is that the interns entertain the audience during the pre-show. When I caught Much Ado, the pre-show was one of my favorite parts. According to director Fontaine Syer, Much Ado could possibly be the first romantic comedy. Syer has set it in late 1940s/early 1950s Italy, in a time when she says, ‘sassy women were important.’ Warming up the crowd before each night’s production, Abelow and her fellow interns sing songs from the time period, including ‘You’re the Top’ and ‘How Could You Believe Me When I said I Loved You.’ Another intern, Brooks Asher, also picks a lucky girl out of the audience to be serenaded/embarrassed pre-show.
Measure for Measure, according to director Healey, is ‘deliciously complex, and about balance.’ She sets the play in Vienna in 1814, a time when Vienna was the center of the world. For this show, the interns serenade the audience with ‘I’m in Love with Vienna’ and ‘Mistress Mine.’
When asked what might be her favorite part about being in the production, Abelow manages to gracefully roll everything into the answer: ‘The whole experience is pretty fun; when the show is over and we are all hanging out at the apartment (interns are staying in the Northstar employee housing), that’s fun and I love the dancing during the shows. I love theater, and everything about it makes me happy.’
It’s time for Abelow to dash to be fitted for a wig for the night’s upcoming show. Her final words are ‘There’s nothing like doing outdoor theater.’ I would have to say there is also nothing like watching outdoor theater, especially under the beautiful backdrop of Lake Tahoe. Catch Abelow and her fellow cast mates performing Tuesday through Sunday nights at Sand Harbor.
Monday nights the stage is filled with the sounds of the Urban Village Music Series, featuring a variety of artists. Theater gates open at 5:30 p.m. for all seating sections, and tickets are available in a variety of prices depending on dates and seating requirements. Guests may bring their own food and beverages, or Shakespeare’s Kitchen offers gourmet food prior to the 7:30 p.m. curtain time. laketahoeshakespeare.com, 800-74-SHOWS.
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