Play Sonnet 100
Where art thou Muse that thou forget’st so long,
To speak of that which gives thee all thy might?
Spend’st thou thy fury on some worthless song,
Darkening thy power to lend base subjects light?
Return forgetful Muse, and straight redeem,
In gentle numbers time so idly spent;
Sing to the ear that doth thy lays esteem
And gives thy pen both skill and argument.
Rise, resty Muse, my love’s sweet face survey,
If Time have any wrinkle graven there;
If any, be a satire to decay,
And make Time’s spoils despised every where.
Give my love fame faster than Time wastes life,
So thou prevent’st his scythe and crooked knife.
Analysis
Sonnet 100 addresses inspiration, and ponders on immortality in words.
Billy asks the unseen Muse why it has been so absent lately, despite writers’ ability to give it all its power. He wonders if its squandered its gifts on an unworthy poem. He begs it to return and inspire him with words about his beloved, the Muse’s equally powerful audience and subject. Billy says his beloved’s face is lineless, but if he is wrong, the poem should be a satire of aging, and begs the Muse to immortalize its subject before time can tear down the beauty there.
Will’s Wordplay
“Base subjects” often refer to vulgar themes or generally unworthy topics. But since the word base was often used to mean ‘base born, of humble social status’, there is inevitably a suggestion that the beloved is of high birth, and worthy of a poet’s dedication, instead of which the speaker has debased himself and given his attentions to creatures not worthy to be noticed.
Egyptian Columns at entrance of Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn
The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is the public library system of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. It is the fifth largest public library system in the United States. Like the two other public library systems in New York City, it is an independent nonprofit organization that is funded by the New York City and State governments, the federal government, and private donors. In Fiscal Year 2009, Brooklyn Public Library had the highest program attendance of any public library system in the United States. The library currently promotes itself as Bklyn Public Library.
The Central Library of the Brooklyn Public Library, located at Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway on Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York City, contains over a million cataloged books, magazines, and multimedia materials. Each year, over one million people visit the library.[1]The facility, landmarked in 1997, boasts the state-of-the art S. Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture, a 189-seat auditorium that opened in 2007 and hosts lectures, readings, musical performances, and other events for people of all ages. The library’s plaza, renovated during the construction of the Dweck Center, hosts concerts throughout the summer and has become a favorite outdoor destination for free wireless internet access.
The Shelby White and Leon Levy Information Commons opened in January, 2013.[2] The space offers an integrated venue for individual work, public classes, private events, and meetings.[2]
The Central Library’s local history division, The Brooklyn Collection, holds over a million individual items including photographs, maps, manuscripts, Brooklyn Dodgers memorabilia and other ephemeral items.
History
Ground was broken for a Brooklyn central library on Prospect Park Plaza (Grand Army Plaza) in 1912. The design of the original architect Raymond Almirall called for a domed, four-story Beaux Arts building, similar in style to the nearby Brooklyn Museum. Escalating costs and political in-fighting helped slow construction throughout the decade. World War I and the Great Depression ensured that Almirall’s building, whose Flatbush Avenue wing had been completed by 1929, would never be built.
In the 1930s, the architects Githens and Keally were commissioned to redesign the building, eliminating all the expensive ornamentation and the entire fourth floor. After much public and critical praise for the comparatively inexpensive Art Deco structure, construction recommenced in 1938. Almirall’s building on Flatbush Avenue was largely demolished except for the frame. (Some of the original facade that faces in toward the library’s parking lot is still visible.) Completed by late 1940, the Central Library opened to the public on February 1, 1941. It is regarded today as one of America’s greatest Art Deco buildings.
The second floor of the Central Library opened in 1955, nearly doubling the amount of space available to the public. Occupying over 350,000 square feet and employing 300 full-time staff members, the building serves as the administrative headquarters for the Brooklyn Public Library system. Prior to 1941 the Library’s administrative offices were located in the Williamsburg Savings Bank on Flatbush Avenue.[3]
The Central Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
References
1. http://www.bklynlibrary.org/locations/central
2. http://www.libraryasincubatorproject.org/?p=8612
3. Kathleen A. Howe (June 2001). “National Register of Historic Places Registration:Brooklyn Public Library-Central Building”. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
ACTOR – Robert Verlaque
Robert has been a professional actor, director, teacher and writer for over 30 years with extensive directing credits in New York, Toronto, and regional theatre. New York directing credits include Labyrinth Theatre Co., Playwrights Horizons, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Acorn Theatre Co., Circle Rep East, The Shooting Gallery, and The Actors Studio, among others. In 2012, Robert directed the premiere of John Patrick Shanley’s “Jealous” at the Labyrinth Theatre Co. Notable New York productions include Shaw’s You Never Can Tell, Wycherley’s The Country Wife, Dancing at Llughnasa, The Trojan Women, Phaedra (The Public Theatre/Potters Field Co.), The Art of Dining, Magic Time, The Shadow Box, Rivers and Ravines, Feydeau’s A Cat Among the Pigeons, and A Flea in Her Ear. He assisted Pam Berlin on Elm Circle for Playwrights Horizons, and the late Gerry Guttierez on Terra Nova. Currently, he is directing “Wrights Wrongs”, an original webisode comedy series in New York City. Robert will directing his short screenplay A Thousand Kisses Deep scheduled to begin shooting in Toronto for Roxborough Films in Fall 2013.
Robert is a produced playwright and screenwriter, with plays produced in NY, San Diego and Toronto. His full-length play ‘Icarus Sings’ was workshopped in NY last season for a Toronto production in the 2013-2014 season.
Robert has extensive film, television and theatre credits and national commercials. During 2013, Robert played a Leading role opposite Joseph Fiennes and Ed Asner in Disney’s upcoming 2014 release “The Games Maker”. He had Guest Staring roles on “Saving Hope”, NBC, and on Season 4 of “Boardwalk Empire”. Robert also directed several new plays written by John Patrick Shanley, Robert Askins, and Don Nigro fro NyLonFusion Co, NY. He is the founding member of the Articulate Theatre Co, NY and the author of the original play “Icarus Sings” in pre-production in Vancouver, Canada following it’s recent workshop in Toronto. Last year included a recurring role on top rated “Suits”, and guest starring on “Warehouse 13″, in a new series “Cracked”, and a lead role in the pilot “Port Hope”. Among the many talents he has been fortunate to work with are Christopher Plummer, Mike Nichols, William H. Macy, William Hurt, Harvey Keitel, Cybill Shepard, Mary Louise Parker, Christopher Walken, Stanley Tucci, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, among others.
He is an instructor and director at the Terry Schreiber Studio, and previously was on the faculty of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Ensemble Studio Theatre Institute in New York, as well as Equity Showcase Theatre in Toronto. In demand as a teacher and private coach, he teaches in Toronto, Los Angeles and New York.
PRODUCER – Articulate Theatre Company – Cat Parker, Artistic Director
Articulate Theatre Company is an ensemble driven company who thrive on being storytellers. Our simple mantra is ‘good stories, told well.’ Guided by the three definitions of ‘articulate,’ -clarity, structure and connectivity- we are committed to challenging and connecting audiences and artist with clearly structured work that is intelligent, thought-provoking and visually striking.
http://www.articulatetheatre.com/
DIRECTOR, EDITOR, VISUAL EFFECTS – Eric Siegel
Eric is a veteran television/film director, art director, and production designer specializing in an integrated approach to the creative direction and technical execution of programming and entertainment of all kinds. In a career spanning over 30 years he has provided creative and technical leadership to the world’s most prestigious program producers, including the ABC, CBS, PBS, HBO and MSG television networks. He has been the director of, or a contributing director to, the widest possible variety of live television broadcasts – election nights, town hall meetings, political debates and conventions, prime-time news magazines, morning shows, Sunday roundtables, musical performances, parades, evening and late night news, and more special events than he dares try to remember. His work as a director, art director, and production/scenic designer has been recognized with 11 Emmy awards, the Dupont Columbia Award, the Peabody Award, a Christopher Award, the Cine Golden Eagle, and over 25 Broadcast Designers Association awards.
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY – Andre Yoder-Harris
Andre Yoder Harris is a Photographer and Director of Photography/camera operator based in New York City. He was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, and received his higher education from the Rhode Island School of Design and Brown University. A film and photography major, he has a particular passion for documentary filmmaking and portraiture.
In the early 1990s, he traveled the world, working primarily as an Assistant Camera operator for production companies/feature productions ranging from National Geographic and HBO to independent documentaries and Hollywood films and behind-the-scenes documentary productions. In addition, he AC’d dozens of music videos and later shot and DP’d others.
After his wife sustained a serious injury in 2002, Andre chose to limit out-of-town travel, shifting his professional focus to network news and special events/music close to home, working primarily for ABCNews. In recent years, Andre has also incorporated his longstanding love of fast/beautiful cars and auto racing into his photographic work, developing a sub-specialty in motorsports photography and what he describes as “automotive portraiture.”
www.grandmasbaby.net/html/slideshow.php
SCORE – Richard Einhorn
Richard Einhorn’s unique music has been described as “hauntingly beautiful,” “sensational,” and “overwhelming in its emotional power.” He has become one of a small handful of living composers who not only reaches a large worldwide audience but whose music receives widespread critical praise for its integrity, emotional depth, and craft.
In February 2009, Einhorn premiered The Origin, an opera/oratorio based on the work and life of Charles Darwin. Performed to packed houses and standing ovations, the Syracuse Post-Standard wrote, “Einhorn has created an imaginative work layered with profound insight…”
Einhorn’s “opera with silent film,” Voices of Light, has been hailed in reviews as “a great masterpiece of contemporary music” and “a work of meticulous genius.” After selling out its New York City premiere engagements at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Next Wave Festival, Voices of Light has had over 100 performances throughout the US and the world including sold-out performances at Avery Fisher Hall; the Kennedy Center and Wolf Trap with the National Symphony; the Cabrillo Festival with Marin Alsop; and during two extremely successful national tours featuring the medieval vocal group Anonymous 4. The Sony Classical CD of Voices of Light was a Billboard classical bestseller, earning Einhorn the distinction of being one of only a few composers to have made “the charts.” Voices of Light has attracted national media attention including articles in the Wall Street Journal, segments on All Things Considered and Performance Today, and an extended profile on CBS television network’s magazine show, CBS Sunday Morning. Recent performances of Voices of Light have taken place at Sydney Opera House in Australia, at Esplanade in Singapore, and in Johannesburg and Pretoria, South Africa.
Einhorn has written opera, orchestral and chamber music, song cycles, film music, and dance scores. Among his many projects is the wildly popular Red Angels for New York City Ballet set to Einhorn’s music with choreography by Ulysses Dove, which had its television premiere on “Live From Lincoln Center” (PBS) in May of 2002. His film credits include the Academy Award-winning documentary short, Educating Peter (HBO) and Arthur Penn’s thriller Dead of Winter (MGM), starring Mary Steenbugen; and Fire-Eater directed by Pirjo Honkasalo, for which Einhorn won the Jussi (Finnish Academy Award) for Best Musical Score.
Born in 1952, Richard Einhorn graduated summa cum laude in music from Columbia University. Before turning his attention exclusively to composition, Einhorn worked as a record producer for such artists as Meredith Monk and The New York Philharmonic. His production of the Bach Cello Suites with Yo-Yo Ma won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Performance.
Recent works include The Spires, The City, The Field, a 9/11 memorial premiered by the Albany Symphony. A Carnival of Miracles, a piece written for Anonymous 4, premiered to a sold-out crowd at New Sounds Live and broadcasted live over WNYC-FM. My Many Colored Days is an orchestral commission from the Minnesota Orchestra. He lives in New York City with his wife Amy Singer and their daughter Miranda.
STORY – Jim Biederman
Jim Biederman is founder and President of JimCo – a full service production company specializing in scripted as well as non-scripted comedy programs. He has Executive Produced television shows for NBC, CBS, TBS, IFC, MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, Fuse, Logo, CBC, BBC America, among others.
PRODUCTION DESIGNER – George Allison
For over 30 years, George has been designing award-winning scenery for television, theatre and film. During his 10-year run as senior production designer for ABC News, his award winning works included Good Morning America (co-designed with Stuart Wurtzel) and Nightline. Other ABC credits include World News Tonight, PrimeTime Live, This Week, 20/20 and numerous specials. Recent design work includes MTV’s Rapfix and VMA All Access; Intelligence Squared Debates for the Rosenkrantz Foundation; Roger Ebert Presents At the Movies; Vine Talk with Stanley Tucci for PBS and the game shows Who Wants To Be a Millionaire and Power of 10. Corporate projects include design work for Goldman Sachs, Yahoo, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Council on Foreign Relations and the White House Press Briefing Room. Film work includes production design for several independent films and second unit art direction for the action-comedy feature film The Other Guys starring Will Ferrell. He has designed over 200 Off-Broadway theatre productions. New York work includes The Strike by Rod Sterling, Divine Right, Carreno, and Nightshade by Howard Koch. He is also proud of his work for the Vietnam Veterans Ensemble Theatre Company and Theatre by the Blind. His most recent theatre work includes his award-winning design for Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Sister Cities, Twelfth Night and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.
RESERVE CAM AND PRODUCTION ASSISTANT – Sebastian Montoya
Sebastian Montoya feels incredibly lucky to join the Articulate Theatre family, and is thrilled to be in the company of such a talented group of people. Some favorite past credits include John in Balm in Gilead (T. Schreiber Studio), Brian in Joking Apart (T. Schreiber Studio) and Dan Shapiro in Sexual Perversity in Chicago (SOL Theatre). Sebastian has studied at Terry Schreiber Studio and is currently trying to learn to be funny at Upright Citizens Brigade.
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT – Esteban Benito
Esteban Benito is an Actor/Writer born and raised in Yonkers, New York. He has studied at T. Schreiber Studio and has been in numerous plays including their award winning production of Balm In Gilead by Lanford Wilson. He was last seen on the stage in the workshop production of Contigo by Paola Munos at the Signature Theatre. For Television, he was recently seen in a recurring role on the long time running soap opera One Life to Live as Diego Padilla.