Blog.
Meet the Board
Imagine the theatre board you get when you take away the hierarchy and listen to everyone’s voice. That’s what you get from Theatre from the Ground. Our Circle of Leadership includes people with various business expertise and community connections. We have eliminated the financial buy-in that board members are usually required to bring to the table; this allows for a more equitable mix of members…
This is the Excellent Foppery of the World
Michael Bubbers is new to our ensemble but has so much to contribute. He said he “really liked this monologue because of its slap in the face, get over it buttercup, harsh reality. Yes, life is hard sometimes. No, it’s not always your fault. Sometimes it just is what it is and you have to roll with it. You can’t spend life going around and blaming your misfortunes elsewhere.”
Release Me from My Bands With the Help of Your Good Hands
The Tempest is a story of shipwreck, magic, revenge, reconciliation, and forgiveness. For 12 long years Prospero has been exiled on an enchanted island. When he sees those responsible for his exile sail too close, he conjures a storm to shipwreck them on the island. While dispensing justice and watching over his daughter’s emerging romance, Prospero’s old wounds begin to heal, and reconciliation and forgiveness seem within reach for all.
All the World’s a Stage
“It is a monologue that will always stay with me, as solid as ever, while I myself move through these 7 stages of life. It's interesting to not only think about the stages, but where you are I regards to them , and where you came from.”
It is Their Husbands’ Faults if Wives Do Fall
“[Emilia] is a woman before her time, and I think that’s shown in this monologue. She pleads the case of mistreated women everywhere, and makes the (then controversial) argument that women are just as human and just as full of desire and emotion as their husbands. Despite the dire fate of all the women in this show - Emilia is an early feminist and one of Shakespeare’s fiercest female roles.”
What a Piece of Work is Man
“As a modern reader,” Nelson-Sommerfeldt says, “I see a person dealing with depression trying desperately to make a connection. He knows that there is beauty both in the natural world and in people, yet he can't reconcile what he knows with how he feels. The current pandemic has brought out so many of the negatives that as a society we try so hard to bury that I feel this speech will resonate with many.”
I’ll Be Sworn Thou Art
“I have always loved Olivia as a character because of her passion and courage to overcome grief and accept love back into her life (albeit comically misplaced!),” Stark said. “In this monologue, [Olivia] discovers her feelings and at the end, in a beautiful moment decides to let love in.”
Love is a Familiar; Love is a Devil
“I connect to Armado since he is a Clown who is filled with deep, bottomless emotion….But unlike other pieces by comedic characters, this monologue shows something more: that even clowns have that deep desire to feel love and connection.”
I Know That Virtue to be in You, Brutus
“What drew me to this monologue is its universality.” said Springer in reference to Brutus’ monologue from Julius Caesar. “There isn’t a single person who hasn’t or won’t face a decision that will alter their life forever. This monologue highlights exactly how the honorable and stoic Brutus knows what must be done, but still struggles to convince himself of its necessity, while also accepting the future consequences of his decision.”
O Time! Thou Must Untangle This
Sam White portrayed Viola in our production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in January 2020 and was willing to share this one of Shakespeare’s monologues with you to help us kick off our Monologue Project.
Introducing the Monologue Project
When it comes to Shakespeare’s speeches, everyone is familiar with "To be, or not to be". We know there are so many more monologues that deserve their time in the spotlight. Shakespeare from the Ground would like to do something about that.
Through the Monologue Project, we will shine that spotlight on speeches from our favorite characters that might not be "mainstream" but have meaning, make commentary, or mark a change within the play.
Shakespeare from the Ground Postpones The Ides of March: Julius Caesar
Due to additional cases of COVID-19 in Wisconsin and throughout the United States and following the announcement this week from UW-La Crosse to cancel classes and dismiss students, as a precautionary measure Shakespeare from the Ground is postponing its production of Ides of March: Julius Caesar.
The Ides of March: Julius Caesar
In Julius Caesar, jealous conspirators convince Caesar's friend Brutus to join their assassination plot against Caesar. To stop Caesar from gaining too much power, Brutus and the conspirators kill him on the Ides of March.
12th Night for 12th Night
The newly formed Shakespeare From the Ground theater ensemble in La Crosse announces their first production in partnership with Pearl Street Brewery. They will be bringing Twelfth Night to life in a unique way Tuesday, January 7th, 2020.
About the project
Our Inspiration
One of Shakespeare's Plays, No Director, One Rehearsal, in a Bar.
In Shakespeare’s theatre, the audience was an unruly bunch of drunks. His actors had no director and they rehearsed only fights and dances. The Project is a culture and a set of ideas that is quickly being replicated across the country. They have official chapters in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. Similar groups are popping up in communities across the country and Shakespeare From The Ground is the newest inception in La Crosse, WI.
12th Night Cast Local & Regional Actors
“This process will be like no other show I've been in,” says Jacob Kaiser, “It's going to be an excellent experience and a huge chance for personal growth as an actor.” Jacob is a senior at Aquinas High School. Some of his favorite roles include The Man in the Yellow Suit in Tuck Everlasting and singing “We Beseech Thee” in Godspell both at Aquinas as well as Aladdin in Aladdin Jr at La Crosse Community Theater.
Our project is underway
Shakespeare from the Ground is off the ground. Our first performance will be Jan 7, 2020 at the Pearl St. Brewery. We'll be performing 12th Night for 12th Night.