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Show Cast arrives - rehearsals begin for Festival opening f ) in - 1 " V r "yt '( b 2 f m v i j - - - ' Over 100 company and staff members began preparations Monday for opening of the 16th annual Utah Shakespearean Festival. The largest company ever to assemble on the Southern Utah State College campus look ahead to the July 14 opening, which will also mark dedication of the completed Adams Memorial Shakespearean Theatre building. As in other years, many of these company and staff people will arrive in Cedar City from out-of-state locations, but this year will also find more Utah members among Festival participants than in any other year since 1967. The first company meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Monday, highlighted by a brief welcoming speech from SUSC Pres. Royden C. Braithwaite, representing both the college and the Festival Board of Directors, and Fred C. Adams, Founding Director of the Festival. Following this general welcoming meeting, auditioning and casting will commence immediately, with scheduled completion by Tuesday night, at which time rehearsals will begin. Also during this two-day introductory period, actors and dancers will be measured and fitted for costumes. Sewing must begin immediately in order to be completed by opening night, as all costumes are new each season, and a tremendous amount of costume designing, fitting, and construction takes place. Festival directors and designers have been working in Cedar City during the past week, preparing for the arrival of the Festival company, and for the opening of the season's cycle of plays: ' CORIOLANUS, directed by Richard Risso, ROMEO AND JULIET, directed by Charlene Bletson, and TAMING OF THE SHREW, directed by Brian Hansen. The campus-community matinee production of THE MIKADO, directed by Fred C. Adams, will open Tuesday, July 23 at 2 p.m. Several firsts will be noted during the 1977 season of the Festival : the building will be completed and dedicated; for the first time a lady is directing one of the Festival productions; and a new direction for the Festival is being marked by the afternoon af-ternoon production of THE MIKADO. The center section of permanent seating is installed, in-stalled, and memorial seating this season will be sold to help fill side sections of the main floor. Ticket sales for the Festival have been strong for some months now, and local friends of the festival are expecially urged to make ticket purchases as soon as possible. Some nights are sold out completely, com-pletely, it was noted by box office manager, Helen Leavitt, and center section seating for much of the Festival is going rapidly. Excellent seating on both sides and balcony remain for many of the nights, and the Festival will again honor its long-time policy of attempting at-tempting as far as possible to seat everyone. PREAPHE FOR SEASON Scott Phillips as Ko-Ko and Virginia D. Stephenson as Katisha rehearse scene from upcoming up-coming Utah Shakespearean Festival production of "The Mikado." |