Telluride Theatre: “All’s Well That Ends Well,” 7/22 – 7/31, (Podcast with Director Becca Wolff)!

14 Jul Telluride Theatre: “All’s Well That Ends Well,” 7/22 – 7/31, (Podcast with Director Becca Wolff)!

Telluride Theatre’s 32nd annual Shakespeare in the Park 2022 is “All’s Well That Ends Well.” The production will be performed on the Town Park Stage, July 22- July 31. Tickets, $30 (adults); $20 (under 18), are on sale now at www.telluridetheatre.org.

The show goes up rain or shine, as the audience is covered by the Town Park stage, but please dress for the cold mountain evenings. No outside liquor is allowed, however, concessions are  available to purchase. The show is dark on Thursday, July 28.

 Go here for more about Telluride Theatre.

Helen heals the King of France, and the King then grants her permission to marry Bertram, the man she is obsessed with. But Bertram rejects the lady, leaving a list of tasks she must complete to have him acknowledge their marriage. Helen follows her man to Italy, completes all the tasks, and Bertram accepts her as his wife. “All’s Well That Ends Well”?

Therein lies the rub. (To quote another of the Bard’s tales, namely “Hamlet.”) The question on “All’s Well’s” table is this: What happens when the reality of the Helen/Bertram duet does not match up to the fantasy our protagonist (Helen) envisioned? Do the ends always justify the means?

The following is a podcast with “All’s Well That Ends Well” director Becca Wolff, clearly an individual with the street cred to seamlessly guide her cast to provide answers to those questions and more in Telluride Theatre’s upcoming production of one of the Bard’s so-called “problem plays.”

More from Becca Wolff:

Becca Wolff is slated to direct Telluride Theatre’s 2022 Shakespeare in the Park.

I like problems – the thornier the better. I believe humans are at their best tackling questions that have no easy answers. Shakespeare, it has been said, invented modern man. In Hamlet, he introduced the possibility of contemplation of the self beyond the self. “What a piece of work is man.”

“All’s Well that Ends Well” isn’t “Hamlet.” Sure, it has soliloquies. Our heroine Helena contemplates her place in the universe with all the passion of the Danish prince. But the outcome of her contemplation is less – settled.

That’s what I love about this play. Critics like to call it a “problem play.” What’s the problem? It won’t settle down! The title promises a pat ending, but delivers something way more interesting. The play trumpets virtue, only to have it undermine itself with trickery and lust.

And isn’t this the most modern possible thing? The acceptance that whatever we are, it is no one thing. Every system we humans have invented – whether to decode Shakespeare’s plays or to organize societies – has fallen under the weight of reality.

I’m so excited to join the brilliant Telluride Theater community as director of this production of “All’s Well that Ends Well.” I was born in Cortez and spent early years living in cabins built by my parents at a summer camp on a hilltop in Mancos. We moved to town eventually and then to California, but we returned in body and in spirit constantly over the years.

I have always thought Shakespeare belongs in the West – the hugeness of the landscape gives scope to big ideas. The plays belong outside. They belong where there is majesty and grandeur in which people drink too much beer in the sunshine and act the fool. Because what better way to embrace the basic duality in human nature?

What a piece of work we are. “All’s Well that Ends Well” reminds us that we’ll never pin ourselves down. So instead let’s let it roll and enjoy the ride…

“We are so lucky and excited to get the chance to work with Becca this year,” said Telluride Theatre’s Artistic Director Sasha Cucciniello. “Having her at the helm, with a truly incredible team of actors, designers, artists and builders to bring this really wonderful production to our community adds up to something very special we are excited and proud to share with everyone.”

Becca describes her time in Telluride as nothing short of magical:

“Telluride is the perfect place to make theater. Our cast – and the whole town! – is full of brilliant people who are present and open to new things. There’s so much positive energy circulating! And Telluride Theatre is a container for that energy. It’s like the magic of the mountains – the way they suggest adventure and safety at once,” she adds.

Telluride Theatre, more:

Telluride Theatre is committed to advancing the performing arts in our region through innovative productions, education programs and community involvement. The nonprofit creates theatre that lives in moments of truthful human connection, promotes joyful celebration and is an open dialogue, accessible to all audiences.

Visit www.telluridetheatre.org to learn more.