NCAC Shakespeare in the Park Presents ‘King Lear’ Tragedy

By: Betsy Reason

Want TO GO?
What: Noblesville Cultural Arts Commission’s 32nd annual Noblesville Shakespeare in the Park presents William Shakespeare’s “King Lear,” directed by Noblesville’s Jen Otterman.

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

Where: Lawn of Federal Hill Commons, 175 Logan St., Noblesville. 

How much: Free. Donations are welcome.

Info: noblesvillearts.org.

MEET THE CAST

King Lear, Glenn Dobbs, Mooresville; Kent, J. Charles Weimer, Fishers; Gloucester, Matt Hartzburg, Indianapolis; Edmund, Nathan Haston, Carmel; Goneril, Alyssa Lay, Indianapolis; Regan, Amalia Howard, Indianapolis; Cordelia, Rachel Kelso, Indianapolis; Albany, Aaron Ploof, Noblesville; Cornwall, Adrian Blackwell, Noblesville; Edgar and King of France, Nathanial Taff, Noblesville; Oswald, Kelli Conkin of Noblesville; Fool, Ka’Lena Cuevas, Fishers; Player 2, Caroline Frawley, Carmel; and Player 3, Guy Grubbs, Indianapolis.

MEET THE CREW
Director and properties, Jen Otterman, Noblesville; assistant director, master carpenter and script editor, Rob Heighway, Indianapolis; producers, Joni Corbett of Noblesville and Ka’Lena Cuevas of Fishers; sound operator, Geoff Lynch, Noblesville; light design, Eric Matters, New Palestine; light board operator and sound design, Lori Raffel, Carmel; fight choreographer, Kevin Robertson, Carmeltr; Costumes, Linda Findlay Grow, McCordsville.

Pack a picnic and grab your lawn chairs and blankets and head for Federal Hill Commons for Noblesville Shakespeare in the Park in its 32nd year.

Noblesville Cultural Arts Commission presents William Shakespeare’s “King Lear,” beginning Wednesday and continuing nightly through Saturday at the downtown park. Show time is 7:30 p.m. As always, admission is free, although donations are welcome.

Shakespeare fans who regularly attend this outdoor theatrical production — the second-oldest Shakespeare in the Park program in Indiana and the oldest in Central Indiana — will find these early fall performances more “cool and comfortable” for sitting on the lawn. 

While this week’s weather forecast calls for mid to upper 80s, “warmer than we would like, but mostly dry,” in the afternoons, the evenings are expected to be a little cooler. 

While Shakespeare moved from July to September in 2023, mostly for scheduling reasons with the Noblesville Parks Department but also “because Climate Change has made the temperatures unreliable and potentially unbearable,” the show’s director Jen Otterman of Noblesville said. The show’s weather in September is more pleasant for patrons and actors who are clothed in Elizabethan costumes.

“The actors are delighted because wearing traditional heavy Shakespearean costumes is much more tolerable in cooler temperatures,” she said.

“And Rob (Heighway, the assistant director) and his assistants have to move a great deal of scenery which is also much more comfortable in more temperate weather.”

Otterman recalled having a crew member, back when performances were in July, be taken to the local emergency room for heat exhaustion. “The kinds of heat we now have in the summer can be quite dangerous, and we wanted to keep our company, and the patrons, safe.”

During many years in the past, rehearsals were outdoors at Seminary Park, where productions took place until Federal Hill opened in 2017, on the 25th anniversary of Noblesville’s Shakespeare in the Park.

She’s in her fifth season directing Noblesville Shakespeare in the Park, which in 2023 moved its start time up to 7:30 p.m., to accommodate the earlier sunset.

Otterman talked about her love for directing Shakespeare in the Park.
“I enjoy the process,” she said. “Directing is much like sculpting. When one begins, there is just a non descriptive lump of clay. Gradually, it gets molded and shaped into a piece of art, something that reflects the intent of the playwright and has grit and depth and layers of nuance. In the beginning, it is messy and unclear and chaotic, but the end process, hopefully, is something to be proud of.”

Otterman said, “I especially like working with the actors and with Rob (Heighway) who have returned year after year. We have a comforting and familiar camaraderie.”

There are several familiar faces returning from previous years. There are also some new faces. One of the new and “very talented” actors, Charles Weimer, who plays the role of Kent, is married to one of her former students. “Small world indeed,” said the retired teacher and director of productions at Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers and who has directed shows at The Belfry Theatre in Noblesville and Basile Westfield Playhouse.

The Noblesville Shakespeare in the Park director chooses the show each year, selecting a comedy every other year. Being that Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” comedy was last year, this year would be a tragedy.

The play’s synopsis: Aging, conceited King Lear seeks to retire from his kingly duties and plans to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. But in turbulent political and personal times, is anyone safe?
While Otterman has never directed or acted before in this particular play, she said, “I have always loved ‘King Lear’ and it is very relevant to today’s world … political power struggles, family dysfunction and how to handle it, jealousy, betrayals, coping with aging, dealing with evil (and) understanding relationships.”
Otterman said, “In all these hundreds of years since this play was written, it is astounding that there has been no change in human nature. I love plays that hold these issues up to us so that we might examine them, see ourselves in them and try to do better.”
While the play is not a comedy, Otterman said, “Rob (Heighway) and I have tried to add as much humor as we can. There is a scene between Matt Hartzburg (as Glouchester) and Nathaniel Taff (as Edgar) that offers a laugh or two.”

She loves working with Heighway, who is not only her assistant director but also a backstage crew member with talent skills and knowledge. He is a master carpenter and can build any piece of scenery needed, Otterman has said. She knows Heighway “from many years ago” where they worked together as actors at The Red Barn Summer Theatre.

This year, Heighway had to construct a bed that could be easily maneuvered and a facade that would look like a lowly hovel. In 2023, he constructed five 10-foot trees, which will be used again for this show.

Would Otterman offer any hints of the best scenes for this year’s show?

“There are several sword and dagger fights during this show,” she said. “Those are always favorites of audiences.”

The play’s run time is very important to the director and assistant director.

Being that Shakespeare plays are quite lengthy, Heighway edits the play each year to less than two hours for our Noblesville audiences.

“He is a genius to be able to edit as he does without disturbing the story and its movement,” Otterman said.
“Because the park restricts our time, we have to keep the script to less than two hours,” she said.

David Heighway of Noblesville, who has been involved with Noblesville Shakespeare in the Park for 30 years and who is Rob Heighway’s brother, said while the original play could run perhaps three hours, “this cut version is supposed to run around 90 to 105 minutes.”

He said, “This requires a lot of cutting for a Shakespeare play. At the same time, they want to respect the original text and not change the characters or plot. It’s a balancing act, and I think that Rob does a great job with it.”.
David Heighway also said since the NCAC has started alternating comedies and tragedies, “it’s gotten more intense for the actors.” He described “King Lear” as a “dark and complex play. The actors have to ask themselves a lot of questions to get into their characters.”

While David Heighway stepped away from Shakespeare in the Park this year to focus on his history work, he will still attend the production and is still helping with the NCAC Vintage Film Series., 

Otterman’s cast and crew have been rehearsing indoors in a “wonderful rehearsal space” until moving in at Federal Hill on Sunday, which was also tech day. Dress rehearsals are tonight and Tuesday night before opening night on Wednesday at Federal Hill.

Otterman, during Federal Hill dress rehearsals, is usually found sitting in her lawn chair watching close to the stage.

While the audience sitting on the lawn sees the fabulous end product of the show, those who are involved in the show know how much hard work goes into making all of this possible.
Weeks of rehearsals have gone on since auditions in August. Sets have been made. Props and costumes have been found or created. Lighting and sound have been “designed.” Mics have been added. Every day this week, crew members set up and break down the entire set, a “quite a daunting task,” Otterman said. 

And then it’s finally show time.

Every year, Otterman describes her cast and crew as a “tight, friendly family” and the experience “refreshing.” She said, “the entire rehearsal process has been delightful. I hope to work with all of them again some day.”

-Betsy Reason writes about people, places and things in Hamilton County. Contact The Times Editor Betsy Reason at [email protected].