Aristocrats, commoners, and more than one case of mistaken identity highlight Emporia State Theatre Department’s upcoming play “She Stoops To Conquer, Or Mistakes of The Night.” The play will show four consecutive nights starting at 7:30 Wednesday in King Hall’s Bruder Theatre.
The play, a period piece set in Britain just prior to the American Revolution, is a romantic comedy originally designed to poke subtle fun at the rituals and roles of the upper class at the time.
“This play was written in 1773 by Oliver Gold Smith, and is his attempt to fly in the face of a popular style of comedy in which the goal was to instill pathos and noble sentiment and the virtues of the upper class, rather than to amuse you or try and make you laugh,” said Jim Ryan, professor of theater and director of “She Stoops.” “Some writers like Smith believed that comedy should make you laugh and give you a spirit of sentimentality.”
“She Stoops” primarily utilizes the vehicle of mistaken identity to drive the plot and comedy forward, while simultaneously providing a background moral about judging people by their appearances, Ryan said.
The play also utilizes a comparative look into various aspects of British life in the 1770s, including family and cultural differences, Ryan said, and satirizes both the attitude differences found in differing regions of Britain and the undiscussed similarities between them.
“The play is first a romantic comedy, boy seeks girl, girl seeks boy, with obstacles and comedy helping things along,” Ryan said. “One male character is open-minded about pursuing women of a lower social and economic class than his own, which was an issue back then.”
The main story revolves around two characters engaged in simultaneous romantic pursuits, played by senior theater majors Ben Fleer and Kelsey Fredricks.
“The scene is largely set in the home of a Mr. Newcastle, a country gentleman, and I play Marlow, a suitor to one of his daughters,” Fleer said. “I end up running into his trickster stepson, who confuses me into thinking the master of the house is an innkeeper, and that sets up the first of a few mistaken identities in the play.”
This performance is also Fleer’s final one at ESU, something he said is met with mixed feelings.
“I think that you get so into doing theater that I haven’t really thought about it until recently,” Fleer said. “But I’ve given this character everything I’ve got, and I’m really looking forward to portraying him.”
On the other side of the play, Fredricks plays a woman enamored with a lower-class boy, who ultimately resorts to disguise to win his affection, Fredricks said.
“Kate is the daddy’s little girl who falls in love with a bashful boy who’s uncomfortable around her, so she pretends to be a barmaid,” Fredricks said. “She ultimately tricks him into declaring his love for me, and that plays into the whole theme of the story, about how that kind of thing really doesn’t matter.”
Also starring in the play is senior theatre major Bob Hart, who portrays Mr. Newcastle, a man obsessed with marrying off his daughters to proper gentlemen.
“Mr. Newcastle is kind of a blustery old guy who’s trying to marry off his two daughters, and his inability to get out of his past mindset is a source of comedy for the play,” Hart said. ‘The style is real particular for the piece and time period, and we’re trying to capture that and recreate it through each character.”
Even though the comedy was written in 1773, much of the humor and lessons are still very relevant to audiences today, Hart said.
In addition to bringing humor styles and lessons from the period, the ESU production of the play also involved the creation of elaborate set pieces and costumes to recreate the flavor of the time, Ryan said.
“We as faculty have a sort of grid every four years and touch upon Shakespeare, some costume drama, some period pieces, as well as more modern drama, and this year our thing was to get something from the 18th century,” Ryan said. “Someone coming to this play should expect lovely costumes and set pieces, as well as many different dialects like high British, Cockney, and north country English.”
Ryan said “She Stoops” is expected to run around a full two hours, including a fifteen-minute intermission.
Golden Spoon Signs Agreement for Aggressive Expansion Plans.
Food Weekly News October 23, 2008 Golden Spoon, the largest frozen yogurt chain in California by sales volume, is marking its 25th anniversary this year with an aggressive expansion strategy to develop the brand throughout the country and worldwide. frozenyogurtrecipenow.net frozen yogurt recipe
Golden Spoon Franchising President Roger Clawson announced the signing of an exclusive license agreement between Golden Spoon Founder Jeff Barnes and Golden Spoon Franchising. This agreement will allow Golden Spoon Franchising to expand frozen yogurt operations into all domestic and international markets outside of its current retail areas. There are nearly 100 Golden Spoon stores in the Western United States with locations in Northern and Southern California, Southern Nevada, Southern Utah and the greater Phoenix area.
In total, the group is poised to sign agreements in the coming weeks to open more than 130 new stores and plans to have an additional 500 stores under contract by early 2009. The company’s aggressive growth plan includes significant progress with prospective area developers throughout the Western U.S. as well as additional expansion in Asia.
“The Golden Spoon brand will expand dramatically based on the solid economic model and innovative product development that have been trademarks of the company for more than 25 years,” said Clawson, a Golden Spoon storeowner of eight years, who joined the Golden Spoon executive team in 2003. “We are working closely with the Golden Spoon’s creative team to ensure a uniform presentation of our brand. Customers can expect us to continue delivering premium-quality products and service at new and existing stores.” Known as “the ice cream lover’s yogurt,” Golden Spoon has pioneered the formulation of premium soft-serve frozen yogurt that incorporates creative and remarkable flavorings. Since its inception in the 1980s by Golden Spoon Founder Jeff Barnes, the company has perfected a proprietary non-fat frozen yogurt recipe that maintains a healthy and nutritious profile.
“The focus of the Golden Spoon business has always been on delivering the highest-quality yogurt that is not only delicious, but also good for you,” said Barnes. “I look forward to watching Roger continuing forward in this tradition. His vision for expansion has played the key role in the recent progression of the chain, especially in the expansion of our geographic footprint and store count.” A Swirling History Marking a quarter-century in the frozen yogurt industry, Golden Spoon is recognized as a pioneer in one of the coolest trends in food history and has turned frozen yogurt into a viable, long-term niche. The Southern California-based chain was founded in 1983 as a family-friendly business that delivers high-quality, value-priced soft-serve frozen yogurt. Barnes, the creator of the company’s unique, premium product, has developed a flavor profile that has yielded a highly loyal, unusually frequent and long-term customer following throughout the Southwestern United States. web site frozen yogurt recipe
Golden in Sales Golden Spoon has sold more frozen yogurt over the past five years than any other frozen yogurt chain in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada, a reality that is attracting experienced multi-store franchise operators to the company. The chain has also consistently experienced significant growth in same-store sales, is widely considered a leader in the industry, and is now growing stronger than ever with a sustainable expansion strategy.
The Fat-Free Foundation of Success The foundation of Golden Spoon’s years of success is the yogurt. Having taken the art of making frozen yogurt to a whole new level, Golden Spoon creates and manufactures its own line of premium soft-serve non-fat yogurt. The company offers an industry leading 50-plus unique flavor selections, which range from the traditional Just Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Old-Fashioned Vanilla to the more exotic Coconut, Cake Batter and Cappuccino. With nearly all flavors non-fat, Golden Spoon’s low-calorie frozen yogurt is high in calcium and protein and contains probiotics (live active cultures). The company has bridged the gap between indulgent snacking and eating responsibly, making it a perfect fit with today’s healthier-eating lifestyles.
For more information, click on “Contact Us” at www.goldenspoon.com.
