Hello World,
In case you don’t know me (that can’t be very many, right?), my name is Anne Boleyn. I was asked to write a bit about myself and I am most happy to do so!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Greensleeves and Glamour- A not-so-humble note from Anne Boleyn
In case you don’t know me (that can’t be very many, right?), my name is Anne Boleyn. I was asked to write a bit about myself and I am most happy to do so!
Where to begin...I shall start by saying that I will
forever be one of England’s most famous queens. I was known for my intelligence,
lively personality, and keen wit. Like all good French influenced women, I knew
how to say no when I meant yes and yes when I meant no and thrived at the art of
conversation. I could tease, tempt and trap with the best of them. I was a
skilled musician and dancer, and attracted the attention of many men at court. My
brilliance and forward thinking were both my asset and downfall.
However, what many people don’t know about me was
that I possessed an amazing eye for detail, a lust for fashion and a talent for
persuasion. These qualities became both my comfort and hope as I often faced
isolation masked in social grace. I
presided over a magnificent court.
Royals were expected to be extravagant in order to convey the strength of the
monarchy. I spent huge sums on gowns, jewels, head-dresses, ostrich-feather
fans, riding equipment, and the finest furniture and upholstery from across the
world. Numerous palaces were renovated to suit my extravagant tastes.
To clear things up further, I would also like to
address the rumors of my disfigurement and infidelity. For the record…I did nothave 6 fingers or sleep with my brother (I mean really - what classless
accusations).
I did have a love affair (the only affair I had)
with the color green. So much so that a famed English folk tune was rumored to
be composed for me. That’s right…there
is a persistent belief that Greensleeves was composed by Henry VIII for his lover and future queen (ahem). Christmas and New Year texts
were not associated with the tune until 1686, and by the 19th century almost
every printed collection of Christmas carols included some version of words and
music together. One of the most popular of these is "What Child Is This?"
written in 1865 by William Chatterton Dix. Fun bit of music history for you!
Admittedly, humility was never my strong suit so I feel
it only appropriate that I am not only talked about but sung about to this day.
Marilyn Monroe - eat your heart out!
I had a major influence on the industry
of fashion and sported designs that were from the couture collections. I
brought glamor and glitz to a depressed and sullen court and was proud of my
sway on the style of the time. If I were alive today, my allegiance to Jean
Paul Gaultier would be mind-blowing and I am sure Henry would have had to
purchase his whole collection for me. I mean, have you seen what he has put out
for fall 2012? Just get a look at these:
Can’t you
just see me in that yellow dress imported from Calais? J’adore!
I hope that this has helped you get to know me a
bit better and that you find my life and times as fascinating as I. If you have
any questions please feel free to contact me at annieb@tudors.com or follow me on
twitter #headofthehousehold.
Au revoir,
Anne
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Hear, Hear! Production Photos are Here!
Get thee onto the book of faces and check out some absolutely amazing photos of the Queens' final dress rehearsal! Click here- Robert Erving Potter III 6DQ Album.
Submit your caption in the comments!
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| Six Dead Queens & an Inflatable Henry- Piccolo Theatre 2012 |
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Six Dead Queens- The Theatrical Trailer
With just a little over a week until we open at the Greenhouse Theatre Space, we thought you might enjoy viewing this queenly theatrical teaser!
For tickets, visit the Greenhouse Theatre Space.
And don't forget to like Piccolo Theater on Facebook! We have a plethora of amazing production photos, more video footage and lots of candids.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Sudeley Castle
Sudeley Castle plays an important role in British history as a whole, but certainly reached a pinnacle during the Tudor era. It is most famously known for being the home of Katherine Parr, who moved there with her beloved, Thomas Seymour, after Henry VIII finally kicked the bucket.
Finally free of the old, pussy, disgusting Henry, Katherine was finally free to marry a man she truly loved. At the age of 36 and already having 3 marriages to older men behind her, Sudeley Castle was a beautiful retreat, and Katherine was looking forward to a bright future, in love and very soon pregnant with her first child.
If there is a chance you will be in England soon, you may want to stop by Sudeley. There is a Quincentenary Festival planned, and it's all devoted to Katherine Parr on the 500th anniversary of her birth.
Amidst all of the wonder that took place at Sudeley, there were some dark moments in her short year there. Seymour was a "bit" of a scamp and suspected of courting Elizabeth Tudor, (Katherine's step-daughter and the future queen, whom Parr was carefully and lovingly tutoring), and finally pregnant with her first child, she died a short seven days after giving birth to her daughter Mary who has mysteriously disappeared from historical record.
While most Tudor aficionados seem distracted by the intrigue surrounding Anne Boleyn, it would be a mistake to discount Parr as boring simply because she managed to keep her head. In Six Dead Queens & an Inflatable Henry, you will learn all sorts of riveting details about Parr, her death, and indirectly, Sudeley Castle. Parr's was the first Protestant funeral Britain had seen, her body miraculously didn't decompose for over 200 years after she died, and she is the only Tudor queen to have a statue of her likeness, which resides over her tomb at Sudeley.
There is so much more to dig into, so book some tickets to Piccolo's show, and then book plane tickets to England and take in what is surely going to be a delightfully interesting and lovely celebration of a grand woman and the estate she dearly loved. Say hello to Lady Ashcombe from me and let her know that if I weren't performing on stage as the captivating Queene Parr, I'd be there!
-Denita Linnertz
Playing Katherine Parr
Monday, August 13, 2012
Fisticuffs and Pointy Stuffs, a post by Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves here bringing you ze latest in all zat is related to ze rehearsal of ziss show, Six Dead Qveens und eine Inflatable Henry.
Enough with the dialect, this is Deborah who plays Anne now taking over for real. Each of us was given the task of writing for the blog and I must say the first topic that came to mind were the incredible fights we get to participate in as queens.
"Fights?" you say with a question mark in your voice.
"Fights," I reply with a grin. We are, after all, portraying 6 women stuck in purgatory together for hundreds of years. If you don't think there'd be fighting after all those years I'm betting you're either an only child or terribly optimistic.
So yes, with the help of the amazingly talented Missy Styles as fight choreographer we get a little hand to hand combat, a little found objects combat, some tousles, and my favorite (perhaps because Anne of C fights in this one) a fight using rapier and dagger.
(Don't they look so calm? "Pardon me, I just need you to move your arm ever so slightly so I can slide this rapier riiiiight.....here. Thank you." Camillo Aggrippa: Trattato di Scientia d’Arme (1553))
Having never been in a fight before, either real or on stage, I can honestly say I didn't know what I was getting myself in for when I agreed to a rapier and dagger fight. But the learning of it...boy has this ever been fun! I find stage fighting to be incredibly difficult and fulfilling. Fighting is like a dance with emotional intention; emotional intention and the ability to harm...with tools. The same trust of your partner has to be there as in a dance - it has to be concrete or it'll never be believable - but the addition of the sharp and pointy makes that trust even more important.
What fun and what hard work to learn to perform a fight convincingly and without harm. The Piccolo tenant of awareness of one's body in space and the extension of that consciousness through the instruments we hold and use comes in mighty handy. So looking forward to perfecting the moves and putting on a show for our patrons. More than that, I'm excited to let these fights help us tell the story of 6 women bruised by their pasts.
Now, who does Anne fight? Does Anne win? You'll have to come to the theater to find out. Head to piccolotheatre.com to purchase your ticket and reserve a seat today.
Enough with the dialect, this is Deborah who plays Anne now taking over for real. Each of us was given the task of writing for the blog and I must say the first topic that came to mind were the incredible fights we get to participate in as queens.
"Fights?" you say with a question mark in your voice.
"Fights," I reply with a grin. We are, after all, portraying 6 women stuck in purgatory together for hundreds of years. If you don't think there'd be fighting after all those years I'm betting you're either an only child or terribly optimistic.
So yes, with the help of the amazingly talented Missy Styles as fight choreographer we get a little hand to hand combat, a little found objects combat, some tousles, and my favorite (perhaps because Anne of C fights in this one) a fight using rapier and dagger.
Having never been in a fight before, either real or on stage, I can honestly say I didn't know what I was getting myself in for when I agreed to a rapier and dagger fight. But the learning of it...boy has this ever been fun! I find stage fighting to be incredibly difficult and fulfilling. Fighting is like a dance with emotional intention; emotional intention and the ability to harm...with tools. The same trust of your partner has to be there as in a dance - it has to be concrete or it'll never be believable - but the addition of the sharp and pointy makes that trust even more important.
What fun and what hard work to learn to perform a fight convincingly and without harm. The Piccolo tenant of awareness of one's body in space and the extension of that consciousness through the instruments we hold and use comes in mighty handy. So looking forward to perfecting the moves and putting on a show for our patrons. More than that, I'm excited to let these fights help us tell the story of 6 women bruised by their pasts.
Now, who does Anne fight? Does Anne win? You'll have to come to the theater to find out. Head to piccolotheatre.com to purchase your ticket and reserve a seat today.
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