Keeping tradition alive: Poor Yorick’s plans Shakespeare performances in Monroeville

Poor Yorick’s Players started with a dream in 2006: to bring Shakespeare in the Park to Monroeville and the Pittsburgh region.

“We’re dedicated to keeping the historical tradition of Shakespeare alive by focusing on the universal impact of Shakespeare’s words,” Dana Babal, president and artistic director, said. The troupe’s mission is to make the fine arts accessible to all ages, incomes and backgrounds.

This year, Poor Yorick’s Players will perform two plays from Shakespeare, one classic and one that’s rarely seen on stage.

The troupe will perform “The Tempest” in June at the Tall Trees Amphitheater in Monroeville’s Community Park West.

“Monroeville is our home, and we strive to do our part to make it a more beautiful place for people to live, work and dream. As Shakespeare says in “The Tempest”: ‘We are such stuff as dreams are made on,’” Babal said.

The troupe is a non-profit organization run by a seven-member board of directors. The cast and crew members rotate in and out with each season. However, Babal said that there are a number of actors and crew members that have kept coming back year after year.

John Henry Steeleman drives to Monroeville from Indiana County for each rehearsal. He plays Prospero in “The Tempest.” At the end of the 2023 season, he will have done 10 shows with Poor Yorick’s Players.

“I love Shakespeare, and getting a chance to do Shakespeare is great. The company is so much fun to work with. I just really enjoy all the people here,” Steeleman said.

His favorite memory with the company is doing a scene with Tim Zeddies in “Henry IV, Part 2” because of how they connected and fed off of each other. (It’s worth noting that Zeddies also picked this scene as his favorite memory from his time with Poor Yorick’s Players.)

‘Audience response is my favorite part’

Betsy Novotny is the stage manager for “The Tempest.” She’s been working with the company since 2019. She lives in Pittsburgh and is working on her graduate degree in secondary education.

One of her favorite memories working with Poor Yorick’s Players is from “Comedy of Errors,” her first show with the troupe.

“I had a twin brother in that show who was played by someone who is now one of my dearest friends. Every single show, we would have ‘hat time,’ where we would go and pin our hats on together. As two characters that are supposed to move, talk and act the same, it was a nice warm-up way to refresh that connection every night,” Novotny said.

As for what keeps her coming back, the atmosphere and the audience are everything.

“The atmosphere is good. Audience response is my favorite part of theater because every audience brings their own back stories and interpretations to a show,” she said. “As an actor, when you’re doing the same thing for weeks and weeks and weeks on end, when an audience comes in that just breathes new life into it. Hearing reactions to things that you didn’t know would be funny or your family’s reaction when they come to see you do something they would never expect you to do makes it really worthwhile and really enjoyable.”

Whether you’re new to Shakespeare or know him well, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

“I love working with the people here, I really do. Poor Yorick’s Players is a really welcoming and inviting place. I appreciate Poor Yorick’s Players’ real love for Shakespeare which I share,” Zeddies said.

Zeddies is the director of “The Tempest.” He’s been with the company since 2013, acting and directing for Poor Yorick’s Players more than a dozen times. He also played the role of Caliban the last time that Poor Yorick’s Players did “The Tempest,” in 2015. He lives in Pittsburgh.

See ‘The Tempest’ in June

In “The Tempest,” the audience enters a world of magic, romance and revenge. The play follows the story of Prospero, a powerful sorcerer exiled to a remote island with his daughter Miranda.

Years later, when a ship carrying those who betrayed him sails too close to the island, Prospero conjures a storm that brings them to his doorstep.

Rehearsals for “The Tempest” started May 1. The cast rehearses four nights a night, with rehearsals becoming more frequent as the opening of the play approaches.

“The Tempest” runs June 2, 3, 4, and 9 at 7 p.m., and on June 10 at 2 p.m. as part of Monroeville’s Community Day. All performances are free.

In August, the troupe will put on “Timon of Athens,” which deals with themes of friendship, betrayal and the corrupting influence of money and power.

The play follows the rise and fall of Timon, a wealthy nobleman who lavishes his fortune on his friends, only to be betrayed and abandoned when his wealth dries up.

“Timon of Athens” runs Aug. 11, 12, 13, and 18 at 7 p.m. and Aug. 19 at 2 p.m.

For Babal, “Theater is about connections and exploring our own humanity. We look at the actor and we imagine ourselves in that situation and we live through them for that little bit of time. We’re making connections with our community, with other audience members, and with nature.”

Rain or shine, the show must go on. If the weather is bad, the audience is invited on stage and under the amphitheater roof.

“Those up-close performances in crazy weather sometimes are just so special and magical, and the people that come and see those shows in bad weather say that they hope it rains again during next year’s performance,” Babal said.

For more information, visit pooryoricksplayers.org.