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Mission

Ten Chimneys Foundation’s Mission

  • Preserve and Share the buildings, furnishings, collections, and grounds of a national treasure – Ten Chimneys, the estate created by Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.
  • Serve as a continuing resource and powerful inspiration for theatre, the arts, and the art of living.
  • Offer public programs consistent with the Lunts’ varied interests and core values, while maintaining the integrity and intimacy of this extraordinary estate.

Ten Chimneys is a National Historic Landmark, a “Save America’s Treasures” project site, and is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. Ten Chimneys is owned by the non-profit 501(C)3 organization Ten Chimneys Foundation, Inc.

Day Four: Fellows and Master Teacher Embrace Spirit of Ten Chimneys

July 14, 2010

Jim Carpenter studies Shakespeare in the Studio

Jim Carpenter (California Shakespeare Theater) studies in the Studio. (Please click for a high-resolution version.)

Notes from Sean Malone – President, Ten Chimneys Foundation
Wednesday, July 13, 11:37 p.m.

A hot, sunny, gorgeous Ten Chimneys morning. The group had the opportunity explore the Ten Chimneys estate on their own. They studied their Shakespeare; wrote in their journals; wandered the famous bedrooms (Noëllie’s, Larry’s, Helen’s, the Lunts’), the Studio, Cottage, the gardens. They swam in the pool. And yes, one Fellow did jump in Noël Coward-style; I’m not saying who. (If you’re not sure what that means, it’s time for you to make a first or return visit. That said, it means what you guess it means.)

In the afternoon, the Fellows and Barry dove into the sonnets. Barry asked the Fellows to approach them as if they were theatrical – making choices about who is saying the “lines,” to whom he or she is saying them, and why. The work was, as Barry had promised the day before, indeed, “mind-blowingly fun and terribly rewarding.” Barry noted, and the Fellows agreed, that each sonnet is a “tiny little laboratory” of all they’d been exploring over the previous two days. There was also an in depth discussion about the nature of Shakepearean text and the difference between sarcasm and dramatic irony (and the potential rewards of the latter).

When the master class sessions were done for the day, while some of the Fellows and Barry dined, Celeste Ciulla (The Old Globe), Bob Davis (The Guthrie), and Laura Gordon (Milwaukee Rep) stayed back in Alfred’s Kitchen to make an Italian plum torte for the group. Celeste was the baker; Bob and Laura were the self-proclaimed sous-bakers. When the rest of the group arrived at Ten Chimneys for dessert, the three were waiting for them in the arrival court with aprons and cocktails. The torte was absolutely delicious, garnering effusive applause; Alfred Lunt would have been proud. (Click here for the the recipe and a photo of the three bakers on our Facebook page.)

After dessert, Barry and the Fellows chatted for hours in the Lunts’ Drawing Room – where so many great actors have talked the night away – their discourse focused on contemporary regional theatre and their experiences as professional actors. The group found the conversation invigorating and important.

As we mark the halfway point of this eight-day annual program, and look at how much has already been accomplished and experienced, one can’t help but be energized and eager for what the second half of the program will bring.

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Please click on a photo for a high-resolution version.

Click here to visit Flickr for additional images.

Larry Yando (Chicago Shakespeare Theater) is interviewed by NPR’s Jacki Lyden.

Volunteer Dan Cummings talks with Jacqueline Williams and Laura Gordon

Ten Chimneys volunteer and Master Gardener Dan Cummings talks with Fellows Jacqueline Williams (Goodman Theatre) and Laura Gordon (Milwaukee Repertory Theater) on the Estate Wednesday morning.

Celeste Ciulla enjoys the Lunts' pool

Celeste Ciulla (The Old Globe) enjoys the Lunts’ pool.

Bob Davis, Barry Edelstein, and Sean Malone on the grounds at Ten Chimneys

(From left) 2010 Fellow Bob Davis (Guthrie Theater), Master Teacher Barry Edelstein, and Ten Chimneys President Sean Malone enjoy a beautiful morning on the Ten Chimneys Estate.

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