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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 Three: NPR’s “Weekend Edition” Visits as Master Acting Work Deepens

July 13, 2010

Master Teacher Barry Edelstein leads the morning master class in the Lunt-Fontanne Program Center at Ten Chimneys. (Please click on the photo for a high-resolution version.)

Notes from Sean Malone – President, Ten Chimneys Foundation
Tuesday, July 13, 9:37 p.m.

The third day of the 2010 Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program started with NPR’s Jacki Lyden joining Barry Edelstein and the Fellows for the ride to Ten Chimneys. Ms. Lyden will be here all week, working on a piece about this important national program for Weekend Edition.

The two sessions on the second day of master classes were revelatory. It was truly fascinating, over the two days, to see this extraordinary group of artists exploring so many in-depth concepts so thoroughly, thoughtfully, expertly, and expediently: the art of using language to persuade – how Shakespeare’s characters form spontaneous arguments and figure out problems right in front of the audience; the prevalence and power of antithesis in Shakespeare; how (and when, and why) characters change the height of their language, sometimes speaking directly and bluntly, sometimes moving to metaphor and poetry and linguistic flourishes; the importance and impact of phrasing speech with the verse line (in a realistic way); and what can be accomplished by emphasizing the verbs in any Shakespearean text. For all of these principles, Barry and the Fellows explored how the techniques and forms and structures are not for their own sake. They are not merely intellectual, nor is the final goal simply to make Shakespeare understandable. As Barry said in one of the sessions, nobody goes to see Death of a Salesman and leaves saying to their spouse, “I understood everything they were saying.” Though people often leave Shakespeare productions saying just that. Of course it all has to make sense, and these principles help make that happen – but that should be a given. These principles are the building blocks that make psychological and emotional truth possible on stage. And from where I was sitting and observing . . . boy, do they.

Having explored the core principles that will guide the week (using a variety of scenes and speeches from Shakespeare’s plays), Barry and the Fellows will next turn their attention to some of Shakespeare’s sonnets, which Barry described as “mind-blowingly fun and terribly rewarding.” The Fellows finished their work for the day with an assignment to pick any of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets to share and work on together on Wednesday. I can’t wait to see what they pick.

There was more to the day than the impressive work of the master class sessions. In the morning (while Barry and the 2010 Fellows were digging in to changing height of Shakespearean language), the returning 2009 Fellows reconnected with Ten Chimneys – walking the grounds, reminiscing about Lynn Redgrave, and rediscovering the meticulously designed rooms of the Main House and Cottage, and even running a few lines together (for an upcoming project) in the log cabin Studio – where the Lunts and their illustrious guests so often ran lines. Both years of Fellows and Barry shared a lunch by the pool. The day concluded with a relaxed dinner at The Delafield Hotel. (Most of the friends around the table vowed to skip dessert; few held to their promise.) As the evening came to a close, there was a camaraderie, comfort, and respect among the newly formed group – and a sincere enthusiasm for the next day of work together.

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Master Teacher Barry Edelstein leads the afternoon master class in the Drawing Room at Ten Chimneys

Master Teacher Barry Edelstein leads the afternoon master class in the Drawing Room at Ten Chimneys.

The 2010 Lunt-Fontanne Fellows enjoy a poolside lunch with Master Teacher Barry Edelstein and visiting 2009 Fellows

The 2010 Lunt-Fontanne Fellows enjoy a poolside lunch with Master Teacher Barry Edelstein and visiting 2009 Fellows.

Laura Gordon (Milwaukee Repertory Theater) enjoys the beautiful Ten Chimneys grounds during a break between master class sessions

Laura Gordon (Milwaukee Repertory Theater) enjoys the beautiful Ten Chimneys grounds after lunch.

Larry Yando (Center, Chicago Shakespeare Theater) discusses a scene during the morning master class

Master Teacher Barry Edelstein (right) and Fellow Jacqueline Williams (Goodman Theatre) listen as Larry Yando (Chicago Shakespeare Theater) discusses a scene during the morning master class.

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