Redgrave siblings fit right in at Baker

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by Amy Hemphill

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The Rice University theater comm- unity has had remarkable luck hosting famous guests despite the fact that no official theater department exists here. In the time I have been here, we have hosted 15 members of the Royal Shakespeare Company on performance tours. Jeffrey Church, another member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, visited for an entire semester in the spring of 1992 as an artist-in-residence. And last year Peter Karapetkov, a highly successful actor and director from Bulgaria, also spent a semester in residence.

However, it is very likely that the theater power on campus has never been higher. Under the sponsorship of Greg Marshall, publicity director for the Baker Shakespeare Festival, Vanessa and Corin Redgrave made a lunchtime visit to Baker College. During a break in their work at the Alley Theater, they met with members of the cast and crew of this year's Baker Shake production, Much Ado About Nothing . Also in attendance were members of the Friends of Rice Theater organization, other financial supporters of the Baker Shakespeare organization and the Baker College masters.

In a dramatic change from the cocktail parties or dinner events the Redgraves are used to, they spent Friday afternoon being treated to a fine Central Kitchen lunch and chatting in the Baker Library. In spite of all the nervousness many felt about hosting such important guests, the event was quite laid back. The two guests seemed to enjoy such an informal setting.

During lunch, the two actors and Vanessa's personal assistant, Maeve, sat at different tables with the donors and several of the cast and crew, telling stories and hearing about our own theater community. At Vanessa's table, the topic traveled from the history of Baker Shake to current British policy on theater education to the Redgraves' current productions of Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra . When asked if she was enjoying eating college food, Ms. Redgrave replied that it was a common occurrence for her and her brother. When at home in England, the two spend a great deal of time traveling to the secondary schools and hosting workshops. She seemed more than comfortable seated in a college cafeteria.

After retiring to the library, both the Redgraves fielded questions about the script of Much Ado About Nothing , their current productions and their general ideas on theater. The amazing part was the manner in which they took the questions. The Redgraves, rather than acting as experts whose advice was being sought, remained informal. They were as interested in hearing our opinions as they were in expressing theirs. They both had a wonderful way of making us feel at ease around them.

The knowledge they possessed about theater and film was hardly pulled out of thin air. Both have spent virtually their whole lives in the theater.

Theater, in fact, runs quite literally through their veins. Their father is the famous Sir Michael Redgrave, a Shakespearean actor of much note. The third sibling is, of course, Lynn Redgrave. Corin's daughter is Jemma Jones, one of the Shakespeareans who visited this campus in the spring of 1990.

Vanessa's daughters are Natasha and Joely Richardson, which also relates Vanessa by Natasha's marriage to Liam Neeson. This all makes for quite a powerful theater clan.

It would seem that this level of involvement and experience in theater would make actors such as these two aloof or hard to reach. However, this special event made it quite clear that both actors remember what it was like when they first started out in theater.

While the two actors seemed oblivious to clicking and flashing cameras, the conversation itself seemed like one among a group of friends and colleagues. I had approached this event assuming that I would be interviewing one or both of them for the Thresher . However, the atmosphere that evolved would have been destroyed by the presence of a reporter.

Events such as these certainly add weight to the argument that, even without an official theater department, the Rice theater community is a large and strong one. After spending lunchtime with the Redgraves, I am sure they would be more than happy to know they contributed to that.

This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the February 9, 1996 issue.

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