Leader of Shakespeare seminars spreads joy of theater

For the past 13 years, my trips to the Utah Shakespeare Festivalf have been enriched by the presence of Nancy Melich, a former journalist who guides give-and-take discussions about the plays the morning after.

We’ve never even had a cup of coffee together, yet she seems like a longtime friend, one who broadens my worldview, which is what best friends do.

Her discussions at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. have become part of the festival experience, a not-to-be missed appointment for many.

For nearly 30 years, Melich worked as a reporter, feature writer and self-taught theater critic for the Salt Lake Tribune. She retired in 1999.

In 2004, the native Utahn was approached by festival founder Fred Adams and Executive Director R.Scott Phillips, who said UNLV professor Jerry Crawford was leaving as a literary seminar director after 15 years. Would she take the job? They said “come for a year or a lifetime,” she recalled.

It turned into a 13-year second career, one she described as “life enriching.”

“I have immense respect for this place, it’s a very empowering place for people,” Melich said in a phone interview.

On Sept. 18, Melich will give her final play seminar. She’ll talk about “The Odd Couple,” “Cocoanuts,” “Murder for Two” and “Julius Caesar.” I suspect the new outdoor seminar site, with seating for 180, will be packed.

The festival draws about 25,000 Southern Nevadans each season. The drive from Las Vegas to Cedar City typically takes less than three hours.

The unsafe outdoor Adams Shakespeare Theater had its final performances in 2015. This year, the much ballyhooed $39 million Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts opened, which added two new theaters, the Engelstad Shakespeare Theater, the 200-seat Eileen and Allen Anes Studio and the Southern Utah Museum of Art. The Engelstad Theater and the Anes Studio carry the names of two Las Vegas families who are major donors.

The new theaters, plus the existing Randall L. Jones Theatre, made it possible to produce eight plays over this summer and fall.

Each June for 13 years, Melich and her husband have moved from Salt Lake City to Cedar City so she can guide the play seminars for four months. For the past six years, she has been the sole director, working six mornings a week.

Every seminar is unique, depending on the audience. She might talk about other productions she has seen, or explain choices made by directors, scenic designers and costume designers.

Sharing her insights broadened my own.

For instance, talking about “Henry V,” directed by Brian Vaughn, she pointed out some of the touches he inserted that she hadn’t seen elsewhere, such as the moment when English soldiers sang to God for giving them victory over the French.

Sometimes audience members tested her, taking a “Let’s just see how smart she is” approach.

In her second year, one man raised his hand and said, “I’ve been coming here a number of years. The first year I couldn’t stand you. You’ve really grown in the job.”

She replied in her gentle way: “I think I’ve just received a compliment.”

“I know there are people who are more knowledgeable,” she said. If she doesn’t know something, she admits it. She doesn’t try to bluff.

But almost every time, I find her discussions worthwhile — except when a know-it-all hogs the microphone.

“I’ll spar with some people,” Melich said. “Occasionally there are such obtuse comments, I’ll say: ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’” Other times, her audience shares insights of great value.

Many people opt to sleep in rather than scurry to a 9 a.m or 10 a.m. discussion. Many aren’t even aware of the seminars and the joy of exchanging ideas and seeing plays from other perspectives.

For me, the play’s the thing, of course. But so is talking about it afterward. Asking questions. Hearing what moved people to tears.

“I don’t think of it as retirement. I’m starting another adventure,” Melich said.

Her new adventures could bring her joy as much as journalism did, as much as working at the Utah Shakespeare Festival has.

Work that brings you joy is always a great adventure.

Jane Ann Morrison’s column runs Thursdays. Leave messages for her at 702-383-0275 or email jmorrison@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @janeannmorrison