If you’re a fan of the theatre and haven’t had a chance to see “The Tempest” performed live, a one-night showing is coming to Prescott this summer.
Richard Sheridan Willis, the Artistic Director for the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival, says the show is part of the festival’s 20th anniversary season.
“This year will be a theatrical feast with these lively productions,” Willis says. “We’re thrilled to be returning to give our loyal and new fans two Festival plays and two guest company productions.”
The festival’s first production of the year will be Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” a comedy play that will run from July 9th to 23rd. Following that, the festival will be hosting a production of Patrick Barlow’s “The 39 Steps,” from July 30th until August 16th.
The showing of The Tempest is one of the two guest productions, being put together by “a Company of Fools,” an Ottawa-based group that combines Shakespeare plays with physical comedy techniques like puppetry. It’s being held on July 26th.
The other guest production, a four-day run of Mieko Ouchi’s “The Red Priest,” is being done by a Scarborough-based theatre company called Guild Festival Theatre.
The company has worked with the festival before, holding a guest production of David French’s “Salt-Water Moon” last summer. Its production of The Red Priest will run from August 17th to 20th.
Tickets for each show cost $33 before tax, or $23 for students. Monday night performances cost $28 before tax, and kids ages 14 and under get in for free if they come with an adult.
You’re being asked to bring your own folding chairs, for health and safety reasons. Mask wearing won’t be mandatory, but groups will be kept at least 2 feet apart, and organizers will be offering disposable masks for anyone who wants to wear one.
To buy tickets, visit the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival website.
