The festival will include a wide range of events--including classical and modern plays, critical lectures, films, storytelling, a Renaissance Faire, and concerts--all to celebrate Shakespeare and his times. Professional actors-in-residence, guest scholars, alumni, community artists, faculty members and students will participate.
The production of Shakespeare's humorous farce, The Comedy of Errors, will be the centerpiece festival's centerpiece. Twelve performances are scheduled, including midweek mid-morning school matinees, a dinner theatre package, weekend matinees, and traditional evening weekend shows. Staged in a crazy and upbeat 1970s disco style, the comedy recounts the hilarious misadventures of two sets of identical twins, separated at birth, who suddenly discover each other's existence in a mixed up moment of mistaken identity, reversed roles, and wish fulfillment. The play is directed by Karen Libman and stars guest artist Brian Webb Russell, with professional stage management by guest artist-in-residence Hurvey Morris.
Love's Labor's Lost
Under the spirited direction of Chicago-producer-director Frank Farrell, Shakespeare's whimsical romantic comedy, Love's Labor's Lost will be staged by the Holland-based Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company. The group has gained local recognition for its informal, in your face Shakespearean style. Three performances of the production will be staged in the university's arboretum over Family Day Weekend September 22 through the 24.
New Plays in Process Project
In addition to Shakespeare's own works, the festival will also feature the work of contemporary playwrights in its New Plays-In-Process series on October 24 through the 27. The project aims at providing authors from around the nation with an acting ensemble to develop their new work. Holland resident Max Bush, a successful west Michigan playwright and GVSU alumnus, is coordinating the project. More than 40 full-length scripts were entered into the Festival competition, which began in May. Two were selected for development. Local artists were then hired to rehearse the shows and the writers will be brought to the GVSU campus to participate in the rehearsal and development process. After the October 24 and 25 performances in Allendale, the plays will be presented again at the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre on October 26 and 27.
Chicago Director to Be Artist-in-Residence
Nationally acclaimed Shakespearean producer and director, Barbara Gaines will be the guest artist-in-residence at the Shakespeare Festival on October 5 and 6. Gaines founded the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre on Navy Pier, one of the world's largest and most prestigious year-round professional stages. She will attend the productions of The Comedy of Errors on October 5 and discuss the show with the cast and ensemble. She will also speak to the public on October 6 about the critical role theatre and cultural arts can play today in American communities. Her presentation is scheduled for 4 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center to be followed by a reception in the theatre lobby. Gaines directs several of her theatre's productions each year, serves on the artistic boards of numerous arts organizations in the U.S. and Great Britain, and brings national and international directors, designers and actors to perform at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.
Festival Features GVSU Students
Shakespeare Festival will feature the talents of GVSU students not only in key roles within the various stage productions, but also in musical events and arts competitions held during September and October. On Wednesday, October 11 at 7 p.m. in the Cook-DeWitt Center, the Festival will present the winners in the annual student competition for literature, music, science and visual arts related to the Renaissance period. Each year, the Shakespeare Festival offers large cash awards in five categories for student work, and receives numerous submissions from across campus. Student perform their musical entries, read their fiction or critical essays, and speak about their artistic work during the awards ceremony.
The Boarshead Feast Dinner Theatre
Named after one of Shakespeare's favorite London taverns, the Boarshead Feast is a Renaissance dining main event. On Sunday, October 1, the elegant Boarshead Feast, featuring classical and modern piano music, will take place at the Carnegie Room of the Performing Arts Center on GVSU's Allendale campus. Broadway entertainers Deb and Ray Cox will present a medley of songs drawn from Broadway musicals based on the plays of Shakespeare. A special dinner theatre package is available with this event for guests wishing to attend the 7:30 p.m. curtain for Comedy of Errors following the feast.
Other Activities include Shakespeare Film, Storytelling, Renaissance Faire
The Shakespeare Festival will also offer free cultural activities of interest to the public:
- Four screenings of the recent Hollywood film version of Shakespeare's Hamlet, featuring Ethan Hawke will be shown at the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts (UICA) in Grand Rapids on October 13 and 14.
- Midwest storyteller Jennifer Ivinskas Strauss will offer a program for all ages that incorporates traditional storytelling techniques as well as story-making activities on Sunday, October 1. Strauss' creative work in schools, cultural arts centers, festivals, libraries and other venues has been highly acclaimed throughout Michigan for several years.
- The Renaissance Faire will take place on October 14 and 15, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Allendale campus at the lawn surrounding the university's Cook Carillon Tower. The Faire presents costumed entertainers, arts and crafts activities, dancing and combative demonstrations, food booths, and jewelry and craft vendors for the general public.
Ample free parking is available in the university parking areas for all performances. The campus ticket office, in the Performing Arts Center is open noon to 5 p.m. weekdays, beginning September 12. Prepaid reservations can also be obtained by phoning the box office at 616-895-2300. Patrons with Internet access can find information about all Festival events, and can do online ticketing by visiting the GVSU Shakespeare Festival Website at http: //www.gvsu.edu/shakes.
