More Summer Shakespeare

Parker Wallis as Macbeth (Photo by Brianna DeNegris)

Summer and Shakespeare Festivals/Performances seem to go hand in hand and are widespread across the country.  Though the end of summer is right around the corner there is still plenty of Shakespeare to see.  Most of these festivals are outdoors and free to attend.  If your schedule did not permit you to see Shoreline Arts Alliance’s Much Ado About Nothing performed by Shakesperience Productions, Inc. last week or CT Free Shakespeare’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, or ArtFarm’s presentation of Much Ado About Nothing you can still pack you picnics, blankets and chairs as the local scene continues to bustle with outdoor Shakespeare productions and a couple of indoor performances as well.

For a unique experience check out Breakdancing Shakespeare!  Begun in 2006, in conjunction with the Greater Hartford Arts Council Neighborhood Studios program, Breakdancing Shakespeare casts approximately twenty teenagers from Hartford and the surrounding area for a six-week long summer apprenticeship that culminates in the performance of a classic Shakespearean play with a modern hip-hop twist.  This summer these talented youth will offer performances of Two Gentlemen of Verona on August 13, 14, 15 at 7pm at Hartford Stage.  Tickets are $5.00. Click here for tickets and information.

Elm Shakespeare Company begins its 18^th summer season with a three-week run of Julius Caesar in Edgerton Park, New Haven.   This epic tale of political intrigue and assassination is co-directed by Elm Shakespeare’s Artistic Director James Andreassi and American theatre icon Alvin Epstein.  The political and the personal collide as Brutus (played by Andreassi), Shakespeare’s moral compass in the play, and the rest of the Roman Senators debate whether Caesar (played by Tracy Griswold) is a reformer or a despot.  Demagoguery abounds as the ‘elimination’ of Caesar sparks a partisan struggle as timely as today’s headlines.  Come to Edgerton Park to see if the perpetrators of Caesar’s assassination are honorable and patriotic or irrational extremists! Performances are Thursday, August 15 through Sunday, September 1, Tuesday-Sunday@8pm.  Performances are free with suggested donation.  Founded in 1995, and located in New Haven, The Elm Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company committed to establishing a discourse with Connecticut’s communities and schools through the medium of Shakespeare’s plays.  In addition to these free performances in Edgerton Park the company presents innovative educational programs throughout the year that are designed to teach students, through practical application, the poser of Shakespeare’s language and the magic of the theatre.   For more information click here.

The Shoreline Actors Collective (SAC) started at KidzKonnection of Clinton will be presenting two performances of Macbeth on Saturday, August 17 at 5pm (rain date Monday, August 19 at 5pm) and Sunday, August 18 at 2pm (rain date Tuesday, August 20 at 5pm).  SAC is made up of actors from the age of 13 and up who enjoy performing and expanding their knowledge and ability in the art of theater.  Throughout the year, SACtors perform different types of service-related programs including the Clinton Historical Society’s Graveyard Tours, Chamard Vineyards for Theater in the Barn events and Christmas in Clinton.  Each summer the troupe comes together to perform a Shakespeare play.  The performances will take place in the gardens of the Clinton Historical Society, 103 Main Street, Clinton. Click here for information or call 860-227-2363.

And finally, Long Wharf Theatre presents Shake-It-Up-Shakespeare Summer Youth Ensemble on Stage II in a production of Romeo & Juliet. Directed by Annie DiMartino and musical direction by Carol Taubl Shakespeare’s famous tale of star-crossed lovers gets a new twist this summer!  Set in the juxtaposing worlds of Great Gatsby-esque glamour of weath and privelege versus the poverty and grime of Appalachian life, the Capulets and the Montagues come to blows once again.  Contemporary songs and classic folk music add to the lush story-telling as the cast sings through beautiful arrangements of Fun., Civil War, Taylor Swift, Mumford and Sons, The Dave Matthews Band, and more. For tickets click here.