A Midsummer Nelson’s Dream at Gyro Park
By Contributor
You like your Elizabethan drama served earthy and organic as intended, which is why you’ll be at the IVth Annual Bard in the Bush Shake-speare Festival in downtown Nelson’s Gyro Park.
ACT I: “Shake-speare Shorts VII: Greatest Love Scenes” kicks off the bill in romantic style! Lisel & Jeff Forst reenact the Bard’s legendary affairs of the heart, July 18th, 19th, 20th, & 21st, Wednesday to Saturday at 7:30pm, live under the maple leaves. The audience picks the eve’s sequence of sassy scenes out of a fool’s cap. Showcased famous lovers are: ‘Titania & Oberon’; ‘Beatrice & Benedick’; ‘Kate & Petruchio’; ‘Hippolyta & Theseus’; ‘Audrey & Touchstone’; ‘Cleopatra & Antony’; plus, surprises! Though nothing is overly risque, “SSVII:GLS” is rated PG-13 for its ‘ribald repartee’.
ACT II: “Romeo & Juliet @ Verona High!” follows the Bard in the Bush summer-love theme, August 17th & 18th, Friday & Saturday at 11:00am. Nelson Youth Theatre’s student version of the star-crossed lovers’ high-school daze is a funny adaptation pitting Romeo the football captain versus Juliet the chess champion in a epic battle of elementary words! Everyone wins in this family show for all ages! “Romeo & Juliet @ Verona High!”, Nelson Youth Theatre’s XIIIth show, highlights keen local actors age 7+.
ACT III: “Juliet & Romeo: the Alternate Ending” is the classic version of Shake-speare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, with a dramatically modern twist. What will it be?! Find out August 24th & 25th, Friday & Saturday at 10:00am, during Nelson Youth Theatre’s XIVth show which showcases around twenty committed actors age 12 to 17.
All-weather, all-terrain, and all-by-donation, the IVth Annual Bard in the Bush Shake-speare Festival venue is “Ye Olde Stone Quarry” at the top end of Vernon St., a short walk up from downtown Nelson’s Civic Centre. In lower Gyro Park, with all the amenities of the wilderness, it’s best to access “Ye Olde Stone Quarry” from the Vernon St. sidewalk below: rather than the steep trail by the pool and parking-lot above.
Audiences are encouraged to port their own comfy thrones and yummy feasts to the festival. Non-alcoholic beverages are welcome! There are several picnic blankets for seating available as need be. Visit forstmedia.ca for more information about Nelson Youth Theatre and the IVth Annual Bard in the Bush Shake-speare Festival.
This is Shake-speare under natural light, like it used to be done, with the beauty of nature as a backdrop. All the scene needs is you. The players await your entrance!
