Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Outdoor Shakespeare



I've been doing my homework in preparation for my upcoming HUCK FINN in Central Park. On Sunday I checked out NYCPlaywrights members Pat Angelin and Alan Gary in Ten Grand's production called Bardolatry, which presents a selection of excerpts from Shakespeare's works.

As a result I've vowed to make our production location a no-fly zone. There was a helicopter that hovered over the Bardolatry show the entire time, making a horrible noise. The excerpt I've posted is the best of the bunch - at least the actors are audible.



Last year I saw an outdoor performance of Midsummer Night's Dream - the best Shakespeare play to do outdoors - by a group called The Pantaloons. They did a very good job, using umbrellas and live music to set the scenes. And since it was set in the middle of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh, it was blessedly free of helicopters.

You can watch excerpts of the performances here.