Shakespeare in the Park returns to Washington

By submitted, 02/17/17 4:08 PM

 

WASHINGTON – Shakespeare in the Park returns to Old Washington State park with two plays, “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”.
Performances will be March 3-4, at the 1940 WPA gym from 7:30 pm –10 pm.
Enjoy two evening performances by the American Shakespeare Center 2016/17 Hungry Hearts Tour of Williams Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” at Historic Washington State Park. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. with a pre-show performance at 7 p.m. in the 1940 WPA Gym. Doors open at 7 p.m. On Friday, March 3, the romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet will be performed. On Saturday, March 4, the comedy The Two Gentleman of Verona will be performed.
Four afternoon workshops on Saturday, March 4, led by the American Shakespeare Troupe, will be provided covering topics of how to perform Shakespeare on the modern stage. They are: Staging Shakespeare @ 11 a.m.; Art of Disguise in Shakespeare @ 1 p.m.; Variations of Romeo and Juliet @ 2:30 p.m.; and Stage Combat @ 4 p.m. Workshop admission is $5 per person for ages 14 and older.
The American Shakespeare Center brings a unique performance style, blending Shakespeare’s stage craft with modern sensibility. The company uses Shakespeare’s staging conditions including universal lighting, minimal sets, doubling, cross-gender casting, and music. In Shakespeare’s day, the company couldn’t turn the lights out on the audience; actors and audience shared the same light. Leaving the lights on allows for a type of audience contact rarely seen in modern day theatre. Audience members share directly in the action onstage as they become citizens of Verona in Romeo and Juliet, and Milan in The Two Gentleman of Verona. The Two Gentleman of Verona also features man’s best friend, as a dog from a local shelter stars as Crab, canine companion to Proteus’s witty servant, Launce. The American Shakespeare Center has partnered with Historic Washington State Park and a local shelter to help Crab, and others like him, find their forever homes.
Since 1988, the American Shakespeare Center has toured the country with shows incorporating Shakespeare’s staging conditions. Based out of Staunton, VA, the company mission is to recover the joys and accessibility of Shakespeare’s theatre, language, and humanity by exploring the English Renaissance stage and its practices through performance and education. The organization can be found online at www.americanshakespearecenter.com.
Tickets for the performances are $10 adult and $5 for children ages 6-12. Call 870-983-2684 to reserve tickets. Tickets may be picked up at the 1874 Courthouse Visitor Center. Event doors open at 7 p.m. Williams Tavern Restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. till 7 p.m. before the performance begins. Support for Shakespeare in the Park is provided, in part, by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Historic Washington State Park, a restoration village preserving one of Arkansas’ most prominent 19th century towns, is located on US 278 nine miles north of Hope and can be reached by taking Exit 30 off Interstate 30. For more information visit www.HistoricWashingtonStatePark.com or call (870)983-2684.