FFWD Weekly
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| THEATRE Shakespeare in the Park Kevin McKendrick knows Shakespeare in the Park has a loyal following, regardless of which plays appear on the outdoor stage. "I think audiences buy into the idea that while you might not get the definitive production of a Shakespearean play, you're going to get an interesting production, done with commitment and talent and youthful exuberance," says the festival producer. That youthful character is particularly evident in this year's offerings, which include two young people in crises of identity - Twelfth Night's Viola, who assumes the identity of a man in order to survive, and Henry V, the newly crowned king with not much of a kingdom to speak of. The Upstart Crows, which informally took over the stage last year for their own Twelfth Night, are a formal part of the program this year, with a four-actor version of The Tempest. None will get a traditional staging. "(Twelfth Night director Barry Thorson) had this concept that he wanted to explore, which was a child's toybox, and the different toys that would be tied to the characters in Twelfth Night," McKendrick explains, adding that the staging will incorporate dreams, myths and archetypes to tell the popular story. As for Henry's warmongering saga, McKendrick says director Charlie Tomlinson's concept might raise some eyebrows. "It's either going to be an idea that people will love or hate, I can see that right away," he predicts. The play will take advantage of World Cup fever and cast Henry and his army as a "band of English lager louts," taking on the French army in a soccer match. McKendrick says the play provides some insight into the behavior of British sports fans. "What is it in the English character that allows them to go to France for the World Cup, where these hooligans can be absolutely abominable?" he asks. "When you look at the typical British stereotype, it's about reserve and lining up for hours." The answer is in the play, he says. "When you realize that this hardy, diseased and exhausted band of Brits are able to take on the crème de la crème of the French aristocracy and their massive army, and defeat them on their own soil, you sort of get a window into the British character," he says. With two plays so reliant on young actors, there
was no need to bring in special guests, as the festival has done in the
past when staging plays with more mature leads, like King Lear or Othello.
The productions that audiences will see are made up purely of the festival's
traditional complement of student performers and technicians, gleaned from
a lengthy audition process that McKendrick says has been a learning experience
even for him. McKendrick says another difficult lesson he's learned in four seasons with the festival is how to delegate. "If you've been over the jumps and through the hoops a few times, you sort of know what's required and how to get there maybe a little more efficiently, and you see someone else taking the long way around and you want to kind of intervene," he explains, "but they don't learn anything that way, and clearly this is about process as much as it is about production." The program, presented by Mount Royal College, has a mandate to provide experience for students and new graduates. Professionals are hired as directors, designers, coaches or guest artists to provide the students with a professional experience. "There's no way that most of the students involved would have had an opportunity to encounter this sort of situation before," McKendrick says. "So what you're looking for are people who have energy and talent and a willingness to learn, and then you're trying to match them with professionals who also have energy and talent and a willingness to teach. That's the magic combination." |