What: 29th Annual Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival
Where: Camosun College (Lansdowne campus) and Saxe Point Park (Esquimalt)
When: July 4-27 and Aug. 1-3
Tickets: $26 for single tickets ($21 for students and seniors) or $48 for a festival pass ($38 for students and seniors); children 12 and under are admitted free.
All theatre companies, no聽matter the size or stature, face one big challenge: getting bums in聽seats. Producers of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, held outdoors over a five-week period starting tonight, grapple with one more hurdle, however.
Weather.
Thanks to the temperate climate in Victoria, bad weather isn鈥檛 usually a problem at this time of year 鈥� the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival has only had to cancel three performances in eight years due to rain or wind, according to artistic director Karen Lee Pickett.
But a surprise downpour on Tuesday, hours before the festival鈥檚 first preview, managed to keep Pickett on edge.
Selling tickets amid such circumstances is never a problem for the festival, now entering its 29th year. The enduring appeal for fans is having the opportunity to enjoy live theatre in an outdoor setting, Pickett said.
鈥淭here are real-world things that happen that you have to incorporate or roll with. So that makes it exciting for the audience as well as for the company.鈥�
Performances of Julius Caesar and Two Gentlemen of Verona will be held at Camosun College鈥檚 Lansdowne campus (July 4-27), with a second run of performances of Two Gentlemen of Verona at Saxe Point Park in Esquimalt (Aug 1-3).
Both sites are spectacular, which always gives everyone involved extra energy, according to Pickett.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a completely different context than working indoors. Director can use the space, which can be more vast than even the largest theatre. But there are real-world things that can happen. We have animal visitors 鈥� deer and such 鈥� that sometimes appear in the plays, or a prop can blow over.鈥�
The festival鈥檚 less-experienced participants sometimes need time to adjust to the surroundings. It鈥檚 trial by fire for seven members of聽the festival鈥檚 junior company of聽players, ages 13 to 18 鈥� the highest involvement since the festival began the junior company program in 2014.
For Pickett, watching junior members act alongside veterans with several decades of experience in the cast of 30 this year reminds her why the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival has become one of the longest-running theatre festivals of any kind in the city.
鈥淥ur company is really made up of a lot of levels. We have professional actors, we have actors who are professional actors but who have not gone on to pursue it as a profession, and we have a lot of community actors. We also have a lot of students, from the University of Victoria and the 91原创 College of Performing Arts, who are in their early careers. There is a lot for these kids to learn, and they are learning not only about being in a professional context, but they are also learning about something that is unique to outdoor theatre.鈥�
The upcoming edition marks the third year of performances at Saxe Point, dubbed by organizers as The Bard Across the Bridge. The move was made in partnership with the Township Community Arts Council, which expressed a desire to offer live outdoor theatre as part of its ever-expanding list of summer programs for Esquimalt residents.
Pickett said she鈥檚 been blown away by the response from Esquimalt, which allowed the team to spread the festival over two weekends in a five-week period.
Not only does moving the festival to another outdoor context make it more fun, she said, it鈥檚 an opportunity to reach out to a different audience. 鈥淭here are people in Esquimalt who are very supportive and community-minded, and there is a built-in audience that goes to things they wouldn鈥檛 necessarily go to if they were in Victoria. Because they are in Esquimalt, people come out.鈥�
The festival tries to pair one of the Bard鈥檚 best each year with a lesser-known production. Last year, it was Pericles, while this year鈥檚 underdog is Two Gentlemen of Verona, one of Shakespeare鈥檚 smallest-scale plays.
The presence of Julius Caesar on the program is expected to bring out hardcore Shakespeare fans, Pickett said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 interesting to do any play with a strong political philosophy in today鈥檚 world,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 great to look at these works in that light.鈥�
Shakespeare never shied away from controversy in his work, and the festival tries to present his plays in a way that honours his legacy, she said. 鈥淢any parts of Shakespeare are fun, and many are complicated and dark and difficult. We don鈥檛 shy away from that. I鈥檝e observed over the years that our audiences appreciate that. It鈥檚 a lovely night out, and you can enjoy the atmosphere, and that鈥檚 a big piece of what we do for sure. But there鈥檚 a reason we鈥檙e still doing these plays. There is a lot to mine from them.鈥�
