It’s been a tumultuous year for one of Colorado’s oldest theatrical institutions.
Since its inception in 1958, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival centered on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder has become one of the nation’s top tributes to the Bard of Avon. But the past 12 months have seen plenty of changes for the festival with nearly 60 years of history behind it. Following seasons that saw plenty of tweaks to the programming that included more non-Shakespeare works, the festival’s core staff underwent some profound changes.
Earlier this year, longtime artistic director Phillip Sneed left for the Arvada Center, prompting questions about the financial viability of the event. But judging from this year’s CSF summer schedule, the transition hasn’t derailed the institution. All five selections for the 2013 season are solidly rooted in the work of Shakespeare, and veteran directors, crews and casts are sure to make the work shine.
Under the guidance of Interim Producing Artistic Director Timothy Orr, the 56th Colorado Shakespeare Festival will be squarely focused on the most compelling elements of William Shakespeare’s dramatic legacy. From lighthearted, comedic fare like “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to the studied and unsettling exploration of England’s royal history in “Richard II,” this year’s program features both the popular and obscure.
A top-notch creative team will help bring out the full dramatic range in the five shows. Geoffrey Kent, a longtime CSF ensemble member who’ll be directing the season debut at the Aurora Fox in August, directs the production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” that kicks off this weekend. According to Kent, this production of one of Shakespeare’s best-loved shows will be set in the 1920s.
“The Complete Works of William Shakespeare,” a frenetic comedy that attempts to cram Shakespeare’s entire oeuvre into a single show, runs concurrently with “Midsummer’s” through August.
Those dual comic productions will find balance in some of the bard’s more serious fare later in the summer. Productions of “Richard II” (directed by James Symons ) and “Macbeth” (directed by Jane Page) will kick off next month, each with its own unique spin.
To round off these four productions, director Tina Packer and actor Nigel Gore are set to return to the CSF following last year’s critically acclaimed production of “Richard III.” They appear July 12 and 13 for two productions of “Women of Will: The Overview.” The off-Broadway smash explores the role of females across the breadth of Shakespeare’s work, and has been booked in theaters across the world.
Such range and international talent is bound to help the CSF survive its recent changes and steer the storied dramatic tradition into a successful future.
Reach reporter Adam Goldstein at 720-449-9707 or agoldstein@aurorasentinel.com
Colorado Shakespeare Festival
For a calendar and ticket information regarding the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, call 303-492-8008 or log on to coloradoshakes.org.