If you want to brush up on your Shakespeare, there鈥檚 no better place to do it than the outdoors.
This was apparent last Wednesday, as 110 Bard buffs gathered on the grounds of Camosun College鈥檚 Lansdowne Campus to watch Romeo & Juliet.
鈥淭here鈥檚 something about these 400-year-old texts that resonates so strongly with us, especially in a natural setting,鈥� said Karen Lee Pickett, producing artistic director of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
鈥淚t鈥檚 compelling, and it brings people back year after year. For many, it鈥檚 an important summer ritual, like going to the lake or their annual family camping trip.鈥�
Andrea Pite was first in line this bright and breezy summer evening at the outdoor theatre where she saw this season鈥檚 other show, A Midsummer Night鈥檚 Dream, the night before.
鈥淚t was the fifth time I鈥檝e seen the play, and it was the best rendition I鈥檝e seen,鈥� said the playgoer whose niece is renowned choreographer and dancer Crystal Pite.
鈥淚 like to support community theatre,鈥� said Pite, who remembers seeing productions in the festival celebrating its 25th anniversary this year when they were staged in a red-and-white striped tent in the Inner Harbour.
While its mission remains the same 鈥� to present top-drawer productions of Shakespeare classics al fresco 鈥� things have changed since Theatre Inconnu launched the聽festival in its 50-seat studio theatre in Market Square. After Island Repertory Company got on聽board, it was presented at Ship Point before relocating to St. Anne鈥檚 Academy, then Centennial Square when the Victoria Shakespeare Society was founded.
Pickett, who produced theatre in the U.S. and Europe before moving here from New York in 2003, says she wasn鈥檛 surprised to learn there was an outcry when the festival鈥檚 future was once in jeopardy.
鈥淭here鈥檚 so much fanaticism about Shakespeare,鈥� said Pickett, who attended the Shakespeare Theatre Association鈥檚 gathering of international festival representatives in San Francisco last year.
鈥淭here are such celebrations being planned for 2016 [the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare鈥檚 death], the legacy year.鈥�
New developments include folding chairs and blankets being provided, and Dine In Victoria鈥檚 participation. Patrons can pre-order a picnic dinner from Sizzling Tandoor, John鈥檚 Place, Azuma Sushi, Pagliacci鈥檚, Tibetan Kitchen and Olive Grove that staff will deliver on site.
Coffee, the festival鈥檚 To Tea Or Not to Tea herbal tea blend, Denman Island Chocolates and other treats were also available at an indoor concession stand operated by volunteer Mariaye Vickery, with jazz music by her grandfather, Victoria pianist Tom Vickery, playing in the background.
There鈥檚 an anything-can-happen vibe at these events, which adds to the uniqueness. When the wind picked up before showtime Wednesday, for instance, the box-office tent became airborne.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not the first time a tent has blown away,鈥� said stage manager Rebecca Marchand, who has contingency plans in case of inclement weather and said she was grateful they haven鈥檛 yet had to deal with rain.
鈥淭he performers鈥� safety is my No. 1 priority. If there鈥檚 a light drizzle, we鈥檒l go ahead if it鈥檚 deemed safe. We live on the West Coast, so we have to be prepared for the elements.鈥�
She said the company鈥檚 seasoned performers occasionally might have to 鈥渂oost the volume,鈥� adding they鈥檙e used to rolling with the punches or continuing despite distractions.
A classic example occurred during a rehearsal when a hawk circled above before 鈥渄ive-bombing rodents in the grass now and again鈥� and deer sometimes wander by, stopping to stare before nibbling the foliage.
鈥淚t just reiterates that we are out of doors and peforming the way that Shakespeare intended his plays to be performed.鈥�
