Come to the stage in the woods, pay-what-you-will, have some mead and see a selection of two outdoor theatrical entertainments to take you through summer!
Island Shakespeare Festival (ISF) presents its 13th summer season with William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Bold Stroke for a Husband” by Hannah Cowley. The shows play in rotation from July 21 to Sept. 10 at 5476 Maxwelton Road in Langley on Whidbey Island.
You may recognize parts of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” in your own “first true love” story, except for maybe that whole tragic ending part. These are indeed those star-crossed lovers on whom Shakespeare lays a terrible burden: the inability for each to live without the other and, therefore, choose death instead.
Sad, yes, but “Romeo and Juliet,” has got absolutely everything you could want in a great story: Teenagers trying to find themselves amid their awakening sexuality; big families full of loyal cousins and protective friends who fight in the streets; authority figures desperate to force peace or love; secret trysts on moonlit balconies; and a hilarious “nanny” to keep it all real.
The ISF production of “Romeo and Juliet,” directed by Olena Hodges (she/her), (who played Juliet in the 2011 ISF production), is full of surprises, excitement, color and diversity of casting. Hodges leans into the comedy of the story, emphasizing an underlying commonality of foibles that reveals unexpected moments of grace and humanity in this familiar story.
“I hope audiences appreciate the accessibility and relevance of both productions,” said Hodges, who is also the Executive Artistic Director at ISF.
“Romeo and Juliet is the story we know and love, but I hope our approach feels cathartic and meaningful, and helps folks experience this well-known story anew,” she added.
In “A Bold Stroke for a Husband” written in 1783 and directed by Emily Lyon (she/her), things are controlled by the five women of the play in this comedy of madcap schemes and entertaining manners.
“We love Shakespeare, but we also love other things,” says Lyon, who discovered Cowley’s genius through the Expand the Canon (ETC) project of the Brooklyn-based Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre, where she is the Artistic Director. ISF has a three-year partnership with ETC, which celebrates classic plays by women and underrepresented genders – and is a call to action to produce them. Cowley’s play employs lots of comedy while elevating the role of women as the keepers of their own flames.
“A Bold Stroke has echoes of ‘Taming of the Shrew,’ but these women characters are no Kates,” Lyon said.
“There are five dynamic women characters, who all have their own opinions on love and their agency within it. They advocate for what they want and can set boundaries, make requests, and still find love and joy,” she added. “I’m so delighted that we can share this story with ISF audiences and am so thrilled that ISF has committed to this partnership into Expand the Canon.”
“Women in control isn't a new idea,” Hodges said, “and we don't have to go only to contemporary work to find it! I hope you, too, love, understand, and laugh with these brilliant characters –– knowing that women’s history and their legacy have always been much more dynamic than we’ve acknowledged.”
"Romeo and Juliet" opens at 6 p.m. Friday, July 21 and “A Bold Stroke for a Husband” opens at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 29 and are performed in rotation Thursdays-Sundays with matinees at 1 p.m. through Sept. 10. Check the schedule on the website.
All performances are at 5476 Maxwelton Road in Langley. Gates open one hour before curtain. A beer, wine and mead tent welcomes visitors to enjoy refreshments and/or a picnic before the shows. Visit islandshakespeare.org for more information.
We believe art should be for everyone, therefore our summer performances are "pay-what-you-will” to attend. The seating is festival-style, and we do sometimes fill to capacity before the play begins, therefore, pay-in-advance reserved seating is available at www.ticketsource.us/island-shakespeare-festival.
Bring a sun hat as some seats are sunny, and wear layers or bring a blanket as the evening cools down after sunset. Parking is available and free.
Enjoy the shows!
