Barnstable’s Harbor Your Arts Festival is proud to announce the return of its fourth summer of Shakespeare by the Sea, its series of free Shakespeare performances at Aselton Park in collaboration with the Barnstable Summer Family Theater. This year the BSFT will present Romeo and Juliet, directed by Ed O’Toole.
Although the BHS Drama Club (The BSFT is its summer counterpart.) has long been known as the home of legendary director John Sullivan’s large-scale shows, it has also staged 16 Shakespeare plays since 1999, the year Sullivan asked longtime BHS English teacher Ed O’Toole if he’d consider directing. O’Toole jumped at the chance and the Shakespeare shows have become a staple of the club’s repertoire ever since.
Romeo and Juliet set new attendance records, selling out three of its four shows at BHS’s 340-seat Knight Hall. In addition, as has been the case since 2006, the Drama Club also presents three free shows for the students of Barnstable’s seventh and eighth grades, which means that over 2,000 theatergoers saw the show during its four-day, seven-performance run.
How do high school actors make Shakespeare appealing? O’Toole says, “We stress over and over that we are telling a story. All of us love being told stories…as long as they are told well, with enthusiasm and a thorough knowledge of what they are really about. If the actors understand their lines, they won’t simply recite them; they’ll bring them to life.
O’Toole adds, “And because the stories inevitably revolve around love of all kinds and the unpredictable ways we act under love’s influence, it’s easy for everyone to find a way into the story. We all understand the pangs of jealousy, or what it feels like to love someone who doesn’t love us back.
“And that’s what Shakespeare writes about. That’s why the language is only a barrier for a very short time — if the actors enjoy speaking it and understand what their characters are saying.”
O’Toole and his casts like to surprise their audiences to show them just how modern Shakespeare is. Over the past three summers, for example, Aselton theatergoers have been treated to live music, skateboard tricks, doo-wop singers (complete with poodle skirts), audience participation and chase scenes through the crowd.
“Shakespeare’s plays are not museum pieces; there’s no need to treat them like Ming vases. You have to have fun with them, especially if you’re performing them outside, to the accompaniment of ambulance sirens, boat horns and quacking duck-boat riders,“ O’Toole says with a laugh.
O’Toole promises that Romeo and Juliet will be full of the surprises that the club’s productions are known for, but that this year will be slightly different. “We still want to be fresh in our approach, but you can’t stage Romeo and Juliet in the same uproarious style that you might a comedy.
“However, Romeo and Juliet has many comic scenes; in fact, up until the tragic turn of events in Act Three, the play is very much a comedy, very similar to other Shakespeare comedies about mismatched lovers. Of course, the second half of the show is another story entirely, we’ll be trying to sweep everyone along on a tide of passionate, fast-moving emotion. The emotions aren’t always sad.”
According to O’Toole, Romeo and Juliet will satisfy anyone: “If you love Shakespeare’s language, you’ll be able to savor that; if you enjoy fast-moving comic bits or a tender love story, you can enjoy those. And, if you like watching young people challenging themselves to be every bit as good at making Shakespeare come to life as any professional company, you’ll enjoy that. With luck, by the time we’ve had our fun out there, you’ll have enjoyed all three. Plus you get to enjoy all this on a sunny (we hope!) Sunday afternoon near the harbor.”
Romeo and Juliet will be presented in Aselton Park, Hyannis, on July 5, 12, 19 and 26 at 5 pm. Audience members are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets.
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