| Tweet |
Hilton Head Island’s “Shakespeare in the Park” show last summer was a hit for crowds and actors alike. Yet there were still a few moments where things were wracked by “absolute chaos,” as director Blake White calls it.
Some of that chaos was structural. The inflatable band shell on loan from the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra blocked some sight lines and created entrance and exit problems for the actors, and the loud fans needed to keep it inflated negated a lot of the actors’ vocal projections.
Some of it was beyond anyone’s control, such as the huge Lowcountry thunderstorm that rolled through. “People were staring at me,” White says of the storm. “It’s rain and nature. I don’t know what to do about it.” After all, the Globe Theater wasn’t built in a day.
But on the whole, things ended up going so smoothly that the Main Street Youth Theater has stepped up its game for this year’s production, “Twelfth Night.” The theater’s budget has allowed the crew to construct a full set in Shelter Cove Community Park for the entire run, which has been extended from one weekend to two. They’re hoping crowds will reinvest in the show too: More than 800 attended last year’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
The idea for starting Hilton Head’s own “Shakespeare in the Park” came from the popular series of the same name in New York’s Central Park. The production is an ideal summertime outing, a mix of picnic baskets, bottles of wine and a welcoming atmosphere for the whole family on the banks of the marsh. Spectators can arrive an hour before the start time to stake out a spot and enjoy pre-show music and or some of the wine and beer that will be for sale.
But on a more academic level, it also a ords the theater a chance to expose new generations to the classic Shakespearean drama and love stories that even some of the young actors are unfamiliar with.
“It’s new to almost all of us,” White says. “These kids come in thinking they’re speaking some sort of foreign language. Within five rehearsals, they get it. It’s like second nature to them.”
In fact, some the actors’ only experience with Shakespeare was last summer’s performance. “The youth theater used to be all about great big musicals,” White says. “I was a kid who grew up not able to sing and not able to dance, so I was always looking for opportunities that weren’t musicals.”
This year, instead of the whimsical comedy of “Midsummer,” the theater chose “Twelfth Night,” which will comprise a cast of about 30. The play — a classic Shakespearean tale of mistaken identity — starts when the main character, Viola, is shipwrecked. Believing her brother to be dead, she falls into the service of duke while disguised as a man. It goes without saying that a great many star-crossed love a airs happen along the way.
“This one is much more grounded in reality,” White says. “You’re much more rooted in the characters and the story. But it also has this really beautiful love story. It’s relatable. You don’t know often where your emotions go.”
Photos / Rob Kaufman
This year’s “Shakespeare in the Park” performance of “Twelfth Night” takes place May 20-22 and 27-29 at Shelter Cove Community Park. Gates open at 6 p.m.for picnics on the lawn; bring your own dinner or purchase it on site. Showtime is 7 p.m. 843-689-6246, msyt.org
