GreenStage presents Shakespeare in the Park

Four actors will bring all the laughter, all the adventure, and all the magic of The Merry Wives of Windsor and Measure for Measure to smaller parks in the greater Seattle area this summer.  Backyard Bard performs shorter Shakespeare in the Park for smaller spaces; two one-hour productions performed by the same four actors.

Backyard Bard presents two stripped-down productions of Shakespeare’s plays, each cut to one hour long, and both performed by the same four versatile actors.

The Merry Wives of Windsor – 1:00 PM

Falstaff is experiencing an economic downturn. What better way to refill his empty purse than to woo two wealthy married women he’s only just met? What could possibly go laughably, horribly wrong for this beloved, famous knight? Discover the heights to which a noble suitor will pretend to aspire, and the depths to which he’ll also sink, just to win the hearts and coffers of women much, much smarter than he.

Measure for Measure – 2:00 PM

“To whom should I complain?”

Vienna has become a corrupt city – in large part due to its lenient leader, Duke Vincentio – so he steps away leaving his puritanical deputy, Angelo, in charge. Angelo soon sets to bring the city to heel through ancient, outdated, and inflexible laws. Against this backdrop of an authoritarian government, a young novice nun, Isabella, comes to plead to save her
brother from execution. Angelo offers to spare her brother’s life, but only in return for sex. When she threatens to speak out, she is reminded that his power will outweigh her truth.

Though Shakespeare wrote Measure for Measure in the early 1600s, the play remains astonishingly resonant today.

Henry IV, part 2 – 4:00 PM

Directed by Chris Shea
We pick up where we left off with Henry IV, part 1 last summer, in which the king turns back the rebels at Shrewsbury and Prince Hal defeats Hotspur in battle. Despite this, challenges to the king continue, and Hal’s on-going revelry with Falstaff and the other lowlifes at Eastcheap gives Henry IV serious doubts about his son’s fitness for the crown.

Part 2 is the third play in Shakespeare’s eight-play, double-tetralogy of history plays chronicling the reigns of Richard II, Henrys IV, V and VI, and culminating with Richard III.

The Taming of the Shrew – 7:00 PM

Directed by Jennifer Crooks
A troupe of Women’s Suffragists perform one of Shakespeare’s earlier comedies as part of a raucous protest demonstration for Women’s Rights. The story of strong-willed, outspoken Katherine and arrogant Petruchio’s attempts to tame her into marriage at the entreaty of the men of Padua makes for rich material as Shakespeare’s Shrews tackle marriage, gender roles, and social hierarchies. But what is a little social commentary without a healthy helping of laughs and a dash of love?