We saw "A Comedy of Errors" which I had heard of before but had never read or seen before. What a funny show! It was not done in Elizabethan times, more set like a western, but with all of the original dialogue. It really amazes me that Shakespeares plays, being hundreds of years old, can still appeal to a modern audience.
We also saw "A Midsummer's Nights Dream", which I think is one of Shakespeares most popular plays. It was an interesting interpretation...again, not set in Elizabethan times, it was set in the 70s. It had a real 70s feel to it, complete with disco ball and painted VW bus. Then the fairies were very gay and that had more of a rave aspect to it. It was done well, not quite what I would expect to see in a Shakespeare play, but again, amazing how one can portray their version of such a play and have it appeal to a younger audience.
Since we were there on a school outing we also got to take a backstage tour of the theater and get the inside scoop on what the Shakespeare Festival is all about. The coolest part about that? Well, aside from seeing how professional theater works (there were at least four actors that were in both plays we saw...eek...two completely different shows back to back?? Tough!!)... as we were walking into the first part of the tour this guy says to me, "sorry, but do I know you somehow?". I swear I looked around because it was wierd for someone to say this to me. "I mean you", he says. Once I get a better look...? It was Elib from our group in Madrid!
He went to CSU Humbolt, and I remember him as a nice guy that got mugged at least twice, once right before a group trip we were taking. So Elib was our tour guide too! Turns out that he is a carpenter for the Shakespeare Fest and is married and has a baby. He has been doing that for a couple of years and it was nice having a little blast from the past totally unexpectedly! Here is a photo of Spain and now!
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