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Shakespeare will Return to the
Amphitheatre this Summer!
By Scott J. Smith
Since 1997, the Atlantic Shakespeare Company has been the only performing
arts group to consistently bring you top quality productions of classic
dramas, tragedies and comedies every summer at the St. Augustine
Amphitheatre. This year, the company returns to the 40-year-old facility
with William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” the last event to be
held at the amphitheatre before the multimillion-dollar renovation is to
begin.
This event is again free-of-charge for patrons of all ages. The Company
appreciates any and all donations made into the “Bard Basket” placed at
the entrance to the amphitheatre, as this is their main source of funds to
help defray the cost of producing these shows, including costumes, printed
materials, venue rental and other associated fees. Consider what a movie
or other public event would cost, and give from the heart.
“The Merchant of Venice” asks audience members to emotionally invest in a
group of characters who are at once charming and funny and then
immediately mean and cruel. The play is raw and polished, distancing and
engaging, powerful and petty and, above all else, memorable. In our
current time, when tolerance and understanding can be difficult to find,
“The Merchant of Venice” demonstrates that people have been wrestling with
such important concerns and problems - and not always finding the "right"
or easiest solution to them.
The Atlantic Shakespeare Company features local talent as well as
performers from throughout the state of Florida. Original company members
Aaron C. Lamanque of West Palm Beach, Ormond Beach’s Sherri Hancock, and
Robert Gill and Darlene Jacobs from Palm Coast will join will join St.
Augustine’s Derek Coghlan and Scott J. Smith from (semi-local) Orange
Park.
This year, The Company will be cooperating with St. Augustine’s Flagler
College, as English Chair Todd Lidh will be directing this year’s
performance. You may also recognize other local residents and students
from the college on stage, that Mr. Lidh hopes will “bring a different
kind of energy” to this summer’s production.
“This production will take full advantage of the amphitheatre space and
will acknowledge and incorporate the audience into the world of the play,”
says director Lidh. “Shakespeare's plays are at their best when the
audience forgets they are watching a play at all but instead feel they are
seeing a slice of life...perhaps their own life.”
Performances will be held every evening at 7:00 PM, beginning Friday, July
11th, through Sunday, July 20th. (There will be no performance on Monday,
July 14th.) Admission is free. For more information, visit their website
at
www.geocities.com/AtlanticShakes
or call 1-800-OLD-CITY.
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