Shakespeare comes to life

Christopher Kelk as King Lear (left to right: Christopher Kelk, Shannon Currie) Production: King Lear, 2009

A terrible tragedy. An extraordinary journey. Love, where you least expect it.” So goes the tale of William Shakespeare’s most-loved comedy, Twelfth Night. Performed to audiences across Ontario this summer by The Driftwood Theatre Group, Twelfth Night tells the story of a young woman’s journey of self-discovery in a strange, new world after a tragic shipwreck separates her from the only family she’s ever known.

Directed by Driftwood Theatre Group’s founder and artistic director Jeremy Smith and performed by a combination of Canada’s brightest upcoming talent and renowned seasoned performers, The Bard’s Bus Tour is celebrating its 16th season of touring Ontario’s parks and heritage sites. Join them as they launch their 2010 outdoor season in grand style with The Second Annual Shakespearience Festival at Todmorden Mills, a heritage site located just steps away from Toronto’s popular Danforth neighbourhood.

“We decided we wanted a day just to celebrate Shakespeare,” explains Smith, “and the festival coincides with the opening weekend of The Bard’s Bus Tour.” A wonderful way for the entire family to enjoy all things Shakespeare, The Second Annual Shakespearience Festival includes something for everyone.

“It’s basically a mini-festival,” says Smith. “There will be a whole slew of activities. We have a series of symposiums that will be happening all day. It’s all scheduled, but it’s free. We will also have workshops for young Shakespeare enthusiasts and their families and Shakespeare face painting.” And because Todmorden Mills has both indoor and outdoor facilities, the risk of inclement weather poses no threat. The festival comes to a close with Driftwood Theatre’s first performance of Twelfth Night.

The Bard’s Bus Tour has brought together some of Ontario’s hottest talent with theatre credits that include the Stratford Festival and work with Mirvish Productions, The Canadian Stage Company and Theatre Aquarius to name but a few. Smith’s job is not an enviable one: choosing 200 actors to audition from over 500 submissions ever year and then casting only 10 of them. “It is at once my favourite part of the job and the hardest part of my job,” he explains.

“As an artist working in theatre, I want to give work to as many people as I can. And there are some really phenomenal people working in this country.”

“Because we are still a smaller company, we work with a lot of emerging artists,” he continues, “and Driftwood has company members who have gone on to Stratford, Shaw, Soulpepper...and come back from Shaw, come back from Stratford.” Smith explains that the whole point behind Driftwood now is to match established artists with emerging ones. “We have developed a mentorship program in almost all of the programs we have...acting, staging, technical direction, so we are growing as Driftwood grows.

As artistic director, one of Smith’s most important roles is to create a production that engages his audience while instilling a love of Shakespeare in those, who in many cases, may have only experienced the “Bard” in a high school English class. It’s obvious he’s up to the challenge.

“The beauty of classical theatre, or theatre in general, is that it is open for interpretation,” he says. “As a director, it is up to me to bring my artistic bent to a production. Driftwood Theatre has also developed a reputation over the last 15 years of not being traditional in its approach—at least visually—to its approach to the work.”

He pauses and then explains: “I love this text. I’m obviously profoundly respectful of his writing. Twelfth Night is not a play that is long or overly complicated, so it doesn’t need a lot of interjection on our behalf.”

A registered, not-for profit charitable organization, Driftwood Theatre specifically markets their performances to a family audience and strives to bring their productions to communities with little or no access to professional theatre. “We encourage families to bring their children, although we make it very clear we don’t edit,” says Smith. “Shakespeare didn’t write for children...but our youngest audience member to date was four years old and we kept his attention for the entire two hours.”

If you’re looking for the perfect opportunity to expose your family to Shakespeare, Driftwood Theatre’s performance of Twelfth Night might be exactly what you’re looking for...just you and your loved ones, on a blanket under the stars.
“Shakespeare didn’t write theatre to be read,” explains Smith. “It’s written to be sounded and be seen or in Shakespeare’s time, heard.”

Although all Bard’s Bus performances are Pay-What-You-Can, audience members can reserve their blanket/lawn chair seating in advance by paying the full recommended $15 per person admission fee. It comes with a “Buy 15, Get 15” Rewards Card, valid for discounts at restaurants, hotels and attractions across Ontario. While rainy nights often pose a challenge, many venues have a “100% Performance Guarantee” and performances will proceed despite adverse weather conditions.