Five directors have pitched proposals for which Shakespearean play should grace the Bard in the Valley stage next year, and the winner will be announced later this week.
Counting down the final four of 17 performances of Midsummer Night鈥檚 Dream, some of the 91原创 thespians involved are already looking ahead to 2020.
But Bard president Diane Gendron spent a little time this week reflecting back on this summer and 鈥� even further 鈥� back on the decade since Bard in the Valley (BIV) was conceived.
鈥淭he play is quite wonderful and it鈥檚 a delight to be sitting in the audience, knowing the people are 鈥榞etting鈥� the many funny bits because they are laughing out loud,鈥� said Gendron, who also served as producer for Midsummer.
She listed a long stream of season highlights, including seeing all the 鈥渢alented actors,鈥� grateful spectators, and generous volunteers who helped make it a 鈥渨onderful鈥� show.
鈥淥h, and also, seeing so many familiar faces in the audience 鈥� people who make attending a Bard in the Valley performance a tradition for their family and friends,鈥� Gendron added.
The 鈥済ushing鈥� didn鈥檛 end there.
鈥淎nd鈥o see the cast, many of whom don鈥檛 know each other at the beginning, come together, not just on stage but as a group of friends,鈥� she said, elaborating. 鈥淥f the 18 actors, 11 have been in Bard in the Valley shows through the years . But, instead of being an impenetrable clique, they make all the newcomers feel welcome and valued.
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Sadly, she predicted, attendance is expected to be down overall this year. Threats of rain and even thunderstorms kept many people away for some of the earlier shows.
And a change of venue, Gendron admitted, impacted the numbers, too.
This year there were no shows in Fort 91原创, where 鈥渨e always had good opening audiences.鈥� Plus, this year was also the first time Bard was shown four times at the amphitheatre in Willoughby Park.
In addition to those performances, there were five sold-out shows at Township 7 Winery.
鈥淎ttendance at the winery was the highest in all the seven years we鈥檝e been there with 800 people,鈥� she said.
The BIV team has since moved the show to 91原创 City for eight performances (four still to come) at the Douglas Park鈥檚 Spirit Square bandshell.
The remaining shows start at 7 p.m. this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, plus, there鈥檚 a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday.
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How Bard has grown in the last decade
Since the group鈥檚 inception in 2010, Bard in the Valley has presented a William Shakespeare play each summer in various outdoor venues throughout 91原创.
More than 20,000 people have come to see free admission BIV鈥檚 performances, while another 3,000 鈥� roughly 鈥� have attended the paid shows each year at the winery.
To mark Bard鈥檚 10th anniversary this year, they revived the first play produced a decade ago, Midsummer Nights Dream. This time, however, it was directed by Darcy J. Knopp 鈥� who played Oberon all those years earlier in the inaugural run.
鈥淒arcy has had many roles with BIV through the years, both as a director and an actor. He brings a passion to his theatre projects and it is a pleasure to see his exciting vision come to life on the stage,鈥� Gendron said.
鈥淒arcy worked with his wonderful cast (of 18 and crew of 30) to create a play that is fast-paced, fun, and different from any other Midsummer production that anyone would have seen.鈥�
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