by Guest Blogger, Denise Slattery, Director of Marketing, Power House Theatre.
What pairs best with all the amazing wines you’ll taste in Walla Walla this summer? Shakespeare performed live under the stars! This summer, Shakespeare Walla Walla expands its fourth season to include three professional productions in two fantastic venues – 24 performances in all over two weeks. Come for two days and see two plays!
Walla Walla is truly fortunate to have a devoted audience for Shakespeare’s works and now, with the addition of the stunning indoor Power House Theatre, Shakespeare has a year-round home in Walla Walla.
When you visit Walla Walla you can now plan for extraordinary nights at the theatre.
In addition to the much-loved outdoor productions at the Fort Walla Walla Amphitheater, Shakespeare Walla Walla is pleased to offer a second venue for patrons in the newly opened Blackfriars-inspired Power House Theatre. This new state-of-the-art theatre is a renovated 120-year-old gas plant/powerhouse in downtown Walla Walla, just a few short blocks from Main St. For two consecutive weeks, theatregoers can experience a festival environment and take in Shakespeare in the outdoor setting of Fort Walla Walla Amphitheater or enjoy Swansong in the intimacy of the Elizabethan-era configuration, 340-seat, Power House Theatre.
The Amphitheatre at Fort Walla Walla – Shakespeare Under The Stars!
The Tragedy of Macbeth Aug. 3 – 7
The Comedy of Errors Aug. 10 – 14
The outdoor productions of Shakespeare Walla Walla are truly special. The immensely talented Seattle Shakespeare Company will return to the Ampiththeatre with two productions by William Shakespeare.
Macbeth will open the Summer Festival at the Fort playing August Wednesday, 3rd though Sunday August 7th. Expect plenty of sword fighting, blood, leather, and shields with an eclectic medieval feeling. Think HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ series! Director Tim Hyland is exploring issues of innocence versus violence as well as family lineage. “Something wicked this way comes” – don’t miss it!
Next up will be The Comedy of Errors from Wednesday, August 10th through Sunday August 14th. This is a family event laced with vaudevillian fun. Enjoy singing and some old soft shoe, mystifying magic acts, ventriloquist dummies, showgirls, and even a few keystone cops enhancing this much-loved comedy about two sets of identical twins and mistaken-identity mayhem! Director George Mount evokes Laurel and Hardy, The Three Stooges, Buster Keaton, and more.
Power House Theatre – A Truly Unique Setting For Main-Stage Theatre
Swansong by Patrick Page Aug. 4 -14
Spend time with William Shakespeare the man as Swansong makes its Walla Walla debut at the Power House Theatre. The play runs for two weeks starting August 4 through August 14. Nominated by the American Theatre Critics Association for Best New Play in 2006, Swansong is the often funny, often heartwarming, and always remarkable story of the friendship between William Shakespeare and peer/rival playwright, Ben Jonson.
For a wonderful local twist: Swansong was written by Whitman College Alum Patrick Page, who happens to be starring on Broadway as the Green Goblin in Spiderman. Patrick is a deeply respected Shakespearean actor of national acclaim. It takes a man of the theatre to write about a man of the theatre: a factor that makes this play an inviting companion piece to our outdoor productions. Directed by Stephanie Shine.
The year is 1623. William Shakespeare has been dead for seven years and the public has all but forgotten his plays. A devoted member of his acting troupe, John Heminges, is determined to have all of Will’s plays published together in folio, preserving them for all time. King James will not allow the publication to go forward unless Ben Jonson, now Poet Laureate of England, writes a prefatory poem for the book. As Jonson struggles to write the poem, he wrestles with feelings of guilt, envy, and fear that history will forget his own work if Will’s plays are published and is flooded with memories of their lifelong love and tumultuous friendship. Rooted in true events, Swansong is a story of love, loss, and regeneration that allows us to imagine one of the most extraordinary friendships of all time.
For anyone who knows anything about Shakespeare, you don’t want to miss this. It’s an insider’s look at his life and times. For anyone who is just being introduced to Shakespeare, let this be your primer. Swansong is a must-see. You’ll be transformed into a friend of William Shakespeare yourself!
About Shakespeare Walla Walla
Shakespeare Walla Walla provides professional Shakespearean productions and youth education to Walla Walla Valley residents and visitors. The family-friendly performances are enjoyable and accessible for all.
For online ticketing visit www.shakespearewallawalla.org or call 509-742-0739