OGUNQUIT –
Fresh off the success of Ogunquit Performing Arts’ 6th
annual Piano Festival, this ambitious presenting group that is sponsored by the
town of Ogunquit and supported by local businesses is undertaking a new
festival devoted to the writings and philosophies of William Shakespeare.
This event, partially funded by a grant from the Maine
Humanities Council and a second grant from the Ogunquit Rotary Club, will
explore (in a variety of ways) the works of William Shakespeare (1564-1616),
English poet, playwright, and actor who is arguably the most important writer
in the English language and the world’s eminent dramatist. His surviving works
consist of about thirty-eight plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems and
other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language
and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
The kick-off event for the 2012 Shakespeare Festival is the
presentation of the film “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on Friday May 18 at 7:30
pm at the Dunaway Center. This film is the 1996 film adaptation of the 1994
Royal Shakespeare Company’s stage production. It is a playful version of
Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy. It is richly colored, elegantly
costumed, and superbly acted, with the beauty of Shakespeare’s language shining
throughout.
Then on Saturday, May 19, between 2 and 4 p.m. at the
Dunaway Center, participants will be transported back into Elizabethan times
with a free afternoon of Shakespearean events that will be opened by poets of
the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance. Participants will meet and interact
with actors, poets, scholars, and musicians, and are invited to come in period
costume. There will be poetry readings, stories and crafts hosted by the Wells
Public Library staff, a theatre Workshop conducted by MaineStage Shakespeare
(for ages 11+), a panel discussion by professionals in the field of theatre
production: “Why Shakespeare?” another workshop for ages 5 to 10 conducted by
MaineStage Shakespeare, and an Elizabethan Music Workshop with SeaCoast Brass.
The Festival’s culminating event, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 19
at the Dunaway Center, will be “A Taste of Shakespeare” presented by MaineStage
Shakespeare who will perform, in costume, selected acts from “Othello,” “As You
Like It,” and “Love’s Labour’s Lost” with introductory and intermission poetry
plus Elizabethan music by SeaCoast Brass. Tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for
students and are available at the Dunaway Center, Ogunquit Camera Shop, and
Ogunquit Welcome Center, and at the door the evening of the performance. For
detailed information about this event and its participants go to: www.ogunquitperformingarts.org. (courtesy photo)
