— by Patty Monaco —
Was Shakespeare the bane of your high school English existence? Do you still cringe at the drop of a “thither” or a “wherefore”? It’s about time you got over it! The Orcas Island Shakespeare Festival, now in its third year, is putting the fun back into the Bard.
The best way I can think of to approach this master of the English language is to realize that he was simply an actor and a playwright, putting out plays one after another to entertain the crowds of Londoners and keep them coming to his theater on the bank of the Thames – oh, and to secure the patronage of the wealthy and noble members of Court. Think of it as the Oscars race of the Elizabethan era.
Sure, they spoke differently then, but their problems and their joys were the same as ours, and he told their stories more beautifully than anyone else has come close to. That’s why he’s worth the effort to celebrate and enjoy his work. Over the years, through performing and reading and watching, I have grown to admire and appreciate and even love his mastery of the English language and his ability to express in exactly the right words those very human emotions we all share. I am richer for it.
From Wednesday evening through Saturday, March 19-22, you can lose your aversion in an effervescent celebration of everything great about Shakespeare and Orcas. Local talent, buskers (street performers), fabulous dinners, a parade, a fair on the Green, music, comedy and drama will all be there in Eastsound for your entertainment. All you have to bring is you – and your party spirit.
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