Shakespeare on the Road: Macbeth Outdoors in Toronto and Beyond

From a media release:

Something Wicked This Way Comes...

DRIFTWOOD THEATRE GROUP presents
MACBETH
July 7 to August 14, 2011


June, 2011. Toronto, ON…Driftwood Theatre, Ontario’s most exciting and accessible theatre company, will be kicking off their 2011 Bard’s Bus Tour in Toronto on July 9th with a limited two-night run at Todmorden Mills and returning to Withrow Park for two brief stops July 27th, 28th, August 13th and 14th. This year, Driftwood Theatre is leaving the world of Shakespearean comedy for the dark and bloody tale of Macbeth.

An end world event has left behind a society that is forced to exist in a toxic environment where every person must fight to survive. In this unsettled and warring culture, violence perpetuates violence and the temporary peace that exists is precarious. Here we meet Macbeth, a ruthless and ambitious soldier who seizes power with the help of his scheming wife and a trio of devious outcasts.

Bringing this haunting tale to life are Driftwood Theatre alumnus Peter van Gestel (Twelfth night, King Lear, Comedy of Errors, Driftwood Theatre; Lord of the Rings, Mirvish Productions; 3 seasons, Stratford Festival) as Macbeth and Dora Award nominee Janick Hebert (A Toi, Pour Toujours, Ta Marie-Lou, Theatre Francais de Toronto; Scorched, Tarragon Theatre; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare in Action) as his wife, Lady Macbeth. Rounding out the cast are Andrew Pogson, Madeleine Donohue, Tim Machin, Justin Goodhand, Lana Sugarman and Shawn Ahmed.

Director, and Driftwood Theatre’s founder and Artistic Director, D. Jeremy Smith will innovatively create the destroyed world with the help of costume designer Michelle Bailey (Dora-nominated; The Red Queen Effect, Seventh Stage; two seasons, Driftwood Theatre), set and props designer Lindsay Anne Black (2011 Dora Award nominee for Stand Up Dance’s The Atomic Weight of Happiness; Birnham Wood, Theatre Rusticle; My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish-Wiccan Wedding, Mirvish Productions), sound designer Chris Stanton (2011 Dora Award nominee for MacKenzieRO’s The New Electric Ballroom; Ruined, Obsidian/Nightwood Theatres) and movement and fight direction by Richard Lee (Black Medea, Obsidian Theatre; Anthony & Cleopatra, Shakespeare in the rough).

This summer, Driftwood Theatre proudly announces the expansion of its popular Shakespearience program to cover the entire Bard’s Bus Tour, and the best part is all events are absolutely free! The company will share Shakespeare and theatre-related symposiums, events and workshops with audiences at select locations throughout the summer tour. The first event of the series will take place prior to the opening of the tour on July 9th at the historic Todmorden Mills. Join Smith and members of the creative team for a glimpse into the creation of the world of Macbeth.

The Driftwood Theatre Group, founded in 1995, has become Ontario’s beloved outdoor summer theatre tradition. Working with the best emerging and established artists today, Driftwood celebrates the work of William Shakespeare through its annual Bard’s Bus Tour, touring to parks and heritage sites and focusing on communities with little or no access to professional theatre.

Driftwood Theatre Group presents
Shakespeare’s MACBETH

Directed by D. Jeremy Smith
Featuring: Shawn Ahmed, Madeleine Donohue, Peter van Gestel, Justin Goodhand, Janick Hebert, Tim Machin, Andrew Pogson, Lana Sugarman

Previews: July 7th and 8th, 2011
Opens: July 9th, 2011 and tours Southern Ontario until August 14th, 2011
July 7th-10th, 2011 at Todmorden Mills
July 27th & 28th and August 13th & 14th, 2011 at Withrow Park
All performances at 7:30 PM
Other locations at this link
• All tickets are Pay-What-You-Can with a recommended donation of $15


Blanket and lawn chair space can be reserved in advance throught TO TIX (www.totix.ca) or by mail for $15.

Check the link for the Shakespeare Symposium Series & other free related events

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