News
 

Shakespeare fest begins next week

Festival marks 30th year with classics 'Macbeth,' 'Shrew'

Cougar News Services

For many Houstonians, being outdoors during the summer isn't an attractive option. But the Houston Shakespeare Festival could help make it more bearable with its 30th season, which kicks off July 30 with alternating productions of Macbeth and The Taming of the Shrew.

The directors have put a new spin on both plays: Rob Bundy made Macbeth, the tale of tragic ambition, an ancient Asian tragedy, and Sidney Berger has moved The Taming of the Shrew from Elizabethan Italy to the American wild West.

Berger, the director of the UH School of Theatre, founded the HSF in 1975 to add spoken drama to the slate of musical and dance productions the Miller Outdoor Theatre regularly presented. The initial season met with enthusiasm, and more than 475,000 people have attended the summer plays in the past few years.

In addition to monetary support, the School of Theatre provides rehearsal space, scene and costume shops, offices and administration, and public relations personnel. 

The festival also has associations with other related groups. Berger is the co-founder and former president of the Shakespeare Theatre Association of America, which involves all Shakespearean theaters in North America, and the festival is affiliated with Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London and the Shakespeare Globe Centre of the Southwest.

Macbeth plays July 30 and Aug. 5, 7, 11 and 15; Shrew shows July 31 and Aug. 4, 6, 12 and 14. All shows begin at 8:30 p.m. in the Miller Outdoor Theatre, 100 Concert Drive in Hermann Park.

Admission to all the shows is free, but tickets are required for covered seating. Four tickets per person may be picked up between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. and between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. at the Miller's box office.

For more information on ticketing, call (713) 284-8352; for information on the HSF, visit www.class.uh.edu/theatre/performance/hsf.htm.
 

Send comments to dcnews@mail.uh.edu