Wisconsin-based traveling theatre company Summit Players Theatre is returning to live, outdoor performance and will be performing Shakespeare’s Macbeth from June 9 to August 19 in 22 different Wisconsin State Parks. All performances will be free and preceded by a 45-minute educational workshop. The company will offer its workshop and performance at Richard Bong State Recreation Area on June 19, 2023. The workshop will be at 5:30 p.m., and the show will be at 7:00 p.m. This is the eighth year the company will start its tour at Richard Bong.
“We’re bringing something a little different to the parks for our eighth tour,” stated Executive Director A.J. Magoon, a founding member of the organization. “Rest assured – our Macbeth will be spooky, but not scary. We’re committed to making all of our plays accessible and enjoyable for everyone in the family – get ready for plenty of action and fun alongside the drama.”
Summit Players
Each Macbeth show will be 75 minutes long and completely free, in accordance with the company’s mission of creating Shakespeare anyone can afford, attend, and understand. Through a collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Summit Players are also able to introduce audiences around the state to their local parks.
The group’s educational workshop, “Inside Shakespeare’s Story: Macbeth” is new this year and offered before every show. The workshop may help kids and parents alleviate concerns about Macbeth’s more serious or tragic aspects. It serves as a way for kids and “fun adults” to get comfortable with the play, Shakespeare’s language and the way nature played into his works. Participants take part in Shakespeare games and exercises culminating in performing a short scene.
This year, the Summit Players team boasts two new members—actor Matthew Torkilsen, who will also serve as a teaching artist for the company, as well as Tour Manager Natasha Goeller.
“The workshop is a great way to learn about the play and how plays like this can still be exciting and interesting, even if they’re more serious,” said Caroline Norton, Education Director and six-year alumna of the company’s tours. “Plus, the workshop content changes and the play changes, which means that people who have seen our shows for years will enjoy everything just as much as people who have never seen us before.”
More information about the company’s season can be found at https://www.summitplayerstheatre.com/.
Summit Players Theatre’s 2023 season is supported in part by grants from the Wisconsin Arts Board and Wisconsin Humanities, with funds from the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities.
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