The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Tempest are the two plays offered at the Cowichan Valley Shakespeare Festival 2018 starting Tuesday, Aug. 7.
Performed by the talented actors of the Shawnigan Players, these midsummer presentations have been gaining a steadily increasing audience for their plays, which are performed al fresco at the Gem ‘o’ the Isle at 2465 Koksilah Rd. in Cowichan Station.
Alex Gallacher will be directing The Merry Wives of Windsor and Breann Gallacher will be directing The Tempest. For the seventh year in a row the Players present a full live theatre show with a large cast in colourful costumes in the fairy-tale-like surroundings of a small orchard where the sun sets and the stars come out as you enjoy Shakespeare with your family.
If you’ve ever said the world was your oyster, or talked about the long and the short of something, or said that there’s good luck in odd numbers, you’re unconsciously quoting from The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Meanwhile, if you’ve ever talked about a brave new world, or heard a person say something has suffered a sea change, well, you’re hearing the influence of The Tempest on our lives.
Why not listen and see if you can spot these famous lines during the plays?
Dates for The Merry Wives of Windsor are: Aug. 7, 9, 11, 15, and 17 at 7:30 p.m., matinee Aug. 19 at 2 p.m. while the dates for The Tempest are: Aug. 8, 10, 14, 16 and 18 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee Aug. 12 at 2 p.m.
Take care when you purchase your ticket, because the name of the play is not mentioned on it. The date and time determine what you’ll see.
There’s also a special festival pass available.
Buying one ticket at regular or family price entitles you to the other show at half price. After you have bought either a regular or family ticket to either show, you will receive a confirmation e-mail that contains the coupon code for a 50 per cent discount on the price of the other show. These two tickets together will be your festival pass.
In advance, a regular ticket for one show costs $20. A one show family pass admits up to five people: one to two adults and children for $40.
Festival passes for both shows for one person are $30 while family festival passes are $60.
Tickets are available from Ten Old Books in the Duncan Garage, and Mason’s in Shawnigan Lake. They are also available at Eventbrite online by searching for Cowichan Valley Shakespeare Festival 2018.
Note: prices for tickets at the gate are approximately 25 per cent higher.
These are all ages events; kids love Shakespeare because he wrote for everyone.
Parking is provided and it’s a good idea to pack a blanket to sit on because there is limited regular seating on chairs as well. There is food and drink available from the concession stand.
Free preview shows
In addition to the above shows, the Players are offering two previews of excerpts from the shows.
The first, a preview of The Tempest, is scheduled for the Shawnigan Lake Pavilion starting at 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 3.
Shakespeare is also back again at The 39 Days of July with excerpts from The Merry Wives of Windsor, starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4 at Charles Hoey Park in downtown Duncan.
This free performance offers a run-through for the cast under difficult conditions (a fire engine or police car driving by within a few metres of the stage!) but it offers a glimpse of Shakespeare to a large and mixed audience, who always enjoy these presentations.
