Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan
{{Short description|Annual theatre festival in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan}}
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{{infobox music festival|
| music_festival_name = Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan
| image = ShakespeareOnTheSaskatchewan.jpg
| caption = Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan tents by the Remai Modern museum
| location = Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Canada {{Flagicon|CAN}}
| years_active = 1985 – present
| dates = first week in July until mid August.
| genre = Shakespeare in the park theatre two full-length Shakespeare plays
| website = [http://www.shakespeareonthesaskatchewan.com/ Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan]
}}
Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan (Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Festival){{Cite web|url=http://www.shakespearesask.com/pages/about.html|title=About|website=www.shakespearesask.com|access-date=2017-03-08}} is a yearly summer Shakespeare theatre festival founded in 1985 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. In addition to productions of plays by William Shakespeare and his contemporaries, the festival's activities include medieval feasts, workshops, tours, art displays, special matinees, and a free community stage.
History
The festival was founded in part by Gordon McCall in 1985, launching with a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream staged on a golf course.{{cite journal |last1=Olson |first1=Matt |title='We're going to set the world on fire: An oral history of the early years of Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan |url=https://thestarphoenix.com/entertainment/local-arts/0829-news-shakespeare-oral-history-web/ |journal=Saskatoon StarPhoenix |access-date=December 12, 2022}} McCall remained artistic director until 1991, when the role was assumed by Henry Woolf, a British-born actor/playwright/director. Between the years 1991 and 2000, Woolf is credited as director on 16 of the festival’s productions.{{cite journal |title=Henry Woolf |url=https://www.shakespearesask.com/cast_and_crew/actor_detail/henry/ |journal=Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan |access-date=December 12, 2022}} Among these are several productions of non-Shakespeare plays, including Harold Pinter's Ashes to Ashes.
Woolf retired as artistic director in 2001, and the role was subsequently filled by Mark von Eschen. Having previously been involved in the festival in a number of roles, including associate artistic director, von Eschen remained in his post until 2014.{{cite journal |title=Mark von Eschen leaving Saskatoon's Shakespeare |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/mark-von-eschen-leaving-saskatoon-s-shakespeare-1.2486999/ |journal=CBC News|access-date=December 12, 2022}} Von Eschen is credited as having directed roughly 24 productions during this period.{{cite journal |title=Past Productions |url=https://www.shakespearesask.com/index.php/productions/pastproductions/ |journal=Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan |access-date=December 12, 2022}} Will Brooks took up the position of Artistic Producer following von Eschen's departure, and remained in the position until the festival's 2021 season.{{cite journal |title=Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan |url=https://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=shakespeare%20on%20the%20saskatchewan/ |journal=Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia |access-date= December 12, 2022}}
On August 1, 2020, construction was completed on a permanent amphitheater for the festival, containing 250 seats and three additional buildings for use as a dressing room, bar, and box office.{{cite journal |title=Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Site Redevelopment |url=https://www.pcl.com/ca/en/our-work/shakespeare-on-the-saskatchewan-site-redevelopment/ |journal=PCL Construction |access-date=December 12, 2022}}
Production history
The following production history is sourced from the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan website.{{cite web|url=http://www.shakespearesask.com/productions/pastproductions.html|title=Productions|website=www.shakespearesask.com|access-date=2017-03-08}}
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
!Play !Director(s) !Theme or Setting |
|---|
| 2002
|Mark von Eschen |Elizabethan Era |
| 2002
|Mark von Eschen |Traditional |
| 2003
|Mark von Eschen |Elizabethan Comic Book |
| 2003
|Mark von Eschen |1603/2003 crossover |
| 2004
|Mark von Eschen |11th Century Scotland |
| 2004
|Mark von Eschen |1875 Canadian Northwest |
| 2005
|Mark von Eschen | 1970s Disco |
| 2005
|Mark von Eschen |Early Renaissance |
| 2006
|Mark von Eschen |Renaissance Era |
| 2006
|Mark von Eschen |Pre-World War I |
| 2007
|Mark von Eschen |Rome, 42 B.C. |
| 2007
|Mark von Eschen |Age of Rock'n'Roll |
| 2008
|Mark von Eschen |Mythical "Age of Dragons" |
| 2008
|Mark von Eschen |England, 1492 |
| 2009
|Mark von Eschen |Ancient Rome/Egypt |
| 2009
|Mark von Eschen |WWII Military Base |
| 2010
|Mark von Eschen | 1930s Saskatchewan |
| 2010
|Mark von Eschen | 1940s Venice |
| 2011
|Mark von Eschen |Viking Era |
| 2011
|Mark von Eschen | Modern-Day University of Saskatchewan Campus |
| 2012
|Mark von Eschen |Dream World |
| 2012
|Mark von Eschen |Steampunk |
| 2013
|Mark von Eschen |Indiana Jones Inspired |
| 2013
|Mark von Eschen |11th Century Scotland |
| 2014
|Will Brooks | |
| 2014
|Johnna Wright | 1960s Doo Wop |
| 2015
|Pamela Haig Bartley | Post-WWII |
| 2015
|Will Brooks |Modern Business Day World |
| 2016
|J. Caesar (Written by [http://www.traceypower.ca/ Tracey Power]) |Anita Smith |Post-apocalyptic 2416 All Female society |
| 2016
|Will Brooks |Circus Themed |
| 2016
|The Roving Show |Joshua Beadury |Devised piece based on The Tempest |
| 2017
|Richard III |Skye Brandon |Set in the actual time of Richard III |
| 2017
|Twelfth Night |Will Brooks |Bluegrass music inspired |
| 2018
|Hamlet |Kelli Fox |A futuristic world |
| 2018
|The Merry Wives of Windsor |Greg Ochitwa |Set in a present-day holiday resort |
| 2018
|Titus A. Puppet revenge |Will Brooks |A bloody Titus with puppets on a second stage |
| 2019
|Joshua Beaudry |Southern Floridian trailer park |
| 2019
|Anita Smith | |
| 2019
|pimohtewak | |Multidisciplinary outdoor piece |
| 2020
|Will Brooks |Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2020
|Yvette Nolan |Cancelled due to pandemic |
| 2020
|The Tempest - An Online Reading Event | |Translated into modern English and performed on Zoom |
| 2020
|Fireside Stories | |Stories of Ukrainian immigrants and Canadian Indigenous people |
| 2020
|Staging the Future | |Livestreamed opening night of new amphitheater |
| 2021
| | |
| 2021
|Cosmos |Micah Jane & Peace Akintade-Oluwagbeye |a collaboration between poet Peace Akintade-Oluwagbeye and musician Micah Jane |
| 2021
|Macbeth: On Film! | |Filmed version of aforementioned 2021 performance |
| 2022
|Jennifer Brewin |
| 2022
|Shakespeare's Will |Roxanne Dicke |A one-woman show depicting Shakespeare's wife Anne Hathaway reading his will |
| 2022
|Iago Speaks |Daniel Macdonald |A play depicting events post-Shakespeare's Othello |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.shakespearesask.com/ Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan]
- [https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g155043-d5994371-Reviews-Shakespeare_on_the_Saskatchewan-Saskatoon_Saskatchewan.html The Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Festival on Trip Advisor]
- [http://www.tourismsaskatchewan.com/search-results/101690/shakespeare-on-the-saskatchewan-festival Tourism Saskatchewan Listing]
- [http://www.tourismsaskatoon.com/listings/Shakespeare-on-the-Saskatchewan/119/?fromMenu=627 Tourism Saskatoon Listing]
{{FestivalsSaskatchewan}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shakespeare On The Saskatchewan}}
Category:Festivals in Saskatoon
Category:Theatre festivals in Saskatchewan
Category:Recurring events established in 1985