ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Strolling With Shakespeare
Limited FREE Tickets are Going Fast!
That was the headline of the email that was sent out from the Davidson Community Players. Turns out tickets for “Strolling with Shakespeare” – Scenes from William Shakespeare disappeared about as quickly as COVID-19 vaccine appointments. Performances were originally scheduled for May 7-9, but tickets went so quickly that a performance on May 6 was added to the schedule. Those tickets were grabbed up quickly too.
The show begins at Davidson Village Green each evening: May 6 – May 9
With DCP as the guide, guests will stroll to six different downtown Davidson locations where popular scenes from Shakespeare’s works will be performed by our wonderful actors. Groups of no more than 15 will move throughout downtown Davidson to enjoy short scenes from some of the Bard’s greatest hits, led by a Shakespearean guide sharing fun facts about the Bard as they stroll. This special event is free of charge and brought to you through the generosity of The Town of Davidson, Carrburritos, Kindred, Main Street Books, and The Village Store.
Professional, academic, and community theater companies have learned to become very creative since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Davidson Community Players is no exception.
For the past few years, DCP has partnered with the Town of Davidson to present a free community performance of Shakespeare on the Green, an event that grew in popularity each year. Their last performance, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, had over 1,000 in attendance.
COVID forced the cancellation of the event in 2020, so when 2021 rolled around, the company began to think of alternatives. Inspired by the Exit 30 performance that took place on the Davidson College campus over the summer, artistic director Sylvia
Schnople came up with the idea of “Strolling with Shakespeare,” to incorporate the lovely downtown area surrounding the Village Green and iconic scenes from the Bard’s canon.
Sylvia reached out to Wrenn Goodrum, who directed the last Shakespeare on the Green to see if she would jump on board to create theater in the time of a pandemic. Wrenn agreed and brought her limitless imagination to the task at hand.
Five scenes were chosen, along with a prologue and epilogue, and feature Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, Henry VI, Part 1, The Tempest, and The Taming of the Shrew. The evening begins and ends on the Village Green with four other locations around town, including Davidson College Presbyterian Church, Town Hall, the Fire Station and the Davidson Branch of the Charlotte Public Library.
“DCP has a strong belief in community partnerships and outreach,” said Sylvia, “and we are honored that the town and our main street partners have joined us to present theater in such a way that showcases resilience, creativity, and community spirit.
All tickets to the event are reserved, but there is a waiting list for cancelations. Call 704-892-7953 to join the waiting list.
MASKS REQUIRED FOR ADMISSION AT ALL PERFORMANCES!