by Sarah Reddick
Oxford, Miss. (TLV) – This year will be the ninth season of the Oxford Shakespeare Festival. A Season of Destiny will begin with the comedic play All’s Well That Ends Well. The tragedy of King Lear will follow, and the festival will conclude with their family production, Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s beloved musical The Sound of Music.
I attended a rehearsal for King Lear in the Isom building on the Ole Miss campus. Director Joe Turner Cantú, who is also the artistic director for the festival, greeted me graciously and invited me to sit and watch. When we arrived the actors were talking quietly, some were practicing lines, and others were stretching off to the side.
The rehearsal started with Act II Scene I, which begins with Curan the courtier informing Edmond the bastard that the Duke of Cornwall and Regan will be soon be visiting Gloucester’s castle. John Marsalis, the stage director, and Mr. Cantú watched the scene from a table at the front of the room, and Mr. Cantú stopped the actors in certain places to discuss the focus of the scene. As a Shakespeare fan, watching them rehearse made me excited to see the actual production.
In the brochure for the festival, Mr. Cantú writes, “The Festival was created with you, the public, in mind. You are why we design, direct, build, and perform.”
All’s Well That Ends Well will be performed June 15, 16, 22, and July 6, 7 at 7:30 pm, with a matinee on June 17, 30 and July 8 at 2 pm. The dates and times for King Lear are June 23 and 29 at 7:30 pm, and June 24 at 2 pm. The Sound Of Music will show June 28 and 30 at 7:30 pm, and July 1 at 2 pm. All performances will be in the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets for the festival can be purchased online at www.olemiss.edu/depts/tickets, and can also be purchased at the theater lobby box offices starting an hour prior to the performance.
For more information about the festival, visit: http://shakespeare.olemiss.edu/
This article was published in The Local Voice #158 (June 14-28, 2012)…Click here to download the PDF of issue #158.
