Woodstock Shakespeare Players to bring inventive mashup to square

Woodstock Shakespeare Players’ creative team has done it again. In cooperation with the Woodstock Opera House, the troupe will present three free performances of “A Bit O’ The Bard: Something Wicked” in the Woodstock Square at 6 p.m. Saturdays, July 26 and Aug. 2 and 9.

Co-founders Angie Kells, Marisa Snook and Jason Ryan Lovett insist: “Whether you are new to Shakespeare, suffered through him in high school English class or [are] a Shakespearean scholar, you’re sure to enjoy a bit of the wicked.”

A mashup drawn from beloved Shakespeare excerpts, the second season’s 90-minute production will treat audiences to singing, puppets, swords, quarterstaff battles and plenty of laughter. People are invited to bring a picnic, blanket and chair, with face painting for children.

Kells, the troupe’s artistic director, promises this summer’s offering is a “staggering compilation of comedy and drama.”

A talented cast of 15 includes Woodstock residents Stella McCoy, Paul Lockwood, Hunter Johnson, Holly O’Hair and Marisa Snook; Jaime Churchill from Round Lake Beach; Nathan S. Forrester of Rockford; Jake Heelein of Johnsburg; Mara Hoyt of Chicago; Lauren Krelle of Lake in the Hills; Megan McCarthy-Cook of Crystal Lake; Krist Neumann of Vernon Hills; Jake Seelye of Harvard; and Stephen Pickering and Sean Unverzagt, both from Cary.

The inventive production references almost 20 of Shakespeare’s plays, including “Richard II,” “Macbeth,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Othello,” “The Winter’s Tale,” “King Lear” and “Titus Andronicus” – a wide variety many might call Shakespeare’s finest works of tragedy and drama. “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” is part of the comedy selection.

“What I love about our audience is that they quickly get what we’re doing,” Kells said. “Shakespeare Players offers a very reliable way to enjoy the works of William Shakespeare and a beautiful summer setting for free. … If you don’t think you like Shakespeare, you haven’t seen ‘A Bit O’ The Bard.’”

Lovett is excited about this year’s sequel.

“I always enjoy a great sequel that expands the universe of the first,” Lovett said. “That’s exactly what we do by bringing into the fold many of Shakespeare’s all-time greatest plays … [while throwing] modern twists with a dash of sketch [comedy] on his characters. It shows just how integrated The Bard is in our modern-day culture and entertainment.”

Snook calls it a pleasure to bring free theater to the community.

“Last year, we saw people of all ages enjoying live Shakespeare for the first time, and this year with the help of the Woodstock Opera House, we’ve really stepped up the game,” Snook said. “We even have an adorable marionette dog puppet built by cast member Krist Neumann.”

Of course, none of this could be a success without a creative team. Returning directors are Lovett, Tony Walker and Kathie Comella, joined by newcomers Jon Lee and Carrie Dabelow, with fight director Lexi DeWitt and Kells. The directors have the unique challenge of digging into scenes looking for “wickedly funny journeys” through Shakespeare’s villains, capturing their best moments.

The technical team includes stage manager Chelsea Boesiger, assistant stage manager Zero Snook, Rachel Nedza and Joann May on costume design, Kestrel Domann on props and Paul Gariepy on sound design.

In the summer, outdoor Shakespeare productions exist everywhere – from New York’s Central Park to Oregon Shakespeare Festival to Canada’s Stratford Festival and colleges such as Illinois State University, my alma mater.

The idea to bring more Shakespeare plays outdoors originated with an American actress, Eleanor Calhoun, after she performed the “As You Like It” role of Rosalind in London in the late 1800s, garnering support from Lady Archibald Campbell for the concept, and sparking a trend that’s never ceased. Let it continue to play on in our beautiful Woodstock Square.

• Regina Belt-Daniels has seen almost every Shakespeare play through years of attending Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the Stratford Festival, Illinois Shakespeare Festival at ISU and England’s Stratford-upon-Avon and Globe Theatre, among other venues. This is her 11th year of writing reviews for Shaw Local News Network. When not traveling with her husband, she can be found anywhere onstage, backstage or in the audience.

IF YOU GO

• WHAT: Woodstock Shakespeare Players’ “A Bit O’ The Bard: Something Wicked”

• WHERE: Woodstock Square, 121 W. Van Buren St., Woodstock

• WHEN: 6 p.m. Saturdays, July 26, Aug. 2 and 9; special performance at 5 p.m. July 19 in Sharon, Wisconsin

• COST: Free admission to all-ages show

• INFORMATION: https://www.facebook.com/woodstockshakespeareplayers