FollowOklahoma Shakespeare in the Park continues to entertain audiences in the Oklahoma City metro after its first production more than thirty years ago. From classic productions of the Bard’s work to new twists on those beloved Elizabethan stories and characters, the theater company has grown from a small production in Edmond’s Hafer Park to a well-respected champion for the spoken word.
“This is our 31st year. Last year we celebrated our 30th anniversary which was kind of a homage to Shakespeare. We did all Shakespeare plays,” says Kathryn McGill, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park executive and artist director. “This year, we are going back to our mission which has kind of evolved over the years. We are a language-based company, which is first and foremost.”
It is the mission of Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park to keep the language arts alive for the community. For McGill, it is important to celebrate language.
“In today’s society of texting, Instagram, and all the things we use to communicate, we think it is important to explore, experience and revel in language,” McGill says.
Among the upcoming productions is “Wittenberg,” a twist on Hamlet. “Wittenberg” is a production which takes a playful look at what life was like for the Dane before he was recalled from Germany.
“It is a modern play, but it is based on Hamlet’s years as a college student at Wittenberg in Germany. Of course, he’s been summoned back from Wittenberg for the funeral of his father and the marriage of this mother. That’s part of the beginning of Hamlet, his mother asks him not to go back to college and stay there in Denmark. This is kind of a fantasy of what Hamlet was like at school before the play Hamlet begins.”
The production runs at the Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park’s Paseo Theater July 23 through August 1.
“For those people who know Hamlet and like Hamlet, there are a lot of inside jokes, so to speak, about the play.”
As everyone who has lived through an Oklahoma City summer knows, it gets hot. For those who might be hesitant to attend an outdoor production, “Wittenberg” might be a good chance to enjoy Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park indoors.
“’Wittenberg’ is going to be indoors in our new space on the Paseo. For those people who might not like to sit outdoors, we also do our indoor productions as well.”
The Paseo location is fairly new for the theater production company. McGill says it is nice to find a new home within a blossoming arts district in the heart of Oklahoma City.
“We moved to a gallery space last July and we’ve been kind of been feeling our way of how we want to be involved in that community. That’s a very vibrant arts community over in the Paseo. It’s been a lot of fun having a permanent home.”
Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park had to find a new indoor space after Stage Center in downtown Oklahoma City flooded and couldn’t be repaired. The Paseo space gives the company a new home to call its own.
“When we would do inside productions in the past, ever since Stage Center closed, we’ve kind of looked for a new home for our indoor productions. We’ve rented space at the Civic Center and Oklahoma City Community College and O.C.U. (Oklahoma City University), but we’ve never really had our own indoor space. This kind of gives us an opportunity to explore a whole new option, a whole new type of play.”
The company has plans to grow within the Paseo community.
“There’s a space down the street, right across from Picasso’s. It is called the Plunge, and it’s a very big space. That’s kind of our pet project. That’s our goal. Our goal is to be in there as soon as possible and renovating that space into a three hundred seat theater. That’s a big project. We’re grateful to have the smaller theater on the Paseo where we can do smaller productions while we are waiting to renovate the Plunge.”
Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park is unique in that is attracts a younger audience, according to McGill.
“We have a very young audience which is interesting. Most theaters audiences tend to be older. Ours, for whatever reason, our median age of theater goers is 35.”
It’s possible that the theater company’s work with students helps to keep its audience younger. The main focus of Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park’s Education Program is the Student Matinee.
“We have kids from all over the state. Schools bus their kids in to see a production. This year it’ll be ‘Julius Cesar.’ We’re doing it at Oklahoma City Community College.”
McGill says they expect more than 2,000 students to attend this year.
Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park has other programs such as touring schools, contests and teacher training.
“This year we did a ‘Mid-Summer Nights Dream’ with five actors who toured schools. We do a Shakespeare competition where kids from all over the state present a monologue and a sonnet. We do that through the English Speaking Union. We are the hosts for that. The winner goes onto New York to compete. We also do teacher training during the summer where we teach teachers how to bring Shakespeare to life for their students in the classroom in a very exciting hands-on way.”
McGill is proud of the impact Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park has on the community and appreciates how much the community supports the theater company.
“We’re in our 31st year, so that speaks something about our dedication to our mission. I think that is what has probably sustained us all these years. We keep coming back to doing what we do best, not that we don’t expand and grow and change, because we want to keep current and we want to make sure that we’re still serving our community. There’s a lot more support for us. We started out with a budget of about $500, out of my pocket.”
Written by Jason Doyle Oden
