Tallahassee becomes a creative cafeteria in the spring, with artistic events and celebrations just about every weekend. Yet another such happening is coming up as the Southern Shakespeare Festival kicks off May 9th.
Kelby Siddons, Southern Shakespeare Company's communications director, said the purpose of the troupe is simple.
"It's our mission to bring fun, accessible Shakespeare to the Big Bend. Shakespeare was meant to be seen, heard and experiened and not just read in a class from a book. So we bring him to life on stage in a way that speaks to our times and is a lot of fun."
Since 2015, the company has hosted the yearly Shakespeare in the Park Festival every Mothers Day weekend at Cascades Park. Previous plays have included "Macbeth,"and "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Siddons said an experienced and creative director is a critical element. And for this year's play, the Shakespeare comedy "The Winter's Tale," the group has tapped nationally known stage director Shanara Gabrielle. Her primary goal? Making the lyrical, but antiquated, language of the Bard understandable to a 21st Century audience.
"The stories that are still with us are universal in that way. They have contemporary resonance. So if we get to the core essence, the most truthful version of the text, it's going to speak to us in our present day. I feel that Shakespeare's text should sound like it does today."
Of course, the language is just part of the story. The characters in the play have to connect with the audience, too. Every year, the Southern Shakespeare Festival recruits a nationally-known actor to portray a major role. This year, that actor is Nathan Darrow. He has more than 20 years of stage and TV experience. He was Edward Meechum on the Netflix series "House of Cards," and was Mr. Freeze on the Fox series "Gothan." In "The Winter's Tale," he plays King Leontes. He believes it's a role everybody can relate to.
"Everyone is the king of a universe between their ears. And that is quite important and important in this play, because I think there's one aspect of free will that we have and that's the ability to say yes or say no."
Southern Shakespeare's Kelby Siddons says the performances - all of them free of charge - happen over the entire weekend.
"We are showing 'A Winter's Tale' nightly at 7:30, May 9 through 12 Mother's Day weekend. So bring your queen out to Cascades Park to experience it. We also have an abridged version of 'The Tempest' with our junior acting troupe The Bardlings, at 5:30 the Saturday and Sunday of the festival."
