Shakespeare Festival set to begin in August

Virginia City's first Nevada Shakespeare Festival will be opening at Piper's Opera House with a romp through a disturbing Hamlet, a smoldering MacBeth, A (moonstruck) Midsummer Night's Dream and some real innovations, according to artistic director Jean Marie Simpson.

"Shakespeare is the best English language playwright that ever lived," she said. There has been a real resurgence of the classics in recent years, and Shakespeare's plays are malleable: open to the kind of interpretation other plays can't handle.

Piper's is the perfect backdrop according to director/actor Cameron Crane, who claimed Hamlet has been performed on this stage more than any other. The old Opera House has also played host to some of the best theatrical talent in the history books: Harry Houdini, Lillie Langtry, and Buffalo Bill are just a few of the talented and famous that have graced its stage since it was built in 1867.

One of the advantages to theater in Virginia City comes with the very real sense of community according to Simpson, and the integration of the generations in the community. Everyone pitches in.

"The generations mix here. Storey County residents give us a lot of support," Simpson said, noting that everyone from school kids to local merchants and utility company workers will have a hand in the productions.

The Festival exists to promote interest in professional theater by creating partnerships with businesses and the community in Nevada, and offers education outreach programs to people of all ages.

The productions, costing anywhere from $60,000 to $250,000, are funded by corporate and private contributions as well as grants. The newly-formed company is striving to be self-sufficient in five years. The core group has been together for more than ten years, and the organization incorporated April of 1999.

All shows start at 7 p.m. and the season's schedule is as follows:

- Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare's moonstruck couples are matched, mixed and mended in this play featuring music by Monty Python. The play runs August 8,10,12,15,17, and 19.

- The plot of Hamlet swirls around a young prince who suspects his stepfather of murdering his father for the crown. The stage for this production will be set simply, with six actors and six chairs, and it will run August 9,11,13,16,18, and 20.

- Macbeth will be done in black leather, a complement to the Street Vibrations and the tunes of Bobby Darin's Mack the Knife, Janis Joplin's Summertime and Three Dog Night. Performances are scheduled for Fridays and Saturdays from September 22 through October 29. There will be a special Halloween performance October 31.

Final dress rehearsal nights are $5

General admission is $20/$15, and limited reserved seating costs $30/$25. Final dress rehearsal nights are discounted: $5 for August 1 and 2, and preview nights, August 3 to 6, cost $10.

What: Nevada Shakespeare Festival

When: From Aug. 1 to Oct. 31

Where: Piper's Opera House, Virginia City, Nevada