Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan

52.13145°N 106.6677076°W / 52.13145; -106.6677076

Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan
Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan tents by the Mendel Art Gallery
GenreShakespeare in the park theatre two full-length Shakespeare plays
Datesfirst week in July until mid August.
Location(s)Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Canada Canada
Years active1985 – present
WebsiteShakespeare on the Saskatchewan

Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan (Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Festival)[1] is a yearly summer Shakespeare theatre festival founded in 1985 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. In addition to productions of plays by William Shakespeare and his contemporaries, the festival's activities include medieval feasts, workshops, tours, art displays, special matinees, and a free community stage.

History

The festival was founded in part by Gordon McCall in 1985, launching with a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream staged on a golf course.[2] McCall remained artistic director until 1991 when the role was assumed by Henry Woolf, a British-born actor/playwright/director. Between the years 1991 and 2000, Woolf is credited as director on 16 of the festival’s productions.[3] Among these are several productions of non-Shakespeare plays, including Harold Pinter's Ashes to Ashes.

Woolf retired as artistic director in 2001, and the role was subsequently filled by Mark von Eschen. Having previously been involved in the festival in a number of roles, including associate artistic director, von Eschen remained in his post until 2014.[4] Von Eschen is credited as having directed roughly 24 productions during this period.[5] Will Brooks took up the position of Artistic Producer following von Eschen's departure and remained in the position until the festival's 2021 season.[6]

On August 1, 2020, construction were completed on a permanent amphitheater for the festival, containing 250 seats and three additional buildings for use as a dressing room, bar, and box office.[7]

Production history

The following production history is sourced from the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan website.[8]

Year Play Director(s) Theme or Setting
2002 Hamlet Mark von Eschen Elizabethan Era
2002 The Alchemist Mark von Eschen Traditional
2003 As You Like It Mark von Eschen Elizabethan Comic Book
2003 Measure for Measure Mark von Eschen 1603/2003 crossover
2004 Macbeth Mark von Eschen 11th Century Scotland
2004 Much Ado About Nothing Mark von Eschen 1875 Canadian Northwest
2005 The Comedy of Errors Mark von Eschen 1970s Disco
2005 Romeo and Juliet Mark von Eschen Early Renaissance
2006 The Taming of the Shrew Mark von Eschen Renaissance Era
2006 The Two Gentlemen of Verona Mark von Eschen Pre-World War I
2007 Julius Caesar Mark von Eschen Rome, 42 B.C.
2007 Twelfth Night Mark von Eschen Age of Rock'n'Roll
2008 The Tempest Mark von Eschen Mythical "Age of Dragons"
2008 Henry IV Mark von Eschen England, 1492
2009 Antony & Cleopatra Mark von Eschen Ancient Rome/Egypt
2009 A Midsummer Night's Dream Mark von Eschen WWII Military Base
2010 The Merry Wives of Windsor Mark von Eschen 1930s Saskatchewan
2010 The Merchant of Venice Mark von Eschen 1940s Venice
2011 The Winter's Tale Mark von Eschen Viking Era
2011 Love's Labour's Lost Mark von Eschen Modern-Day University of Saskatchewan Campus
2012 Hamlet Mark von Eschen Dream World
2012 As You Like It Mark von Eschen Steampunk
2013 The Comedy of Errors Mark von Eschen Indiana Jones Inspired
2013 Macbeth Mark von Eschen 11th Century Scotland
2014 Romeo and Juliet Will Brooks
2014 The Taming of the Shrew Johnna Wright 1960s Doo Wop
2015 Much Ado About Nothing Pamela Haig Bartley Post-WWII
2015 Othello Will Brooks Modern Business Day World
2016 J. Caesar (Written by Tracey Power) Anita Smith Post-apocalyptic 2416 All Female society
2016 A Midsummer Night's Dream Will Brooks Circus Themed
2016 The Roving Show Joshua Beadury Devised piece based on The Tempest
2017 Richard III Skye Brandon Set in the actual time of Richard III
2017 Twelfth Night Will Brooks Bluegrass music inspired
2018 Hamlet Kelli Fox A futuristic world
2018 The Merry Wives of Windsor Greg Ochitwa Set in a present-day holiday resort
2018 Titus A. Puppet revenge Will Brooks A bloody Titus with puppets on a second stage
2019 The Comedy of Errors Joshua Beaudry Southern Floridian trailer park
2019 As You Like It Anita Smith
2019 pimohtewak Multidisciplinary outdoor piece
2020 Macbeth Will Brooks Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2020 The Tempest Yvette Nolan Cancelled due to pandemic
2020 The Tempest - An Online Reading Event Translated into modern English and performed on Zoom
2020 Fireside Stories Stories of Ukrainian immigrants and Canadian Indigenous people
2020 Staging the Future Livestreamed opening night of new amphitheater
2021 Macbeth
2021 Cosmos Micah Jane & Peace Akintade-Oluwagbeye a collaboration between poet Peace Akintade-Oluwagbeye and musician Micah Jane
2021 Macbeth: On Film! Filmed version of aforementioned 2021 performance
2022 Cymbeline Jennifer Brewin
2022 Shakespeare's Will Roxanne Dicke A one-woman show depicting Shakespeare's wife Anne Hathaway reading his will
2022 Iago Speaks Daniel Macdonald A play depicting events post-Shakespeare's Othello

References
  1. "About". www.shakespearesask.com. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
  2. Olson, Matt. "'We're going to set the world on fire: An oral history of the early years of Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  3. "Henry Woolf". Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  4. "Mark von Eschen leaving Saskatoon's Shakespeare". CBC News. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  5. "Past Productions". Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  6. "Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan". Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  7. "Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Site Redevelopment". PCL Construction. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  8. "Productions". www.shakespearesask.com. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
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