Montana Shakespeare in the Parks will perform William Shakespeare’s Richard III and The Comedy of Errors during its upcoming summer tour of 61 communities throughout Montana, northern Wyoming, eastern Idaho, western North Dakota, and eastern Washington.
The company features ten professional actors selected from national auditions who tour without technical assistance to bring live theatre to mostly rural communities. This summer, 66 percent of the communities reached by the troupe have populations of 5,000 or fewer. “We are very much looking forward to producing both plays this summer,” said Kevin Asselin, executive artistic director. “This will be the first time in MSIP’s 44-year history that we’ll bring Richard III to our stage. Richard will fit right into what is already an active political year, reminding us how Shakespeare stays relevant even 400 years after his death. We are also excited to announce that this season will be dedicated to all of our hard working and dedicated tour coordinators from across the region!” Asselin will direct Richard III, while Chris Duval, a University of Utah professor with many credits at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, will direct The Comedy of Errors, which the company hasn’t performed since 2002. All performances, with the exception of those at Bozeman’s Sweet Pea Festival, are free and open to the public. Audiences are encouraged to arrive early with chairs, blankets and picnics. Montana Shakespeare in the Parks is an outreach program of Montana State University’s College of Arts and Architecture. Grants, corporate sponsorships, and hundreds of individual donors support the free performances. Richard III first hits Bozeman at the MSU Duck Ponds, June 15th-18th, with all performances slated to begin at 8pm. The Comedy of Errors will follow with performances at the Duck Ponds, June 22nd-25th, also all at 8pm. For more information on the plays and a complete tour schedule, visit shakespeareintheparks.org/. •
