2nd Annual Viroqua Shakespeare Festival: A Midsummer Night’s Dream & More!
Join us the weekend of June 23rd-25th for live music, picnicking, and Shakespeare under the summer
sun!
sun!
See more info here:
https://thoreaucollege.org/viroqua-shakespeare-festival/
https://thoreaucollege.org/viroqua-shakespeare-festival/
https://www.thejonesclassicaltheater.org/2022-2023-season/viroqua-shakespeare-festival/a-midsummer-nights-dream-2023
The mission of the Viroqua Shakespeare Festival is to support the American theater at the grassroots level by creating a context for collaboration between non-union professional actors, early career theatre-artists, theater educators, and actor-artists from local communities. The Viroqua Shakespeare Festival was founded in 2022, the result of a collaboration between Thoreau College and our friends at the Jones Classical Theater Company! Under the direction of Willie E. Jones III, the troupe of guest actors from around the United States will perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream alongside a cast of Viroqua-area locals including theater educators and actor-artists of all stripes.
The 2nd Annual Viroqua Shakespeare Festival is presented by Thoreau College and the Jones Classical Theater Company.
Hourly Schedule
June 23rd, 2023: Viroqua Shakespeare Festival Schedule
- 5:00pm - 7:00pm
- Midsummer Banquet
- A fundraising banquet catered by Chef Frank Wildingway will take place prior to the show on Friday, June 23rd. To support our spring fundraising campaign, and reserve a plate at the donor banquet, follow the link here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?campaign_id=F2G4GGSLFT44G
- 7:00pm - 8:30pm
- A Midsummer Night's Dream performance
- In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare weaves together three stories about a passionate group of young lovers, an eager troupe of amateur actors, and a dangerous world of fairies and magic. Dealing with themes of intimacy, deception, friendship, music, and love, this timeless tale will be beautifully in the Thoreau College Amphitheater! * Appx. runtime: 90 minutes
June 24th, 2023: Viroqua Shakespeare Festival Schedule
- 10:00am - 11:00am
- "Oedipus Rex: Private Eye" Premiere Staged Reading
- He’s the world’s second greatest detective, but there’s one mother of a case he’s never been able to crack. Local theatre artist Ian Baird presents Ancient Greek drama meets Pink Panther style humor in this hilarious adaptation of Sophocles classic Greek tragedy, "Oedipus Rex". All readings @ The Commons [Appx. runtime: 60 minutes]
- 2:00pm - 3:30pm
- World Premiere: Love, American Style
- Everyone talks about wanting love, but how often do we explain what love looks like? Award-winning, MFA playwright J. David Cook presents Love, American Style; three short plays that explore what love can look like - the good, the bad, and the awkward. It's sweet, it's funny, and it's scary, just like real love. All performances @ The Landmark Center Theater. [Appx. Runtime: 90 minutes]
- 5:00pm - 7:00pm
- Pre-show picnic with music from Matt Shortridge and Megan Bradley
- Guests can expect a fiddle or a flute or a brave voice to fill the air, while the campus grounds will open for picnicking and socializing under the summer sun.
- 7:00pm - 8:30pm
- A Midsummer Night's Dream performance
- In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare weaves together three stories about a passionate group of young lovers, an eager troupe of amateur actors, and a dangerous world of fairies and magic. Dealing with themes of intimacy, deception, friendship, music, and love, this timeless tale will be beautifully in the Thoreau College Amphitheater! * Appx. runtime: 90 minutes
June 25th, 2023: Viroqua Shakespeare Festival Schedule
- 11:00am - 12:00pm
- "Oedipus Rex: Private Eye" Premiere Staged Reading
- He’s the world’s second greatest detective, but there’s one mother of a case he’s never been able to crack. Local theatre artist Ian Baird presents Ancient Greek drama meets Pink Panther style humor in this hilarious adaptation of Sophocles classic Greek tragedy, "Oedipus Rex". All readings @ The Commons [Appx. runtime: 60 minutes]
- 2:00pm - 3:30pm
- World Premiere: Love, American Style
- Everyone talks about wanting love, but how often do we explain what love looks like? Award-winning, MFA playwright J. David Cook presents Love, American Style; three short plays that explore what love can look like - the good, the bad, and the awkward. It's sweet, it's funny, and it's scary, just like real love. All performances @ The Landmark Center Theater. [Appx. Runtime: 90 minutes]
- 5:00pm - 7:00pm
- Pre-show picnic with music from the Pan Orpheus Ensemble
- Guests can expect a fiddle or a flute or a brave voice to fill the air, while the campus grounds will open for picnicking and socializing under the summer sun.
- 7:00pm - 8:30pm
- A Midsummer Night's Dream performance
- In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare weaves together three stories about a passionate group of young lovers, an eager troupe of amateur actors, and a dangerous world of fairies and magic. Dealing with themes of intimacy, deception, friendship, music, and love, this timeless tale will be beautifully in the Thoreau College Amphitheater! * Appx. runtime: 90 minutes