SHARE

New Canaan Resident To Direct 'Shakespeare On The Sound'

NORWALK, Conn. -- "Shakespeare on the Sound" will return for its 18th year at Pinkney Park in Rowayton with a production of the Bard's "As You Like It" beginning June 13, but budget concerns will prevent the production from making its annual second stop in Greenwich.

"Shakespeare on the Sound" will return to Rowayton for its 18th year. Pictured is the audience for the 2011 production of "Much Ado About Nothing."

"Shakespeare on the Sound" will return to Rowayton for its 18th year. Pictured is the audience for the 2011 production of "Much Ado About Nothing."

Photo Credit: Eric Gendron

It would have been the seventh time the performance was repeated in Greenwich. But the organization is hoping to return to the town in 2014.

"It's with a great deal of regret that we have to restrict ourselves to Rowayton," Shakespeare on the Sound spokesman Marven Moss said. "All theaters are feeling a pinch and nonprofits are feeling a pinch. There just isn't enough funding to be able to cover the expense of going to Greenwich with the production."

All "Shakespeare on the Sound" productions are free to the public and rely on donations and private contributions to put on the show each year.

Moss explained the donations usually only cover 10 percent of the cost of the production.

"We rely on a lot of contributions from both the private sector and the government to finance the theater," Moss said. "Those sources of generating revenue just aren't there anymore."

The show must go on, however, with 16 performances scheduled in Rowayton from June 13 to 30.

The annual production at the mouth of the Five Mile River invites theatergoers to bring lawn chairs and picnic blankets to take in the sights and sounds of Shakespeare.

New Canaan resident Claire Kelly will take the reins as the director for "As You Like It." The play is considered Shakespeare's "comedic opus" and includes one of his most famous lines, "All the world's a stage."

“We’re mounting a production for the entire family,” Kelly said in a statement. “The environment will invite the audience members to feel they are participating in the presentation.”

Adults who attend are encouraged to donate $20, while the suggested donation for seniors and students is $10.

For more information, visit the Shakespeare on the Sound website.

to follow Daily Voice New Canaan and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE