Annual reading of The Declaration of Independence set for Shakespeare & Company
LENOX – Grab a blanket, pack a picnic and join Shakespeare & Company on July 4th as kicks off its seventh annual reading of The Declaration of Independence. This popular event continues to attract growing audiences and participation each year and includes Company musicians, actors, special guests and an anticipated 500 guests who will join in the festivities at the Company’s Bankside Tent on Friday, July 4, at 3:00 p.m.The reading is part of the FREE outdoor Bankside Festival, generously underwritten by Teddi and Francis Laurin, which offers family-oriented performances, programming, and humanities lectures though August 30. Tickets are free but required, and guests seeking tickets on the day of the event are encouraged to arrive early to secure a seat.
The program includes live, acoustic music, including a festive sing-along led by a group of Company musicians. Traditional barbequed food items will be available for sale under the tent adjacent to Founders’ Theatre before and after the reading, and guests are encouraged to spend the afternoon on the grounds, taking advantage of Shakespeare & Company’s spacious lawns for recreation. A free performance of The Mad Pirate and the Mermaid will held at the Rose Footprint Theatre at 6:15 p.m., and the Company’s production of All’s Well that Ends Well plays at Founders’ at 8 p.m.
For a complete schedule of all Bankside Festival events running in repertory, and information on Shakespeare & Company’s 2008 season, please call the box office at 413-637-3353 or visit the S&Co. website at www.shakespeare.org.
The Declaration of Independence will be divided up into dozens of parts to accommodate the readers who include Shakespeare & Company actors, directors, staff, members of state and local government, and friends in the community. Invited guests include State Representatives William (Smitty) Pignatelli and Dennis E. Guyer, Senator Benjamin B. Downing, and Governor Deval Patrick.
The reading of The Declaration of Independence has become incorporated into family traditions of local residents and Company friends over the last several years and attendance for the event has grown over 100% since its humble beginnings on an uncovered stage on a hot Independence Day in 2001. The annual event came out of a desire by the Company to celebrate our democracy and the power of language to change the world.
The popular FREE outdoor Bankside Festival begins performances on June 25 and includes Preludes (15-minute entertainments) running outdoors prior to Founders’ Theatre performances; the world premiere of the hilarious The Mad Pirate and the Mermaid, opening The Rose Footprint stage and playing in two parts on alternating days and running through August 30; The Bankside Humanities Series, beginning July 1 and offering unique lectures and demonstrations; and Wild and Whirling Words, an introduction to Shakespeare’s language and times, beginning August 3.
