All the world’s a stage, and the men, women, and children performing are the Shawnigan Players.
Back for its 12th year the Cowichan Shakespeare Festival present the comedy All’s Well, That Ends Well from Aug. 10 to 20 at the 100-year-old farm Gem O’ The Isle. There are eight regular performances, with evening shows beginning at 7:30 p.m., with the gates opening at 7 p.m., and two Sunday matinees beginning at 2 p.m. with the gates opening at 1:30 p.m.
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“It’s lovely, we built a wooden stage in the orchard of the farm, and there is room for 200 plus spectators in a very beautiful setting. The background is the fields and the trees, and the mountains beyond, it’s really quite spectacular,” said director Alex Gallacher. “We started this festival 12 years ago, and we didn’t expect it to be anything more than a one off. It was such a big success the first year that we decided to do it again, and we have continued each year. Even through COVID, so it’s been 12 consecutive years which is a wonderful thing.”
Shakespeare enthusiasts can catch a sneak peek on Aug. 7 at noon at Charles Hoey Memorial Park as part of the 39 Days of July celebration in Duncan.
“We perform the whole play in its entirety, and have done this since our very first performance in 2012. It’s free for anyone who would like to come and see it,” said Gallacher. “It’s wonderful for the company, because they get to perform the play for an audience before opening night, which is always an exciting one because it is in the hustle and bustle of downtown Duncan. It’s always a great pageant. We will also do a preview in Shawnigan Lake for the Shawnigan Players on Aug. 5 at the Shawnigan Lake Pavilion at 6 p.m.”
All’s Well That Ends Well follows Helen, one of Shakespeare’s greatest heroines, who is desperately in love with the hero Bertram. When the king in Paris falls ill, Helen offers to help him with a cure she was bequeathed from her father who is a doctor. Part of her bargain is that she will get to pick the husband of her choosing which is Bertram. Despite his lack of interest in her, and his higher social standing, Helen pursues the man she loves.
“It’s a great story of perseverance,” said Gallacher. “It’s a great story of female empowerment which is unusual for a play that is over 500 years old, and that was compelling for me. I’ve always loved that about Shakespeare, that his heroines are very strong, and engaging characters, and this play is not that well known so I think it’s great for audiences to see. You end up rooting for both characters even though there is this great obstacle in the way of their romance. A few years ago, I really wanted to branch off and do some of the lesser-known works of Shakespeare, which include this one. Last year we did Cymbeline which is very seldom performed, and it was a great success.”
Gallacher who has been directing plays since 1988, said this year’s production has 37 cast members. Member Bruce Childs composed the entirety of the original music for this year’s production and there will be three live musicians playing the harp, cello, and guitar.
“The three of them will be playing music as the play unfolds, and it really enhances the spectacle and the play itself,” said Gallacher. “The most rewarding part for me is the chance to work with a large group of people on figuring out the text, and putting it on the stage, and bringing it to life. It’s been a passion of mine for years, and I haven’t lost it yet.”
Tickets are $25 per person and can be bought through eventbrite.ca or in person at Ten Old Books in Duncan. For families that have two adults and up to three children there’s a special rate of $50 per family.
“We always have a special deal, we love for families to come, and the shows are always very compelling for kids as well as adults,” said Gallacher. “We really like to have kids exposed to Shakespeare and great theatre. The hope is that people will go away just having been delighted by the beauty of the setting, and the play itself. Even in Shakespeare’s comedies, the audience will often weep as well as laugh so we really just want our audience to go away feeling like they have had a wonderful experience.”
