Animal Fire Theatre offers ‘Shakespeare 101’ online readings to raise money for the arts
Animal Fire Theatre Co., known for its outdoor summer Shakespeare shows, is staying home, staying safe and bringing the bard indoors.
On Sunday, the company launches “Shakespeare 101,” a four-week series of readings of some of William Shakespeare’s best-known plays, with a reading of “Romeo and Juliet,” Shakespeare’s tragic romance most often assigned to high-school students.
The story of the impetuous young lovers (read by Victoria Hope Ashley and David Breyman) separated not by fears of coronavirus but by their feuding families is the only tragedy in the series, intended as a fundraiser for local theaters paying to maintain performance spaces they can’t use while Washington arts patrons remain safely at home.
The readings feature Animal Fire regulars Scott Douglas and Brian Hatcher and many other well-known local actors, including Scott C. Brown, Drew Doyle, Rachel Permann Fitzgerald and John Serembe.
Ashley, a former Lacey resident now living in Alaska, and Fitzgerald of Tacoma — who’s on the board of Animal Fire and directed 2019’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor” — came up with a plan to get actors together while theaters are dark.
“Every time I’ve suggested Animal Fire do ‘Twelfth Night’ as our summer show, Brian (Hatcher) says, ‘Oh, that’s Shakespeare 101,’ ” Fitzgerald told The Olympian. So when Ashley suggested they set up online readings, Fitzgerald came up with “Shakespeare 101,” focusing on popular plays.
The readings will last between 90 minutes and two hours each, with a brief intermission.
Though there’s no charge for the performances, organizers are hoping audiences will be inspired to donate to regional theaters, including Broadway Olympia, Harlequin Productions, Olympia Family Theater and Olympia Little Theatre, all of which are closed for an indefinite period of time.
Olympia Little Theatre has chosen its 2020-2021 season, set to launch Oct. 16 with “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” said Toni Holm of the theater’s board.
Harlequin Productions is waiting to announce a reopening date, said artistic director Aaron Lamb.
“We have some contingency plans for opening at different dates, but nothing certain or concrete enough to be public yet,” he told The Olympian. “We’re just laying low and waiting until more information comes our way.”
Shakespeare 101
- What: Animal Fire Theatre Co. presents online readings of four of William Shakespeare’s best-known works.
- When: 6 p.m. Sundays through May 17
- Watch: https://zoom.us/j/97217362160 or streaming live on the company’s Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/AnimalFireTheatre
- Cost: Free, with suggested donations to Broadway Olympia, Harlequin Productions, Olympia Family Theater, Olympia Little Theatre, Tacoma Arts Live and Tacoma Little Theatre encouraged
Schedule
- April 26: “Romeo and Juliet,” a tragedy about a pair of star-crossed lovers from feuding families
- May 3: “Twelfth Night,” a comedy about twins separated in a shipwreck
- May 10: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” a fantastical comedy featuring several sets of lovers, including a fairy queen and king
- May 17: “The Taming of the Shrew,” a comedy in which an unlikely twosome battle their way to wedded bliss
Wherefore ‘Romeo and Juliet’?
Maybe it’s the balcony scene, but Animal Fire’s is one of at least three productions of “Romeo and Juliet” you can catch online right now as part of other Shakespearean theaters’ online offerings. Others include:
- London’s Globe Theatre is showing its 2009 production as part of a rotating selection of free screenings on its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwN-jwNNNQN-8sfKG-qg8uA).
- Seattle Shakespeare Co. is presenting an online reading of the play at 7:30 p.m. Saturday as part of a new series of Ruff Reads on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/c/seattleshakes).
This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 5:45 AM.