The Gild takes Arden once again by storm. For “Hell is empty, all devils are loose.”
Beginning Friday, June 17, the Arden Shakespeare Gild continues its 18-year tradition by giving a production of The Tempest in its location in Arden, Del. The group holds its production at an outdoor venue, the Frank Stephens Memorial Theatre on Arden Green (rain location: Gild Hall) off Harvey Road at Orleans.
The town of Arden has been around for 110 years with Shakespeare as a major part of the community. Within the last 17 years, the Gild, with the help of recurring performers has produced Shakespearean plays. Brooke Bovard first appeared as Helena in the 1994 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream; her son also appeared as one of the fairies in the same production. She returns as Goddess Iris in The Tempest after playing Olivia in 1996’s Twelfth Night and Feste in the 2005 production of the 1920s version of the same play.
But performing outside came with a caveat. For the 1994 performance of Midsummer, a thunderstorm blew in, forcing the audience, cast and crew to move into Gild Hall. No one had ever rehearsed in the hall, for it had no stage set and no lighting plan. But Faith Whittington, who worked the lights on the performance, brought the stage lights on and improvised a light plot. She plays the part of Goddess Ceres in The Tempest.
Tickets are $10 for general admission, $8 for Arden club members, and $5 for children under 12. For Sunday and Wednesday bargain performances, all seats are $5. For more information or to reserve tickets, call 302.475.3126.