Levitt Pavilion in Downtown Arlington is hosting its first Shakespeare performance starting Thursday night. Shakespeare LIVE will perform Thursday, Friday and Saturday night at the pavilion near West Abram and South Center.
"Unlike Shakespeare's actors, our actors have microphones, but they're still going to be competing with ambient noise, traffic, and that's just live theater. That's the joy and excitement of doing it live," says Shakespeare LIVE's Kevin Carr.
Levitt Pavilion has hosted concerts since opening in 2008, but this is the first theatrical performance. Actors will perform "As You Like It," a comedy by Shakespeare first performed in the early 17th century. The play is a comedy in a forest as a series of love affairs end with marriage.
"It's a classic," says Joseph Tully, who plays Orlando. "They go into the woods, and their lives change. They're disconnected from the city, and they just get to live. We're experiencing that while we're watching the show."
"We're literally outside. We actually feel like we're in a forest right now even though we're in this beautiful space of the Levitt," says Associate Producer Claire Parry. "It adds to the ambience, I think."
Actors and organizers say the performance can introduce new people to Shakespeare's work.
"All this adds to the adrenaline," says Rudy Lopez, who plays Touchstone. "It creates a new way to enhance the performance, and I love it. It's a community aspect. Anybody can come and bring your own blankets, food. You can appreciate the art more because of the venue we have."
"That's the great thing," Shakespeare LIVE's Carr says. "People who are not used to seeing Shakespeare or are maybe intimidated by it in the theater would love to come out here and see it in the park."
Performers say a more relaxed atmosphere can also help draw people who might just be passing by.
"That is so exciting. We've worked so hard to make Shakespeare accessible and understandable," Tully, or Orlando, says. "Shakespeare is so often seen as pretentious and something a lot of people don't understand. The idea people would just walk in and get to experience the joy and laugh for a second is so great."
Shakespeare LIVE is sponsored by Dance Theatre of Arlington.
"They've been tremendous. They have just been gracious and wonderful to work with and, I think, just realized what a great thing this would be for the community and have just been a wonderful sponsor for us," says LouAnn O'Donnell, cofounder of Shakespeare LIVE.
Performances are free, starting at 7:30 Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. Details about the organization are available at https://www.shakespearelive.org/ .
Because of the potential for rain, a matinee Friday has been canceled, but others are still scheduled. In the event of additional weather, performances may be moved to Arlington ISD's Center for Visual and Performing Arts. Shakespeare LIVE is posting updates here.
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