KY Shakespeare's Bard-a-Thon

Wow, what a blast I had with my friend, Bill Riley, at the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival's Bard-a-Thon in Louisville's Central Park last evening. Attendees were prohibited from taking photos of the performance, and I am a rule-follower (some of the time), so I don't have any pictures of the plays, but the venue (above) was comfortable; although the temperatures were in the nineties, Bill and I sat in a shaded spot, and even made new friends! We enjoyed the 4:30 performance of The Winter's Tale and the 7:30 performance of Two Gentlemen of Verona, both of which were ably performed by a versatile cast (which was displayed especially in the second play, an adaptation set in 1919, complete with musical numbers drawn from that period).

We were already out past curfew so we didn't stay for the 10:30 p.m. performance of Romeo and Juliet. But what a wonderful experience, all around. Not only were three performances offered, one after the other, but there were food trucks, a splash park (which came in handy, I must say), free water, a Dixieland jazz band, various vendors, and the Bard himself (see above), accompanied by Grumio (from The Taming of the Shrew). Will let me touch his writing hand; I think some of his genius actually rubbed off. Or maybe he was melting.

Between the first two performances, Gregory Maupin ("Polixenes") let me take a selfie with him. I also got to meet Matt Wallace, the producing artistic director of the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, and two new friends, Ray Ontko (the president of Richmond Shakespeare Festival) and his wife, Sharon.

Many, many thanks to Kentucky Shakespeare Festival for an outstanding event, attended by several hundred folks who braved the extreme heat. I hope to return for Bard-a-Thon next year, though I may have to wear my swimsuit and spend more time in the splash park.