Coos Bay Shakespeare in the Park Announces Summer Production

In its seventh year of presenting free Shakespeare plays, Coos Bay Shakespeare in the Park will present the well-known Shakespeare tragedy Macbeth two consecutive weekends in June -- June 18, 19, 25, and 26 -- at Mingus Park, 725 N. Tenth Street, Coos Bay. In keeping with the original tradition of Shakespeare plays, the presentation will be preceded by a "green show," featuring music and dance by the Side of the Tide Morris Dancers at 2:30 p.m., followed immediately by the play beginning at 3 p.m. in the park amphitheater.

Macbeth tells the story of a Scottish general who, after winning in battle, is told by witches that he will be King of Scotland. Conspiring with and encouraged by his wife, Lady Macbeth, he murders Duncan, the King, but is eventually driven mad by guilt resulting from his need to commit more murders to protect his throne. The play is an exploration of ambition unchecked by morality; the actors will present the play from the perspective of a couple who believe what they are doing is necessary and will make Scotland better by getting rid of a bad leader.

The venue is outdoors and is lawn seating so audience members should provide their own chairs or blankets and dress appropriately for the weather. There is no charge but donations will be gratefully accepted to help cover costs of scenery, costumes, etc. The actors, director, and all those who are involved in the productions are volunteers and receive no compensation. The actors come from the community, people from all different walks of life, including experienced actors and those new to the craft. They represent a wide range of ages and come from several of the local Coos Bay/North Bend theater groups including the Logos Players, Dolphin Players, and On Broadway Thespians.

"Part of our mission statement is to be able to give opportunities for those interested in Shakespeare and to make inclusive theater available for our community, especially those who couldn't otherwise afford to attend the theater," said Kristin Hovenkotter Greco, president of the volunteer board of directors. "Our original thought was, this is something other communities have, our communities deserve it too. And we wanted to provide a place for people from the different theater groups to come together and do outdoor performing arts for our community, to collaborate on free cultural opportunities."

In addition to bringing members of the various local theater groups together in this effort, the group has developed a partnership with Southwestern Oregon Community College, which sponsors the group by providing indoor rehearsal space, community education classes about Shakespeare, a theater production class, and SWOC staff and students are involved in the plays.

In 2015, the group received a grant from Oregon State Parks' Art in the Park program. The first presentation in 2016 was a compilation of scenes from several different plays performed by the different theater groups presented at Shore Acres State Park. The following year the play moved to Mingus Park, which has become home to the group, where they presented Henry V, followed in the ensuing years by Twelfth Night, As You Like It, and in 2020 a livestreamed production of King Lear. Last year's production was The Tempest. Most of these productions can be viewed on their YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0X2HV1pVSokfWK0mmdkamA?app=desktop.

Coos Bay Shakespeare in the Park is a 501(c)3 non-profit. In addition to individual donations, a number of area businesses and grants support their work. This year's sponsors include Walmart, the Ford Family Foundation, the Coos Cultural Coalition, Banner Bank, Farm & Sea, Bigfoot Beverages, Seaboard Properties, 7 Devils Brewing Co, South Coast Family Dentistry, Ace Hardware, Elgin Orthodontics, Itty Bitty Inn, Brew Stop, Farr's Hardware, Cedar Electric, and Pamela C De Jong.

For additional information, please visit www.coosbayshakespeare.com