Shakespeare in Whitehall

My family has always been a bit theatrical. I blame my parents, living history interpreters who brought my brother and I up in rendezvous and reenactments. My mother played Mary Todd Lincoln watching “Our American Cousin” at a reenactment they began in Keokuk, IA. My father, playing John Wilkes Booth, appropriately broke his ankle after shooting Lincoln and jumping off a balcony onto the stage. Devotion to character development right there!

In high school I found theatre on my own - at first playing bit parts and running the lights from backstage. Eventually I found my way into a lead role - the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods - and my performing bug was in full swing. From there I played a variety of roles and loved every minute of it. Now I perform on stage, singing, and can’t get enough of it.

However, in all my roles throughout high school and beyond, I never participated in a Shakespearean play. Sure, we read scenes from Romeo and Juliet in high school, but I never got to ACT them. Truly, this is something I hope to someday correct!

I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to be a part of the groups bringing Shakespeare in the Park to Whitehall on August 15th. This event is brought to you by the Whitehall Chamber of Commerce, of which I am a member of the Board, but also by Gold Junction Presents, another association I am proud to be a part of. Arts and culture are SO important to the developing young minds in our school systems, as well as the weathered old minds of us who are out in the “real world!”

I urge everyone to come down to the Main Street Green on Sunday, August 15th and enjoy a Midsummer Night’s Dream. Maybe it will be your first time you’ve seen it; maybe the thousandth - but not matter what, it is always worth it. The Montana Shakespeare in the Parks program does a phenomenal job bringing these productions to life, right in our own backyard. Bring a chair or a blanket, order a boxed lunch from Red Apron Catering (call 287-2260 to reserve), grab a refreshment onsite and enjoy an evening outside with one of Shakespeare’s most famous productions!