It's the last week of the crazy, colourful Freewill Shakespeare Festival taking place at Edmonton's resplendent Hawrelak Park.
On tap this year is the comedic Merry Wives of Windsor playing in repertory with the more tragic Merchant of Venice.
In the snazzy, updated Elizabethan production of Merry Wives, the rascal Falstaff schemes to seduce Mistress Page and Mistress Ford, two married women, in an attempt to part them from their husbands' fortunes.
Directed by acclaimed actor/director Ashley Wright, the play also features Belinda Cornish, Robert Benz and Nadien Chu.
Instead in The Merchant of Venice, Wright doffs his director's cap and as an actor brings to life a play that is as powerful today as it was when Shakespeare first wrote it.
With underlying themes of greed and anti-Semitism, it is one of the most profound barometers of our era.
Also starring in this production is Cornish and Nathan Cuckow. The Merry Wives of Windsor plays on even numbered nights while The Merchant of Venice is performed on odd-numbered evenings.
Tickets are $30 adults; $20 students/senior and children under 10 are free. Festival passes for both shows are $50. Tickets are available at 780-420-1757 or at tixonthesquare.ca. For special event nights visit freewillshakespeare.com.
Alt-classical-jazz-indie-rock-folk. These musical genres are all part of the fifth annual C'mon Festival running July 14 to 16.
Three programs of delightful and witty chamber music form the festival's triple pillars. On Friday, July 14, an ensemble celebrates Serenade to Little Italy showcasing all things Italian from movies to opera and featuring soprano Janet Smith.
Following on Saturday, Sonic Wonders is a series of hybrid soundscapes of living composers from around the world. Closing the festival is Musical Rides, a versatile showcase of the festival's seven-piece in-house band.
The festival is hosted in the hospitable ambience of McCauley's Studio 96, formerly the home of St. Stephen's Anglican Parish at 10909 – 93 St. Pay what you can.
