In their 26th season, the Freewill Shakespeare Festival is excited to be selling tickets for The Taming of the Shrew running July 9 to 27 at the Myer Horowitz Theatre at the University of Alberta.
Due to an unforeseen renovation at Hawrelak Park’s Amphitheatre, the festival was forced to move indoors. To be fiscally responsible, the festival pared down its four-week two-show season to a three-week one-show season.
Directed by artistic director Marianne Copithorne, The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy on the foibles of lovers. Suitors in Padua are eager to have the tart-tongued Katherine married off to someone – just not them.
They’re all too busy skirting each other and chasing Kate’s sister, Bianca. So when, the charismatic Petruchio comes to town to find a wife, Bianca’s suitors convince him to pursue Katherine. To everyone’s merriment and surprise, including Katherine’s, he succeeds.
Tickets vary in price. Visit freewillshakespeare.com to order.
The tale of Cinderella has been told and retold through the ages. And now Opera Nuovo brings Cendrillon to the operatic stage June 25 to 29 at the Eva O. Howard Theatre at the Victoria School of Performing Arts.
In this tale sung in French, Cendrillon’s father has married a selfish countess. The imperious countess takes her two daughters to the Prince’s ball leaving Cendrillon home.
A fairy godmother transforms the forlorn girl. At the ball, Cendrillon meets her prince, but at midnight, she scampers away before her clothes disappear.
But here the traditional story diverges. Cendrillon returns to the house and later flees into the night. However, the woodland fairies conspire to make the prince and Cendrillon come together, and the lovers spend an enchanted evening in an arbour of flowers.
Cendrillon next wakes up at the house, where she was found months previously by a stream. There is a royal summons to try on the glass slipper and Cendrillon goes to claim her identity.
Tickets are $5 to $38. For more information visit operanuova.ca
