Outdoor Summer Shakespeare Festival returns to University of Auckland Clock Tower

Auckland Outdoor Summer Shakespeare will be celebrating its return to the University of Auckland Clock Tower with an enlarged 2017 program at the open-air venue.

Running from 14th February to 11th March the venue will host two of Shakespeare’s plays, a series of sonnets, and a gallery of local artwork.

Bringing Glastonbury to Auckland, As You Like It, Director Benjamin Henson will present a colourful, shaken up interpretation of Shakespeare’s captivating comedy, complemented by an outdoor art gallery of works by local artists, sculptors, photographers and designers, truly bringing out that festival vibe.

The Merry Wives of Windsor: With a career spanning three decades, theatre veteran Stuart Devenie (MNZM) directs a bold cast of 14 to 25 year olds from the Young Auckland Shakespeare Company. The show is set in the bubble gum era of the 1950s, when housewives ‘knew their place’ and knew how to pull the strings from behind the scenes. The Merry Wives of Windsor plays over two weekends in the afternoons before As You Like It, offering punters a whole evening of Shakespeare.

Summer Shakespeare first began in 1963 when Professor Sidney Musgrove and the Auckland University student drama got together to produce the very first Outdoor Summer Shakespeare, Hamlet, thus beginning a legacy that has lasted for 52 years.

In 1967, the Auckland University Students’ Association took on a funding and logistical role to ensure that the shows could continue following a troubled year in 1966, a relationship that has remained strong ever since. Summer Shakespeare continued on a nearly-yearly basis, creating opportunities for students and young actors and directors to make their start.

Looking forward to this year’s program Auckland Outdoor Summer Shakespeare Producer  Natalie Beran explains “we loved the idea of a festival event, and are wanting to use as many elements as we can - the shows, music, art, photography etc, by including creative artists from our wider community.

“We're also now hosting the Young Auckland Shakespeare Company (The Merry Wives of Windsor) and the International Actors Ensemble (Summer Sonnet Series) as part of the festival fun. Support from the University of Auckland will also see food, drink, retail and buskers adding to the pre-show festival atmosphere and the opportunity to view our Outdoor Art Gallery.

“AUSA Outdoor Summer Shakespeare has been a tradition for many years. The productions offer Auckland audiences, cast and crew a new theatre experience each year and we're firmly established as an annual event in the Auckland summer calendar. For 53 years we have presented a unique, festive, outdoor, community-oriented product in the central city. 

“As the city has grown and changed, so has the Auckland Outdoor Summer Shakespeare and it is now an annual, hands-on opportunity of scale offering the opportunity for creative people to engage with professionals from the performing arts (directors, choreographers, composers), and in many cases to experience an activity outside of their usual range.”

Auckland Outdoor Summer Shakespeare Festival
14th February to11th March
Beneath the University of Auckland Clock Tower, 22 Princes Street, Auckland
www.iticket.co.nz/go-to/auckland-summer-shakespeare
 
AS YOU LIKE IT plays:
14th February to11th March, 7:30pm shows Tuesday to Saturday
Tickets: $35 Adults, $28 Concession, $20 Students
Tickets from www.iticket.co.nz/events/2017/feb/auckland-summer-shakespeare-as-you-like-it
 
THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR plays:
18th & 19th, 25th & 26th February 2017, 2pm and 5pm shows
Tickets: $18.50 Adults, $12 Concession/Students
Tickets from www.iticket.co.nz/events/2017/feb/merry-wives-of-windsor
 
SUMMER SONNET SERIES plays:
4th & 11th March 2017, 5pm shows
Tickets: $18.50 Adults, $12 Concession/Students, $5 Child
Tickets from www.iticket.co.nz/events/2017/mar/summer-sonnet-series

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