Humber River Shakespeare Company successfully open King’s ASK Festival

July 17, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Brittany Spencer
The Humber River Shakespeare Company (HRSC) initiated King’s Annual ASK Festival with an outstanding performance of the timeless love story Romeo and Juliet this last Thursday (July 10), at the Country Day Performing Arts Centre.
Audience members of all ages came together to enjoy a night of romance, danger and tragic haste as HRSC brought the thrill of Shakespearean theatre to a modern day stage.
Artistic Director Kevin Hammond brought life to Shakespeare’s timeless text with the use of a minimalistic set that allowed the tremendous talents of the nine-person cast to shine through. The actors sported contemporary costumes allowing the classical script to blend seamlessly into the modern-day imagination.
Hammond stated his vision for this season’s play was to convey, “the stunning speed at which the events and world of this play progress. It’s the idea that when society accelerates to such a degree, our children will pay the price.”
The two and a half hour performance, which included skillfully choreographed fight scenes, modernly adapted dance pieces and rapid scene changes, blended together into an entertaining performance that reinforced this vision.
This year’s production marks HRSC’s seventh consecutive season of performance touring the historic and pastoral banks of the Humber River and surrounding areas. For the duration of this season’s tour, the company will return to its roots in outdoor theatre, creating professional performance spaces in parks, arts centers and historic landmarks within the communities they visit.
HRSC prides itself on its dedication to the classic ideal of travelling acting troupes, as touring provides a level of authenticity and tradition to the performance of Shakespearean works that is reminiscent of the years when they were first in production.
Following the performance the company extended thanks to its many donors, sponsors, and supporting audience members; ASK for their continued support and partnership; as well the company’s 2014 Presenting Partners: The Ontario Arts Council and The Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Further performance locations for this year’s tour of Romeo and Juliet will includeFairly Lake Park, Newmarket (July 17, 19 and 24); Alton Mill Arts Centre (July 18); McMichael Canadian Art Collection (July 20); Thornlodge Park, Mississauga (July 22 and 23); Nineteen on the Park, Stouffville (July 25 and 26); Montgomery’s Inn, Etobicoke (July 27 and Aug. 1, 2 and 3); Old Mill, Toronto (July 29 and 30); and Etienne Brule Park, Toronto (July 31).
Admission will run on a “pay-what-you-can” basis, with a suggested donation of $20 per person, in order to uphold the company’s goal to make professional theatre accessible and enjoyable for all people within local communities.
More information regarding performance locations and ticket details may be found at www.humberrivershakespeare.ca

Lady Capulet (Paula Schultz) and the Nurse (Candy Pryce) have a sitdown chat with Juliet (Eunjung Nam).

Romeo (Kelly Penner) mourns over what he thinks is the dead body of his Juliet (Eunjung Nam). This was from Friday’s performance in Aurora.
Photos by Bill Rea

The cast of the Humber River Shakespeare production of Romeo and Juliet consists of Candy Pryce, Tim Machin, Drew O’Hara, Phillip Psutka, Eunjung Nam, Matthew Lawrence, Kelly Penner, Paula Schultz and Steve Coombes.