Bard's life basis of anniversary show

BARRY HARCOURT/151307

ANNIVERSARY VENUE: Shakespeare in the Park Charitable Trust member Angela Newell checks out Lazerland, where Shakespeare in the Dark will be held next year. The show is one of two being performed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the highly successful Shakespeare in the Park.

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Shakespeare fans will be doubly impressed next year when the annual Shakespeare in the Park is held.

To celebrate the event's 10th anniversary, the Shakespeare in the Park Charitable Trust will put on two distinct shows, one indoors and one out.

Shakespeare in the Dark, an intimate look into the life of William Shakespeare, will be staged at Invercargill's Lazerland.

Shakespeare in the Park producer Angela Newell said the show was based on the premise that Shakespeare had reached the end of his life and the characters, language, settings and stories that had consumed him during his creative life, come back to him in nightmare and dream states.

Staging the show at Lazerland meant audiences could walk through the venue to various stages of Shakespeare's life, almost as if they were viewing an art installation, Ms Newell said. Professional lighting and set designer Michael Knapp had been contracted to help with the staging of the show, and would bring a new level of sophistication to the production, she said.

The venue would be illuminated in various ways, including with black light and theatre lighting, while special effects such as projection would also be used to create the various scenes, she said.

The show would require a large cast. Experienced and inexperienced performers could register their interest at open auditions at the Venture Southland offices on Sunday, December 6, at 4pm and 5pm.

The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged) would be performed as the traditional Shakespeare in the Park.

A parody of Shakespeare's plays, the show would be performed at Queens Park on February 12-14, 20 and 21.

Shakespeare in the Dark would be performed from February 13-19.

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