William Shakespeare’s plays “Troilus and Cressida” and “Taming of the Shrew” are scheduled to be in the Bakersfield College Outdoor Theater. Both shows are part of the 2007 Kern Shakespeare Festival, which is celebrating its 24th year.
The performances are scheduled to play for three weeks. The play “Troilus and Cressida” will be performed Oct. 3, 5, 11, 13, 17, and 19. The “Taming of the Shrew” will perform on Oct. 4, 6, 10, 12, 18, and 20. All performances will start at 8 p.m. and ticket prices will be $5 for general admission while students, seniors and groups of 10 or higher, get in for $3.
Children under 6 are not allowed in the theater because they can be a distraction for the audience and the actors.
“Troilus and Cressida” will be directed by Randy Messick. This story is based on the days of the Trojan War, which deals with love. This four-hour play will be reduced to two hours and show a variety of special features.
Kat Brinkley, 25, the costume technician, said that all of the actors’ costumes will be done by hand. There is a class students can take to help design the costumes for the play and get credits for them. According to Brinkley, the process has not been slow because of the hand-made costumes. For “Troilus and Cressida,” the costumes will be traditional Greek outfits.
“Taming of the Shrew” will be directed by Robert Kempt. This goes back to the 1650s European musketeer era. This story is based more on humor and positive scenery, and is more rated-G.
Tech director Jarred Clowes, 32, said “the equipment is really old, but I think the biggest problem we got is slope that’s in the Outdoor area.”
When it rains, the water is suppose to get out on to the sewer, so there’s a slope were the stage is going to be. “It’s not a big deal because we are going to build the stage to be even when they perform.”
Since the stage is going to be outdoors, the actors and actresses have to speak louder than in an indoor theater. “The stage is going to be a three-quarter round,” said Andrew Ansolabehere, 18. The actors are going to have to ignore the invisible wall and begin looking at the audience to the left, in front, and right of them.
“The pressure is on because the show is getting closer and closer,” said Justin Thompson, 20, a theater major. According to him, in order to really give the audience the meaning and the passion of the play, the actor has to first know what he or she is talking about and has to feel what he or she is talking about. “I would expect a phenomenal show because of the good actors and all the hard work we put on the show. It will be awesome.”
So far in the rehearsal, there have been no problems among the staff and equipment. “Even though we are here for ridiculous hours, we still enjoy this. And we hope the audience will come and have the same kind of feeling,” said Ansolabehere.