BRUNSWICK

The Theater Project announces the first-ever “Shakespeare on the Mall”. Al Miller, the theater’s founder and artistic director, is directing a shortened version of Shakespeare’s final play, “The Tempest” at the gazebo on Brunswick’s Mall. It will be performed August 8, 9 and 10 at 6:15 each evening, using natural lighting and live sound. There will be no amplification, artificial lighting or recorded sound, and is free to the public.

“We’re doing this with a cast of seven, playing eleven parts,” Miller says. “I’m excited to be doing Shakespeare live on the mall. The gazebo is not all that different from the stage in Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, where there was no roof, no recorded sound and no lighting. We’re going back to the basics, which are a good script, good actors and, we hope, an interested and lively audience. I encourage the audience to bring folding chairs or blankets to sit on, and they are welcome to bring food and drink.”

The play will last an hour and fifteen minutes without an intermission. Miller is optimistic about the potential of this venture. “The gazebo cries out for a Shakespeare production, and Brunswick, with Bowdoin’s art museum, the summer music festival and Maine State Music Theatre is lacking only live Shakespeare to make it a complete summer cultural center! By doing the show with natural lighting and live sound, we come close to the original Shakespearean theater. People can see “The Tempest” and then go out for dinner at one of Brunswick’s many incredible restaurants. I hope this catches on and becomes a tradition in Brunswick. Its time has come and everybody wins!”

This production is made possible in part by the Nathaniel Davis Fund. FMI call The Theater Project at 729-8584 or visit www.theaterproject.com