The festival will add a cinematic twist to this season as the company has gathered an extraordinary lineup of favorite film adaptations of Shakespeare’s finest works.
“Shakespeare Night at the Movies”, produced by the University of Houston School of Theatre and Dance, will be showcased at Hermann Park’s Miller Outdoor Theatre from Tuesday, Aug. 3 through Saturday, Aug. 7.
This year, spectators will enjoy five works covering a full range of Shakespeare’s styles. Visitors are encouraged to bring their loved ones and a picnic basket since everyone will receive a surprise.
Houston Shakespeare Festival (HSF) executive director and theater historian Rob Shimko commented, “one way to look at this season of films is that we are starting with two of the classic Kenneth Branagh films, ‘Henry V’ for the serious one; ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ for comedy.”
He remarked that there would be ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ for those who favor classic Hollywood. And for the serious film buffs, Akira Kurosawa’s ‘Throne of Blood,’ the Japanese adaptation of ‘Macbeth’ would be a nice movie to spend their time with.
Shimko added that there would also be Baz Lurhmann’s stylish ‘Romeo + Juliet’ starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes and its incredible music score to complete the festival.
Visitors will also enjoy Shimko’s “Bard Talks” before each show to provide background on each film. This event is free and open to the public starting from 8:30 p.m.
The schedule for the festival is as follows:
- Tuesday, Aug. 3: “Henry V” (1989)
- Wednesday, Aug. 4: “Throne of Blood” (1957)
- Thursday, Aug. 5: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1935)
- Friday, Aug. 6: “Much Ado About Nothing” (1993)
- Saturday, Aug. 7: “Romeo + Juliet” (1996)
According to Shimko, HSF is planning to restart the company’s traditional season of live performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre in 2022 with productions of “King Lear” and “Cymbeline.”
Since being established in 1975 by Sidney Berger, the festival has entertained more than a million Houstonians and attracted national theater talents.