Before a theater troupe can hire professional performers, it must have a contract with the actors' union. Shrew, for instance, will showcase the talents of Dawn Ursula and Bruce Nelson, both company members of the well-respected Everyman Theatre. But the terms of that contract limit the hours that a cast can rehearse, and they are particularly stringent for small-budget companies.
When asked about those restrictions, Laura Hackman, who is directing Twelfth Night, made a face. "I only get them for 26 hours a week," she says.
Twenty-six hours might be sufficient - barely - to whip a modern show into shape. But it's not enough time for actors to master the complexities of Shakespearean dialogue, let alone to develop nuanced character interpretations.
In addition, the Bard's plays have huge casts and often clock in at three hours. (Both Shrew and Twelfth Night have 14 characters each, plus several walk-on roles.) This leaves directors less time to work individually with performers.
It's also no surprise that some of the festival's most accomplished productions so far have been contemporary works. For instance, Raine Bode's production of Bertolt Brecht's translation of Antigone this winter was visually stunning and had a cohesive point of view.
Given these difficulties, why bother with the Bard? As Epp points out, "Shakespeare still brings in the dollars."
It's not easy to raise money for new or experimental productions, especially in tight times. But money is available to fund H amlet or As You Like It or Julius Caesar in particular, because these shows are perceived as educational and family-friendly.
Considering the constraints, Epp thinks her company has accomplished wonders.
"We're in a good place financially and artistically," she says. "The thing we're the most proud of is the quality of our productions."
The festival's list of "best hits" would include Hackman's inventive, aerial staging of A Midsummer Night's Dream in 2006. J. Wynn Rousuck, The Sun's former theater critic, wrote that the production "is apt to make even the most skeptical believe in fairies."
Still, the board members know that more shows have to rise to that level. When James Kinstle, who had lead the troupe for eight years, stepped down April 1 to pursue his acting career full time, theater officials decided to embark on a national search for his replacement. (Kinstle continues to have close ties with the festival; in July, he will star in Shrew as the hyper-macho Petruchio.)
