Players bring comedy to the park

OPEN-air Shakespeare is returning to Kirks Reservoir from Boxing Day.

OZACT’s cast of 10 players are staging the comedy, As You Like It, in the park on Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 December.

“This is one of Shakespeare’s underrated plays which often gets overlooked amongst his other comedies,” director Matt Young said.

“It has a lovely theme of people working out what works best for them, and it’s reflective of broader times with people trying to find their place in the world.

“From a jokes-per-minute rate, it’s really jam-packed, with vibrant characters. It’s a bright, summery show.”

One of the company’s main slogans is ‘Shakespeare in the great outdoors.’

“Using wonderful environments like the lovely gardens Kirks at Ballarat really enlivens a play, particularly As You Like It,” Young said.

“We start at court in a big city, and after the first act, all the characters move into a forest, exploring nature and experiencing things differently, so the gardens really add to the show as a whole and bring the audience into the world of the characters.

“Performing outdoors is always a great experience because you never know quite what’s going to happen and the weather is always variable.”

Young said this production is the first OZACT is presenting following the death of company founder and co-director Bruce Widdop.

“It’s the last show Bruce co-directed with me in the last six months before he passed away,” he said.

“It’s really going to be a nice way to send him off, and we hope it’s going to be something he can be proud of.”

The shows will be performed from 6.30pm both evenings and attendees are asked to bring along their own chairs or picnic rugs.

Visit bit.ly/46S5YZa for tickets which are $40 for adults, $25 for children under 16, and there’s a two-for-one ticket for First Nations people.