ON STAGE: The Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival
Where: Horticulture Centre of the Pacific (505 Quayle Rd.) and Esquimalt Gorge Park (1070 Tillicum Rd.)
When: July 1-16
Tickets: $25 from vicshakespeare.com
For years, the only elements in constant motion for the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival were the plays and performers.
The past two years have brought much turnover, with regards to the venues used for the annual event. Two new performance spaces entered the picture for the socially distanced event in 2021, only one of which — Horticulture Centre of the Pacific — remains in place for the 2022 season. Esquimalt Gorge Park, in partnership with the Township Community Arts Council of Esquimalt, is being used for the first time this year as the festival celebrates its 31st edition.
“We’re lucky that we perform outdoors, so that gives us freedom to choose,” said artistic director Karen Lee Pickett.
The company will present As You Like It at both venues in the coming weeks. In previous years, the festival staged two productions at locations in Esquimalt and Saanich. That was not possible this year, coming out of a pandemic that saw the 2020 edition cancelled and a smaller version in 2021 with reduced seating.
“Not really having a firm home base, doing the full-on repertory festival without having a place we are really secure in would have been really challenging,” Pickett said. “It’s not to say we’re not going to go back to [two performances] eventually, but time will tell.”
The search for a permanent home continues. The unique nature of the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, which is staged entirely outdoors, and susceptible to weather, means that not every venue is suitable. “There are certain things that need to exist in order for a performance to take place, where people can be accommodated,” Pickett said. “And you have to really be mindful of how we use the public space, so you don’t disrupt a huge amount of people. There’s a few considerations.”
As You Like It was on deck for 2021 but was never staged, so the decision was made to bring the comedy back to life starting this weekend. The 12-member cast, led by Stephie Bright as Rosalind and Aiden Guerreiro as Orlando, is directed by Barbara Poggemiller, who is a veteran of past productions at the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival.
The change in scheduling meant that some actors could not return this year, while others were cast in different roles. Though smaller in size, the quality of the production will not take a hit, Picket said. She expects the demand to remain high as tickets to the festival’s 2021 poduction of Cymbeline sold out in less than a week.
“Last year, we were in an unexpected sweet spot because when [the provincial health authority] made its announcement last year of the re-opening, we had done a lot of pre-planning for reduced capacity performances. We were one of the only games in town last summer.”
Ticket sales have been strong thus far, she added. She has heard from some supporters who really enjoyed the distanced seating but remain cautious about COVID-19, so the company is offering seats in areas where seats are arranged in a socially-distanced manner. “For people who are immunocompromised or have other vulnerabilities, this makes them feel safe and comfortable.”
