A couple of weeks ago I posted an article on cultural events taking place in the Tyler area this summer. One such event that I would be remiss to forget is the annual Texas Shakespeare Festival (TSF) held at Kilgore College. The TSF is largely a company of professional actors as well as some drama students. While its summer performances are held at Van Cliburn auditorium every year, the festival which began in 1986 is technically independent from Kilgore College. However the school is a generous supporter of the event by not only providing a venue for the performances but also temporary room and board for the actors. The Texas Shakespeare Festival also receives numerous grants from the City of Kilgore, as well as many private businesses and corporations.
This summer the festival is entering its twenty fifth season. Over the past generation, the company has performed more than thirty of Shakespeare’s classic plays. But this company is about more than just Shakespearian dramas, (as if that weren’t enough). They have also performed other classics like Cyrano de Bergerac, She Stoops to Conquer, The Glass Menagerie, Amadeus, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Monkey King, and many, many others. This summer the company will be performing the Bard’s classic plays: As You Like It, and Two Gentlemen of Verona. They will also be performing several additional Plays including: The Learned Ladies, by Molière, Two by Two Music, by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Martin Charnin, and The Tortoise and the Hare, (based on a version entitled the Great Cross Country Race), by Alan Broadhurst. All features will be playing throughout the months of July and the beginning of August. For times and prices visit the Texas Shakespeare Festival website at www.texasshakespeare.com.
Shakespeare’s works, and plays in general are among the few things I’d rather watch than read, since they were written for that purpose. This great summer event is a tremendous opportunity for young people in particular, to begin to cultivate a love of literature and of learning. It has certainly helped to enrich our area and has developed a greater interest in the arts. Admittedly the festival is a few minutes outside Tyler, but it is well worth the small time investment required to head a little north for the day and take in a cultural and educational experience. For those interested in other activities or events happening around Tyler and East Texas this summer look for my recent posts entitled, Summer Activities in the Tyler Area, and Cultural Events and Institutions in Tyler TX. For more information on Kilgore College, go to www.kilgore.edu.