Bard to be absent from Congress Park this year

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Bard to be absent from Congress Park this year

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Congress Park in Saratoga Springs won’t quite be the same this summer.

Saratoga Shakespeare Company, a nonprofit theater troupe that has performed free Shakespeare in Congress Park every summer since it debuted with “Twelfth Night” in 2000, is disbanding. According to the company’s artistic director, William A. Finlay, every effort will be made to bring Shakespeare back to Congress Park for the summer of 2010.

“We depend on our community to help us continue bringing professional Shakespeare to everyone, and with that in mind, over the next few months, we will be looking for a few leaders and heroes to join us on this journey,” said Finlay. “Over the years, we have had wonderfully talented individuals actively involved on our volunteer board. We now need to fill the positions of those who have gone on to new endeavors and recruit leaders who have expertise in fundraising, community outreach and administrative and company management.”

Finlay said the group’s hiatus is not directly due to the cuts in the state budget affecting the state Council on the Arts.

“It’s more related to the general economic climate,” Finlay said. “Much of our fundraising depends on individual donations, and unfortunately people aren’t in a position to contribute as much as they usually do. But we feel very good about 2010. We’re going to reorganize and come back stronger than we were before.”

Saratoga Shakespeare Company performed shows for two weeks every July at the Alfred Z. Solomon Stage in Congress Park. Both local actors and Equity members from New York City made up the cast and crew for the company, which according to Finlay had an annual production budget of $70,000.

“There is no way to effectively communicate how eternally grateful we are for all the support we’ve received over the past nine years from individuals and businesses in our community,” said Finlay. “Now, we are looking for a few heroes to underwrite and sponsor our 2010 season. We desire to keep the true spirit of Shakespearean drama alive and well for everyone in the Capital Region to enjoy, and together, I know we can achieve this goal.”

The group staged Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” in 2008, while other works performed were “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 2001, “The Comedy of Errors” in 2002, “The Taming of the Shrew” in 2003, “Romeo and Juliet” in 2004, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” in 2005, “The Tempest” in 2006 and “Much Ado About Nothing” in 2007.

“The company has built a solid reputation for outstanding professional productions of the Bard’s plays that are designed to satisfy Shakespeare enthusiasts while giving newcomers — especially families — a fun and exciting introduction to his work,” said Finlay. “Our audience includes people of all ages, and we’re delighted to have introduced so many young people to Shakespeare, not as required school reading but as living, breathing theater.”

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2009/may/01/0501_noshakes/