Kids Inspire Their Own Shakespeare Show

When ADK Shakes set up shop in Schroon Lake last year, the company was amazed by the number of kids that were turning up at their performances. Kids as young as four were "mesmerized" by the performances, recalled Tara Bradway, the show’s Artistic Director.

"They were wrapped. The kids got it. They are a lot smarter than a lot of adults give them credit for in understanding Shakespeare."

That experience led to a special commission of an adapted Shakespeare work just for kids, "Theseus And The Minotaur", two of the characters from  A Midsummer Night’s Dream. True to their roots, the performance Wednesday will be in “raw” form, where the focus is on the words --- not the sets or costumes. Says Tara:

The play encourages children to use their imaginations -- which they are so wonderful at doing. We are using simple props -- a ship is made from two dowels and a swath of fabric. The same fabric is used to veil the Minotaur. The actors employ considerable energy in order to bring the story to life, but it's really the children who provide that final step of creating the play.

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Summer Shakes in Schroon

For the last month, the young actors of the ADK Shakes Company have worked long, long days and long, long nights, squeezed in a few hours sleep and the occasional yoga class as they studied their parts for today’s Schroon Lake premiere of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Today’s performance features one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays. Its plot centers around the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta. Throw in the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors, who are manipulated by fairies who inhabit the forest in which most of the play is set, and you’ve got a Shakespeare classic

Schroon Laker caught up with actor Collin McConnell (who's playing Demetrius) and asked about today’s performance.

"Are you kidding? I'm so excited! At this moment, the company is really ready for a good night's sleep. We've been working incredibly hard.

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'Shake It' This Sunday At Scaroon Manor...

Tara Bradway, ADK Shakes Executive director, with some of the company at a performance Thursday.

This just in…The Adirondack Shakespeare Company has just got the green light to stage a show this Sunday at the old Scaroon Manor site, moving their Schroon Lake premiere forward by several weeks.

ADK Shakes, as the company is known, calls Schroon home for the summer. Executive director Tara Bradway got the news last night from the New York DEC. From Tara:

This brand new performance on Sunday is wonderful for us. The DEC contacted us to hang up posters at the Manor and at the camping grounds at Eagle Point. Campers have been asking about the shows that are going on. We suggested to them that we come on over to do a show this weekend! Sunday was our very last date available in our touring calendar, and people have been asking for a Complete Works performance in Schroon sooner than the end of July -- so we have delivered!

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