(Manchester, VT – April 2024) Shakespeare in the Woods (SitW) is proud to announce plans for its 4th summer season of innovative and radical classical theatre in Southern Vermont! The 2024 season will feature unconventional and modern productions of Macbeth and Twelfth Night, Or, What You Will, performed in repertory during August 21 – September 8 (Previews August 17-18). Evening performances occur onWednesdays-Sundays, with Student & Seniors matinees on Fridays. It is SitW’s great pleasure to also announce a new grassy stage this season, and the start of a partnership with The Equinox Resort & Spa! As Venue Partner, The Equinox will host performances on its Taconic Lawn, right in the heart of historic Manchester Village.
“We are so excited to be in partnership with the fantastic folks at The Equinox, which is a Manchester mainstay! Having this be our new performance home is a huge opportunity for us to further connect with locals and tourists alike, and it’s exhilarating to see The Equinox’s enthusiasm for bolstering the arts & culture scene in Southern VT.” said Founder & Producing Artistic Director, Katharine Maness (they/them).
SitW’s upcoming dual show season will be one of dichotomy; honing in on themes of gender, desire & jealousy, authenticity & illusion, belief & fate, and more.
“Entering into our 4th season, SitW has developed a sharp and daring artistic voice that we’re delighted audiences have come to expect from our productions,” Maness shared, “Our goal is communal catharsis and social wellness by engaging audiences in conversation. We see value in being confronted with ideas that differ from your own, and bring a variety of identities to the forefront of our productions that allow audiences to engage with perspectives outside of their everyday experience. Crucially, our work argues in favor of valuing art as a tool for learning empathy and humanity within community. I’m excited to continue engaged dialogue with audiences this season through the immersive worlds of our Macbeth and Twelfth Night productions!”
Tapped to direct the 2024 productions are SitW newcomer, Jess Slaght (she/her), and returning for a second summer, Roberto Di Donato (he/they/el/elle), who also serves as the company’s Collaborative Producer.
Directing Macbeth, Jess Slaght is thrilled to be joining the Shakespeare in the Woods team this season! Jess is a New York City based director and the Artistic Associate at The Public Theater. Most recently, she helmed the world premiere of Rae Covey’s song cycle WHERE WE ARE at Joe’s Pub. Jess also serves as Administrative Director of the Professional Non-Profit Theater Coalition, a national caucus of theater leaders working to influence federal legislation for the good of the field. Associate Director credits include the Off-Broadway premiere of Mary Kathryn Nagle’s Manahatta and Free Shakespeare in the Park’s musical adaptations of The Tempest and As You Like It. University of California, Berkeley. Jslaght.com.
About the upcoming production, Slaght teased “In a queer reimagining of Macbeth, masculinity and ambition collide with the full spectrum of gender expression. I’m excited to unearth the psyche of a sapphic couple as they are seduced by the violent tools of a patriarchal world. This intimate and bewitching production of Macbeth asks “What would you do for power?”.
Returning this season to direct Twelfth Night, or, What You Will, Roberto Di Donatois a Venezuelan-Italian artist from the territories that were originally known as home for the Tawakoni and Wichitah nations near Dallas, TX. He is the director of A Perfect Day Away by Klae Bainter which has performed at the Seabury Quinn Jr. Festival [Cleveland, OH] and Cincinnati Fringe Festival. They serve on the Board of Directors for Salvage Vanguard Theater, which has been pushing the boundary of experimental performance since 1994. Roberto has a translation of Nobel Laureate, Luigi Pirandello, in contract with Perry Street Theatricals, NYC. He is thrilled to spend another summer in VT with Shakespeare in the Woods, having directed The Tempest in 2023. Roberto is a UT Austin alumnus and holds a Masters of Fine Arts as well as a Master of Arts Administration from Ohio University.
With this rambunctious adaptation, Di Donato shared that they’re “excited to create a magical world bursting with love (though some of the love is one-sided). Based in the twelfth night holiday celebration of a world turned ritually upside down, Twelfth Night, is a spontaneous and explosive comedy to warm the hearts of audiences with its many twists & turns, and vision of a world where love wins.”
“It’s an amazing opportunity to collaborate with artists such as Jess and Roberto, who are bringing the exciting mix of fresh, compelling ideas and impressive professional experience to Shakespeare in the Woods this season. We cannot wait to share the summer with audiences, filled with the magic of live performance under the trees and starry skies” Maness shared.
Additional season updates and information coming soon to http://www.shakespeareinthewoods.org, and on social media: @shakespeareinthewoods (IG and Facebook). Tickets for the Macbeth and Twelfth Night, or What You Will will be available for advance online purchase starting June 1st, with same day purchase available at the box office day of performances. Area schools interested in attending Student & Senior matinees should contact shakespeareinthewoodsvt@gmail.com with the subject “School Matinee” for all information.
All performances take place outdoors, and are rain or shine. In the event of severe weather conditions, SitW will provide time sensitive updates.
About Shakespeare in the Woods
Shakespeare in the Woods (SitW) is an outdoor theatre company experimenting with the Bard’s canon through a modern, radical, and gender expansive queer lens, founded in 2019 and based in Manchester, VT. Each production seeks to deliver a professional caliber celebration of classical text through unconventional, innovative, and socially aware approach, all while embracing Vermont’s natural offerings. The intention behind every production is to meet the natural landscape with respect, and to mindfully work in collaboration with nature versus imposing upon it During its young existence, SitW has become a creative haven for professional artists of all identities and backgrounds, and providing space especially for Queer, Trans, and Non-Binary artists to bring their whole selves to the work and celebrate the many ways identity can inform new ideas in classical texts.
SitW is proud to be fiscally sponsored by The Center for Arts and Learning, in Montpelier, VT. To make a tax-deductible contribution to SitW’s 2024 season, and support innovative, professional theatre in rural VT, please visit www.shakespeareinthewoods.org .