Get thee to a production of Island Shakespeare Festival

Come to the stage in the woods, pay what you will, have some mead and see a selection of two outdoor theatrical entertainments.

Island Shakespeare Festival presents its 13th summer season with William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Bold Stroke for a Husband” by Hannah Cowley. The shows play in rotation through Sept. 10 at 5476 Maxwelton Road in Langley. Show times are at 6 p.m. Thursdays – Sundays, with some matinees at 1 p.m. Sundays.

You may recognize parts of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” in your own “first true love” story, except for maybe that whole tragic ending part. These are indeed those star-crossed lovers on whom Shakespeare lays a terrible burden: the inability for each to live without the other and, therefore, choose death instead.

Sad, yes, but “Romeo and Juliet,” has got absolutely everything you could want in a great story: Teenagers trying to find themselves amid their awakening sexuality; big Italian families full of loyal cousins and protective friends who fight in the streets; authority figures desperate to force peace or love; secret trysts on moonlit balconies; and a hilarious “nanny” to keep it all real.

The ISF production of “Romeo and Juliet,” directed by Olena Hodges (who played Juliet in the 2011 ISF production), is full of surprises, excitement, color and diversity of casting. Hodges leans into the comedy of the story, emphasizing an underlying commonality of foibles that reveals unexpected moments of grace and humanity in this familiar story.

“I hope audiences appreciate the accessibility and relevance of both productions,” said Hodges, who is also the Executive Artistic Director at ISF.

“’Romeo & Juliet’ is the story we know and love, but I hope our approach feels cathartic and meaningful, and helps folks experience this well-known story anew,” she said.

In “A Bold Stroke for a Husband” written in 1783 and directed by Emily Lyon, things are controlled by the five women of the play in this comedy of madcap schemes and entertaining manners.

“We love Shakespeare, but we also love other things,” said Lyon, who discovered Cowley’s genius through the Expand the Canon project of the Brooklyn-based Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre, where she is the artistic director.

Island Shakespeare Festival has a three-year partnership with Expand the Canon, which celebrates classic plays by women and underrepresented genders – and is a call to action to produce them. Cowley’s play employs lots of comedy while elevating the role of women as the keepers of their own flame.

“’A Bold Stroke’ has echoes of ‘Taming of the Shrew,’ but these women characters are no Kates,” Lyon said.

“There are five dynamic women characters, who all have their own opinions on love and their agency within it. They advocate for what they want and can set boundaries, make requests, and still find love and joy,” she said. “I’m so delighted that we can share this story with ISF audiences and am so delighted that ISF has committed to this partnership into Expand the Canon.”

“This isn’t a new idea,” Hodges said, “and we don’t have to go only to contemporary work to find it. I hope you, too, love, understand and laugh with these brilliant characters – knowing that women’s history and their legacy have always been much more dynamic than we’ve acknowledged.”

Gates open one hour before curtain. A beer, wine and mead tent welcomes visitors to enjoy refreshments and or a picnic before the shows. Visit islandshakespeare.org for more information.

Island Shakespeare Festival believes art should be for everyone, therefore summer performances are “pay-what-you-will” to attend. The South Whidbey organization is proud to offer professional theater to audiences regardless of one’s financial situation. Donations makes it possible for everybody to enjoy the works. This means that seating is festival-style, and the venue sometimes fills to capacity before the play begins, therefore, pay-in-advance reserved seating is available at ticketsource.us/island-shakespeare-festival.

Jacq Babb and Lydia Medeiros play the intelligent, strategic and hilarious women of “A Bold Stroke for a Husband” through Sept. 9 at Island Shakespeare Festival. (Photo by Michael Stadler)

Janice Robinson as Juliet and Lydia Medeiros as Angelica in Island Shakespeare Festival’s production of “Romeo and Juliet.” (Photo by Michael Stadler)