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Special
Feature – St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival
At the time we arrived in Prescott, the sun was shinning brightly with few clouds in the sky. It was about 5:45 PM when we arrived at the venue. The play wasn’t scheduled to start until 7:00 PM. There weren’t many cars in the nearby parking lot. I wondered if I had come to the right place. I decided to take a walk to look around. I was at the right place! I walked to the venue’s amphitheatre. There was no one in the seats. I wondered if I had the wrong day! I had been there just a short time when someone from below shouted up and asked me if I was there for the play. I told her yes and she told me that the play had been moved to another venue do to possible thunder storms. As I said, it was a clear bright day and wondered why the change! I went back to the car and Judi and I drove to the new venue, a local church. At the church we went inside to collect our tickets.
Our greeting was instantaneous and very friendly. The people at the ticket desk explained the reasons for the change and then asked us to wait outside until the “stage” door opened. Outside others were also waiting. The conversations were full of excitement and anticipation. Once the doors were open, we found seats at the front of the church. I am telling you all this because I want you to understand how well prepared the Festival organizers were and how we were made welcome. Several people spoke to us as though we were long lost friends. Nothing seemed forced or contrived! Prescott’s Mayor, Suzanne Dodge sat behind us. We had a great conversation with Suzanne and her friends before the play started. You could hear the pride in her voice as she told us about Prescott and its citizens. She also told us about some of the plans that were being made for their 200th anniversary that takes place next year. She also made it a point to invite us to the play’s Gala that was taking place after the play at the Town Hall. The play and its performers were beyond excellent, especially considering that this was opening night and it was the first time they had performed the play at this venue. The Gala afterwards was the icing on the cake! It was bright and friendly with lots of food, music and drinks on hand! Even the congratulatory speeches added to the special charm of the evening! All things added together, the picturesque town, its warm citizens, the well organized Festival committee, the professional and accomplished actors and the decision to move the play (halfway through the play severe thunder storms hit the area) to an inside venue, made this an event to talk about! The Festival continues until August 15th, 2009. There are two main plays being staged, The Taming of the Shrew and Measure for Measure. If you are traveling east in Ontario, make sure you put Prescott and the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival on your schedule. You will be glad you did! Check out the Festival’s website at http://www.stlawrenceshakespeare.ca and, if you want to find out more about Prescott, visit their website at http://www.prescott.ca/.
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