Yesterday evening, a friend of mine had the pleasure of taking in the Freewill Shakespeare Festival as a part of a tweetup and after hearing about her experience, I wanted to share it with you!
By Funmi
Thanks @FreewillPlayers @whatbrittwrites @Hedgehodge for introducing me to outdoor theatre last night! Loved “As you like it””. Loved it so much that I started sharing a few phone photos of the excitement during the tweetup that Freewill Shakespeare Festival, Brittany Kustra & Stephen Hodges hosted before the actual performance on my social media platforms last night. I also shared a few before the performance started and a couple more during intermission.
It is worth noting here that photography is not permitted during the actual play, and rightly so.
“.@freewillplayers ‘ As you like it / Coriolanus is about to start #yeg ! #FSFASYL“
The As you like it performance by Freewill Shakespeare Players is excellently done. About the same length as a movie and very interactive for kids too. It was hilarious, romantic, had very few songs (a plus in my books), invoked empathy, had a lot of comedic mime artistry, something for everyone.
“O hi Shakespeare! .@FreewillPlayers #FSFASYL #yeg“
Their forced time indoors (due to a tear in the Heritage Amphitheatre canopy) last year cost them $140,000 in lost revenue and some audience members didn’t attend last year as they preferred the outdoor theatre experience. It would be a shame for us to lose outdoor theatre in Edmonton if Edmontonians don’t use it, especially as they offer a lot of payment by donation performances. Many ways to support them, including “Pay-what-you-will” performances on Tuesday nights and Saturday Matinees and monetary donations through their website. They even offer a puppet show version of “As you like it” on Saturday afternoons till July 18, 2015.
You can find Funmi at FO Photography or connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.