Shakespeare with a picnic

Saturday morning I hopped off to Hammerpress.

Bobby and I were the only people there all day.

I did a variety of things while Bobby printed his business cards. He'd tried to get some finished the day before, but they ended up being pink toned, when they needed to be straight white. So after cleaning the press three or four times, he was finally on his way by the time the shop opened at noon.

The shop was pretty busy. I helped customers and swept for the first few hours. I also cleaned up inks, leading, coffee cups and water bottles. I organized a giant pile of make readies to that I could see the shop while I printed some more card inserts. A great wave of people came in between one and three. It was a good thing I was there or else Bobby would have been printing into the wee hours of the night.

Between everything else, I ended up printing another 600 inserts before I called it a day at 4:30. The shop didn't close until 5, but Bobby had finished over two-thirds of his printing, and so I think it was safe to leave him there.

I also left early because I had plans. Before going to work, I'd called Jared, Uriah's biking buddy, and asked if he wanted to join me for Shakespeare in the Park since Halliday has to work on Saturdays. He said he was interested and we agreed to meet up at the Pistol and then grab a picnic at Consentinos before heading to the park.

We met up around 6 because the play started at 8 and the website said to get there early to get a good seat. At Consentinos I grabbed a wrap and Jared loaded up on the salad bar. He was nice enough to include some items for me to pick out of his salad such as jalapenos and feta cheese.

We arrived in plenty of time, and as we were getting out of the car, realised we'd forgotten a blanket. Although blanketless, we still scored a good spot, and the grass was chigger free, so we could sit comfortably and not be eaten to death.

Shakespeare in the Park, is located near the Art Institute on a grassy slope encircled by trees. The road ajoining the park is closed off between five and ten-thirty so that the performance is not bothered by passing traffic. The area is set up with entertainment and food outside the open air theater. There is a puppet show and talk in the hour before the play's start, and if one was so inclined, there is food that can be bought onsite.

The theater itself is situated on a small hill, with the stage at the bottom and space for people to sit going up. There are no actual seats built in to the area. The first few feet infront of the stage has five or so aisles of plastic green chairs and there are at least two other areas with chairs set up as well. The majority of the space is set aside for picnic blankets. There are two aisles running up the slope, (made by the type of garden lights that can be stuck in the ground) on either side of the main set of chairs. People can sit and bring their own lawn chairs, blankets, and food to enjoy while watching the play. Some ladies infront of us brought plastic flutes and champagne.

The stage is open to the elements and when it rains, needs to be covered with tarps (Shakespeare has been canceled on account of rain). There were people in Tudor garb wandering around asking for donations, as the play is free, while the soundtrack of Emma added subtle ambiance.

The play of this season, which runs from June somethingeth to July fifteenth, is the Merry Wives of Windsor; play I knew only sightly about, and had never read fully. (I knew there was something about stuffing a guy in a laundry basket) It is a comedy that features prominent witty women, a foolish fat nobleman, and a jealous husband. While the acting was good, and the play entertaining enough, I can understand while it does not get the same attention as some of Shakespeare's other plays. Near the end it gets very weird, and it is a little racy for the average highschool audience since the whole thing has to do with seduction.

At intermission it started to sprinkle, and we were afraid we'd have to go home early, but it only did so slightly and by the time Merry Wives was due to start again, it had stopped. As the evening grew on, the situation of the place became very picturesque. With the oncoming dark, fireflies came out and flanked either side of the stage and thunder rumbled on the horizon enhancing the evening's effect with purple lightning flashes.

The play ended around ten and Jared and I decided to avoid the mass exodus by wandering over to the sculpture garden to talk for a bit. We compared travel desires and played the what-if-you-had-a-million-dollars game while watching the storm over Kansas. Around midnight we headed home and said goodnight.

It was a good post-post birthday evening and have decided I like going to see outdoor Shakespeare.