Shakespeare in the Parks

To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts. ~ Henry David Thoreau

“I’m going to take the time to do that one of these days.”

One of these days . . . is such a presumptuous phrase. I assume I’ll be given all the days I want to do those things that I want to get around to. This week an opportunity knocked to do one of those things that I've been going to do for a long time.

Every summer Montana State University goes on the road to present Shakespeare in the Parks. Each performance is offered at no charge to the public. It was a fantastic experience. The first evening I sat with my sons in a local park which was transformed into a wonderful outdoor theater. We watched and listened as the cast brought Shakespeare’s “Alls Well That Ends Well” to life.

In the distance you could here children playing in the park. Birds fluttered and twittered about in the nearby tree branches. Clouds rolled in and out creating an ever changing backdrop for the stage.

The second evening my husband joined us for “Macbeth” in a nearby town. It started out equally as wonderful. However, we soon discovered that outdoor theater is not without its drawbacks. The play included some stormy scenes and thunderous sound effects. About half way through the performance there was no more need for sound effects. Nature provided all the stormy elements. The play was called due to lightening followed moments later by a torrential downpour. Maybe you’ve heard of the curse of Macbeth.

Anyway, I was so blessed to be a part of Shakespeare In The Parks. The performances were wonderful and I soaked up the culture of the arts like a sponge. Perhaps best of all is that I was in such good company. Being joined by my teenage sons and later by my husband (. . . and of their own free will) was awesome. On the way home we talked about the plot and the characters and how some of the characters reminded us of people we know. Of course I thought to myself,“What took me so long?"

Talking isn't doing.
It is a kind of good deed to say well;
and yet words are not deeds.
William Shakespeare