Best of Bard coming to the bandstand in Maple Ridge

The Emerald Pig Society is returning to the stage with their first live performance since 2019.

Such Stuff will feature favourite scenes from past Bard on the Bandstand productions – as chosen by members of the society.

Scenes from Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, A Comedy of Errors, Much Ado About Nothing, Love’s Labours Lost, The Merry Wives of Windsor, As You Like It, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be performed on the bandstand in Memorial Peace Park under the starry night sky.

Bard on the Bandstand is traditionally held the last weekend in July, but has been cancelled the past couple of years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The theatrical company only decided to put on this free show mid-July.

“It’s come together really quickly,” explained award winning director and president of Emerald Pig Society, Simon Challenger.

“People want to get back on stage and we think there are a lot of people in the community who would just love to be able to come in and take in an evening of Shakespeare and have some fun,” he noted.

Unlike previous years when actors rehearsed two to three times a week for months ahead of time, this time around – because of the COVID pandemic –actors got together themselves to rehearse scenes.

There will be a limited number of actors on stage at once, explained Challenger, the maximum being five. In total there are around 20 actors involved.

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“One of the interesting things is that we have been able to bring back some of the original actors in our shows, which is quite amazing that they are able to do this,” said Challenger.

Everything has been fairly easy to bring together for the show, he added. The main concern the group has is potential changes to the public health order that would impact their ability to do the production.

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On September 5, the Monday before the show starts, the troupe will be rehearsing for the first time all together, the tech crew will rehearse on the Wednesday, “and away we go”, said Challenger.

Such Stuff runs from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. from Friday, Sept. 10-Sunday Sept. 12, in Memorial Peace Park, along 224 Street, downtown Maple Ridge.

Audience members are being asked to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets.

For more information go to emeraldpig.ca.