Valley Shakespeare Festival and Quarry Walk have teamed up to bring the popular Shakespeare In The Park to Oxford.
VSF will add four additional shows to their summer program, now running from July 15th through July 18th in Shelton and July 22 through July 25th in Oxford at the Quarry Walk Green.
This year’s free offering is The Adventures of Pericles by William Shakespeare and George Wilkins, directed by Festival founder, Tom Simonetti.
A storm at sea brings love into the life of Pericles, Prince of Tyre; other snatches it away. Many years must pass before fate guides the wandering hero to a poignant reunion with the family he thought he had lost forever.
“This is extremely exciting to get into the Valley with this wonderful partnership. I love how Quarry Walk has a community feel among the businesses and residences,” Simonetti said.
“We toured a production of Pericles in 2016 to libraries and 4th-8th graders who fell in love with the play. They applauded and responded to how wild the show was. While it is not performed a lot, it is one of the only plays that retains choruses, which in Shakespeare’s day helped to continue the play and clarify the plot. If you hate Shakespeare, this is probably the one you have to see.”
Valley Shakespeare Festival is currently in its 9th season of presenting Free Shakespeare in the Park. Throughout the year they tour to schools, farms, libraries, homeless shelters, and in normal times, the popular Shakespeare in the Bar series.
The Adventures of Pericles will run in two parks, Veteran’s Memorial Park in Shelton, Connecticut from Thursday, July 15h through Sunday, July 18th at 7 PM and at Quarry Walk in Oxford from Thursday, July 22nd through Sunday, July 25th at 7 PM. Shows are free with a suggested donation of $10. Mask wearing, if you are not vaccinated, and social distancing are encouraged.
All actors in this run of The Adventures of Pericles are members of the union for actors, the Actor’s Equity Association (AEA). These five actors – Eric Bermudez, Andie Lerner, Matt Mancuso, Kendall Segovia, and Zak Risinger – will play all the roles in the show. Come on down to the park to see how it is done!
For any questions or weather alerts, please visit www.vsfestival.org or call (203) 513‑9446.
