The annual summer open-air production of Shakespeare at Healdsburg’s West Plaza Park begins this week with the creative transposition of ‘The Comedy of Errors’ to New Orleans during Mardi Gras.
Once again Steven David Martin, the artistic director of the Raven Players, directs the cast. It marks the eighth time that Shakespeare has been presented at the park, the grassy area between the former Bear Republic Restaurant and Foss Creek.
The Healdsburg Tribune (HBT) corralled Martin between final rehearsals and asked him why Shakespeare plays are such a cornerstone of live outdoor theater. (Interview edited for length and clarity.)
Steven David Martin: Of course that’s the way it started, right? I mean, back in Shakespeare’s time, there was no electricity. And to do something by candlelight was just unfeasible. So most plays were done outdoors in the daytime. And I think that the good writers of the day sort of embraced that.
If you go through Shakespeare’s work, there’s a lot of nature in it, the embracing of nature. There’s a lot of talk about the canopy of the sky. There’s a lot of talk about the night sky. There’s a lot of talk about the air. He sort of wove that into whatever he was doing.
Even when you have indoor scenes, I think there’s something about them not being confined by a physical space that’s pretty magical. So when you’re seeing an outdoor theatrical production, even if it’s sort of a realistic set, there’s still no roof. It just goes on forever.
I worked at Ashland in the early ’80s. I was acting there before they put the shell around the outdoor theater. And maybe it is the little curmudgeon in me, but I liked it better than the theater that’s there now. Even when you were acting there in the old days, you could hear the sounds from Lithia Park. You could hear the ducks, you could hear the creek, the water. And I think we lose something when we don’t hear those. And you know, at our little plot of land at West Plaza Park, we’ve got a lot of ambiance.
HBT: It sounds like the actors could enjoy the performances as much as the audience.
SDM: I think they do. I think that there’s something very freeing about doing things outside.
HBT: So tell us about the play this year, “The Comedy of Errors.”
SDM: Shakespeare, as you know, was one of the great thieves of all time. I mean, he really didn’t come up with many of his own original plots. Comedy of Errors is a very early play, it’s a young playwright’s play. And he basically stole it from Italian commedia dell’arte, which is all about physical comedy.
And Shakespeare loves the idea of mistaken identities. So he doubles down when not only is there one set of twins, there are two sets of twins. And they happen to be masters and servants, separated by a shipwreck years before.
It’s a very simple plot, I think it’s one of the most straightforward of Shakespeare’s plays. There’s not a lot of stuff to keep track of. There is not a lot of depth to the show. It’s not one of those where you go have a drink afterward and start tearing it apart going into the psychological meaning of the characters. Because there isn’t any, it’s just fun.
HBT: Why do you move the setting from Greece to New Orleans?
SDM: The work of Shakespeare is so strong, it can withstand concepts. If one is a Shakespeare purist, then one should avoid this production. Because I take a lot of liberties!
The set is very Mardi Gras, the costumes, and one of the reasons that I wanted to do Mardi Gras was because there are two sets of twins and it’s very hard to cast four people as two sets of twins that actually look like each other. So we contrived a way for the two sets of twins to be dressed alike because it’s Mardi Gras costume time. That makes it easier for an audience to buy in.
The other thing about Mardi Gras is that it’s, you know, “anything goes.” So that’s another reason why I think it works really well for this play. It’s just, you know, it’s just going to be crazy hijinks! I mean, it’s all in the title, right? It’s a comedy. It’s a comedy about errors. So hopefully there’s some wacky mix-ups there!
And everybody’s got beads. The audience will probably get some beads. And, of course, I’m doing a lot of New Orleans, Mardi Gras-type music.
HBT: You keep talking about taking liberties with Shakespeare. Is that kosher? I mean, it’s Shakespeare!
SDM: One of the reasons I think that’s OK is that people forget that when Shakespeare was writing, he didn’t write the plays and have them published, and then actors learned their lines. They were written as parts. So literally you only had your own part. And they weren’t really finalized, until seven years after his death, by editors. So these were still works in progress. You know, we tend to forget that.
I think it’s just a very simple, very straightforward, very relatable plot. And it’s one of those where, like I said, you can just relax and have a good time. It’s just going to be pure fun!
HBT: Anything else the audience should know?
SDM: The other thing we always do in the summer is, we do a raffle every night. We’ve got many generous merchants in town who donate wine, who donate tasting experiences, who donate gift cards. The Raven itself will donate free tickets to upcoming events. So the actors go through the audience and accost you and try to get you to buy raffle tickets. And then we do the drawing before Act Two, so you get to go home with your prizes.
Because this is free Shakespeare, we’re not getting income off of this through ticket sales. So it’s a way for us to put a little bit of profit in nonprofit theater, even though we’re never gonna be in the black.
‘The Comedy of Errors’ is performed at 7:30pm on Thursdays, Friday and Saturdays, from July 27 through Aug. 12. Admission is free. Bring a blanket or low-back chair and a warm wrap, it gets cold once the sun goes down. Raventheater.org.
