The Rustic Mechanicals return to Discovery Junction on Sunday, July 17th to perform Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost. This will be the kick-off event for the Opera House 22/23 Season. The performance will start at 7 p.m. and a suggested donation of $10 is encouraged.
When the King of Navarre and his three courtiers forswear all pleasure - particularly of the female variety - in favor of a life of study, the arrival of the Princess of France and her ladies plays havoc with their intentions. Using every kind of verbal gymnastics to poke fun, Love's Labour's Lost proves to be Shakespeare's most intellectual comedy. The Rustic Mechanicals production is filled with music, romance, charm, and a healthy dose of laugh-out-loud hilarity.
Directed by Jim Warren, alongside Intimacy Director Jessica Morgan with Technical Direction by David Byard, Costume Design by Jason A Young, Hair & Make-Up Design by Samantha Huffman, Production Management by Haley Wilson, and Dramaturgy by John Shirley; the Mechanicals featured in this production include newcomers Erica Cottrill, M. Eric Jett, Jackson Johnson, Jordan Kennedy Rea, Ben Long, Kyra McKillip, Kyia McGill, Tim Walker and troupe veterans Derek Hess, Samantha Huffman, Jason A Young, and Sarah Young.
Founded by Celi Oliveto in the summer of 2014, The Rustic Mechanicals is the only troupe of actors in the state dedicated to touring the works of William Shakespeare and other classical playwrights.
The Mechanicals now tour five shows annually, including their summer West Virginia Shakespeare in the Park(s) outdoor tour, focusing on making Shakespeare’s plays accessible to modern audiences by utilizing dynamic and extreme casting techniques paired with Shakespeare’s staging conditions.
Previous productions include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo & Juliet, The Merry Wives of Windsor, King Lear, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, Hamlet, Measure for Measure, As You Like It, Julius Caesar, and the original works Timeless Romance and Toil & Trouble.
The Opera House Performance Series is presented with financial assistance through a grant from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts. Support is also provided by Pocahontas County Dramas, Fairs and Festivals and the Pocahontas County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
