The Oxford Shakespeare Festival is going big this year as it celebrates its tenth anniversary season.
“Macbeth,” “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” and “Hello, Dolly!,” were the plays selected for this year.
As the festival hits the ground running Joe Turner Cantu, artistic director for the festival and University of Mississppi theater professor, is excited for the audience to finally see what he thinks is the best festival yet and feels like these three plays/musical perfect for a tenth anniversary.
“I am looking forward to experiencing my vision of what the play, “Macbeth,” can be,” Cantu said. “It was, I think, a bit risky, but it’s working extremely well, and my adapted cutting is working like a charm. I am so happy with my cast. And, of course, I am so looking forward to experiencing Mary Donnelly Haskell’s Dolly Levi. She is going to be amazing, I’m so excited.”
Cantu also said that one of the biggest challenges this year was finding the right actors for the three large shows. The festival features performers, directors and designers from across Mississippi and the Midwest: Some are professionals, some are graduate students, some are undergrads, some are local professionals and some are even community actors.
One professional actor, David Dallas who is in both “Macbeth” and “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” shared his experience on working with a variety of talent.
“I’ve been very impressed with the talent and commitment of the UM theater students,” Dallas said. “Best young people I have ever worked with. The experience for me as just been so much fun; the cast, crew and the whole Oxford Shakespeare team have been wonderful to work with.”
With casting done in March, the building of sets, costumes and rehearsals started in May. The cast and crew has put a lot into making sure that every thing goes off without a hitch.
“Love’s Labour’s Lost” has started its performances and Dallas said he is happy with the audience’s reaction.
“The audiences so far have bedn really engaged and laughed a lot, which is what you hope for in a Shakespeare comedy,” Dallas said. “Word play is pretty demanding on the audience and quite clever as you might suspect from the Bard, but the physical comedy drives the show. You always come in with your own ideas about how to play a role but Chris Schager, our director, had a vision for “Love’s Labour’s” that was even more fun, crazier even, than I imagined and the audience loves it.”
The plays are going to be big, and the effort put into these productions is sure to make the festival a success. With the help of some Ole Miss Sponsors the theatre department was also able to hire a business manager/event director.
“This is our biggest season, to date, in terms of budget, royalties, cost of building materials, costumes, personnel, etc.,” Cantu said. “ Fundraising was the biggest challenge from the onset. Leslie Hahn has been a godsend (business-wise and with our fundraiser.”
The festival will run from June 14 – July 7, with “Love’s Labour’s Lost” having already opened, “Macbeth” opening this Saturday and “Hello, Dolly!” opening a week from today.
