What's Shaking at Shakespeare & Co.

With over 40 years of experience in offering performances here in the Berkshires, Shakespeare & Company has become an icon of Berkshire culture. There's a lot brewing there from new outdoor theaters to new music series. Here's more:

It is no secret that some of the best Shakespeare performances in the world are right here in the Berkshires which is the proud host to Shakespeare & Company which has been here since it was founded in 1978. Artistic Director Allyn Burrows shared some of the exciting possibilities that are just around the bend for this notable theatre company with Berkshires.com on Shakespeare’s birthday.

When Burrows first came to the company, all the performances were at The Mount, Edith Wharton’s famed Berkshire summer home and gardens.

“There was an absolute confluence of events between doing this language and doing it in nature under those pines. There was something about the marriage of the language with the actor-audience relationship that created a dialectic where we had an element with Shakespeare and we had this audience who was enjoying the Berkshires.”

Nature and Shakespeare were together a hidden potion for magic.

“We put them together and it was unique. It had everything to do with the rising of the Berkshire moon or the amazing Berkshire weather that would blow through. It was about how do we mine the material as it relates to this author and the environment we are in. It was really special.”

Shakespeare & Company moved to an expansive campus in downtown Lenox in 2001 which used to be an all-boys boarding school. This allowed for indoor performances of the company’s plays, but Burrows explains that something very unique was lost in the experience of moving everything inside.

“We had to get outside again,” Burrows explains. “We had to make this a Berkshires experience for people. Years ago, I would hike all around these mountains with my dog. It got me thinking a lot about what this landscape meant in its relationship with language. Since I returned here as Artistic Director, we have started making some changes. We wanted an outdoor stage again. We were producing The Tempest. So we started the Shakespeare Garden and we built an island right in the middle of the Roman Garden Theatre and we fit in 285 seats and we sold nearly all the tickets. We also wanted to get people to enjoy the property here and the incredible views facing west so we bought Adirondack chairs. It’s really about enhancing their Berkshire experience."

Those well-versed with Shakespeare & Company may wonder what is on the horizon for the venue. Burrows made no secret of his plans.

“We are going to bring in more music on the property. Last year, I developed a series called ‘Singers and Songwriters’ which was really about the marriage of music and verse and I’d like to do more of that. I think it would be great to connect with Tanglewood more. I’d also like to work with The Mount more. We are also thinking about ways to utilize this property more.  We are talking about a community garden. We are talking about an outdoor hockey rink for the winter time. I’d like to have a torch-lit cross-country ski race. It’s really about how to mesh better with the community.”