Port Huron theater returns to live audiences with William Shakespeare's greatest hits
The theater has returned with its best Shakespeare hits for live audiences for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered its doors.
Enter Stage Right, a Port Huron-based theater company, is performing "Will on the Water: Flashback 2021," a collection of favorite scenes from 11 years of Summer Shakespeare.
Executive Director Regina Spain said the theater has brought back some original players to recreate the scenes, including works from "Romeo and Juliet," "King Lear," "Macbeth" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
The Shakespeare company includes 29 people, 22 of which are returning from previous Shakespeare productions, Spain said.
The reopening coincided with the five-year anniversary of the initial opening of Enter Stage Right's venue at The Citadel Stage, 609 Huron Ave. in Port Huron.
"It’s absolutely amazing to be back in the theatre," Spain said. "What non-theatre people may not recognize is the extent of creative outlet, mental health, and community that theatre provides for those that are active in it. It’s a brave space that creates a life-line to so many," Spain said in an email.
Spain said the rehearsal process during the COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult. All eight of the theater's original 2020 productions have been shifted to 2021. Some productions were already cast and well-rehearsed when they were rescheduled, Spain said.
"On top of the already difficult schedules and issues with a production, you have to add in several layers of protocol to a procedure that typically involves touch, sharing of props and common surfaces, and projection," Spain said. "Add quarantine issues when anyone gets an exposure warning and you end up with a different cast at every rehearsal. Everything takes longer to do now and you never know when the plug will be pulled for rising numbers."
Shows are at 7 p.m. Aug. 13, 14, 20 and 21, and at 3 p.m. Aug. 15 and 22. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children when pre-purchased, or $20 for adults and $15 for children at the door. To pre-purchase tickets, call (810) 334-6415 or order online at enterstageright.org/store/p253/Will_On_the_Water%3A_Flashback_2021.html.
COVID-19 mitigation measures, which are based on threat levels according to the St. Clair County Health Department, can be found on Enter Stage Right's website at enterstageright.org/. At the current threat level, masks are required for all audience members regardless of vaccination status.
Enter Stage Right is a 501c3 nonprofit community-based theater that entertains, enlightens and inspires the community, according to its mission statement.
Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com.