2019 Review and 2020 Preview
Our final performance of Twelfth Night is this Saturday, November 23, which finishes our last touring production of the year. Executive Director Katherine Mayberry looks back at one season, and offers a taste of what's to come in 2020.
During Pigeon Creek's 2019 season, we have produced acclaimed performances of Chekhov's The Seagull, Shakespeare's Richard III, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. We have also conducted many classroom workshops, and presented performances of scenes from Shakespeare's plays at schools, community centers, and libraries. We have visited 14 different venues in 11 different Michigan cities for a total of 57 performances. 34 brilliant actors appeared on our stages, and we also worked with several fantastic stage managers, directors, fight choreographers, and costumers.
2020 is shaping up to be even busier for Pigeon Creek, and we are really excited about the programming we will bring to our regional Michigan audiences in the coming year. We did a live announcement of our season titles in August, but in case you missed that particular social media event, here is a look at what is coming. First we will be producing Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer, a farcical comedy in which the heroine disguises herself as a chamber maid so that her suitor will find her more approachable. We plan for this production to appear at the Lake Effect Fringe Festival at Dog Story Theater, as well as at several other venues in February. In the spring, I will direct Shakespeare's Macbeth in a production inspired by horror films such as Midsommar. This production will include our annual high school matinees at the Beardsley Theater in Muskegon, as well as many other venues, performing in March and April. For our summer production, director David Little, a theatre professor at Ball State University who previously directed our Henry VI, returns to direct Love's Labour's Lost. This production will feature originally composed music. In the fall, director Aili Huber, who has directed many productions for us, most recently Richard III, will helm a production of Measure for Measure.
We have just chosen our Rose productions for 2020 as well. The Rose is the reconstruction of an early modern playhouse at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and we visit that space twice a year, as the only professional company invited to perform in the space. These performances are produced in partnership with Blue Lake Public Radio. On May 30, we will present The Winter's Tale, and on August 22, King Lear. Tickets to these performances will be coming very soon, so keep them in mind as holiday gifts!
2020 will also feature our Buzzed Bard series, which will perform at a new venue, The Comedy Project in Grand Rapids. And of course, we anticipate many performances of Shakespearean scene selections at schools, libraries, and community centers around the state. Our 2020 travels will take us to such communities as Grand Rapids, Grand Haven, Muskegon, Charlevoix, Rochester Hills, Jonesville, Twin Lake, and more. We are always adding performances, and we might even have a few more surprises up our sleeves for 2020, so check back on our website, or follow us on social media to keep up on all of the news.
Interested in booking performances or educational programming? You can email Katherine Mayberry at katherine@pcshakespeare.com to get all the details about how to bring a show to your venue or community. We are a part of the Michigan Humanities Council's Touring Directory, so some bookings will be eligible to apply for grants from MHC.
Thanks to all of our 2019 artists and patrons, and we look forward to seeing you at our 2020 productions!
