Prescott has rolled out the “green” carpet, so to speak, as hosts to Shakespeare’s London Globe Theatre this weekend. Boasting a renovated, freshly sodded outdoor amphitheatre facing the St. Lawrence River and a new Shakespearean-themed waterfront garden, residents of the historic town are ready for this special sold-out performance of Hamlet.
The tour stop by this prestigious theatre company is part of a 2-year international initiative to bring Hamlet to 205 countries in celebration of the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth. The performance in Prescott will also mark the very first time that Shakespeare’s Globe has performed in Canada – and the only Canadian stop on the tour.
While tickets for the two Prescott performances of Shakespeare’s London Globe Theatre sold out within an hour of going on sale this April, St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director Ian Farthing says there is still much to enjoy this weekend. In addition to hosting the Globe, the festival is offering extra performances for the long weekend. The Two Gentlemen of Verona is on Friday at 2pm, followed by The Tempest at 7. Guest actor, David Adams, will also perform a special staged reading of the one-man play, Bashir Lazhar, on Sunday, August 3, at 2 PM. This play was adapted into a movie, which was nominated for an Oscar in 2011. Tickets for these performances can be purchased online at www.stlawrenceshakespeare.ca or at the brand new box office on the waterfront by the amphitheatre.