Shakespeare on the Kennebec (SotK) is a small informal group that came together to produce “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in an outdoor setting in 2013. That initial group included John and Melanie Willey and our dear friends Tracy Kay, Ben Proctor and Don Capoldo, the then executive director of the Plant Memorial Home in Bath where we performed our first show. With the exception of Don, who no longe
r lives in the area, this small team continues to be the heart of SotK and guides our vision and keeps it alive. Our goals are to make Shakespeare accessible, enjoyable and affordable to as many people as we can. Shakespeare was a writer of human passion, drama and faults. He fully explores archetypical characters experiencing some of life’s most tragic and comic events. He often placed those characters in locations and historical periods far removed from those of the audience which contradictorily enhanced the audiences’ ability to identify with them. These characters and themes are ageless and no matter how advanced or enlightened and modern we become, we are all still human and experience the range of human emotions. How these classic characters faced their various challenges still teach us about ourselves and often how to become better people, leaders, citizens, lovers, wives, husbands, fathers, and mothers. Where else can one experience the passions these characters share with us in a live, real time setting? It is in that setting that the communal spirit that gave birth to theater was born in the first place, it is ancient and holy. While our ideal is to have all productions free or by donation only, we also work to produce shows in other venues that may require reasonable ticket prices. To date, SotK has taken no profit from any show we have produced. We co-partnered with the Chocolate Church in Bath for our last two shows and hopefully more in the future. CCAC has provided us with an excellent venue, support and a partnership that fulfills both our vision and that of CCAC and its Executive Director, Jennifer DeChant whose vision values this work and allows us to bring these shows to life on their stage. We work with larger casts running from 15 to 25+ and have cast all ages from 8 to over 70. We cast local community non-professional actors and actresses and dedicate a longer rehearsal period to each production than many consider typical. We spend dedicated time studying the script itself (usually the first folio version) and developing clear understanding not only of the meaning of the words but why the various meters and rhythms were used, why they change, and the themes of the show. We hope they all come away with a greater appreciation of Shakespeare’s works, better skills to access and understand them and wonderful memories.
