Thirty-six plays, in 90 minutes, with three actors, on a rural tennis court. That’s what die-hard Shakespeare fans and curious newcomers alike can experience in Asheboro this weekend.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) runs through May 24, performed by members of RhinoLeap Productions. The play’s theme is a trio of actors setting out to achieve the impossible task of cramming the best of the Bard into an hour and a half.
Executive Director Jeremy Skidmore describes it as fast-paced comedy, filled with slapstick, pop culture references, contemporary language and lots of cheap props.
"A lot of times they’re using props for things other than what they’re intended to be," says Skidmore. "So, if they’ve got a golf club, it’s not a golf club, it’s a sword. The last time we did it, the actors lost 10 pounds during the run because that’s how physical it is. So they start off with Romeo and Juliet, and even though they only spent twelve minutes condensing Romeo and Juliet, that’s still way too long."
So, the actors find creative and ridiculous ways to at least touch on every single Shakespeare play. And RhinoLeap Productions is finding creative new ways to reach audiences.
The company moved its UNC School of the Arts headquarters in Winston-Salem to Asheboro in 2017 because it wanted to bring theater to folks in rural communities who previously felt excluded. Skidmore says utilizing found spaces, like a public outdoor tennis court, took the actors one step closer to realizing their goal.
"If you want to sit inside the fence, there’s a ticket," he says. "If you want to watch from outside the fence, it’s free. And there are times we’ve drawn groups of kids — you see all their faces pressed up against the fence just watching. And the great day was there was this ice cream truck that went by, and all the kids completely ignored the ice cream truck and just stayed glued to watching the show that was happening, and that was a pretty gratifying moment."
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) features Broadway and Cirque de Soleil actors Alex Bodine, Patrick Osteen and Allen Tedder. It’ll run through May 24 at the Championship Tennis Court in Asheboro’s Memorial Park.