Shakespeare in the Ruins celebrates 30 years

St. Norbert

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This article was published 09/01/2023 (714 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Shakespeare wrote that all the world’s a stage, and for 30 years, Shakespeare in the Ruins theatre company has been taking that literally.

“We do things with plays that you can only do at (St. Norbert’s Trappist monastery ruins). We don’t try to replicate an experience that you get inside a dark theatre,” the company’s artistic director Rodrigo Beilfuss said, while reflecting on the company celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. “You have actors running from scene to scene, climbing walls, climbing trees. We’ve had plays where people entered the play after paddling on the river.”

In tandem with the anniversary, the company is running a fundraising campaign called 30-for-30, which has a goal of raising $30,000 to support the organization. The company is offering donor benefits to sweeten the pot for would-be donors, which include discounted ticket prices, exclusive audio content or, for the “Kings & Queens” donor level, a donor event with actors performing their favourite soliloquies — a prize the company surely hopes is the thing wherein they’ll catch the conscience of the kings (and queens).

Beilfuss said Shakespeare in the Ruins provides an experience for the audience that isn’t found anywhere else.

“It’s unlike anything in the country, really. You’re outdoors at a beautiful heritage park, and there’s this history behind the park and the monastery and the ruins,” he said.

“You move with the actors, from scene to scene. There is an immediate relationship between all the players and the audience. They see each other at all times.”

The artistic director said it provides audiences with a fully immersive experience, in which the players guide their audience through the classic and archetypal works of Shakespeare.

“You can have this complete sensory experience. What you see is gorgeous. What you hear is gorgeous … It’s just a really good time, and it feels like a nice day at the park,” he said.

Beilfuss said the company is still trying to adjust to the new era of theatre the pandemic ushered in.

“We all went through such a strange time for the arts, and we’re in this tricky place right now where we’re back up and running, which is delightful … It’s really inspiring, but we’re also very tired. We’ve all been transformed, and there’s no such thing as going back to the before times, so it’s going to take a little while until we feel like we are back on that horse,” Beilfuss said.

Beilfuss encouraged everyone to come out to see a production and not to be put off by the name Shakespeare.

“We really strive to make this an inclusive and incredibly accessible experience for everybody. A lot of people are intimidated by Shakespeare. They think it’s beyond what they can comprehend, and it’s so not that.

“We do really fun shows and Shakespeare was popular theatre at the time. He was really like what we now understand as the Marvel Universe — that kind of fun stuff,” he said.

The company is currently preparing for a joint production with Prairie Theatre Exchange called Pandora. It will run at Colin Jackson Studio Theatre at Portage Place Jan. 25 to Feb.12.

SIR’s summer season will feature a new play called The Dark Lady and Shakespeare’s comedy The Twelfth Night.