Bard to Go offering sneak peak of fall production

Bard to Go, Grand Valley’s all-student touring Shakespeare troupe, will begin performing for West Michigan high school and middle school audiences in late October, but first, the group is offering a sneak peak at its 2015 Shakespeare Festival show, “Witty Fools and Foolish Wits.”

The 50-minute preview performance will take place Friday, October 9, at 2 p.m. in the Mary Idema Pew Library Multipurpose Room.

Through the eyes of the Bard’s foolish characters, “Witty Fools and Foolish Wits” will take audiences through scenes from Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” “As You Like It,” “The Tempest,” “The Two Gentlemen of Verona,” and “King Lear.” Shakespeare’s fools and clowns are more than just comedians, but rather they often turn out to be the wisest of his characters, speaking the truth with wit and humor.

Bard to Go is part of the educational outreach programs incorporated into the annual Grand Valley Shakespeare Festival. Last year’s production, “Bard to Go: Lights, Camera, Action,” performed at six regional schools for approximately 1,400 students. Over past seasons, Bard To Go has traveled around the world to perform in various locations in the U.S., Italy, Canada, Czech Republic, China, Jamaica and more.

Bard to Go will offer another free performance that is open to the public November 7, at 1 p.m., in Loosemore Auditorium located in the DeVos Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. This event will also feature the awards ceremony for the annual Shakespeare Festival Student Competition.

For more information, contact Katherine Mayberry, Bard to Go producer, at [email protected] or visit the Grand Valley Shakespeare Festival website.