By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
There’s an old adage about William Shakespeare and his plays – they are best seen live, not just read from a book.
“I do this, and I’ll always watch a play versus reading it,” said Jessie Lillis, the co-founder and producing artistic director with Starling Shakespeare Company.
The group has partnered with the Elkhorn Recreation Department to put on a show Sunday, Sept. 8 at the Sunset Park bandshell, 200 Devendorf St., Elkhorn, at 6 p.m.
The professional, non-profit group, comprised of five actors, will perform, “Twelfth Night,” a romantic comedy about twins separated in a shipwreck, mistaken identities and a comical love triangle.
“It’s always had a 90s, 2000s rom-com kind of feel to it, to me,” Lillis said.
The show is free, and will last 90 minutes. If there is bad weather, the show will be moved to Elkhorn Area Middle School.
The Elkhorn performance is one of five for the group in the next week. Lillis has ties to Ripon College, and the group begins and ends its season in Wisconsin.
This summer, they’ve been to six states – Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa and Indiana.
The touring company spends August on Mackinaw Island, producing the Mackinaw Island Shakespeare Festival, before hitting the road for the final week of the summer tour.
Lillis said the Elkhorn performance will be the last of the season. She said the show is playful, and an escape from reality.
“There’s nothing live theatre,” Lillis said. “We’re interacting with the audience. When we ask questions to the audience, they’ll often respond.
“We love that interactivity.”
She suggested people bring a picnic and kick back and relax.
“We’ve got hijinks, we’ve got music, we’ve got people falling in love,” she said. “We love getting to visit new places, and everyone in Elkhorn has just been really excited.”
