Bear & Co. Tours Shakespeare's Exuberant CYMBELINE To Ottawa Parks July 3 - Aug 5

Set out a lawn chair or a blanket, as Bear & Co. brings you a summer outdoor touring production of Shakespeare's ridiculously over-the-top Cymbeline. Follow a pair of lovers as they react to the mad world around them in a 90-minute version of the play Shakespeare packed with every plot device he could think of: star-crossed lovers, a wicked stepmother, a befuddled king, a loyal servant, separated siblings, wild men, exiled kin, cross-dressing, kidnapping, murder plots, and a Roman invasion.

Six actors tackle Cymbeline's 40-odd characters, full-on or in composite. Megan Carty (recently at the NAC in Up to Low) plays the heart-breaking and redoubtable heroine Imogen, while Ian Campbell (recently artistic director of Shakespeare by the Sea in St. John's) plays the hero, Posthumous Leonatus. William Beddoe's roles include King Cymbeline; Rebecca Benson's include on his wicked second wife. Phillip Merriman (last summer's Romeo) doubles as her unlovely son Cloten and the fascinating Italian lover Jachimo. Ellen Manchee is both the gruff but kindly loyal servant, and the invading Roman army!

A Canterbury H.S. grad, director Sharon King-Campbell now lives and works in Newfoundland. She returns to Ottawa twice this season, first to direct Cymbeline and then to assistant direct (with NAC English Theatre artistic director Jillian Keiley) when Between Breaths hits the stage at the NAC.

Join us outdoors to celebrate the long evenings and warm weather and enjoy theatre that stands the test of time. Bear & Co. brings you an experience close to the touring companies of four hundred years ago. Bring a cool drink or a full picnic, raingear in case it mizzles, and bug spray, and watch six actors conjure the deliciously weird world of Shakespeare's Cymbeline in the open air.

Cast and Creative:

Director: Sharon King-Campbell / Producers: Eleanor Crowder, Rachel Eugster

Players: William Beddoe, Rebecca Benson, Megan Carty, Ian Campbell, Ellen Manchee, Phillip Merriman

Performance Details:

Coming to a park near you, July 3 (preview)-August 4, 2018. Full schedule at http://www.bearandcompany.ca/. All shows begin at 7:00 p.m. outdoors.

Bring the family, a picnic and something to sit on! Suggested donation: $20 per person

Rain policy: We play in Scots weather! The show will go on, unless conditions become unsafe.

About Bear & Co.:

Compelling theatre. Close to home. Eleanor Crowder (actor/director/ producer) and Rachel Eugster (actor/music director/lyric soprano) are the heart of the professional indie collective Bear & Co.

www.bearandcompany.ca

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