The first theater audiences were shocked by the realistic 3-D visuals of so-called "living movies." See how far these unfilmed talkabouts have come with today's Groupon: for $17, you get two adult general-admission tickets to Hampshire Shakespeare Company's production of The Winter’s Tale, running July 6–24 at The Massachusetts Center for Interdisciplinary Renaissance Studies in Amherst (up to a $34 value). All shows, running Wednesday–Sunday, begin at 7:30 p.m., and seating is first come, first served.
Hampshire Shakespeare Company brings together amateur and professional thespians for spirited outdoor performances of the Bard’s works. Seated on a sprawling lawn, spectators can simultaneously revel in warm air and hibernal high jinks as they drink in the twisting plot of The Winter’s Tale, which traces the fallout from Sicilian King Leontes’s decision to arrest and imprison his supposedly unfaithful wife. Under the direction of Dawn Monique Williams, the talented cast stalks the multi-tiered stage, delivering passionate speeches and ad-libbing soliloquies about the outfits of audience members. Five-footed iambs waft into meter-starved cochleae as the turmoil of kings, queens, and clowns unfolds against a backdrop of verdant rolling hills. Students, seniors, Muppets, and children younger than 12 enjoy discounted admission ($6–$10) to all performances, so patrons can easily bring their families or a motley crew of multi-aged misfits.
Hampshire Shakespeare Company offers preview pricing ($5–$10 general admission) on July 6–7—use today’s Groupon for a non-preview performance to get the best value on this deal.
Hampshire Shakespeare Company
Each summer, as stars glitter in the sky, Hampshire Shakespeare Company illuminates the crowd below with open-air renditions of the Bard's greatest hits. As showgoers lounge on their blankets, chairs, or elephants, the company stages interpretations of Shakespeare's plays that prize intelligibility and entertainment. In addition to its main-stage shows, the Hampshire Shakespeare Company also puts on a youth theater production each year to give youngsters a taste of the stage, and buoys playwrights from throughout the Valley with workshops and readings.