Livermore's rolling hills and valleys, set with vineyards.
Come to Livermore Wine Country this summer! Livermore is home to more than forty wineries, several golf courses, spectacular regional lakes and parks, and the Livermore Shakespeare Festival, produced by Shakespeare’s Associates. Get away for an unforgettable weekend--wine tasting, hiking, and then relaxing under the stars in Concannon Vineyard with a picnic and a play. This year, the Festival presents Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream and Chekov’s The Seagull, directed by Lisa Tromovitch, Artistic Director.
The actress and the author--loving each other and themselves
You'll see young lovers consumed by jealousy and passion, children struggling with parents, and writers and actors striving to find fame and fortune. See one or both—but plan to bring a picnic and buy a bottle of wine at Concannon beforehand. Syrah with Shakespeare, Chardonnay with Chekov—either way, you win!
Midsummer Night's Frolic: Livermore Shakespeare Festival awaits!
“Lord, what fools these mortals be!” In Midsummer Night’s Dream, love provokes madness and fairy juice confuses four young lovers as they flee a tyrannical father and an unjust law. All four find themselves in an enchanted forest where fairies and sprites intervene in human affairs, local tradesmen rehearse an amateur play, and the boundaries between reality and fairyland blur. Hilarity and love, magic and music all merge under the clear Livermore skies. This production features original music composed by Rob Evans and features a Steampunk fairy kingdom that evokes early technology through gadgets and goggles, buckles and zippers.
"How nervous they all are! and what a lot of love!"
"Oh, the magic of this lake!" In The Seagull, Chekov’s classic and beloved tragicomedy, passions explode as multiple love triangles collide and human relationships vie with the pursuit of art. Dreams and hopes confront harsh reality when a famous actress pays a visit to her son, a cutting-edge but unknown writer, and sends the countryside into a whirlwind of mismatched love and jealousy. The rustic setting of the vineyard brings out the magic of the lake and the farm where Chekov set the play.
Nina, the young actress, falls in love with her art.
“Every single night,” Tromovich says. “Someone onstage experiences the making of mistakes, or the discovery of themselves, or whatever human situation they’ve been put in. The actors are living through it right there. And it’s a personal gift to you every night.” Come and experience the extraordinary gift that the actors and all who work on these plays have to offer you. The Livermore Shakespeare Festival awaits you!
Concannon Vineyard--vines and wines, ready for a picnic and a play.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Seagull play through the month of July and into the beginning of August at Concannon Vineyard. You can see them in repertory on the weekends of July 17-19, July 24-26, and July 30-August 2. (The full calendar is below.)
But that’s not all! This year, Shakespeare’s Associates has teamed up with Hawthorn Suites in Livermore for the Livermore Shakespeare Festival’s “Stay and Play Package,” available Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday nights while the Festival plays (July 9 through August 9), costs $189, and includes:
o One night stay in a king or double queen studio suite at Hawthorn Suites in Livermore Wine Country
o 2 tickets to a Livermore Shakespeare Festival performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream or The Seagull.
o One picnic dinner for two
o One bottle of Concannon wine
o A complimentary wine tasting card for 2 people, for participating wineries
o Downtown Guest Pass with discounts at participating businesses
o Complimentary full hot buffet breakfast
o Access to the indoor whirlpool, outdoor heated pool, and fitness center.
“Stay and Play” Packages can be booked through Hawthorn Suites, located at 1700 N. Livermore Avenue, Livermore, CA 94551. Call them at 925-606-6060 or visit the website at: www.hotellivermore.com and click on “Manager’s Special.”
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare previews on Thursday, July 9, then opens with a Benefit Dinner under the arbor on Friday, July 10, with performances on July 11, 12, 19, 23, 25, 31 and August 2, 6, 7, 8, 9. Family Nights are Sundays, July 12th and 19th and feature $5 tickets for children 12 and under.
The Seagull by Anton Chekov previews on Thursday, July 16, then opens on Friday, July 17, with performances on July 18, 24, 26, 30 and August 1.
All performances are at 7:30 PM at Concannon Vineyard, 4590 Tesla Road, Livermore, CA 94550.
Tickets for the plays range from $5.00 to $35.00 and are available by going to livermoreshakes.org and clicking on “Tickets.”
Published on Jun 21, 2009
