Ladies and gentlemen, the Bard is back. After a three-year hiatus caused by the pandemic and, later, construction delays at its home venue, the Half Moon Bay Shakespeare Co. has started rehearsing for its new season at a new Pacifica venue.
The season kicks off on Aug. 18. For the first time, the company will have an indoor stage, offering 12 performances of the Shakespearean comedy “The Merry Wives of Windsor” at the Mildred Owen Concert Hall in Pacifica.
The Half Moon Bay Shakespeare Co.’s production of “The Merry Wives of Windsor” will be set in the 1920s — the era of flappers, prohibition, jazz and women’s enfranchisement.
“The show’s themes are women’s empowerment, jealousy and greed,” said Debbie Lynn Carriger, artistic director of the Half Moon Bay Shakespeare Co. “I wanted to set the show during or right after a women’s movement.
“It’s a comedy and it’s a farce, and I think that people will really enjoy it,” she added.
The cast this year will be a mix of familiar faces and newcomers to the company.
“One of the great things that happened during auditions was so many strong women came out to audition,” said Carriger. As a result, some male roles will be played by women. For example, Cara Burgoyne will appear in the central role of Sir John Falstaff dressed in drag.
From 2013 to 2019, the Half Moon Bay Shakespeare Co. performed in Carter Park, located in downtown Half Moon Bay. Last spring, the Half Moon Bay City Council approved various upgrades to the performance and event space in the park, including a new amphitheater with terraced seating, a new stage with storage space and a changing room. When the renovation was stalled, the theater company started looking for a temporary venue.
“When you’re doing a show, you usually cast it about six months in advance,” said Carriger. “We didn’t want to lose actors that were getting booked for other things, so we made sure that we settled on a space.”
Carriger said the theater company reviewed about 40 alternative performance spaces on the coast, many of which were outdoors but required time-consuming ecological surveys, lacked sufficient sound buffering from the wind, or presented some other obstacle.
“The Mildred Owen Concert Hall was the best solution for us because having an indoor space that already had lights and electricity was just easier for us this year,” said Carriger. “It’s going to be a good space for us. I’m really glad that we found it.
“The people who run that space have been so wonderful and accommodating,” added Carriger. “They’re not used to having a play in there. They do a lot of music.”
As in years past, the Half Moon Bay Shakespeare Co. is holding rehearsals at the I.D.E.S. Hall in Half Moon Bay. The matinee shows this season will take place on Saturday because the Mildred Owen Concert Hall is used for a religious service on Sunday.
Carriger said that having a venue in Pacifica will be
an opportunity to bring together audience members from the coast, San Francisco, Daly City and San Bruno. Next year, the theater company hopes to resume its outdoor performances in Carter Park.
“Our fingers are crossed that they’re going to be able to break ground in the summer and have the space ready for us next summer,” said Carriger.
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