West Columbia Performance Strips Down Shakespeare to Make Him More Approachable

Shakespeare’s plays are some of the most familiar in the world of theater, but it’s unlikely that you’ve seen one of his plays performed quite like “Shakespeare in the Raw: A 70-Minute Community Project.”
A collaboration between local theater director Cathy Brookshire and actor Katie Mixon, the basic idea was to assemble a cast, rehearse for only one week prior to the performance this week at Brookland United Methodist Church, and then see what happens. This pilot edition of the project will feature an abridged version of “Two Gentlemen Of Verona,” a Shakespearean comedy which centers around love and pride. Brookshire will direct a cast of 10 actors and a dog, with no scenery, minimal props, and modern clothing instead of period costumes. One thing, however, hasn’t changed.
“I’ve shortened the text, but left it in the original Shakespearean language,” said Brookshire, who also works as artistic associate with the Columbia Children’s Theatre. “The actors will come in with lines memorized, my job is to help them grasp the relationships between the characters so they can build on that.”
The staging is a big part of the show, differentiating the experience from a formal production.
“It is meant to be immersive for the audience,” Brookshire says. “They are supposed to be involved. There are moments where the characters will turn and speak directly to the audience, and we are performing in the round, with seating surrounding the performance space.”
Mixon worked with the Elsewhere Shakespeare company in Richmond, Virginia, the inspiration for this style of production, but the project is the first of its kind here in Columbia.
“It is going to be a challenge for the actors,” Brookshire posited. “Most of our cast are professional actors who have done a lot of Shakespeare, and they know the material, but this strips things down so that they may consider different possibilities with the text and how to perform the play. We’ve only met online so far to plan and exchange information, so the really exciting thing for me is to be getting together with a bunch of really good actors to put all of it into one performance.”
Don’t forget about the dog, who may have the easiest, yet most memorable part in a non-speaking role as Crab — he might just steal the play from the human actors.
While admission to the production is free, there’s an option to donate to offset costs.
All performers and crew are vaccinated. Rehearsals were masked, and performers will be tested for COVID-19 before the event. Performers won’t mask during the performance. Audience members are required to be masked, and seating will be socially distanced.
Larry Hembree is the producer for “Shakespeare in the Raw.” The managing director at the Columbia Children’s Theatre and longtime presence in Midlands theater (having served leadership stints at Columbia’s Trustus Theatre and the Arts Center of Kershaw County) hopes to see the project continue to build.
“This could be the beginning of a new company or a potential spark for something like a Midlands Theatre Consortium,” he’s quoted in a news release, “bringing together local theatres to work together.”