By Barbara Arnstein
If There’s a Will, There’s a Play Title:
If you can’t get to Shakespeare at Delaware Park, a Shakespeare performance will get to you!
Countless people are familiar with the Shakespeare performances every summer in Buffalo’s Delaware Park, and many make the trip there every year to see at least one of the two plays, often with their family and a delicious picnic to enjoy on the Hill. However, not everyone can make it there. If you’re one of those, don’t despair…a Shakespeare performance is on its way to a venue near you! “Where There’s a Will, There’s a Play”, the one-hour performance of scenes and sonnets from Shakespeare is always performed at 7pm, plus there is an extra performance at 4:30pm at the Freedom Run Winery, at 5138 Lower Mountain Road, in Lockport, NY. on July 23rd (rain or shine — there is an indoor location available). Norm Sham, the director (who has also been busy supervising the props and costumes), said the traveling show is “chockful of fun, and accessible to everyone”. It has an interesting present-day framing device involving Josh Allen and the Bills, and includes surprising amusing moments. The scenes in it are from “Romeo and Juliet”, “Macbeth” and “Hamlet”, and seven other plays, performed by four actors: Emily Bassett, Heather Casseri, Connor Graham and Nathanial W.C. Higgins, and Brendan Didio’s added words tie the scenes together smoothly.
Here is where all the remaining performances take place: 6/17 Niawanda Park, 600 Niagara St., Tonawanda, NY; 6/18 Niagara Arts & Cultural Center, 1201 Pine Ave., Niagara Falls, NY; 6/20 River Fest Park, 249 Ohio St., Buffalo, NY; 6/21, Windsong Place Apts., 245 Spindrift Drive, Williamsville, NY; 6/26 Clarence Town Park, 55 Legion Pkwy., West Seneca, NY; 7/17 Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Nature Reserve, 4050 North Street, Blasdell, NY; 7/18 Quaker Arts Pavilion, 60 South Lincoln Ave., Orchard Park, NY; (Rain or Shine–Indoor location available).; 7/19 Town of Tonawanda, Show Mobile (Aquatic Fitness Center), 1 Pool Plaza, Buffalo, NY; 7/21 Buffalo Central Terminal, 495 Paderewski Drive, Buffalo, NY; 7/22 Richard E. Pascucci Bandshell, 200 Oxford Ave., Lancaster, NY; 7/24 Five Points Bakery, 44 Brayton Street, Buffalo, NY; 7/25 Kenan Center, 433 Locust St., Lockport, NY (Rain or Shine — there is an indoor location available, but there is limited seating); 7/26 7 Nike Base Park, 3278 Whitehaven Road, Grand Island, NY; 7/28 Tonawanda Pavilion, 2 Young St., Tonawanda, NY; 7/31 Taylor Road Park, 6765 Taylor Road, Hamburg, NY; 8/7 Galanti Park, 230 Martin Road, Lackawanna, NY; 8/14 Academy Park, 851 Center Street, Lewiston, NY; 8/21 Bassett Park, 359 Klein Road, Williamsville, NY.
At Delaware Park, this summer’s plays are: “Measure for Measure”, performed from June 22nd to July 16th, and “Romeo and Juliet”, performed from July 27th to August 20th.
Norm Sham said that, this year, Romeo and Juliet is “set in a contemporary seaside town”. The plays in the park are always free. and non-ticketed. All performances are at 7:15 pm. This summer marks the 48th year of Shakespeare in Delaware Park. For more information, go to shakespereindelawarepark.org