COVER STORY

The Bard Returns

Texas Shakespeare Festival has 'joyful' return to stage

BY LUCAS STROUGH lstrough@kilgorenewsherald.com

Left: TSF actors strike a pose at the conclusion of "The Schuyler Sisters" from Hamilton at the TSF Talent Showcase. (Photo courtesy of Lucas Strough)

Right: Actors Matthew Simpson, left, and Tim Fullerton pose for promotional photos for the Texas Shakespeare Festival's production of "The Book of Will." (Photo courtesy of Les Hassell)

Texas Shakespeare Festival, one of Kilgore’s most popular events throughout the years, was dealt a blow in 2020, like many other events in Kilgore and across the country. Not only did the COVID-19 pandemic cause the TSF summer season to be cancelled, it also meant that festival founder Raymond Caldwell would not be able to mark his final year with TSF with the usual series of shows.

Established by Caldwell in 1986, TSF began as KC’s contribution to the Texas Sesquicentennial celebration. He oversaw each season for 35 years until his retirement in August 2020. However, East Texas’ only professional theater company was determined to return, and it would do so with a new Artistic Director at the helm.

Continued on page 12

Top: TSF actor Nathan Noel is held aloft in the TSF Talent Showcase in Van Cliburn auditorium on the KC campus during a performance of "Something's Coming" from West Side Story. (Photo courtesy of Lucas Strough)

Left: Actors Nathan Noel, left, and Jo Garcia Reger pose for promotional photos for the Texas Shakespeare Festival's production of "Romeo and Juliet." (Photo courtesy of Les Hassell)

From page 11

TSF veteran Meaghan Simpson took on the position after years of experience onstage and behind the scenes. She joined the TSF acting company in 2009 and became its associate artistic director in 2013.

Simpson led the way as the festival orchestrated its return to the stage. It was a large task, involving the creation and adoption of COVID safety protocols for cast and crew, contacting potential company members who were unsure of whether the festival would be held and constantly monitoring health and safety guidelines to ensure a successful summer event.

“It has been an extraordinary feeling to return to the stage after 23 long months away,” Simpson said of the effort to bring TSF back to the stage in Kilgore.

“The company has felt deep gratitude all summer to be able to be here in Kilgore and do the work we all love to do. Many theatre companies around the country have not been able to

open yet, so we consider ourselves to be very fortunate and we have not taken a moment for granted.”

This year’s season kicked off July 1, featuring performances of Romeo and Juliet, The Bridges of Madison County, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Gnomes of Gnot-a-Hill and The Book of Will.

The 2021 TSF company parodied the confusion and anxiety of 2020 at the TSF Talent Showcase July 27. In between performances of classic Broadway and Hollywood songs, actors put on short scenes recounting their emotions as they waited patiently to find out if the season would go on or not. For all of them, it was brand new territory: returning to a festival with strict health and safety guidelines in place alongside lines to learn and scenery to build.

The company cast, crew, musicians, technicians and artists weren’t the only ones ready and waiting for the festival’s

Continued on page 14

Top Left: Actors Candice Hatakeyama, left, and Travis Ascione pose for promotional photos for the Texas Shakespeare Festival's production of "The Merry Wives of Windsor." (Photo courtesy of Les Hassell)

Top Right: Actors Meghan Wright, right, and Danny Crowe pose for promotional photos for the Texas Shakespeare Festival's production of "The Bridges of Madison County." (Photo courtesy of Les Hassell)

Bottom Right: TSF Founder Raymond Caldwell and TSF Associate Artistic Director Matthew Simpson embrace Monday after the announcement of a new endowment fund to support the Texas Shakespeare Festival. (Photo courtesy of Meredith Shamburger)

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Top: Daniel Ajak and Travis Ascione perform "Agony" from Into the Woods at the talent showcase. (Photo courtesy of Lucas Strough)

From page 13 return, though.“It seems every summer our patrons are ready and eager for the return of TSF, but this summer has had an extra layer of joy due to 2020's season cancellation,” Simpson said.

“Each production has concluded with an enthusiastic standing ovation; the highest praise an audience can give. The patrons leave the theater laughing and talking and in some cases wiping away tears. They have had an experience that they will not forget and that, for me, is a great measure of our success.”

For Simpson, the 2021 season won’t be soon forgotten, not only for the challenges it presented, but for the chance to return to live performance once again.

“This has been an incredibly joyful summer for me. The word that comes to mind is gratitude. Gratitude for the ability to bring live theatre back to East Texas, gratitude for our amazing company of artists that travelled to Kilgore to work with us, and gratitude for the patrons who make this all possible. There have been challenges, as there always are, but those challenges fade quickly into the shadow of the overwhelming joy of being back!”