Let the games, play and band begin…Celtic Renaissance Faire
Late last year the City and USAO tossed around the idea of collaborating on bringing Shakespeare back to the time of Shakespeare. Outdoor performances were quite common during the renaissance. But to really provide the community as well as visitors from out of town Visit Chickasha and the tourism department wanted to provide a full-day of fun for all ages.
It looked like mid-March we were going to have to cancel with the multiple budget cuts to USAO due to the lack-luster economy Oklahoma is currently facing. However, leaders of both groups came together and paired down the plan and will be forging ahead.
The day will begin with Celtic games to be held on the backside of Shannon springs park at 10 am. Beginning at noon and until 2 pm, various performances and skits will be held around the park to remind us all of a time gone by, where actors filled the streets and performers were always on the main stage no matter the stage of their choice.
Beginning at 2 pm the entertainment truly begins with the performance of “Taming of the Shrew”. The play written around 1590 to 1592 focuses around a mischievous nobleman who tricks a drunken tinker named Christopher Sly into believing he is a nobleman.
The plot then depicts the dating relationship between Petruchio and Katherina “the shrew”. In the beginning she is an unwilling participant in the relationship but he tempers her with various psychological torments or “the taming” until she becomes compliant. To find out the rest of the story and the subplots, well you’ll have to be in the audience.
We will be enlisting the help of some directors from Oklahoma City to choreograph the “fight scenes” and look forward in the future to applying for some grants to build this into one of the greatest festivals of its kind. And if you’ve seen “Taming of the Shrew” before, well you haven’t seen it in Chickasha or at least not in a very, very long time or at the park.
The end of this entertainment filled day will be a performance by a Celtic Band. Throughout the day the crowd can enjoy traditional American food as well as turkey legs, Scottish eggs (let’s just say there will be a line for these) as well as plenty of brew of both the alcohol kind as well as milder root beer for adults and kids alike.
We look forward to telling you more about this great event closer to time. If you are a performing artist, actor or actress, please contact us at 405-880-3460 or USAO at 405-574-1310.