Thanks & thanks & ever thanks to:
The Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation
The Akron Community Foundation
The Ohio Arts Council
The Akron-Summit Convention and Visitor's Bureau
The NIBOR Foundation of Pasadena, CA
GAR Foundation
The Burton D. Morgan Foundation
The Akron Chamber of Commerce
Chill Ice Cream—Advertising Partner
The MacBath—Advertising Partner
Nancy Humes—sponsor for The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [revised]
Praise for Ohio Shakes:
Eric Minton, Shakespereances.com:
"One thing you discover when you explore the theaters of provincial America is just how smart the Shakespeare can be and how exceptional the talent is spread across the land. The Ohio Shakespeare Festival exemplifies that. Theirs is probably the funniest staging of William Shakespeare's As You Like It I've ever seen, with the comedy generated by the text itself and the company's direct-address, verse-centered method of presenting the text.
...Perfect, indeed. And in tone and fundamental focus as a romantic comedy, so is this production of As You Like It... It’s also perfect in setting on the grounds of the Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, the company's outdoor venue in Akron...And everything is right there: the trees, the running brooks, the stones of the teahouse pavilion—and all is good...It's a little thing, perhaps, a single line in a passing moment. But such are the nuggets embedded in Shakespeare's pastoral landscape of romantic comedy that the Ohio Shakespeare Festival uses to construct a theater of gold."
Christine Howey, Cleveland Scene Magazine :
"If you’ve ever wished that a Shakespeare production could somehow be outfitted with annotations and footnotes, to help you understand what’s going on at every moment, there’s a much easier (and more enjoyable) alternative. Just sit in the audience while the Ohio Shakespeare Festival is performing.
As supervised by artistic director Terry Burgler, each OSF outing is a marvel of clarity and precision, rendering even the most obtuse digressions by Will suddenly comprehensible. The result is a kind of euphoric time travel in which one feels transported back 400 years to the Globe Theatre, relishing all of the bard’s words with immediate glee just as his audiences did then."
"Performed in counterpoint to the rumbling croaks from bullfrogs in the Stan Hywet lagoon, the performance bears all the marks of a Terry Burgler-directed show: Clarity of character, precision of speech, and an absolute commitment to making this musical language come alive for everyone in the audience."
Kerry Clawson, Akron Beacon Journal:
"Each OSF outing is a marvel of clarity and precision, rendering even the most obtuse digressions by Will suddenly comprehensible. The result is a kind of euphoric time travel in which one feels transported back 400 years to the Globe Theatre, relishing all of the Bard’s words with immediate glee just as his audiences did then."
Mark Horning, Talkin' Broadway:
"With a spacious two-tiered set, period costumes, the old world feeling of the theatre, and profoundly adept actors one feels as if they are at the Globe taking in an exceptional performance. While, for some, Shakespeare conjures up nightmarish visions of high school studies, one OSF performance will have you falling in love with the wit and wisdom displayed in this comedic work which will hopefully whet your appetite for more."
PlayShakespeare.com:
"...the company illuminates what is significant and vital in the Bard’s work and this vibrant production is a testament to that idea."
David Ritchey, West Side Leader:
"I've not laughed this hard at a play in a long, long time...The positive audience reaction has breathed some life into the show and some important life into Akron theater."