Shakespeare Festival
Shakespeare under the Stars and On Stage
In 2010 be prepared for something you have heretofore not see in a Shakespeare Festival ... at least not here is San Juan Capistrano. CapoShakes will not only have two crowd pleasing Shakespeare plays in the 2010 festival ... but a specially created Melodrama set in Old Capestrano Italy. (Yes they do spell it a little differently over there).
A Midsummer Night's Dream
in the Historic Town Center ParkFriday July 9th, 10th, 11th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 23rd, 25th, 31st
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare. It was suggested by "The Knight's Tale" from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales and written somewhere between 1594 to 1596. It portrays the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors, their interactions with the Duke of Athens, Theseus, the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta, and with the fairies who inhabit a moonlit forest. The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular works for the stage and is widely performed across the world.
Much Ado About Nothing
in the Historic Town Center ParkJuly 24th, 30th, August 1st, 6th, 7th, 8th, 13th, 14th, 15th
Much Ado About Nothing is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare set in Messina, Sicily. The story is about a pair of lovers named Claudio and Hero who are due to be married in a week. To pass the time they conspire with Don Pedro, the prince of Aragon, to trick their friends, Beatrice and Benedick, into confessing their love for one another. The prince's illegitimate brother, Don John, however, jealous of both Don Pedro's power and his affection for Claudio, plans to sabotage the coming wedding.
The Merchant of Menace
A Shakespearean Melodramaon the Camino Real Playhouse Main Stage
July 16th, 17th, 23rd, 24th, 30th, 31st
with special matinees on July 18th, 25th and August 1st
The year is 1492, a completely insignificant year, in the quaint little town of Capestrano, a province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo, Italy. The story centers around a traveling arms merchant who comes to town selling an assortment of knives, daggers, swords, and foils. Too bad most of them are dull, bend easily and are otherwise worthless. The Merchant meets his old love who promptly begins arrangements for their wedding ... a major inconvenience for a conman peddler hoping to get out of town before his ruse is discovered. His faithful manservant Tangelo does everything he can to protect his master ... but to no avail. The wedding is on and so is this musical melodrama. Written by that master of Mayhem himself - Gary McCarver (AKA Professore Machismo)
Our Beautiful Outdoor Amphitheater
Since 2002 the Camino Real Playhouse has moved its annual Shakespeare under the Stars production to the newly constructed outdoor stage in San Juan Capistrano's Historic Town Center Park, which just happens to be adjacent to the Camino Real Playhouse. It has been a great location and a wonderful venue to host Shakespeare Festivals.
The outdoor amphitheater was built and paid for by former Mayor Collene Campbell and her husband, the wood and stone structure was designed by Mike Imlay and is used for concerts and other events in addition to our annual Shakespeare under the Stars CapoShakes Festival.
