Seattle Shakes’ Wooden O Returns To Live Shows This Summer

June 9, 2021• byMichael Strangeways

MORE great news for fans of live, in-person theater in Seattle….Seattle Shakespeare Company has announced their annual outdoor ‘Shakespeare in the Park’ company WOODEN O will return to live shows starting in July of 2021!

The popular event had to be cancelled in 2020 due to you know what but they return this year albeit with only one show in production as opposed to regular years where they do two or more shows.

This year’s show will be…..THE COMEDY OF ERRORS!

The scoop:

After more than a year of only virtual programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Seattle Shakespeare is thrilled to return to the parks this summer with a free Wooden O production of The Comedy of Errors. Starting July 23 the play will perform in ten park venues throughout the region through August 8. Seattle Shakespeare Artistic Director George Mount will direct the production.

“The Comedy of Errors is a shot-in-the-arm of silliness and the perfect show for welcoming back audiences after the year we’ve all had,” said director George Mount. “We were originally scheduled to present the play last summer, but as our plans got waylaid, we re-tooled and pared it down. We’ve got five really funny folks ready to jump into all the parts in a mash-up of improv comedy stylings with Shakespeare’s text and story. It’ll be swift. It’ll be entertaining. It’ll be just what Dr. Pinch ordered… in addition to getting a vaccination.”

Appearing in The Comedy of Errors are MJ Daly, Kelly Karcher, Rico Lastrapes, Kate Witt, and R. Hamilton Wright. Set design is by Craig Wollam, costume design by Jocelyne Fowler, and sound design by Robertson Witmer.

Seattle Shakespeare is dedicated to creating a safe environment for our audiences and staff as we return to performing in the parks for summer 2021. Since we perform as guests of each city partner, we will abide by each city and venue’s safety requirements and will require our patrons to follow those protocols as well. A full description of our most up-to-date park safety requirements can be found on the Seattle Shakespeare website.

Managing Director John Bradshaw says, “We deeply missed being in the community of our fans, patrons, and artists since we closed the theatre in March of 2020. After an exceedingly long and challenging year and a half, and after the heartening trend in our region of COVID cases receding and vaccination rates increasing, I can’t wait to welcome our audiences back to live performances in the parks.”

The Comedy of Errors
Shakespeare’s fizzy, dizzy comedy follows the mishaps and mayhem created by Antipholus and Dromio as they search for their lost family. After arriving in a new city, the two are treated like old friends…but something seems amiss. Soon the pair is thrown into a quagmire of jealous wives, stolen goods, and an enigmatic nun who holds the key to solving the riddle. As the sun starts to set the comic confusion lifts just in time to end with a loopy family reunion.

TICKETS: Wooden O performances are free and open to the public, but donations are encouraged after the show.

Wooden O 2021 Performance Schedule
(dates, times, and venues subject to change)
The Comedy of Errors
Friday, July 23, 2021 (Time TBD)– SeaTac – Riverton Heights Park
Saturday, July 24, 2021 (Time TBD) – Sammamish – Klahanie Park
Sunday, July 25, 2021 (Time TBD) – Seattle Center – Venue TBD
Thursday, July 29, 2021 (Time TBD) – Issaquah – Venue TBD
Friday, July 30, 2021 (Time TBD) – Tacoma – Venue TBD
Sunday, August 01, 2021 (Time TBD) – Des Moines Beach Park
Wednesday, August 04, 2021 (Time TBD) – Federal Way – Steel Lake Park
Friday, August 06, 2021 (Time TBD) – Tacoma – Venue TBD
Saturday, August 7, 2021 (Time TBD) – Seattle – Columbia Park
Sunday, August 08, 2021 (Time TBD) – Seattle – Seward Park Amphitheater

Seattle Shakespeare Company is the Puget Sound region’s only year-round professional, classical theatre dedicated to producing the work of Shakespeare. The Company’s growing success stems from a deep belief in the power and vibrancy of Shakespeare’s words and ideas along with a commitment to artistic excellence on the stage. The results have been provocative performances that both challenge and delight audiences while fostering an appreciation for the greatest playwright the world has ever known.

About the Author: Michael Strangeways

As the Editorial Director/Co-Owner, Michael Strangeways writes, edits and does about a million other jobs for Seattle Gay Scene, Puget Sound's most visited LGBTQ news, arts and entertainment website now celebrating its 14th year as a media outlet. A semi-proud Midwesterner by birth, he's lived in Seattle since 2000. He's also a film producer who would like you to check out the Jinkx Monsoon documentary, "Drag Becomes Him" now available on Amazon.com. In his spare time, he gets slightly obsessive about his love for old movies, challenging theater, "otters", vodka, chocolate, "I,Claudius", Lizzie Borden, real books made out of paper, disaster films, show tunes, Weimar era Germany, flea markets, pop surrealistic art, the sex lives of Hollywood actors both living and dead, kitties, chicken fried steak, haute couture and David Bowie. But, not necessarily in that order.