Local actors prepare for annual SIR show

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This article was published 04/06/2018 (2922 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Warm weather means taking everything outdoors, including theatre.

This year’s Shakespeare in the Ruins play is Timon of Athens and it will be on until June 23. As usual it will take place in St. Norbert, on the site of an old monastery and church. West Broadway resident Sarah Constible has been performing with SIR since 1999, but she still considers it a unique experience as an actor.

“We’re outside, using the elements so it’s like we don’t have a stage except the ruins,” Constible said. “The promenade style means we travel around the park, so that’s how we get the different settings, as opposed to changing the set, so we have to deal with different elements. Everything from weather to loud turkeys, and things like that, so it’s really unique.”

She added that it also changes the dynamic for the audience.

“You have a different connection with the audience certainly,” she said.

She will be playing Timon.

“It’s a pretty big role. It’s a fun role, because we’re calling it a tragic comedy because there’s a lot of really fun elements to it, but also the betrayal and despair, so it’s a bit of a workout.”
She said as far as Shakespeare plays go, this one is fairly accessible for audiences.

“Sometimes Shakespeare feels like homework, and somewhat incomprehensible, but the script has been edited quite strongly, so it’s really easy to follow, and one of the things that SIR works towards is making sure that the stories are accessible, because we think Shakespeare is so good at understanding humanity, so we want humanity to be able to understand Shakespeare.”

Claire Therese Friesen from the West End has been program outreach co-ordinator with SIR for about a decade, and this will be her first time on the mainstage as an actor.

“I’m so excited,” she said. “Usually I’d be feeling really, really nervous on an opening night, but it’s just such an incredibly fun, supportive group of people. I just feel really trusting and that’s what we’ll bring is a lot fun and support and it feels really exciting.”

Therese Friesen said she mainly works on small local and community shows, and SIR will be a step outside of her normal work. She plays six roles in Timon.

“I like the challenge of getting to play multiple roles because you need to have a really clear idea of each of those people, and you might not see them for a huge length of time, but they’re an important part of the story because they’ve been kept in,” Therese Friesen said.

For more information, visit shakespeareintheruins.com