Richard III to return at Libby school amphitheater

“Now is the summer of our Shakespeare…”

Shakespeare in the Parks is making their annual appearance in Libby on Monday at 6 p.m. at at the amphitheatre at the Elementary School.

They’re performing “King Richard III”, also known as “The Tragedy of King Richard III” and first historical play William Shakespeare wrote. The play surrounds the allure of evil, ambition for power and appearance versus reality.

Much like many modern television show characters such as Walter White of “Breaking Bad,” Dexter Morgan of “Dexter” and Tony Soprano of “The Sopranos,” Richard III is the villain and main character of the story. As the last king of the House of York, and last king of the Plantagenet dynasty, Richard III was rumored to have many disfigurements, the major one being a hunchback caused by scoliosis. In the play, the disfigurement plagued Richard’s life and ultimately inspired him to become the villain who would do anything for his own self-interest.

The play generated many famous lines such as, “Now is the winter of our discontent,” “A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse” and, “So wise so young, they say, do never live long.”

Those lines will be spoken by the professional actors of Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, who travel throughout Montana every year to provide the Elizabethan plays of Shakespeare to rural communities that would otherwise not have the opportunity. According to their website, since the troupe formed in 1973, it has performed over 2,250 times to nearly three quarters of a million people in Montana.

“The actors with Shakespeare in the Parks really bring [the plays] to life,” Eileen Carney, former high school English teacher and member of the Rotary Club, said. According to Carney, the rotary club has raised money and made arrangements for the performance since Shakespeare in the Parks started performing in Libby 35-40 years ago.

According to Kevin Asselin, the executive artistic director of Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, the cast is made up of 10 professional actors out of Chicago and Minneapolis. Asselin said that this year should be especially exciting because of the relevance of the play.

Asselin chose the play for 2016 because he suspected it was going to be an interesting election year and the play highlights the political tactics that he’s seen in the election.

Another exciting aspect of this year’s play, Asselin said, is the new staircase they’re going to be using for entrances, exits and the battle scenes. He said the staircase is going to create a lot of new dynamics.

Shakespeare in the Parks is entirely owned by the residents of Montana and receives about 38 percent of their money comes from small donations across the state, Asselin said.

“That’s our life blood,” Asselin said. “That’s what kept us going for 44 years.”

Before performing in Libby, the Shakespeare in the Park troupe are performing in Sandpoint, Idaho, and will perform in Eureka after the performance in Libby.

Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and picnic baskets. Admission is free and all are welcome.

For more information on the Shakespeare in the Parks, visit shakespeareintheparks.org.

Reporter Bethany Rolfson may be reached at 293-4124 or by email at Reporter@TheWesternNews.com.