Shakespeare Northwest

The bard as balancing act

By Amy Kepferle · Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Producing one Shakespeare production per season is hard enough, but bringing three separate works by the Bard to a variety of stages in both Whatcom and Skagit counties takes some major coordination.

We caught up with Artistic Director John Gonzales recently to discover, among other things about the traveling troupe, how in the heck such feats of mastery are possible. Hint: Sometimes they don’t sleep for long stretches of time.

Cascadia Weekly: How did you first get involved with Shakespeare Northwest?
John Gonzales: As an actor: I auditioned in 2006, got roles in both productions, and got absorbed into the troupe. That season, my son was born six weeks premature between performances, but after his delivery my wife encouraged me not to miss a show, so I performed once after being awake for 40 straight hours while commuting back and forth between Seattle. That sort of thing gets under your skin.

CW: Are Shakespeare Northwest and the Skagit River Shakespeare Festival one in the same?
JG: Shakespeare Northwest is the nonprofit association that produces the Skagit River Shakespeare Festival. The festival is our major endeavor, but not the only enterprise of the association.

CW: What was the challenge of directing the “problem play,” Two Gentlemen of Verona? 
JG: Shakespeare was not much of a story originator, but he was great dramatist, not just a poet. I didn’t want to begin by assuming that Two Gents was a flawed or immature work or something that needed to be apologized for. Instead, I approached it with the expectation that Shakespeare knew what he wanted to do and that it was my job to find the right tone and staging to realize an effective version of that intent.

CW: What do you enjoy about performing Shakespeare outside?
JG: I’ve found that it forges a much stronger bond between the audience and the performers than I ever would have thought. Everyone has to work harder at keeping the world on stage tightly contained, but the rewards are amazing.

CW: How did the July 10 grand opening of the Blackrock Amphitheatre in Rexville go? Do you see that space being utilized more in the future?
JG: It went quite well. We were competing against the Highland Games and the Pride Festival, yet we still had 80 audience members turn out. Our grand ambition is to perform our entire season in the Rexville Blackrock Amphitheatre, but we may not be able to realize that dream next season. Funding is, of course, a central issue right now. Lights, a stage structure, and seating alone represent a prohibitive expense. At this point, we want to get people introduced and informed.

CW: What’s is the future for the company?
JG: More Shakespeare. More outdoor theater. More touring shows. Continuous attention to artistic integrity. Beyond that, however, it depends upon the support and interest we garner from the greater community. We are trying to reach across Whatcom, Skagit, Island, and Snohomish Counties at this point, but who knows.

CW: Why should people come to these shows?
JG: Strong talent. Incredible passion and investment across the board. Enormous commitment to entertaining and enlightening our audiences while being true to the spirit of the works and the dramatists we bring to life on stage.

CW: You’re doing three shows in one day (Aug. 7) as part of “Iron Man” performances. Please explain how this is possible.
JG: Because, like Shakespeare, we sometimes explore the depths of madness. And evidently our audiences want to take the ride along with us.