Sunday's heat wave seemed to have little effect on the holiday crowd as it staked its turf in advance of the 8 p.m. curtain of the Shakespeare Festival's production of Othello. Nor did the pre-preformance activities taking place in every nook and cranny of Shakespeare Glen appeared to be bowed by the extreme temperature.
The Green Show's production of Othello had just begun when I arrived shortly after 6:30. I loved being able to peer backstage as the actors were about to make their entrance, above and below.
While the Shakespeare Festival's production is a free event, volunteers in bright "Will" t-shirts are more than happy to collect donations.
Over in another corner of Shakespeare Glen, a fundraising event was in progress to benefit the Shakespeare Festival's Summer Camp Scholarship Fund. About 125 people attended "A Poetic Picnic" under the tireless leadership of Special Events Chair Mary Morgan, above, shown with guest Tim Venturella.
I ran into charming Cheree Berry (see earlier post here) who designed the clever invitations for the picnic, and tags for the boxed suppers provided by The Butler's Pantry. Petals by Irene donated the big, beautiful arrangements shown in both photos above.
Proceeds from "A Poetic Picnic" also benefited the Festival's Grass Roots effort promoting casual and fun picnics at the site attended by family and friends to celebrate free, professional Shakespeare in Forest Park.
As I left Shakespeare Glen I noticed this banner announcing Forest Park Forever's contribution to the maintenance of Shakespeare Glen. The banner reminded me (as it should) that it's easy to overlook the contribution Forest Park Forever has made to the renovation and overall beauty of Forest Park over the past 25 years. I can't imagine what the park would look like without the organization's efforts.
Othello is performed at 8 p.m. nightly, except Tuesdays, in Shakespeare Glen, northeast of the St. Louis Art Museum. It runs until June 17.