Montana Shakespeare in the Parks to offer free performances in 64 communities across five states this summer

BOZEMAN - Each year, Tom Watson watches his scenic designs come to life onstage before they are broken down again and again. Sixty-four times, to be exact.

Small wooden pieces and loose wing nuts are tucked into the van of traveling acting troupe Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, only to be rebuilt by actors themselves at the next stop on their western route across 64 rural communities. As part of an outreach program in Montana State University's College of Arts and Architecture, they are on a quest to bring free, quality performances to audiences who might not otherwise experience theater of this magnitude.

"There's this sort of rush of excitement and pride, I suppose. And that never goes away," said Watson, the program's resident scenic designer and a film professor at MSU.

This year is no different. Montana Shakespeare in the Parks' summer productions will kick off in June at MSU's Duck Pond along South 11th Avenue. Performers will bring playwright William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" to the stage June 10-13, while "Much Ado About Nothing" will be performed June 17-20. The program will return to Bozeman for its final performance of "The Merchant of Venice" on Sept. 8 at Grant Chamberlain Park on the MSU campus. In all this summer, it will offer free performances in 64 communities across five states: Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, Washington and Wyoming. The full tour schedule can be found on MSIP's website.

MSIP, now in its 54th year, is one of the largest and oldest Shakespeare companies in the U.S. It has become an artistic home for creatives across the country and a beloved fixture of the Mountain West, said executive artistic director Kevin Asselin. Audience members of all ages return each year with blankets and picnic baskets to watch the outdoor performances as a community.

"Our audiences are excited about Shakespeare in the Parks, and they have been instrumental in helping sustain us for 54 years," he said. "The company belongs to them."

This year's productions contrast themes of justice and mercy, exploring how humans behave when they are "thrown off of the compass" of what they believe in, Asselin said.

"Much Ado About Nothing," directed by Johamy Morales, is a romantic comedy set in Messina, Italy, after World War I and follows two couples: one - Beatrice and Benedick - tricked into confessing their feelings for each other, and the other - Hero and Claudio - confronting a disastrous misunderstanding ahead of their wedding.

"The Merchant of Venice," directed by Asselin, features courtroom drama and romance through the characters of Antonio, who enters a dangerous agreement with moneylender Shylock; Bassanio, who seeks heiress Portia's hand in marriage; and Jessica, who leaves her father's house in hopes of finding love and freedom.

As a scenic designer for "The Merchant of Venice," Watson will transport audience members to 20th century Italy with limestone-like materials. The stage helps tell each production's story, almost like its own Shakespearean character dressed in the "costume" of scenic design, Watson said. His ideas beginas sketches covered in director's notes before transforming into a massive structure built in MSU's Black Box Theater workshop. Witnessing the end result never grows old for Watson, despite spending nearly 28 years with MSIP and, at the same time, instructing production design students at MSU.

"I can imagine a lot of jobs where you do it for 30 years, and it could feel like the same dang thing, but because it's a different show each year and it's a different problem to solve, it keeps it exciting," Watson said.

The way MSIP continuously reimagines Shakespeare feels boundless, said Gabbay Madu, who will star as Beatrice in "Much Ado About Nothing" and Salania in "The Merchant of Venice." The directors stay true to Shakespeare's intent but break the mold when it comes to artistic direction and involving actors of all genders and ethnicities.

"It's the essence of what I think theater is and should be," said Madu, who is originally from Montego Bay, Jamaica, and is pursuing her master's degree in fine arts from the University of Arkansas. "You're giving and creating the opportunity for people to not only experience something that's wonderful and beautiful and moving, but you're giving them the opportunity to do it with a larger group of people, whether those people are friends or family or a group of strangers."