Silicon Valley Shakespeare

I loved the show. «Shakespeare in Hollywood» was funny, well cast and it moved fast. The location was wonderful — outside in a wooded area. The tickets are reasonably priced ($ 15 a seat). A glass of wine (souvenir glass included is only $ 10). So why not five stars? One reason; the 10 – 12 year old kid who sat (actually stood) in front of our seats for the majority of the show. We couldn’t see. His parents were both there and they never once asked/​told him to sit down or even consider the people behind him. How is the the shows fault? Because that kid, who took up a full seat (even though he stood and obstructed our view) was not even paying for his seat. I can groove with the idea of making Shakespeare free for kids and all, but he shouldn’t have the right to block our (paid for) view when simple manners would have easily remedied the situation. The theater company needs to charge kids, so that maybe their parents will value the seats and space their kids take up.

We have been members of Silicon Valley Shakespeare (and their predecessor Shady Shakespeare) for about 4 years now after attending based on a mailed flyer. Wow, these guys are fun. First, the people in the organization are great. From the actors to the directors, dramaturg, various staff members and patrons within the cities of Saratoga and San Jose, We have spent time with them at various events put on by the organization.
But, of course, the play’s the thing, and these plays are very well done. They don’t have Broadway budgets for sets and costumes… and they don’t need that. They use creativity and ingenuity to have sets that can work, with a few sleights of hand, for two simultaneous shows. The acting is anywhere from good to fabulous. We have yet to be disappointed with any performance we’ve seen, whether at Sanborn Park, Willow Glen or one of the indoor theatres.
So, this is not about any one performance, but a comment on the troop as a whole. We’ll be back again next year.
Cheers.

Went to see Shakespeare in Hollywood last Thursday night. It was a fab production — the group I went with especially enjoyed the performances of the actors who played Oberon and Puck– though the entire cast was really terrific.
Comedy among the redwoods and under the stars — what more could a body ask for.
Wine, you say? It’s available at the concession stand. :-)

We had really high hopes for this play. We’ve been to tons of Shakespeare plays by FTEShakes (
) both in Sunnyvale and Los Gatos and have always came away impressed by the quality of acting, production, direction and overall awesomeness that has come to signify Shakespeare plays and the passion for drama and acting from every ensemble in the Bay Area. When I first heard about Silicon Valley Shakespeare performing «Antony and Cleopatra» in Sanborn County Park in Saratoga, under the stars amidst a grove of redwood trees, I was thrilled. We got to the venue and were even more impressed by the setup. Nicely appointed concession stands, friendly volunteers, red colorful flags leading the way to the stage, cushy chairs arranged nicely in the middle of the grove, beautiful stage props designed to look like real-​life Egypt and Rome. We settled down for a performance that we were hoping would blow our minds. Unfortunately, it was not to be.
1. Due to unfortunate circumstances, the actor playing the main part of Antony could not perform. It’s great that another actor was able to take up the role at such short notice. We really appreciated that. We were told he had only 1 day to practice his lines. But we did not anticipate having to watch the entire 3-​hour play with Marc Antony reading ALL his lines from a book. ON STAGE. It was a jarring experience to say the least. We’re not sure why there wasn’t an understudy for one of the two main characters in the play. In such cases, it would have been better to cancel the performance than to have the audience sit through a script reading.
2. Several times, roaring planes flew overhead and the actors continued to speak their lines. We could not hear a word of what was being said. We’ve been to numerous plays before where the actors all freeze in place until the planes and any other unexpected loud noisy vehicles have passed.
3. There was a lot of running around towards the end, with just a 30 second or 1 min dialogue /​monologue on stage. This could have been directed better to be more coherent.
The reasons we stayed to watch till the end:
1. Cleopatra was excellent. She brought beauty, passion, conviction, love, humor, tragedy and great acting chops to her performance. She was the main reason we stayed till the end.
2. The music, set design, props and costumes were well done and brought the play to life.

On stage, this group might look wonderful. Looks are deceiving, however. Behind the scenes is a chaotic, disorganized, unprofessional atmosphere with actors who can barely play their parts, staff who are treated like slaves and given last minute orders to stay late or arrive early. I will never support this organization again. It saddens me to know all of this goes on behind the scenes and nobody seems to care.

Fun event. Saw Pride and Prejudice. Very lovely evening in the woods with minimal bugs. The cast did well and worked well together (kudos to the substitute Mr. Collins). Elizabeth Bennett did not deliver the breadth of feeling necessary to make the play work and, as someone who loves the story of P&P, I was disappointed in her performance. Maybe it was an off night. We loved the use of modern music though it jolts you at first when you hear it. Go and have a good time!

What a wonderful production of Pride and Prejudice! It’s one of my favorite books, and I was curious how it would be staged. My daughters 13 and 10 are less familiar with the story, but enjoyed it very much. My elder felt the musical selections were exceptionally witty (she recognized the Lady Gaga and Coldplay songs I missed). My younger felt it was well-​cast and all the actors did a great job. She especially enjoyed Kitty.
Wonderful theater in a beautiful venue. We will certainly be back.

My sister and I went to the production of Pride & Prejudice last night and we loved it! Being a fan of the book and BBC version I knew it would be good but wasn’t sure how they would adapt it to a play. It was an amazing show and even though I love the original music played in that time period, the use of the strings only versions of popular songs was very cute and were placed according to the storyline (Christina Perri’s song A Thousand Years, was my favorite!) The bugs were few and I am glad I upgraded to the padded seats. Next time I will get there early so I get the front row and middle so as to get the best view. The restrooms were clean and newly renovated and the confession stand very cute. The drive to the park was not bad but there was a part where they are doing construction and one side is closed and you may get stuck at a light on the hill for up to 5 minutes because only one set of cars can use the one lane road at a time. Kinda scary, so be patient and wait for it. I had a problem with my original date I had tickets for and Ambera was great with helping me out with that! All in all, it was a great night and at a great price! I would love to come back for more productions in the future :).

GO SEE A PLAY IN THE REDWOODS AT NIGHT! PRIDE & PREJUDICE
This was one heck of a good play, such a professional performance, great acting, great location at Sanborn Park out in the redwoods in the Saratoga hills, beyond Mountain Winery and just past Saratoga Springs resort. Bring your own picnic, eat it before the play, and enjoy your own wine or buy your own beverages during the show. I just can’t believe the quality of the production for such a small handful of cash.
Like others say, the temperature is just right at 7pm, but will be cool in the 60s by 9, so bring a jacket. The mosquitos are out, but a hand waving fan will do the trick, and they are much more scarce and less bothersome in August than in June or July, so you shouldn’t need bug spray.
The place was tricky to find, but not really. They have great bold signage leading up to the Sanborn Park Entrance. But once you enter the park (pay $ 6 to park), turn right immediately after the yield sign. Park in the lot, then look for the stage walkway at the end of the lot by the handicapped parking area.
This is a play for all ages. Even kids as young as 10 were enjoying it.
THIS IS A MUST SEE, and I’m sure Othello is too.

We’ve been attending Shady Shakespeare’s performances for several years. This year we were privileged to attend «The Taming of the Shrew» in San Jose and last night’s performance of «Pride and Prejudice» at Sanborn Park. Our family party of six women had a wonderfully enjoyable evening. HIGHLY recommended!

Fabulous performance of Othello! Loved to hate Iago, charmed and drawn in by Desdemona, and riveted by the passionate portrayal of general Othello. Enjoyed impeccably delivered scene by Emilia about the roles of husbands and wives that shows how forward-​thinking Shakespeare really was. We laughed, we gasped, and we ached for the characters. Sanborn Park was the perfect outdoor venue for our pre-​show picnic and a beautiful backdrop for this performance. So happy to have discovered Shady Shakespeare so close to home! We’ll be back!

I’ve been to ~5 performance of theirs now and have loved every single one. They put on great shows at a great price (sometimes, even free!). It’s a fabulous cast/​staff that puts on their unique spin, while staying true to the classics. Highly, highly, highly recommended. Their shows are free for kids/​teens with an adult, so it’s a great way to introduce your younger ones to theatre without a big investment.

BIG THANKS to Dan B who turned me onto Shady Shakespeare’s «The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)». We were lucky enough to catch this on closing night
For an evening of amateur theater, there was definitely room for improvement but there were also a good number of laugh out loud moments.
3 actors took their best stab at covering the «entire works of Shakespeare» — lots of costume changes & funny character-​interpretations. Much of the humor was of the silly-​elementary school variety but it was just up our alley & made for good belly-​laughs
The setting was absolutely gorgeous — a hidden park of Redwoods w/​a small clearing that housed a small stage & foldout chairs — meaning, if someone’s sitting in front of you, there will be NO view. Luckily, we sat in the back & chose an area w/​empty seats in front of us
For the Play itself, I thought they spent too much time on Romeo & Juliet as well as Hamlet — in fact the entire 2^nd Act was dedicated to Hamlet but ended on a hysterical «Backwards Hamlet» interpretation which literally brought tears it was so funny, so all was forgiven.
I really liked the parts when they took certain Plays & brought them into modern days like taking Titus Andronicus & making it into a cooking show & combining bits from Shakespeare’s Romantic period all into 1 puppet performance was noteworthy-​funny.
Didn’t much care for the whole «personal» bit around 1 of the actors leaving & the other not knowing what to do about getting him to come back to finish the performance… had they cut out the «personal» bits & made a more streamlined, Shakespeare-​focused performance — it would not have needed an Intermission & I’d have come out of there thinking it was super-​fantastic.
But everyone’s a critic right, & as the Bard says: «All The World’s A Stage». As it was in its current form, I’d say it was really, really good & I’m a fan of this company

Last weekend we saw Shady Shakespeare’s «The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)» at Sanborn County Park, and it was a total blast. Absolutely hilarious, totally surprising and performed in a unique setting.
The play was extremely well-​written and amazingly well done by a cast of only three actors (each uniquely funny in their own way). Even the kids loved it (I’m hoping some of the raunchy bits went over their heads).
Beautiful, intimate setting, in a grove of redwoods, across a wooden bridge: Check
Picnicking beforehand in the park: Check
Being able to bring in our own bottle of wine or beers to sip during the show: Check
I’m almost tempted to invite friends and go see it again for a couples’ night out (preceded by an early dinner in nearby Saratoga?). Summer’s almost over! (this play runs until Sept 1).

This is a review of opening performance of Shady Shakespeare’s «12^th Night» in the grassy amphitheater of San Jose/​Willow Glen’s Bramhall Park on July 5, 2013.
First — note this is a facility that has been completely un/​under-​used for the 15+ years we’ve lived nearby. Big kudos for the City of San Jose & Councilman Oliverio for getting the re-​electrification and irrigation of this valuable area funded and completed. It should host many, many great community events for years to come. I’d give the venue 4.5 stars.
The first night attendance was excellent, perhaps 200 plus or minus. The grassy slope was well populated by audience, but not over-​packed. Several times, I looked at the beautiful starry night and redwood tree backdrop and was just amazed that I was in a big city. The occasional police helicopter flyby, buses, and even fireworks did not interfere with the performance. A few well-​mannered dogs even attended with their families.
Atmosphere was excellent — very welcoming Shakespeare Company, concessions, etc. Nothing was unreasonably priced and they only sought donations for the Company at the conclusion of the performance. Bravo!
I’ve attended some indoor Shakespeare in England and US, but never an outdoor production, so have to adapt my judgment to this far more minimal & challenging setting. The performance of «12^th Night» had it’s bright spots and show-​casing of developing talent, but overall seemed spotty to me. Some fun contemporary adaptations, yet overall stayed true to the original script. Still, the overall spectacle of passionate young actors working their craft with minimal staging, sets, and props was delightful. Impressive projection of voices with no electronic assistance. Can’t say the overall theatrical result was more than slightly above average. This will run through July 21, so I bet there will be improvements. I hope to give it a second viewing.
Recommend to all attendees to read up a bit on the plot line and characters as it helps to follow the performance.
Fun to see so many attendees bring their appetizers, salads, and wine to enhance the overall experience. Understand there will be food trucks starting with this week’s performances (Thurs — Sun), should be very nice addition to the experience.
Last comment, I do not recommend this performance for young children unless they are the most ardent theater fans or can use the lovely environment to just take a nice snooze next to their parents. Surely there will be better entertainment for the young-​uns in the future.
4 Stars for the overall experience. 4.5 for the venue, 3.5 for the performance.

My review is more for actors looking for a Shakespeare company to audition for: Shady Shakes is an amazing company run by professional and fun people! They have their regular group of people who act every season, but they love seeing new blood! I was a first timer last summer and they made me feel very welcomed. I loved my directors, Angie Higgins and Doll Piccotto, and their concepts. They rehearse in San Jose and perform in this beautiful park in Saratoga. A stage is built every season, so its not like other Shakespeare in the Park gigs where you pick a tree and say «Let’s perform here!» It gets really cold at night, even in the summer, and sometimes even rains! That comes with performing outdoors. If that doesn’t scare you, then I say go for it! SSTC people know their Shakespeare and are a blast to work with! I totally recommend them for your Shakespeare fix! :)

You may not think you’d enjoy a Shakespearean play because you fear you would not be able to understand what the actors are saying and what is going on… but Shady Shakespeare’s productions destroy that theory. The actors are phenominal — they speak their lines with such skill and expression, that you can’t help but understand exactly what is going on.
The venue is magnificent — an outdoor theatre in Saratoga’s Sanborn Park.
Their latest production, «Pericles», is a masterpiece. Shady Shakepeare got extremely creative and interwove a space theme into the play. Throughout the play were references to almost all of the major space movies of our time… Jedi knights fighting with light sabres; actors dressed in outfits from Star Wars and Star Trek; and… well, I do not want to ruin any more of the surprises.
Get your tickets now! Don’t miss this one.

Not Shakespeare in the Park, but a non-​stop laugh fest by the same company at the Historic Hoover Theatre across from the Rosicrucian Museum on Park in San Jose.
This talented troup put their own spin on Moliere’s «The Imaginary Invalid,» and created a farce-​within-​a farce. While staying pretty close to the original plot line (I remember it from college French), they added rock music, broadly drawn characters, and costumes that would put a drag-​queen to shame. Tickets through Artsopolis, and shows on Thursdays and weekends through July2nd.
I loved it!

Free quality Shakespeare in the park with terrific actors and awesome directors. Come for a great show, drink a little wine, have a little food and enjoy some of the most talented actors in the Bay Area. Don’t forget to throw a little something into the hat if you appreciate all their hard work. If you put a lot into the hat, the next time around they’ll give you the special seats — King and Queen chairs at the back of the house.
Thanks Dinna Meyer for giving your heart, soul, blood, sweat, tears, creativity, and so much more to this wonderful theatre group. Summer wouldn’t be the same without you!

Shady Shakespeare is top notch 4 stars! My first experience was two summers ago, and I cannot wait to go back!
$ 6 for parking
Free admission (what’s not to love??)
Seats provided (we sat one row in front of the back and we could see fine!)
Concession stand for snacks, drinks and goodies
Gorgeous wooded clearing in Sanborn Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains!
All shows start at 7:00 pm but arrive early to enjoy a picnic dinner and grab seats!