The first event I want to highlight on in Local Loving is The Redlands Shakespeare festival.
Redlands is located about 15 minutes away from San Bernardino and I spend quite a bit of time there. I lived there for a few years and the city definitely grew on me. It has a historical and artistic feel, and some of my favorite local, businesses are here (Augie’s Coffee Shop, Inner Evolution Yoga, The Thai House).
Each year, The Redlands Bowl (a gorgeous outdoor performance space) is host to The Redlands Shakespeare festival.
This was my 4th year attending the festival, and I am always impressed with the performances.
Amazingly enough, the performances are FREE. Usually, for free Community Theater, you expect to see an amateur performance with sub-par actors. I have yet to see that here. Shakespeare is not easy to perform, but each show has been executed with fidelity. The costumes, sets and acting all culminate together to give a true Shakespearean experience.
This year, we saw Love Labor’s Lost. As is our tradition, we stopped by Trader Shoe’s beforehand, to load up for a pre-show feast.
I like getting to the show early, to watch the warm-up performances by The Players, who were witty and amusing as always.
The show starts at 8:00, just as the sun is setting you are able to see Shakespeare performed under the stars, much as it was at The Globe. Sipping wine and watching a Shakespearean play is this book nerds idea of a great Friday night, and again, the show was FREE (donations are excepted and happily given).
The play was executed in a humorous and creative manner. I was once again impressed with acting from my own local talent pool.
There is still one more week left of the festival, and I still plan to catch a showing of Julius Cesar (since this is the Season of Gender, it will be an all-female cast, should be interesting).
If you are local, I can not recommend enough catching one of the free showings, supporting local theater and show some local loving to one of these fabulous establishments, while you are there (Oscar’s Mexican Food, Mu, Time in a Bottle).
Angie Eats Peace 