What better way to celebrate the Summer Solstice? On Saturday, June 20, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be performed on the patio at Ducard Vineyards by performers from Bard Unbound in Richmond. It will be a perfect setting on a summer evening for a relaxed and casual performance; as well as the play, enjoy the mountain backdrop, the chirping of crickets and frogs, lightning bugs, and the sunset. Plan to come early and bring a picnic.

Event Photo

The comedy features four young lovers, woodland fairies and sprites, and a group of inexperienced actors ineptly attempting to prepare a performance for the wedding of a Duke. With some magic spells, confusion, misunderstandings, and, of course, true love thrown in, the result is one of Shakespeare’s best loved plays.

Bard Unbound Actors

Bard Unbound is a Shakespeare Troupe whose purpose is to “illuminate the fire of Shakespeare by getting it off the page and off the stage in Virginia.” The group’s mission is to counter the effects of modern technological influences and sophisticated stages on Shakespearean performances that can make his works seem boring, stiff, highbrow, and especially, removed from the audience, way up on a stage or screen. To quote Bard Unbound, “In Shakespeare’s day, people from all walks of life flocked to see his plays. It was raw, it was rough, and it was in your face – sometimes literally.”

Bard Unbound brings Shakespeare back to its roots, as an outdoor theatre experience, close to the audience, with six actors playing all the characters. As in Shakespeare’s day, there are minimal props; the actors create the magic with their performances. They bring Shakespeare’s plays to nontraditional spaces; playhouses, pubs, wineries and breweries in Virginia, and create a more interactive, fun-filled experience to really bring Shakespeare back to the people.

Oh…did I forget to mention? There will be WINE there! And plan to return the next day for Ducard’s Father’s Day Cigar and Wine Pairing.

Saturday, June 20, 7 p.m.
Ducard Vineyards, 40 Gibson Hollow Lane, Etlan.
www.ducardvineyards.com
$25 per person, reservations at https://www.ducardvineyards.com/shakespearereservation.html
Though they are normally welcome, please leave dogs at home for this special evening.