Wheaton brings Bard's 'Twelfth Night' outdoors
Memorial Park in downtown Wheaton became so packed with theatergoers clamoring for a Shakespeare in the Park experience last August that a more elaborate sound system was added at the last minute.
"We had to bring in more speakers," said Andy Mangin, Wheaton College Arena Theater director.
Mangin said he expects similar enthusiasm for this year's production of "Twelfth Night," a romantic comedy that hinges on mistaken identity, a prevalent theme in Shakespeare's works. Shows begin at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 26 and 27, in Wheaton's Memorial Park.
"Basically, the play is about finding love or looking for love in the wrong places," he said.
Mangin, a theater professor at Wheaton College, said the two-night production is professionally staged with a 16-member cast that combines professional actors with student actors. Actors are flying in from points as distant as New York and Dallas for the shows.
"The whole cast is graduates and current students," he said. "It's great for students to learn from someone further along in the journey. It's a blessing that our graduates want to come back and work with us. It's actually a bonus that we're able to show our work to people who want to see it."
The annual Shakespeare in the Park tradition began in 2013 when Wheaton College and the Wheaton Park District partnered to make the dream of bringing free, highbrow entertainment to the community a reality.
"The college sees this as a gift to the community," Mangin said.
That first year, Mangin said, organizers expected 300 people to show up and were surprised when 2,000 patrons attended. Attendance consistently has topped 2,000 for the two-day run, said Kristina Nemetz, the park district's special events supervisor.
Mangin said the show is supported with professional stage lighting and sound and a complete, portable set.
"We bring in a professional sound company. Everyone's miked," Mangin said.
Visitors begin arriving as early as 5:30 p.m. to picnic and settle in on blankets, he said. Live bands are set to perform before the show.
"There's sort of a relaxed atmosphere. You don't feel like you're in a closed environment and can't talk," he said. "It's become a real community event."
Nemetz said the show costs roughly $40,000 to produce, an expense that has been split almost evenly between the college and the park district, with the park district generating much of its contributions through corporate sponsorships.
"On the college side, the college funds it," Mangin said.
But a drop in corporate sponsorships and a desire to shift financial backing from taxpayer dollars to private donations has prompted organizers to seek supplemental funding, Nemetz said.
"This year is the first time we're pushing community support of the production," she said.
While admission is free, donations will be accepted during performances, she said. Patrons also may donate via text while at the show or through gofundme.com, a crowd funding website.
About $600 of the $2,500 goal of the gofundme account had been raised at press time.
Nemetz said proceeds from concessions sold at performances will benefit the DuPage County Historical Museum Foundation. The Wheaton Park District assumed responsibility for operating and funding the museum in 2008, she said.
Nemetz said the event drew about 2,500 people in 2015 and about 2,250 in 2014.
"It's one of the cool events in which the college is coming out into the community," she said.
"It's been really successful, from my point of view," said Mangin.
If either performance is canceled due to inclement weather, a rain date is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28.
If you go
What: Shakespeare in the Park production of "Twelfth Night," staged by Wheaton College Arena Theater and Wheaton Park District
Where: Memorial Park, 208 W. Union Ave., Wheaton
When: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 26 and 27
Cost: Free; donations accepted
Info: wheatonparkdistrict.com and wheaton.edu/arena-theater