Walk the plank at Addison Renaissance festival
Last year, Addison Community Theatre organized the first Midsummer's Faire - a family-friendly, Renaissance-themed theater festival. The event returns Saturday, but this time, it's all about pirates - minus unpleasantries like scurvy and deck-swabbing. Daily Herald staff writer Melynda Findlay spoke to Addison Community Theatre board member Doris Selvaggio about what all you landlubbers can expect to find at the event. Arrr!
Q. How did you choose the new theme?
A. We got together and brainstormed about whether to keep the Renaissance Fair theme or if we should find a different theme. Pirates are really big right now, after the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. We could still have things like sword fighting, which was really popular last year.
Q. What kinds of activities will visitors find?
A. Two theater productions, "Pirates of the Great Lakes" by Addison Community Theatre and "A Pirate's Life for Me" by the Addison Cultural Arts Commission; sword-fighting and martial arts skits and other types of roving entertainment; games, including life-size Battleship, hangman using a skeleton, Pirate Memory and others. There also will be pirate-themed souvenirs, a treasure hunt, a pirate costume contest and a raffle for a round of golf at Eaglewood Resort in Itasca. Raffle tickets cost $5.
Q. Besides choosing a different theme, what else is new this year?
A. A 50-foot pirate ship we built piece-by-piece in the old JoAnn Fabrics store in the Green Meadows Shopping Center. (Addison Community Theatre vice president) Greg Jeszka designed it himself and everybody has been helping to build, sand and paint. You can walk around on the deck, have your picture taken behind the ship's wheel and sign your name to the pirate articles.
Q. What do you think will be everyone's favorite?
A. We're hoping the plays, of course, but definitely the pirate ship. Greg put a lot of his own time in on that; it's his baby.
Q. Mostly hot dogs and hamburgers from J.D. Muggs in Addison.
Q. Who is sponsoring the event?
A. Century 21 Lullo is the major sponsor
If you go
What: A Midsummer's Faire: A Pirate's Life for Me
When: Noon to 7 p.m. Aug. 2
Where: On the Village Green near Addison Village Hall, 1 Friendship Plaza
Features: Theater performances, roving entertainment, games, a 50-foot pirate ship, food, souvenirs, treasure hunt, pirate costume contest and a raffle for a round of golf at Eaglewood Resort in Itasca. Raffle tickets cost $5.
Admission: $5, $3 for children and seniors
Details: www.addisontheatre.org