Geneva library to offer sneak peek at Shakespeare in the Park's 'Love's Labour's Lost'

Get a behind-the-scenes look at this year's Shakespeare in the Park play, "Love's Labour's Lost," on Saturday, July 22, at Geneva Public Library, 227 S. 7th St. The free presentation will be at 10 a.m. in the library's first-floor meeting room.

Director Katrina Syrris of Goodly Creatures Theatre will share production notes, historical context, and a sneak peek of notable scenes to prepare fans for this year's Shakespeare in the Park event and will answer audience questions during the Q&A session.

This revealing look at the play will be helpful to those attending Geneva's Shakespeare in the Park play on Aug 5, Syrris noted.

While "Love's Labour's Lost" is an amusing and funny play, it's not as well known or performed as much as Shakespeare's other works.

Presented as an amusing tale, "Love's Labour's Lost" covers thought-provoking themes like gender relations and classism, Syrris said. Shakespeare had a keen eye for satire, and the play is a comic social commentary.

"For every man who underestimates a woman, there is a woman to prove his assumptions wrong," Syrris said, "Every character learns a lesson, from Berowne, a self-admitted critic of love who experiences a meeting-of-minds with the beautiful Rosaline, to Holofernes, the pompous pseudointellectual who finds himself harshly humbled by the end of the play."

All ages will benefit from this sneak peek into the world of Shakespeare, Syrris said.

"(This program) will delve into Shakespeare's themes while learning about the time period in which the play was written. Background for this show will illuminate the humor, plot, and character evolutions we will see throughout the performance, and most importantly, help them better enjoy the play at Island Park."

For details, visit gpld.org.