PLAY ON!
Passion fuels momentum behind "complex" Twelfth Night
BY LUCRETIA VOIGT CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Susan McGinnis has a passion. An actress, director and producer, she made her way to Nantucket from New York, where she lived within walking distance of the Delacorte Theatre. Delacorte Theatre has the distinction of being the site of free Shakespeare in the Park productions since 1962. When McGinnis attended her first production there, she gushes that "it was so magical to be outside, it was the highest quality production, yet ticket price made no difference. It was theater for the people." She was hooked.

BEVERLY HALL PHOTO

Like most of us, McGinnis didn't grow up spouting soliloquies from "Romeo and Juliet". "I was a late bloomer to Shakespeare. guess the more you learn about it and work with it, the more it becomes what you want to do." McGinnis admits that she is game to play any part out there, reveling in the opportunity to walk in someone else's skin for a time. Shakespeare, though, is different. "To do Shakespeare is a great joy, an honor - and it gets deeper with every experience you have with it."

The paths of McGinnis and Nantucket crossed in the summer of 1995. She fell in love with the beauty of the island and the people. Her love for Nantucket equaled her love for Shakespeare, and an idea began germinating of bringing her two passions together. In 2002 she gave up her apartment in New York, moved fulltime to Nantucket, and began the Seaside Shakespeare Company.

The Seaside Shakespeare Company has gained momentum every year since then, with productions last year during Arts Week and this year during the Shakespeare by the Sea Festival. The troupe will be performing "Twelfth Night" as part of the 2007 Arts Week Festival on Thursday, October 4 and Friday, October 5, at 5:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Church. "Twelfth Night" is a comedy focused on twins separated during a shipwreck, various mistaken identities, women disguised as men, and the vagaries of love. Through it all the witty fool Festes provides comic commentary. Seaside Shakespeare's adaptation takes advantage of Shakespeare's songs by adding music to the production. It is fast-paced and keeps you riveted from the first word. "It's important for us to be involved in Arts Week, to extend a welcoming hand to islanders who maybe can't attend the summer productions because they're working. We kept the ticket prices low because we don't want that to be a deciding factor in attending." Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors, and free for children 12 and younger.

Part of the ongoing mission of Seaside Shakespeare is to light a spark in younger kids for the theater and Shakespeare. To that end, they are performing a matinee for the students of Nantucket High School during the school day on Friday. McGinnis knows that attending a performance is so much stronger than just reading Shakespeare. "When something is live, you see the action, you feel the energy, and it requires you to become involved. My original thought was an outreach program so that we could have classes that culminated in a performance. We're not to that stage yet." She hopes to be able to add this element in the future.

McGinnis is excited about the steady progress Seaside Shakespeare Company has made, and is quick to point out the many people and artists who have helped push the project along. "This is a very complex project, and unfortunately reality dictates that I divide my time between work and Seaside Shakespeare." Even though it has been five years since McGinnis started the Seaside Shakespeare Company, she has not lost any of her enthusiasm for the project and the purpose. She is working toward setting the company up as a non-profit corporation and putting together a board of directors. Already planning for next year's production, she smiles demurely and will only intimate that it revolves around the "age-old battle of the sexes." 'Tis deeds must win the prize. For McGinnis, that prize looks a

lot like Will Shakespeare. I

- Seaside Shakespeare is offering two shows of the family-friendly comedy "Twelfth Night" at the Unitarian Church, 11 Orange Street, on Thursday, October 4 and Friday, October 5 at 5:00 p.m. Ticket prices are $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors, and free to children 12 and younger.