Like arts organizations all over the country, the Rome Shakespeare Festival and River Arts District Playhouse found their seasons cut short unexpectedly when the coronavirus pandemic hit in mid-March. Months later, artistic director Gail Deschamps and her team are moving forward and taking every precaution to ensure that their shows will continue to run.
“The pandemic has hit everybody, not only financially, but it has changed a lot of the way everybody does things,” Deschamps says.
The annual Rome Shakespeare Festival will take place September 24-27 on the Town Green. The festival cast will present A Comedy of Errors, and the RSF Young Actors will present a comedic interpretation of Romeo and Juliet.
“Originally, we were going to do Julius Caesar,” Deschamps says. “We all agreed this is not the year to do a tragedy; we figured everybody wants to laugh.”
Because the pandemic has affected so many local businesses, Deschamps decided to use the festival show to promote businesses on Broad Street. Signage within the set will reference Broad Street shops and restaurants, as will window comedy and jokes throughout the show. “It’s going to be funny; it’s going to be tons of fun for people who are in the audience on a blanket to see a crazy shtick about Giggity’s or about Harvest Moon or about Whistle Britches or the Creamery,” Deschamps says.