PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, JULY 9, 2021
Homegrown stages heaping helping
of The Bard
By LYNDON ZAITZ
Of the Keizertimes
Shakespeare is back in Keizer this
summer. A whole lot of Shakespeare.
Keizer Homegrown Theatre (KHT)’s
annual Shakespeare in the Park was
nixed for the second year in a row due to
COVID-19.
Instead, a cast of three will perform The
Complete Works of William Shakespeare
(Abridged) at the company’s theatre in
the Keizer Cultural Center. Performances
began July 8 and will run Friday and
Saturday, July 9 and 10 and again next
week, Thursday-Saturday, July 15-17.
The show is a series of parodies of 37
Shakespeare plays, with all of them comi-
cally shortened by three actors. For exam-
ple, Titus Andronicus is presented as a
cooking show. Other shows that get skew-
ered include Othello, Romeo and Juliet
and q.
Laura Reid, a member of the KHT com-
pany and a McNary High School teacher
is directing the show, which she laugh-
ingly called “a lump of hilarity.” Reid said
she has been waiting for years to do this
play.
The three actors in the play are Tom
Cavanaugh, Jeremy Clubb and Jennifer
Johnson. All three have directed other
shows, which they all say makes perform-
ing this play a collaborative experience,
often giving notes to each during
rehearsals.
Cavanaugh is the drama teacher at
McNary and has directed productions
at the school. Clubb directed Keizer
Homegrown’s Dog Park, The Musical
in 2017. Johnson directed The Pirates
of Penzance at another theatre and will
make her KHT directorial debut with
Steel Magnolias in December.
Clubb is the only veteran Keizer
Homegrown actor in the cast. Johnson
is making her KHT stage debut with this
show. Cavanaugh is also making his stage
debut with KHT though he did appear in
the company’s Dating in February, which
was available only on YouTube.
Though the cast is small each actor
takes on multiple characters from the
Shakespeare plays showcased. The
response was quick when asked to
describe the roles they play: Jennifer is
the enthusiastic one, Tom is the smart one
and Jeremy is the creative one—which was
evident during each energetic rehearsal.
The Complete Works of Williams
Shakespeare (Abridged) was first per-
formed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
in 1987 by its creators Adam Long, Daniel
Singer and Jess Winfield, founding
members of the Reduced Shakespeare
Jennifer Johnson, Jeremy Clubb (center) and Tom Cavanaugh (right) run through the works
of Shakespeare at a blistering pace in The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged). The
play runs two weekends and is directed by Laura Reid. Submitted photo
Company in London.
The show will be the first inside KHT’s
theatre since February 2020. Keizer
Homegrown Theatre did not let COVID
stop it from performing theatre. It has
used Zoom and YouTube to continue to
offer theatre. The first in-person show this
season was The Revolutionists performed
on the patio of the Keizer Cultural Center
in June.
Show time for The Complete Works
of Williams Shakespeare (Abridged) is 7
p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 9-10 and
Thursday-Saturday, July 15-17. Tickets
are $15 but admission is free with a pre-
sented Oregon Trail Card. Season tickets
purchased in 2020 will be honored for this
show.
Seating is limited for the show. Visit
keizerhomegrowntheatre.org to purchase
tickets.