What could be better on a warm summer evening than goodly company and a wondrous setting! The sun sinks behind the mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe, stage lights illuminate nature’s amphitheater perched on the shore beneath a starry sky. It’s a scene like no other and the perfect place for comedy, music, dance and drama. It’s the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival at Sand Harbor and it’s far from academic. This is not your English professor’s Shakespeare.

“Our goal is to bring Shakespeare to all kinds of people,” said Scott Gilbert, artistic director of the Foothill Theater Company that has presented Shakespeare at Lake Tahoe for 11 years; the festival itself is in its 35th season. “We don’t want audiences to see Shakespeare because they think they should, but because the plays are lively, fun and compelling entertainment.”

The challenge is to bring audiences something new each year. “Two years ago we added a tragedy to the repertoire. The major difference this year is the addition of a third, non-Shakespearian play,” said Gilbert.

The wild and wacky Greater Tuna is a side-splitting tour de force first written as a simple party sketch more than 20 years ago. Featuring fast-paced costume changes and a plethora of bad female impersonations, there are just two actors that portray all the citizens of Texas' third smallest town of Tuna - men, women, children and animals. The play, a satire on life in rural America, has played to rave reviews around the country for 25 years.

“The Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival just keeps getting bigger and better every year and has gained a reputation all over the west coast with professional actors and directors who audition to come here each summer,” Gilbert said. This season the company includes 10 equity and five non-equity actors. Eight new actors appear for the first time at Lake Tahoe along with seven resident company members. In addition to Greater Tuna, the company will present two of the top three plays requested by audiences: Romeo & Juliet and The Taming of the Shrew.

Much has been made of where and when directors choose as the setting for Shakespeare’s plays, from traditional Elizabethan times to modern day. But what exactly is traditional? Shakespeare wrote for audiences of his day, with many topical references and contemporary jokes that people would easily recognize. If directors remain true to this concept, Shakespeare would be presented today with actors dressed in jeans and references to the Iraq war and presidential candidates.

Regardless of the historical period or the clothing they wear, Shakespeare’s familiar characters are always the same and recognizable. Shakespeare’s genius is that he wrote about universal types and universal themes of love, deception, foolishness and greed. We’ve all been there. We know these people. Perhaps they live next door.

Lake Tahoe is one of the most beautiful spots in the country to perform plays, but there are distractions here not found in other outdoor theatres. The possibility of wind from the lake and the beauty of the lake itself, plus the casual atmosphere of feet in the sand and picnics on laps during the show make the festival at Sand Harbor a unique experience for the audience and a challenge for the actors. To get and keep the audience’s attention, the actors’ performances are much bigger and bolder than what you see at indoor theaters. It was much the same in Shakespeare’s time when a good portion of the audience stood in the pit below the stage, a rowdy crowd to be sure.

The bard certainly didn’t know the charms of outdoor theatre on the shores of Lake Tahoe when he wrote his plays, but he would have embraced it. There isn’t a more delightful diversion than spending a summer evening with Shakespeare’s characters at Sand Harbor.

The experience of Shakespeare at Lake Tahoe is much more than what appears on the stage. It’s a picnic, a social occasion with family and friends, and a festive event like no other. Those who purchase reserved seating or globe tickets will have most, if not all, of their food, seating and transportation needs handled by others. For those in the lower and upper galleries, here are some tips to make the experience more enjoyable:

Arrive early: Sand Harbor parking is free after 5 p.m. and beach goers are leaving so there is plenty of room. Gallery seating is on the sand and is first come, first served. Lines form early so you’ll want to stake out a position close to the front to get the best spot when the gates open.

Make yourself comfortable: Bring light weight, low back, folding beach chairs and a cooler with wheels. If you’re well prepared, you can start the party while waiting in line by setting up chairs and breaking out the drinks and hors d’oeuvres. If you don’t want to carry chairs, you can rent them inside the gates, but you’ll have to stand while tailgating in line.

Dress in layers: The western sun is hot when you arrive. A hat, sunscreen and sun glasses are a must. Once the sun sets, it can get very cool and sometimes cold and windy. Be prepared with fleece, a windbreaker and a blanket to spread over your legs. Bring a flash light to find your car in the parking lot after the show.

Gourmet picnics: The sky’s the limit. Some folks have been to known to break out the silver and linen, even flowers to grace the top of their coolers. Bring as much or as little as you like. If you don’t want to carry food, Shakespeare’s Kitchen, provided by Brimm’s Catering Co., has a wide range of choices from soups and salads to chicken enchiladas and pan-grilled salmon, fine wines, ales and specialty coffees. To make things even easier, you can order food online and pick up your picnic as you enter.

Should you chose to go in luxury, a special area inside the amphitheatre called Clarity is a plush lounge (by beach standards) that can be reserved for private parties to relax and sip cocktails before the show.

Whatever venue you choose for viewing, one thing is certain, and Shakespeare said it:

“Keep a gamester from the dice, and a good student from his book, and it is wonderful!”
- Merry Wives of Windsor