Idaho Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director Charles Fee Shares His Enthusiasm For The Summer Season
How will an evening at ISF play out this year?
Our outdoor amphitheater and Shakespeare Park offer audiences one of the safest locations to gather for an evening of live entertainment. Café Shakespeare by ACT 3 will offer a “grab and go” menu or you can bring your own picnic. We encourage pre-show dining throughout our grounds with distanced tables and picnic areas. Our protocols will be exactly the same as any outdoor restaurant: masks will be worn except when eating or drinking. We are still working on the protocols for our audience when entering the theater, as of this writing we request masks to be worn. Further guidance on bringing food and drink into the performance space will be communicated to our patrons as protocols evolve. While health and safety protocols for the actors and stage crew are robust, the audience will not notice any difference in our performances.
Why did you choose Sleuth, The Tempest, and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)?
Our season has been adapted to respond to health and safety protocols necessary for live performance. We selected plays with relatively small casts to insure safety onstage and backstage. Our season has the variety our audiences have come to expect from the Festival: A thriller (Sleuth), a beautiful Shakespeare romance (The Tempest), and a wild comedic romp (“Complete Works”). Something for the mind, the heart, and the belly!
Which Shakespeare play is your personal favorite?
That is as impossible as choosing your favorite child. (Hamlet . . . but don’t tell anyone.)
What’s your first memory of going to the theatre?
Seeing The Taming of Shrew, directed by Bill Ball at American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco on my 13th birthday. It still remains one of the best productions I have ever seen.
What’s a goal for ISF you’d like to accomplish in the next 12 months?
Re-open our theater for the 2021 season in July and play through the end of September without any interruptions!
What do you think are the best skills you bring to your job?
Joy, humor, honesty and ethical behavior.
What’s the one thing about you few people know?
I love to barbecue.
What are some of your favorite Boise spots?
The Ridge to Rivers trail system is one of the greatest assets of our community. I use it to hike and bike every week of the year!
Finish this sentence: On Saturday mornings, you can usually find me…
On a walk with my beautiful, wonderful wife, Lidia.
TITLE: Idaho Shakespeare Festival
INSIDE CIRCLE on Page 1: The Ultimate Summer Evening
PULL QUOTE Bottom of Page 2: Our season has the variety our audiences expect...something for the mind, the heart, and the belly!