Macbeth and King Lear featured in Bard in the Barracks’ 2011 Season

Bard in the Barracks’ exciting 2011 season will see the company stage two productions for the first time. A remount of the company’s hit 2010 production of Macbeth in Odell Park will be staged May 28-June 2, in conjunction with Fredericton’s hosting of the Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities.  Macbeth will be one of the Congress’s featured cultural events, with the show open to conference delegates and members of the general public alike. Later in the summer, our new production of King Lear, the play that many consider Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy, will take over Odell Park from June 23 to July 3.

Our 2011 production of Macbeth will be an updated, bigger and better reboot of the show that wowed audiences and drew sellout crowds last year, with an expanded cast, an updated look, and new locations. Set in a dystopian, newly primitive Scotland, the play is a mobile, site-specific production that unfolds at a number of spectacular locations in the park, with audience members led on a torchlit hike from scene to scene through the witch-haunted woods. As night descends and the witching hour approaches, Bard in the Barracks will thrill with supernatural doings and ghostly visitations, live music and epic battle scenes, all performed mere inches from the audience in one of the most unique and spine-tingling stagings you are ever likely to see.

Read on for full Macbeth show details below!

Show dates and time: May 28-June 2, 7:30 PM nightly. Patrons should arrive at the park by 7:15 to allow time to make it to the play’s starting point. Good walking shoes (waterproof if you have them) and warm clothing are recommended.

Tickets: Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.regonline.com/macbeth at a price of $14.50 regular and $10.50 for students. All online purchases carry a service charge of $3.50 per booking (not per ticket). Seating for the play is limited and many of the shows in last year’s run sold out, so advance tickets are recommended. Advance tickets can be purchased for performances up to the day before the show. Any remaining tickets will be sold on the day of the performance as same-day rush tickets at our box office at Odell Park, beginning at 6:30 PM. Rush tickets will be sold for $14 regular, $10 for students (cash sales only). For information on ticket availability, email nbacts@unb.ca or phone 458-7406 during our regular box office hours (12:30-4:30).

Some other important notes about tickets: advance ticket holders will need to present a printed receipt for their online purchase at the box office for entry to the show. Congress participants who don’t have access to a printer can still get into the show, but will need to present identification. Anyone who purchases student tickets will need to present valid student i.d. for entrance to the show. Finally, if any performances are cancelled due to rain (see below), holders of advance tickets can rebook for another performance and request that an online refund for the rained-out show be processed by emailing nbacts@unb.ca before June 4.

How to get to Odell Park: For the information of our out of town visitors, Odell Park is located approximately 30 minutes by foot or 5 minutes by car or taxi west from the UNB/STU campuses. From the base of campus, turn left and follow Beaverbrook Street as it becomes Dundonald Street and then Waggoner’s Lane.  The entrance to the park is at the corner of Waggoner’s Lane and Rookwood Drive, just past the major intersection of Dundonald and Smythe Streets, with our box office located at the top of the main parking lot. Congress participants can also hop on the 6:45 shuttle bus leaving the Student Union Building bound for the Delta Fredericton Hotel. From the Delta, the park is a 5-10 minute walk south along Rookwood Drive.

Food at the Park: Bard in the Barracks operates a concession stand that will sell a variety of snacks and hot and cold drinks before the show and at intermission. With no electricity at the park our offerings are limited, however, and patrons looking for a full meal will not find any restaurants at the park or in the immediate vicinity. Show-goers who are pressed for time can pick up a variety of take-away meals at the Atlantic Superstore, located just across the street from the park entrance. Tingley’s, near the corner of Smythe and Dundonald Streets, also houses a Quizno’s Subs outlet.

What to Wear: Sturdy and comfortable walking shoes; clothing that is appropriate for all weather possibilities and suitable for hiking and sitting on the ground. Warm clothing is recommended: though days may be warm, evenings can still be cool, especially under the forest canopy.

What not to Wear: Flipflops, high heels, your finest business or club attire.

What to Bring: Raincoat and hat if threat of rain; a blanket or small lightweight camp stool to sit on. Most of the play is best viewed on foot or sitting on the ground.

What not to Bring: Lawnchairs, even the lightweight, foldable kind, will be cumbersome to carry from scene to scene, will not be practical in many locations,and will obstruct the view of fellow audience members. Your dog. You love him; we probably would too. But audience members will be at close quarters and for the safety and comfort of all involved, we ask you to leave Fido at home.

Our rainy weather policy and procedures: Every effort will be made to avoid cancelling the show. We cancel performances very rarely, and only in case of sustained heavy rain or threat of thunderstorms at show time. Because we try to avoid cancellations, decisions on whether to proceed with the show will sometimes not be made until very close to show time. The play will proceed in case of light rain/drizzle, so audience members are encouraged to dress appropriately. For updates on show status, please visit the website or call 458-7406.

If one or more performances are rained out, additional performance(s) may be added to the run. Check our website for updates.

Questions? Contact us at (506) 458-7406 or nbacts@unb.ca. Bard Artistic Director Len Falkenstein can be reach at lfalken@unb.ca.