A long wait between plays for Stratford’s Merry Wives

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The Merry Wives of Stratford, a plain English adaptation of Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor is being staged at King’s Theatre this weekend.

LISA BURD/Stuff

The Merry Wives of Stratford, a plain English adaptation of Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor is being staged at King’s Theatre this weekend.

It has been over two decades since Stratford put on its own Shakespeare production.

Community was the motivation behind The Stratford Arts Theatre Company’s production of the “Merry Wives of Stratford”.

It is the last event of this year’s Stratford Shakespeare Festival.

“The success of the festival reflects the strong community support behind us,” Jo Stallard, of The Shakespeare Trust, said.

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The Merry Wives production has been a co-lab between Stratford’s art groups; Stratford Singers, Hayley Old from the Dance Project, Stratford on Stage, Stratford Art Society, Stratford High School students and teacher Nic Orr.

The production is directed by Jo Stallard, centre, of the The Shakespeare Trust

ANDY MACDONALD/Stuff

The production is directed by Jo Stallard, centre, of the The Shakespeare Trust

Stallard applied to and received funding from the Taranaki Foundation.

The aim was to bring the community together post Covid by using the talent of local arts groups to share laugher and happiness, just as Shakespeare said: Make the upcoming hour overflow with joy and let pleasure drown the brim.

“The Merry Wives was the perfect play,” said Stallard, who is the director and additional sponsor with Stuart Greenhill of the Fenton Street Arts Collective and distillery.

“The central character, Falstaff is taught a lesson by the Merry (honest) Wives. It is performed in plain English which draws in a much larger audience,” she said.

“And it is hilarious. We have a cast of actors ranging in age, gender and ethnicities who belie their amateur status, they are brilliant.”

Stratford was named in 1878 and Stallard said the town had therefore inherited the name and the legacy.

“In New Zealand that connection makes us unique. Its potential pulling power for tourists and thespians is huge, and untapped when compared with sister cities around the world.”

The Shakespeare Trust hopes to put on a production annually with the focus of tying Stratford’s heritage to the community to grow.

“Understanding and accepting heritage makes an individual and a community stronger, without this we have a void, and we don’t want an empty community or unfulfilled individuals,” she said.

Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Stratford, King’s Theatre, June 16 and 17, 7pm, and June 18 at 1pm. $20 adult $10 student. Book at Event brite or get tickets from Fenton Street Arts Collective. Bar open 6pm.

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