It was twenty-four years ago that Vermont Theatre Company Trustee Bob Kramsky came up with the idea for a Shakespeare-in-the-Park series for Brattleboro. “New York City has its summer Shakespeare in Central Park,” thought Kramsky, and several other cities present outdoor Shakespeare in the summer. So I thought, why not Brattleboro?” And so a Brattleboro summer tradition was born. Every summer, for the past twenty-three years, during the last weekend of June, the Vermont Theatre Company has performed Shakespeare on the Rotary Club Stage in Living Memorial Park.

The original concept was to perform “free” Shakespeare as a way of thanking the community for supporting VTC during their regular season, but production costs made that plan impossible. So the first year they charged $3.00. After twenty-four years they are now up to $5.00 per person and they still view these productions as “gifts” to the community. The $5.00 barely covers costs of sets, costumes, advertising, and rental for the tent that is used as a dressing room for the cast.

That first season (in 1990) VTC produced “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and since then they have done almost all of the comedies at least once, and a few of the more popular ones twice.

“We usually do the comedies,” says Kramsky, “because they are family friendly and most of them take place out of doors in places like the Forest of Arden. Only once have we strayed from Shakespeare (“The Doctor in Spite of Himself” by Moliere in 1996), and only recently have we been exploring the tragedies (“Romeo and Juliet” in 2000, “King Lear” in 2008, and “Hamlet” in 2010) and the histories (“Henry V” in 2012).

They even toured a few of the shows. For several years they took their Shakespeare up to Charlestown, N.H. to perform at the Foundation for Biblical Research, and then in 2000 and 2001 they took “Romeo and Juliet” and then “The Comedy of Errors” to Memorial Hall in Wilmington. Last year VTC performed an abridged version of “Henry V” at the Mutton and Mead festival in Massachusetts.

Kramsky has directed twelve of the past twenty-three seasons, but VTC has drawn on other local directors over the years as well. Heidi Fagan directed “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1998),  “A Winter’s Tale” (2005), and “King Lear” (2008). Adrienne Major directed “Romeo and Juliet” (2000), “Love’s Labour’s Lost” (2002),  “The Tempest” (2006), and “Hamlet” (2010). Jodi Clark directed “Twelfth Night” (2003) and Frank Belizia directed “As You Like It” (1993). George Lewis directed the only non-Shakespearean offering, Moliere’s “The Doctor in Spite of Himself” (1996).

Most productions are performed for only four performances. “We tried doing matinees,” adds Kramsky, “but the sun can be brutal shining on the Rotary stage at 2:00 in the afternoon and we had some very hot and unhappy actors, so we now only perform evenings, starting at 6:00 P.M. so that there is enough natural light to perform the typical two hour Shakespeare play.” Weather, too, is a major consideration. Occasionally in the past, performances have moved to the BUHS Gym or Auditorium if it rained. “Romeo and Juliet” actually performed in the ice skating rink due to bad weather. Now they just cross their fingers and hope. Most years they get at least three of the four shows performed without being rained out.

If all goes well and the weather cooperates this year, VTC will produce four performances of their twenty-fourth annual Shakespeare-in-the-Park offering June 27 through June 30. The production, Kramsky’s thirteenth, will once again be “Twelfth Night.” Thisproduction is sponsored by C&S; Wholesale Grocers, G.S. Precision, and The Vermont Country Deli. Performances begin at 6:00 P.M.; all shows are still only $5 and children five and under are free. No reservations are necessary.

Vermont Theatre Company presents comic thriller “Deathtrap,” May 17-26, at the Evening Star Grange in Dummerston.

“Deathtrap,” by playwright and author Ira Levin, best known for films based on his novels “Rosemary's Baby,” “The Stepford Wives,” and “The Boys from Brazil,” is Broadway’s longest running comic thriller.

“Deathtrap” is the story of a famous writer of comic thrillers who tries to break out of a career slump by taking the manuscript of a former student of his and calling it his own.  His diabolical plan for him and his wife to murder the author and steal the script takes many unexpected twists along the way and poses several important philosophical questions such as, “What’s the point of owning a mace if you don’t use it once in a while?”

If you think a fatal dose of murder, mystery, and sardonic comedy will cure what ails you, then VTC's production of Ira Levin's "Deathtrap," is just what you need.

Ben Stockman is the director, and featured in the cast are Jonny Mack, Beverly Miller, Elias Burgess, Nancy Groff, and Francis Hauert.  Clark Glennon is the stage manager, Jay Gelter the set designer, Rebecka Marchese the costumer, Jerry Stockman, lighting design, Kate Milliken set decorator, and Tracy Compana is props manager.

Show dates are May 17, 18, 23, 24, & 25 at 7:30, and three o'clock Sunday matinees on May 19 & 26.  All performances are at the Evening Star Grange in Dummerston.  For directions to the Grange, click here.

Tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for seniors and students.  Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling the VTC