WHO: Produced by Tennessee Stage Company
WHAT: Shakespeare “Off” The Square, featuring Twelfth Night and The Tempest
WHERE: Outdoors at Ijams Nature Center
2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920
WHEN: 7: 30 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, July 8 – Aug. 8
2 p.m. matinees Sunday, July 18, (Twelfth Night) and Sunday, July 25, (The Tempest) indoors at Ijams Nature Center
ADMISSION $ 15.00 (Special pricing for groups of 4 or more)
The Tennessee Stage Company presents its 31st Summer Shakespeare Festival, now performing at Ijams Nature Center where there is room for the audience to spread out and observe proper social distancing while being able to enjoy the outdoor performances which will feature two of Shakespeare’s most renowned plays, the comedy Twelfth Night and the romance of The Tempest. This season is being produced in cooperation with Ijams Nature Center
Twelfth Night opens the festival on Thursday, July 8. It continues through Aug. 7, alternating performances with The Tempest which opens on Friday, July 9, and plays through Aug. 9. There is an indoor space at Ijams Nature Center where performances will move in case of rain. In order to be prepared for the ever-changing landscape of 2021, we will play this season in the open field in front of the Visitors Center of Ijams Nature Center, located at 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920, just a short drive from downtown.
Reservations and in-person ticket cost will be $15 with a four pack for families offering a 15% discount. Tickets are on sale now at at Ijams.org/shakespeare
TWELFTH NIGHT
July 8, 10, 16, 18, 22, 24, 30, Aug. 1, 5, 7 at 7:30
July 18 a6 2:00 pm
Outdoors at Ijams Nature Center
Love triangles, practical jokes, & mistaken identities run rampant in Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, Twelfth Night. Shipwrecked & separated, Violia & her brother Sebastian, think each other drowned. Viola disguises herself as a boy, Cesario, to take a job as a servant to Duke Orsino. Orsino sends Viola to woo Countess Olivia, Olivia falls for Violia (well, Cesario), but Olivia’s butler, Malvolio, loves Olivia, & then Sebastian shows up. Turns out, Viola’s twin is not dead. Hilarity ensues. “If this were played upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction.”
THE TEMPEST
July 9, 11, 15, 17, 23, 25 29, 31 , Aug. 5 at 7:30 PM
August 25 at 2:00 pm
Outdoors at Ijams Nature Center
Lightning strikes! Magic Abounds! Betrayal & romance swirl in the storm that is Shakespeare’s The Temptest. After living in exile for 12 years, the former Duke of Milan, Prospero, has a chance at revenge when his magical storm strands his usurpers & enemies on the island. Prospero uses magical creatures to secretly control them so he can reclaim his title. Murderous plots, love at first sight, supernatural beings, & perhaps forgiveness…will everyone find safe passage home?
“We are such stuff as dreams are made on.”
The Tennessee Stage Company encourages our audiences to spend an evening at Ijams Nature Center. Walk the splendor of the trails, shop in the gift shop, have dinner at the food trucks, see the show and enjoy the beverages from the Bear Garden. Come early and sample the many pleasures to be found at Ijams Nature Center.
For more information about the Tennessee Stage Company, Shakespeare On The Square or its support guild, Buddies of the Bard (BOB), call 546-4280 or e-mail tennesseestage@comcast.net or go to tennesseestage.com
Shakespeare On The Square would not be possible without the support of the Tennessee Arts Commission and Ijams Nature Center.
