Shakespeare in the Parks plans last Bozeman show for Friday

Montana Shakespeare in the Park will perform the play Twelfth Night in Grant Chamberlain Park on Friday, September 2nd from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. This will be the last performance in Bozeman for this season.

This summer marked the 50th anniversary of Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, a non-profit organization that puts on free shows around Montana and surrounding states. This year, Twelfth Night and King Lear opened in Bozeman at the MSU duck pond after weeks of construction, costuming, rehearsal and hard work from the cast and crew.  

Even though the shows are free, Montana Shakespeare in the Park puts on a truly professional performance. Actors are hired from all over the country to perform, and the show tours Montana, Washington, North Dakota, Wyoming and Idaho. The effort and attention to detail from the actors, costume designers, set builders and other staff makes this show truly special. Xavier Crane, who worked as a carpenter and welder for the shows, says, “Working on a show this big was scary but one of the things that helped to finish all of this in under six weeks was consistent work and a great team.”

Each year, two shows are picked to be performed. It’s a tedious process that consists of about six weeks in total to build two sets, create costumes for both shows and be performance ready when the time comes to open in late June. “I don’t even know how we got it all done. It really takes a lot of camaraderie and teamwork.” says Angela Cateora, a stitcher and assistant costume shop manager, “This summer our key patternmaker Jordan Draper was so talented and quick which really helped.”

Make sure to check out the last Bozeman performance Friday, Sept. 2, to see all the hard work put into these shows.