From Indian reservations to military bases, the project–the largest-ever tour of Shakespeare in the United States will stop in every state before it wraps up in November 2004. This is big news for small communities, some of which have little opportunity for live theater. “We’re just poor folk up here, ma’am,” says B. J. Ewen, manager of The Forum at the Hal Rogers Center in Hazard, Ky., which has booked a November performance of the Aquila Company’s “Othello.” “We haven’t been exposed to this kind of thing here before.”
The plays are mostly faithful renditions of the Bard’s most famous works. Only the Artists Repertory Theatre took significant liberties, casting some of the characters in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with Vietnamese actors (the company provides supertitles). Are small towns ready for experimental fare? “It sounds different,” Gioia says, his voice bubbling with excitement. “But think about it–it really is exciting.”
