SummerFest Comes Home
BY KIM THOMAS
It wouldn’t be Summer in Lexington without SummerFest.
The Lexington Shakespeare Festival began over 30 years ago as Shakespeare in the Park at Woodland Park. In 2007, under a new Board of Directors and staff, SummerFest was born — one of the region’s oldest continually operating Summer Theatre experiences, relocating first to the Arboretum, and later to Moondance, in Beaumont, where there was a permanent stage in place.
For the last 10 years I have tried to coax pals into seeing a SummerFest play at the Arboretum or Moondance Amphitheatre, and most of the creative regrets usually end with, ‘haven’t wanted to go since they moved it from Woodland Park!’”
This summer, it’s time for a homecoming.
Let the casts of As You Like It and Jesus Christ Superstar do all the work, while you find ample street parking, bring a blanket, basket of noshes, and a box of wine, and voila — you’ve got it made, literally, in the shade! Sit under the tall trees at Lexington’s favorite city park, Woodland Park, located where Clay meets Woodland meets High Street, nestled ‘tween all the busy and cool parts of campus and downtown.
SUPERSTAR Stage Manager Natalie Cummins is happy to see the show back in its old neighborhood. “My first experience with the old Lexington Shakespeare Festival was in 2004, and by then the shows were staged in the Arboretum. I’d always wished that I could have worked at Woodland Park, so on a personal level I’m thrilled that SummerFest is returning to the old roots. I also believe that the atmosphere of that area really lends itself to outdoor theater, and I think the community is very happy with the return.”
This article also appears on page 7 of the June 2016 printed issue of Ace.
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