Shakespeare in the park to arrive in Plains

PLAINS - Shakespeare in the Parks is coming once again to Plains on Friday, August 16. The traveling troupe of professional actors will perform Shakespeare’s Henry V at the Sanders County Fairgrounds in Plains with the performance beginning at 6 p.m.

Henry V, according to its director, Joel Jahnke, is a hero story, about a matured King Henry who has given up the boozing companions of his youth and taken on the responsibilities of leading his country. The historical event upon which the play is based is the Battle of Agincourt when Henry’s English army of 1,000 men defeated the French army’s 15,000 soldiers. With 10 actors in the troupe, it will be interesting to see how the company manages to convey the impression of two vast armies. According to the director there will be a unique and very theatrical solution to this problem.

In addition to the pugnacious battle story in Henry V, there is a tender love story entwined within it. About halfway through the play Catherine, the French King’s daughter is offered as a sort of peace offering. There’s a wonderful scene between princess Catherine and her maid where she is trying to learn English in order to be prepared for Henry. And the play closes on a tender note, where, after the battle is won, Henry meets his future wife, Catherine, and there is a language barrier. According to director Jahnke, “this is the “sweetest, cutest, most enduringly vulnerable scene, . . one of the great Shakespearean love scenes.”

Sponsored by Plains Woman’s Club, but supported and made possible by merchants from Plains and Paradise, the play is free to the public. The stage will be erected near the large trees on the animal barns side of the fairgrounds. Viewers might bring lawn chairs or blankets for sitting, and perhaps might like to bring picnic suppers to enjoy before the performance begins.

Printed schedules, which are in circulation throughout Montana indicate that the play to be shown at Plains on August 16 will be the comedy, The Recruiting Officer. However, because this comedy has language in it which can only be described as raunchy, it was decided that Henry V would be a more suitable play for the local audience. The Recruiting Officer can be seen at St. Ignatius on August 15 and at Superior on August 21.