<p>Shakespeare’s greatest stories are coming to life once again this fall throughout Indianapolis.</p>
<p>Local actors will explore the anguish and tragedy of Hamlet, the raunchy transformation of Henry IV and the healing power of King Lear as told through modern theater.</p>
<p>And in the midst of it all, a group of Johnson County’s most talented young actors will bring whimsy, magic and revenge to the stage in “The Tempest.”</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]
<p>Agape Performing Arts. Co., a Greenwood-based theater troupe, will put on the fantastical show as part of Indy Bard Fest, a celebration of Shakespeare and central Indiana’s only festival devoted solely to the playwright. Over the next two weekends, audiences will be treated to showings of three Shakespearean plays, as well as “Lear’s Shadow,” a drama that revolves around “King Lear.”</p>
<p>Most of the plays are cast by professional actors. Agape will be the only community organization taking part.</p>
<p>This will be the second year that Agape has had the opportunity to be a part of Indy Bard Fest. The opportunity to take part is an honor and speaks to the hard work the cast and crew puts into every show, said Kathy Phipps, executive director of Agape.</p>
<p>“It means a great deal to us that the producers were pleased with our work and invited us back to participate again. It’s an extremely valuable educational experience for everyone involved,” she said.</p>
<p>Bard Fest has been staged in Indianapolis for the past five year. The festival was formed to fill a gap in the central Indiana arts scene for professional theater roles, as well as the lack of an event devoted solely to Shakespeare, said producer Glenn Dobbs.</p>
<p>Producers of the festival have tried to take creative approaches to the different plays in Shakespeare’s repertoire. Past festivals have included a vision of “Macbeth” staged in a modern crime-ridden city of corrupt police and crime bosses.</p>
<p>“These plays are remarkably fresh and human, despite being 400 years old. Shakespeare has much to teach us about what it means to be human and what it means to interact with the world more than any other playwright that every lived,” Dobbs said in an interview in 2018.</p>
<p>In addition to professional actors and theater companies putting on the plays, the festival tries to include a guest theater group each year. Last year, he interviewed Phipps about Agape and what they stood for.</p>
<p>The theater troupe was a perfect match for what Indy Bard Fest is all about, Dobbs said.</p>
<p>Agape Performing Arts Company is a theater ministry of Our Lady of Greenwood Catholic Church. The organization regularly puts on ambitious musicals and performances, with past shows including “Les Miserables” and “Newsies.”</p>
<p>Phipps founded the troupe to provide more opportunities for young actors on the southside.</p>
<p>After a successful 2018 festival, Dobbs wanted Agape to come back again this year, as the troupe prepared to stage “The Tempest.”</p>
<p>“The Tempest” was one of Shakespeare’s final works. The play tells the story of a shipwrecked group of nobles caught in a land of magic. Prospero, a powerful sorcerer, and his daughter, Miranda, live on what is typically depicted as a Caribbean island. Joining them are their servants, Caliban, a monstrous figure, and Ariel, an ethereal and airy spirit.</p>
<p>They separate the shipwrecked passengers into two groups — people who once betrayed Prospero — and attempt to enact their revenge. Also involved in the plot is a magical wedding, as well as forgiveness.</p>
<p>For Phipps, the play is one of Shakespeare’s most impressive. She first encountered it while working towards her master of arts degree in theater at Illinois State University, where she served on the makeup committee of the school’s production of it.</p>
<p>“I fell in love with the beauty of the show, not only the potential for a really splendid visual design, but a really beautiful story,” she said. “It’s been my dream to direct this play ever since. I was delighted to have this opportunity to bring it to live for Bard Fest.”</p>
<p>The Agape production follows the traditional play and structure that Shakespeare laid out faithfully. One of the most rewarding parts of helping the cast prepare for the show was helping them grasp Shakespearean language, which can be challenging even for seasoned actors, Phipps said.</p>
<p>“While earning my doctoral degree, I had the great opportunity to study under an expert on decoding that language. He showed us how to break confusing passages down and make them understandable,” she said. “So the first thing is helping the cast understand the language of the show and what the show means.”</p>
<p>Phipps and other directors worked with the actors to gain insight into the wordplay Shakespeare is known to use. They picked it up beautifully, not only understanding it but then being able to convey it in a way that audiences with no experience with Shakespeare can enjoy, Phipps said.</p>
<p>The cast has also found enjoyment in discovering the humorous surprises that the Bard wove into his plays.</p>
<p>“Shakespeare is always known to weave in humor and fun moments in a show. This show has some absolutely hilarious moments in it. So it has some tense moments, some romantic moments, then there’s pageantry and really silly humor,” Phipps said.</p>
<p>But Phipps and other directors also tweaks aspects of it to make it Agape’s own.</p>
<p>Foremost is moving the setting from a tropical island to the Isle of Skye, a Scottish island in the Atlantic Ocean.</p>
<p>“I always like taking a unique approach that is possible from a script. I love anything Celtic, so I thought, why not off the coast of Scotland?” Phipps said. “I found it a very interesting setting for the play, with a lot of exciting opportunities.”</p>
<p>Phipps designed the costumes more appropriate for a Scottish culture, and added Celtic music for the songs that Ariel sings throughout the play.</p>
<p>“The lyrics are from the play, but I set them to traditional Scottish folk tunes,” Phipps said. “It’s very haunting intervals, with beautiful melodies.”</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="If you go" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>“The Tempest”</p>
<p>Who: Agape Performing Arts Company, a Greenwood-based theater troupe</p>
<p>When: 7:30 p.m. today, Saturday and Oct. 25; 5 p.m. Sunday and Oct. 27; 2 p.m. Oct. 26</p>
<p>Where: The District Theatre, 627 Massachusetts Ave., Indianapolis</p>
<p>Tickets: $15 adults, $12 seniors and students</p>
<p>Other Indy Bard Fest performances:</p>
<p><ul><li>“Hamlet,” 7:30 p.m. today, Friday, Saturday, Oct. 25-26; 1 p.m. Sunday and Oct. 27. Indy Fringe Theatre in the Basile, 719 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis</li><li>“Lear’s Shadow,” 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Oct. 24-26; 2 p.m. Sunday and Oct. 27. Indy Fringe Theatre in the Indy 11, 719 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis</li><li>“Henry IV Part I,” 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24 and 26; 2 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday and Oct. 27. Where: The District Theatre</li></ul></p>
<p>Information: indybardfest.com</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]
