Of the countless fun summertime activities offered right here in the great city of Louisville, Shakespeare in the Park is without a doubt one thing everyone should take advantage of this summer. Whether you’re searching for the perfect romantic setting for a special date or you’re looking for more exciting ways to spend time with your children, Kentucky Shakespeare has got it all. And with free admission, it simply just can’t be beat.
And with such an impressively captivating production comes an even more impressively talented staff and crew. But where would the staff and crew be without a fearlessly dedicated director?
Though his summer days are full with preparations for this year’s Shakespeare Festival and his job as a father to his two young daughters, Kentucky Shakespeare’s Matt Wallace is making his job as Producing Artistic Director look easy.
Years after his brief yet noteworthy appearance in 1994’s Forrest Gump, Wallace joined the Kentucky Shakespeare team in 2001 when he auditioned as an actor. What started off as portraying a single role lead to his start as a director. He held his position until leaving the group in 2010. However, like many who fall in love with the city of Louisville, Wallace didn’t stay away very long before returning to the theater group in 2013 when he accepted his role as Producing Artistic Director.
Throughout the course of preparing for the Shakespeare Festival, Wallace oversees the entire assembly of the program’s crew, both on stage and behind-the-scenes. After choosing the three plays to be performed, he must oversee the casting of actors for each role.
“We want to utilize more local and regional talent,” Wallace says about Kentucky Shakespeare’s new casting methods. The theater group has casted actors participating in national auditions in the past but is now conducting localized auditions of their own.
After casting actors for each role and hiring designers for both the set and costumes, the ensemble is finally complete. And according to Wallace, this is a process that typically takes several months.
“The work never stops and that’s what I love,” says Wallace happily about his job with Kentucky Shakespeare.
And his love for his job is certainly clear in his work. In order to make 2015 Kentucky Shakespeare’s best year yet, Wallace traveled to the William Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon in England last October. There, Wallace walked in bard’s footsteps and studied his work and styles as much as possible. Talk about serious dedication!
You can see Matt Wallace’s hard work put to action at Shakespeare in the Park this summer. Shows begin at 8pm each night at the C. Douglass Ramey Amphitheater in Old Louisville’s Central Park. As always, admission is free! For a complete schedule of shows, visit Kentucky Shakespeare’s website.
Photo courtesy of the Courier-Journal.
