Our local guerilla troupe is at it again.  I last saw the Birmingham Park Players do their rendition of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).  This time around, they’re doing The Taming of the Shrew.  Ah yes, kiss me, Kate!

I love that Homewood Park contains a dedicated area for performances.  Stone steps and a grassy hillside built into the park in front of a stage.  Like it was meant to be.  But it must be criminally underused.  What else could we do with it?

Maybe the most fun of seeing shows here is watching the park users walk, bike, skate, skip, and play behind the stage, craning their necks, staring, and curiously peeking around at what’s going on.  I’m sure many of them come to the park every day or every other day and there sure-as-heck isn’t usually Shakespeare.  It feels like you’re in the “in crowd” – at least a little – when you show up for this kind of transformative happening.  And there was a big ol’ beautiful crescent moon behind the stage for the first half-hour of my performance.

The play is worth seeing.  Director Clay Boyce ensures that his version of the Bard stays entertaining for all ages.  As with his earlier work, highbrow goes out the window.  Slapstick, silliness, audience participation, crotch humor, mimickry, wordplay, romance, accents a-plenty, and mostly excellent pacing keep this play moving along for younger viewers (or adults with an internet-coddled attention span).  You’re guaranteed to laugh, whether you’re six or you’re a tax accountant.  It’s also fun to pay attention to the entrances and exits of the actors around the long, winding paths to each side of the stage – many laughs come just from anticipating what’s coming next.

Two standouts, for me, were Wesley Glass as Tranio and Kate Jenkins as Biondella.  Once you start to notice him, Glass is hard not to eyeball whenever he’s on stage.  And Jenkins does a fantastic job of frantically running back and forth from front to back and back again with big-eyed enthusiasm.  Both might could stand there stone straight and still probably make me laugh.

If I had any complaint, it’s just that the dynamics could get an adjustment.  No one in the cast was too loud, but several cast members were too quiet.  The whole thing could go up one notch and be just fine.  I recognize that performing outdoors is acoustically difficult.

Just like the park is probably underutilized for performances, I’d like to highlight that the play is FREE for anyone under sixteen.  One adult + one child = $15.  One grandmother + five grandkids = $15.  One teacher + ten students = $15.  Someone should advertise this at local schools and after-school type organizations.  It’s a fantastic way to reward kids participating in non-profits or for academic performance.  Also, a fine treat for those who might never have seen Shakespeare.

If you’re an adult, I wonder if you can remember the first few times you saw Shakespeare’s plays?  Even a little exposure might have saved you from a lifetime of only craving what’s on TV.  Plays are better ’cause they’re in person.  And you can look at whatever you want.  In my humble opinion, an “Under 16″ crowd could benefit from a little more exposure to this kind of live event.

I wish that other arts organizations in Birmingham would adopt this policy.  One thing I’ve noticed is that I’m always going to shows that are half (or more) empty.  Performances are simply better when it’s a fuller house.  It feels like something cool.  It’s fun to hear other people laughing and getting into it.  The actors, dancers, and performers have more fun.  Heck, it’s fun just to people-watch.

So, why would you Scrooge out about your tickets?  Give them away to kids.  This might have all kinds of good effects.  It might encourage (paying) parents or adults to come to more shows.  It may encourage those kids to become actors, singers, or whatever.  And most importantly, it might create demand in those kids for a whole lifetime.

Plus, it’s just funner to attend if the audience is more than just ten old “patrons” and me.  Y’all should think about it.  In fact, I wonder whether a policy of free or cheap “day of” tickets would encourage bigger audiences.  My guess is that you often know in advance whether there are going to be a mess of extra tickets to stuff.  Find a way to give ‘em away.  Don’t let your trees fall in the forest with no one there to hear.

Someone in charge should do some thinkin’ on this.