“The play’s the thing” wherein the clowns shall dance and sing! Four clowns adventure through three of the Bard’s greatest tragedies in Panoply Theatre Collective’s hilarious play Clowns Reading Shakespeare, created and directed by Kenzie Dalie. With all of the fun and silliness you’d expect from a clown show mixed with witty jokes about Shakespeare and theatre itself, Clowns Reading Shakespeare is a delight for theatregoers of all ages!

The Director is on her 5th day of auditions (it was supposed to take a single day), and not only has she not found a cast for her Shakespearean debut, she can’t even decide on what play to do! With the help of HotDog, Puff, Cowfeet McHooves, and her trusty Stage Manager DinkEE, The Director is sure that she can get things sorted out before The Producer arrives. Trying out scenes from Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth, the clowns show us that there’s so much more to Shakespeare than just the flowery language and epic battle scenes.

As a Bardolator myself, Clowns Reading Shakespeare feels like it was made for me. From niche jokes about devastating scenes in Hamlet, to only being able to think up the right ingredients for the witches’ brew, I could hardly stop laughing. It’s one of the things I’ve learned to love about clown shows: they have a unique ability to fit tons of hilarity into a tiny package. And fear not, it’s plenty funny even if you’re not intimately familiar with Shakespeare; there are silly secret handshakes, awkward “kissing” and plenty of other jokes that everyone will love.

The cast of Clowns Reading Shakespeare truly bring their all to this performance. Paige Madsen plays The Director and I love her quips about theatre and the very stereotypical director she portrays. Alyssa Pothier’s overly-eager DinkEE the stage manager had me howling. Every time she yells “managed!” at one of the other clowns, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Sienna Singh’s Puff is sweet, and kinda shy, and doesn’t want to do anything without her bestie, DinkEE which adds a childlike element into the mix. All three of these performers are also the Co-Artistic Directors of Panoply Theatre Collective, and you can tell that they truly value the “collective” aspect of their company’s name. Brendan Kinnon gives a high-energy performance as Cowfeet McHooves. Their timing and crowd work are so spot on. Callan Forrester’s HotDog hit close to home; fully prepared and ready for their audition, I loved the enthusiasm and know-how HotDog displays.

I attended their first performance in Little Avenue Memorial Park and I just have to talk about something absolutely wonderful that I was able to witness that evening. With the show being in the park, you do get the occasional person who strolls up part way through the show and sits down to watch; it’s part of the charm of it all. This particular evening, a family happened to do so, which included two youngsters. The troupe decides to show The Producer the final scene of Macbeth, and therefore they need a Macduff and his soldiers, and these little ones volunteered. They got to use props, and Macduff did in fact beat Macbeth at a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, and all was well. When they sat down, I hear one of them exclaim “I got to act in a play!” And the other said “I’m going to tell my friends!” This, folks, is the magic of theatre. This is why we do what we do, and I left with my heart full!

Clowns Reading Shakespeare is such a great way to start the season of Shakespeare in the great outdoors! This is truly an event for the whole family, so grab a chair or blanket and the kiddos and take in a performance of Clowns Reading Shakespeare; you never know who’ll be inspired!

Clowns Reading Shakespeare runs in Kew Gardens Park June 25 – 29. For more information and tickets, visit: https://panoplycollective.com/clowns-reading-shakespeare

---

Cover Photo: Brendon Kinnon, Callan Forrester, Sienna Singh and Alyssa Pothier. Photo by Elisabeth Bragale, FullHaus Productions.

---

Thank you to my Patrons:

N. Bushnik, S. Fisher, B. Kinnon, D. Moyes

And to my supporters who’ve bought me a coffee:

Angelica and Paul, Anonymous, Adrianna, Caitlin, Jonathan, and Jada

Would you like to become a Patron? Check out my Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/AViewfromtheBox

Or, you can buy me a coffee at: buymeacoffee.com/aviewfromthebox