The Vintage Theatre Company’s Shakespeare Troupe, The Rustic Mechanicals, is days away from launching the largest tour in the company’s young history.

 

Founding Producer and Artistic Director Jason A. Young cordially invites audiences from all over the state to performances of The Rustic Mechanicals’ 2015 West Virginia Shakespeare in the Parks Cupid’s Crafty Arrow tour of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.

 

Tour locations include Ferguson Memorial Park in Shinnston, West Virginia on July 11 and 25; Heston Farm Winery in Fairmont, West Virginia on July 12; the Westside Senior Center beside the Westover City Park in Morgantown, West Virginia on July 17; Jawbone Park in Buckhannon, West Virginia on July 18; St. Albans City Park Amphitheatre in St. Albans, West Virginia on July 19; and the new downtown deck in Grafton, West Virginia on July 26. All performances are outdoors and begin at 7:00p.

 

“Seven performances spread over three weeks and six counties stretching from Monongalia to Kanawha is pretty exciting,” said Young. “I couldn’t be happier that we are doing it with this wonderful group.”

 

Celi Oliveto formed the Rustic Mechanicals within the VTC to GO program in the summer of 2014. They are the only troupe of actors in the state dedicated to touring the works of William Shakespeare and other classical playwrights. Their previous tours include productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, an original supernatural salon titled Toil & Trouble, and The Taming of the Shrew. The Mechanicals are also scheduled for a fall tour of MacBeth.

 

“The Rustic Mechanicals are a point of great pride for VTC,” said Young. “Celi does an incredible job of running the troupe. She gathers and trains great talent and picks and edits great shows like this one.”

 

Much Ado About Nothing is Shakespeare’s most famous romantic comedy. Young lovers Hero and Claudio are to be married in one week. To pass the time, they conspire with Don Pedro to set a "lover's trap" for Benedick, an arrogant confirmed bachelor, and Beatrice, his favorite sparring partner. Meanwhile, the evil Don Jon conspires to break up the wedding by accusing Hero of infidelity. In the end, though, it all turns out to be "much ado about nothing."

 

The Rustic Mechanicals’ production, set in post World War I southern California wine country, features direction by Jason A. Young and Celi Oliveto; production design by Trina Byard; and the cast of Sasha Bohon, Lanette Six, Gretchen Ross, Jackie Spicer, Mara Monaghan, Julia Oliveto, Celi Oliveto, Steve McElroy, Ben Forer, Doug Seckman, Isaac Covey, Michael Vozniak, and Aaron Harris.

 

“Not only is this going to be our largest tour, this is also our largest cast,” said Young. “The 2015 incarnation of the Mechanicals features eighteen West Virginia actors. That is a huge increase from our first production last summer with seven.”

 

Ticket prices and reservations are different for every venue. For more information on each performance, call 1-855-VTC-8588, email VintageTheatreCo@gmail.com, visit the company’s website at www.vintagetheatre-wv.com, or visit the troupe’s Facebook page by searching “The Rustic Mechanicals – VTC’s Shakespeare Troupe.”

 

“In addition to the most tour locations and the most actors, we also hope that the Cupid’s Crafty Arrow tour brings the most audiences members,” said Young. “Give the Mechanicals a try if you haven’t already, you won’t be disappointed.”

 

Editor's Note: Members of The Vintage Theatre Company’s Shakespeare Troupe, The Rustic Mechanicals, prepare for upcoming performances. Below is the group's promotional video.