Agecroft Hall (Photo by Dave Parrish)
Richmond Shakes (formerly Quill Theatre) is presenting the Richmond Shakespeare Festival for the 24th year, June 1-July 30, at the outdoor courtyard of Agecroft Hall, an actual 16th-century manor transported to Richmond in 1926. The experience is almost like going back to bardic days, but with better hygiene.
First up is a performance run of David Ives’ “The School for Lies,” inspired by Molière’s “The Misanthrope.” It’s set amid the gossip, glamour and scandal of 1666 Parisian salon culture, but in modern verse, with Celimene, too smart for the men who cluster around her, and Frank, who hates almost everybody; rapier wits go at it. Festival veteran James Ricks directs. Then, Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors,” directed by Andrew Gall, premises two sets of identical twins separated at birth and goes fast and funny from there.
Bring your blankets and lawn chairs, and enjoy refreshments from Garden Grove Brewing and Urban Winery and Dlites Desserts. The shows run Thursday-Sunday and begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35.
