Houston Daily

The Houston Shakespeare Festival, organized by the University of Houston, is set to return to Miller Outdoor Theatre from July 31 through August 9. This year’s festival will present William Shakespeare’s “Henry V” and “As You Like It,” with an expected attendance of nearly 20,000 people.

Professional actors, directors, designers, and technical staff will collaborate with students from the UH School of Theatre & Dance in the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts. The event often marks students’ first professional experience in theater.

“The festival is sort of an escalator on students’ way into the profession and a way for Houston to reap the benefits of the investments they made before,” said HSF Artistic Director Jack Young.

Broadway actor and UH alum Michael Thatcher will play King Henry in “Henry V.” Thatcher is taking a break from his role in Broadway’s “Wicked” to participate in the festival. Sophia Watt, also a UH alum and associate artistic director at Rec Room Arts, will direct “As You Like It” for her first time at Miller Outdoor Theatre. The production includes new music by composer John Amar and features faculty member Molly Wetzel as Rosalind alongside Brandon Carter as Orlando.

“What we wish to have in our leaders now is a big question, and ‘Henry V’ asks a whole lot of questions about what a leader should do, how should we follow and what do we want?” Young said. “I think that’s a topic worth discussing nowadays, so I’ll be curious to see how that plays on a summer night.”

Thatcher credits his education at UH for helping shape his career: “My training here at the University of Houston directly helped me get the success in my career — specifically the sense of collaboration and ensemble-building,” he said.

The festival provides opportunities for students to learn from professionals. Thatcher noted: “I learned more from watching veteran actors work in a rehearsal room than I probably ever learned in a classroom.”

Watt emphasized original music composed for this production: “Anything that you will hear in the play has been composed for this production,” she said. “The lyrics are Shakespeare's; the music is our all our own.”

Reflecting on her directing debut at Miller Outdoor Theatre, Watt added: “At Rec Room, we tend to tell big stories in an intimate space. It's a spot where you see someone right out of undergrad on stage with a resident company member from the Alley Theatre. It's a real mixing place of artists, and I think that creates kind of an electric energy.”

She also spoke about making Shakespeare accessible: “HSF can be a lot of people’s first interaction with Shakespeare,” she said. “How does the image we present make the story understandable and enjoyable?”

Assistant stage manager Joseph Blanchard explained their role behind-the-scenes: “Stage managers make sure the show is able to roll along flawlessly,” he said. “We make sure the show is breathing as one unit and that all the different elements of the show — lighting, sound, scenery and props and costumes — are coming together in the best way for the production.”

Madeline Schatzke leads costume creation while Luna Stein worked on set design elements such as painting trees for "As You Like It" and building staging platforms.

Schatzke described her growth through participation: “Every summer, my skills grow exponentially, and I come back so much stronger as a student.”

Blanchard added: “The big blessing HSF is for the department is being able to take that expertise to our student shows.”

Performances begin at 8:15 p.m., preceded by Bard Talks at 7:45 p.m., led by Jack Young or Executive Director Sharon Ott. Admission is free; reserved covered seating opens online at 10 a.m. prior to each performance day. Livestreams will be available via Miller Outdoor Theatre’s website, YouTube channel, and Facebook page.