ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Over a year and a half after the widespread devastation of Tropical Storm Helene, which hobbled business, tourism and the arts across Western North Carolina, 828newsNOW takes a look at how the theater community has recovered. First up, the Montford Park Players.
Shakespeare in the park
The Montford Park Players have performed free, outdoor theater for over 50 years in Montford Park, located in the historic Montford neighborhood just blocks from downtown Asheville. The troupe is the longest-running Shakespeare festival in North Carolina and one of only 15 companies in the world to have staged every single one of the Bard’s plays. Between their summer season, Montford Moppets youth program and other local endeavors, Montford Park Players performances attract thousands of attendees every year. The theater company is a major player in the Asheville arts community.
According to Jason Williams, artistic director of the Montford Park Players, not even a hurricane could keep the company down.
Before Helene hit Asheville in September 2024, the Montford Park Players had been performing “Muse of Fire: Shakespeare’s Wars of the Roses,” a full season of history plays: “Edward III,” “Richard II,” “Henry IV, Part 1” and “Part 2,” “Henry V,” “Henry VI, Part 1,” “Part 2,” and “Part III” and “Richard III.” Williams said that it was not so much the storm as the season that led to lower attendance in 2024.
“Our history season was a little blip in the radar, because, turns out, not as many people are interested in the history plays,” Williams said. “But it was a big thing for us to do, ’cause as far as we know, we were the only theater ever to produce the full cycle of history plays in one season. And then, of course, we had Helene, which put a damper on our last show [Richard III].”
However, the following summer, numbers were as high as ever, aided by fan favorites like “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
“For shows like ‘Midsummer,’ which is always a popular show, we usually look at around 200 people a night, and it can get up to 300, in the 400s,” Williams said. “Like, chairs all on the terraces here, and people spilling up onto the hill, the green space.”
For tragedies, such as “King Lear” and non-Shakespearean fare like “Cyrano de Bergerac,” attendance usually lands around 150 people a night.
“People show up more for the comedies. You gotta be, like, a serious Shakespeare buff, or just a glutton for punishment to come see tragedies,” Williams laughed. “Well, even though I think we have a ‘Romeo and Juliet’ on our docket this summer, and I think that’s going to be really popular later.”
Balancing popular Shakespeare shows with deeper folio cuts is a tried-and-true format for the theater, especially when the economy is down in years like this one.
“It just means our programming might shift from some of the lesser known plays to more name brand plays,” Williams explained. “I know next season we’ll have ‘Much Ado [About Nothing],’ and probably ‘Twelfth Night’ in there. Just like the crowd pleasers that bring in people.”
Regardless of the economy, the Montford Park Players are committed to keeping their performances free for all to enjoy. The theater is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, relying on grants and donations to fund operations.
“Our productions are free. We ask for donations, but I believe that draws out a lot more people who are like, ‘Well, I don’t have a lot of money, but I’d like to do something fun, something cultural,'” Williams mused. “Hey, there’s the Montford Park Players.”
A season of brains, hearts and courage
This season, the Montford Park Players will take a trip to Oz with “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” stage a couple of Shakespeare’s greatest hits in “Othello,” “Romeo and Juliet,” and “The Taming of the Shrew” and take a chance on two plays by local playwrights, “The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel” and “The Hope of Oz.”
Season schedule
- “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” – May 1-30, 2026
- “Othello” – June 5-27, 2026
- “The Taming of the Shrew” – July 3-Aug. 1, 2026
- “The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel” – Aug. 7-29, 2026
- “Romeo and Juliet” – Sept. 4-26, 2026
- “The Hope of Oz” – Oct. 2-24, 2026
One thing important to keep in mind about the Montford Park Players? Their most traditional shows are occasionally presented with an unexpected twist. Take the upcoming production of “Romeo and Juliet,” for instance.
“‘Romeo and Juliet,’ this year, is gonna be vampires and vampire hunters. I believe the Montagues, like, Romeo’s side, are the vampires, and the Capulets are the vampire hunters,” Williams said.
The show will keep its Shakespearean script, but longtime Montford Park Players director Kristi DeVille has big plans for the star-crossed bloodsuckers.
“Yeah, she’s directing that one,” Williams said. “Normally, I’m like, I don’t know if I want to go with real crazy concepts, but she was very convincing in her presentation.”
Vampires, lions and tigers, oh my.
For more information about the Montford Park Players and their upcoming season, visit www.montfordparkplayers.org.