Shakespeare in the Garden

This past week was a busy one for me as I played a major role in organizing Shakespeare in the Garden, a fundraiser for the Nantucket Arts Council. As director of development for the Arts Council, I worked closely with our board member Beverly Hall to organize the event at her beautiful home and gardens and make everything come together as seamlessly as possible. Having worked on special events for more years than I can remember, I'm accustomed to Murphy's Law taking over, regardless of how meticulously you've planned all the details. I'm pleased to say that this one came off extremely well and raised the funds we had hoped for in order for us to put together the week-long Shakespeare Festival in mid-July and allow all performances to be free-to-the-public. In the current economy, which seems to be dampening the spirits of nonprofit donors everywhere including Nantucket, that is a pretty good accomplishment, I think.

Last year's Shakespeare in the Garden experienced a major downpour midway through the event and managed to put a damper on the fundraising. This year the weather was threatening and we had some sprinkles early in the evening. But fortunately we were able to make it through the night without any major rainfall. In California where I've organized the majority of the special events of my career, we never worried much about rain unless an event was planned for the wintertime because it rarely rained during the late spring or summer. Here on Nantucket, the weather changes quickly and is a major factor in everything you do. It's taken a while for me to grow accustomed to that fact. Tent rentals are a major business here on the island, as a result.

One of the highlights of Shakespeare in the Garden was the reprisal of a performance of Twelfth Night by a number of local Nantucketers who first acted in the play together in 1977. One of the distinguished members of the audience was actor Jerry Stiller, who is a regular Nantucket visitor in the summer. Up-and-coming Nantucket photographer Zofia documented the evening for host Beverly Hall (http://beverlyhallphotography.net/), one of Nantucket's most talented photographers. The photo above of the Twelfth Night performance is by Zofia and more images can be viewed on her blog at http://www.zofiaphotoblog.com/