Get a Taste of Shakespeare in the Southland

The year 2016 marked 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare and to commemorate the most famous playwright in history, Moraine Valley Community College added a garden in his honor.

Dr. Craig Rosen, the Academic Theatre Program coordinator saw an opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind, inspiring space in a park area that had once been a parking lot just north of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

“I had hoped for a space that would supplement our annual production, be a gathering place and serve as a cross-disciplinary landmark for studies as diverse as biology, poetry, botany and theater,” Rosen has said. “Although there are some impressive Shakespeare gardens in the country, few really have an inclusive academic focus.”

The annual production he mentions is part of the theatre’s performance season, leading with a play by Shakespeare. It takes place outside near the Gateway and the Shakespeare Garden. The free show has been a longtime summer tradition and the public is invited to enjoy a summer’s eve of Shakespeare performed by local talent.

This year’s production will be The Merry Wives of Windsor, one of his most beloved comedies, centered on Sir John Falstaff, who decides to fix his financial woes by seducing the wives of two wealthy merchants. When the wives discover they’ve received identical love letters from him, they set out to take revenge - and hilarity ensues. You can see The Merry Wives of Windsor on July 17-19 at 7 p.m. and July 20 at 5 p.m.

The Shakespeare Garden has a brick walkway, which is typical of an English garden. It includes concrete benches, bird baths, a sundial and signage quoting his works with shady spots provided by the trees that line the path.

For more information on the garden and production, visit morainevalley.edu.

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