LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A new arts and performance space is serving an area of Louisville miles away from the downtown theatre district and at the helm is a veteran of the Louisville stage.
Every actor, director and stage manager cuts their teeth on the works of Shakespeare, whether it’s the comedies, tragedies or the Bard’s histories. And Shakespeare is where every stage veteran undoubtedly returns to.
Inside the new Highview Arts Center, director Keith McGill shows us the space.
“We’ve got a huge backstage area, a scene shop, everything a theatre space needs and an art space needs,” McGill tells Spectrum News 1 ahead of opening night.
If there’s a Louisville Theatre Hall of Fame,
Actor, writer and director Keith McGill is a first ballot inductee. McGill’s theatre resume is vast, including stints with the Actors Theatre and Stage One. McGill’s first show was over 30 years ago and for perhaps the first time in his career, he’s directing an inaugural performance for a new theatre space.
“I love the fact that we have a small cast and a small space and we can put it all together and put up a show right away,” McGill said.
The Highview Arts Center on Fegenbush Lane is far removed from Louisville’s downtown entertainment district. So for the first time, an art and performance space is far more accessible for residents of Louisville’s southeast side. “Can go right down the street and see art. We’re going to have music, we have visual art, dance, classes,” McGill explains. McGill is directing a small cast in a hilariously ambitious show. It’s called “The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged).”
The comedy stars three actors doing their best to condense three dozen of Shakespeare's works, beginning with Romeo and Juliet, and concluding with Hamlet.
“One of the things about Shakespeare is he tells stories about people. Now those people lived hundreds of years ago but they are the same stories that we hear over and over again, two people fall in love and they are not meant to be with each other or a dad is trying to fix his daughter up with somebody and she ends up with somebody else…” McGill continues.
For a theatre kid that’s done it all, you never feel more at home than during a production by the great poet. And for anyone who’s never known the joy, McGill and his cast are more than happy to introduce you.
Audiences have three chances to catch “The Complete Works of Shakespeare, (Abridged)” at the new Highview Arts Center. It runs September 16,17, and 18. Showtimes are 7:30 PM. Ticket information can be found online.