PLAINFIELD — The former campus of Goddard College will host the Green Mountain Shakespeare Festival with productions, in June and August and a camp for students in between. For interested students, aged 10 to 14, the day camp runs weekdays from July 21 through August, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., culminating in the performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
“Romeo and Juliet” will open June 19 under the direction of Tom Blachly. “The Taming of the Shrew” is set for August 21, under the direction of Virginia Monte. Both shows will be performed in the Haybarn Theatre, with the summer camp performing outside, depending on the weather.
Director Tom Blachly says, while they are fully cast for “Romeo and Juliet,” the director of the “Taming of the Shrew” may still have some additional openings in her lineup.
He’s most excited to start doing theater in the Haybarn again. “I’ve always admired the theatre, it’s a beautiful old place and it’s been improved over the years so it’s pretty state of the art,” said Blachly.
“As a member of the community I’m really excited about all the potential for the campus. The guy who bought it has lots of great ideas about what to do with the campus, including having affordable housing which is a crying need of course, and also having an event center.”
Blachly says there’s a full working dining room cafeteria space in the main building, which will be opened to the public for a restaurant.
“What they’re hoping to do is to have a package deal and then go see a show, so that’s exciting. Continuing, Blachly said there’s a lot of good ideas floating around, and it’s an exciting time to be on campus right now. “We’re all putting our heads together and coming up with creative ideas of how to use this beautiful campus,” he concluded.
Blachly grew up in East Calais, in a theatrical family. His father ran the Unadilla Theatre located in Calais. Blachly did theatre as a child, continuing in high school and college. Since then he has both acted and directed in various community production shows around the area.
“Well Covid-19 kind of threw everything out of whack, and I haven’t actually directed anything at the Haybarn since before Covid. Before that, I was doing at least one, sometimes two shows a year, directing at the Haybarn and the Plainfield Town Opera House, and sometimes at my dad’s theatre. So I’ve been around the block.”
Blachly expressed his happiness that people continue to appreciate the works of Shakespeare. “People keep coming out of the woodwork and I am so thrilled by that, there’s a lot of people who feel strongly about it and it’s so wonderful to connect with all the other bard-philes around.”
Raymonda Parchment is a Hardwick Gazette reporter. She recently graduated from Vermont State University - Castleton with a Bachelor’s Degree in English. She is a strong supporter of freedom of speech, and the right to publish information, opinions, and ideas without censorship or restraint. She is a lifelong lover of the written word, and is excited to join the team as a staff member.
