Nicole Galland and Chelsea McCarthy met in 2007 at the Tisbury Amphitheatre working on a production of The Tempest. The following year, Nicole directed Chelsea in As You Like It, and by summer’s end they decided to start Shakespeare for the Masses to introduce off-season Vineyard audiences to the off-season works of William Shakespeare. Modeling the rehearsal process on the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse’s popular Monday Night Special series, their original adaptations are performed script-in-hand with one day’s rehearsal. Duels, sporting events and physical tomfoolery all performed off-book.
Their first season, consisting of seven plays including Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear, earned them a small cult following. Early in Season 2, they realized humor was their greatest ally in seducing Bardophobes to love the Bard, and they haven’t looked back since. After eight seasons and approximately 37 shows, they are still at it. They are grateful to the brave and generous troupe of players who have thrown themselves with abandon into each project, and to MJ Bruder Munafo and the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse for producing them all these years.
The Friends of the Library support a variety of programs for both adults and children throughout the year, including an annual summer event honoring a local author. Past honorees have included Geraldine Brooks, Art Buchwald, Stephen Carter, Phil Craig, Jules Feiffer, Lillian Hellman, John Hough, Jr., Ward Just, David McCullough, Cynthia Riggs, Rose Styron, and William Styron. For more information contact the Vineyard Haven Public Library, (508) 696-4211.
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