Another week down and another calendar going up. Here in Saratoga we know that our little, buzzing city is a cultural hub for horse racing, spa treatments, classical music and ballet. But there’s something else we take a lot of pride in—theater!
This year’s Classic Theater Guild (CTG) Annual Summer Festival Gala will be taking place this Saturday, August 11, at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady. As per tradition, the Summer Festival Gala will be presenting two shows—a show for the whole family and, of course, a Shakespeare classic (well, almost everything that guy wrote is a classic)—with a reception between the two performances.
The family show begins at 3pm and features The Wright Stuff: The Beginnings of Aviation, a lighthearted history of the origins of flight with the Wright Brothers and their testing of aircraft at Kitty Hawk island. Written and directed by New York playwright Julie Jaster, this production that blends history and comedy will showcase a talented cast of youths from across the Capital District.
The Shakespeare show is a production of All’s Well That Ends Well at 6pm. The equivalent to an Elizabethan romantic comedy, the play tells the story of an awkward, arranged marriage between Helena and her, let’s say, difficult to sway husband, Bertram. Bertram goes off to war to avoid his wife, and Helena goes to great lengths to try to convince Bertram to come home and accept the marriage, even faking her own death in the process! It’s Shakespeare, so expect lots of melodrama mixed with humor, innuendo and punnery (hey, if the Bard can make up words then so can I) in Director Seana Munson’s hilarious take on the classic. Tickets to the CTG Annual Summer Festival Gala are $20 and provide admittance to both shows as well as the reception in the middle. And if you still need more to do this weekend after all this theater, don’t forget these other great events happening in and around Saratoga.
Friday, August 10
The Fab Four – 8pm, the Beatles tribute band will be at The Egg in Albany.
All Bernstein: Celebrating 100 Years – 8pm, nothing but Bernstein classics with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC).
Saturday, August 11
Markets at Round Lake – 9am-5pm Saturday and 11am-3pm Sunday – Village Green, 49 Burlington Avenue, Round Lake.
School of the Arts Gala – 7pm, celebrating the school’s 10th anniversary at the National Museum of Dance.
Turners in the Park 4 – 10am-5pm at the Saratoga Automobile Museum.
14th Annual Hudson Crossing Park Cardboard Boat Race – 8am-3pm at Hudson Crossing Park in Schuylerville.
Civil War Weekend – 9am Saturday and 3pm Sunday, this inaugural 2-day event features reenactments and a Civil War fashion show – Grant Cottage, Wilton.
Sunday, August 12
Women’s African Drumming Meetup on the Caldwell Belle – 6pm, African drumming with Mohawk Maiden Cruises, Lock C5 in Schuylerville.
Sterling Renaissance Festival – 10am-7pm both Saturdays and Sundays through August 19 – 15385 Farden Road, Sterling.
18th Century Day at the Schuyler House – 12-5pm at the Saratoga National Historical Park.