Preparations are underway to welcome back to Orange County a summertime celebrity gone missing these past two years: Shakespeare.
Ending a pandemic hiatus, the New Swan Shakespeare Festival broke out forklifts to re-assemble its self-designed, unique multi-level theater structure, home of the company’s annual performances of the Bard under the stars.
Forklifts bring sections of the New Swan Theater to the plaza outside Langson Library at UC Irvine as it is constructed on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Performances for the New Swan Shakespeare Festival begin in July and run through early September. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Eli Simon, artistic director for the New Swan Shakespeare Festival and a professor in the Drama Department at UC Irvine, sits in one of the seats of the New Swan Theater being constructed outside Langson Library at UC Irvine on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Performances begin in July and run through early September. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Forklifts carry sections of the New Swan Theater through Aldrich Park to the plaza outside Langson Library at UC Irvine as it is constructed on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Performances for the New Swan Shakespeare Festival begin in July and run through early September. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Eli Simon, the artistic director for the New Swan Shakespeare Festival and a professor in the Drama Department at UC Irvine, stands on the stage of the New Swan Theater being constructed on the plaza outside Langson Library at UC Irvine on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Performances begin in July and run through early September. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Eli Simon, the artistic director for the New Swan Shakespeare Festival and a professor in the Drama Department at UC Irvine, at the New Swan Theater being constructed at UC Irvine on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Performances begin in July and run through early September. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Students walk through the New Swan Theater being constructed on the plaza outside Langson Library at UC Irvine on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Performances for the New Swan Shakespeare Festival begin in July and run through early September. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A forklift brings a section of the New Swan Theater to the plaza outside Langson Library at UC Irvine as it is constructed on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Performances for the New Swan Shakespeare Festival begin in July and run through early September. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A forklift brings a section of the New Swan Theater to the plaza outside Langson Library at UC Irvine as it is constructed on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Performances for the New Swan Shakespeare Festival begin in July and run through early September. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A forklift brings a section of the New Swan Theater to the plaza outside Langson Library at UC Irvine as it is constructed on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Performances for the New Swan Shakespeare Festival begin in July and run through early September. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Moved into place on a central plaza on the UC Irvine campus is the ingenious assembly of 15 modular seating sections, each weighing about a ton.
Built over a 10-week period in 2012 from recycled materials – particle board, plywood and office furniture – the 40-foot diameter structure is held in place with a welded-iron framework and steel tubing.
Connected together, the resulting roof-less theater has an Elizabethan stage design, though on a small scale, with 125 seats.
The theater spirals up from ground level to about 18 feet (with plenty of sturdy handrails). Bolted to the cement, it has been tested as capable of withstanding 85 mph winds as well as an 8.0 earthquake on the Richter scale.
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New Swan’s 10th anniversary season starts the second week of July and runs into the Labor Day weekend.
The two stagings from the repertory company are the intentionally misspelled “The Comedy of Errrorrs” and the rarely performed “Pericles Prince of Tyre.”
New Swan Shakespeare Festival
What: Productions of “The Comedy of Errrorrs” and “Pericles Prince of Tyre.
When: July 8 to Sept. 3; there will be 20 performances of “The Comedy of Errrorrs” and 15 of “Pericles Prince of Tyre.” All performances are at 8 p.m.
Where: On the UC Irvine campus, in the Gateway Commons open-air plaza, adjacent to Aldrich Park, between Langson Library and The Gateway Building.
Parking: $13 in the Student Center Parking Garage, adjacent to the Barclay Theatre. About a five to seven minute walk, including a flight of outdoor steps, on the most direct route. Plus, free shuttles from the structure to the stage are available.
Tickets and information: $25 to $80; Newswanshakespeare.com; 949-824-2787
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