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Shakespeare comes to the Island

SCOTT FEIERSTEIN PHOTO All the world’s a stage, including the Sylvester Manor grounds for its production of “Romeo and Juliet” Saturday night.
SCOTT FEIERSTEIN PHOTO
All the world’s a stage, including the Sylvester Manor grounds for its production of “Romeo and Juliet” Saturday evening.

On Saturday and Sunday nights, “civil blood made civil hands unclean” at the Sylvester Manor Educational Farm’s 8th annual “Shakespeare at the Manor” performance, where professional actors put on a jazzy, pop culture-influenced-production of Romeo and Juliet.

Produced by New York-based film producer Samara Levenstein and directed by Natasha Warner, the production was held outside at Sylvester Manor on Saturday and, due to an unexpected tempest, in the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church on Sunday.

The production was relaxed and fun loving. Sword fights were broken up by police sirens, Bud Lights were smashed on stage and Mercutio, Romeo’s mischievous wingman, wore a graphic T-shirt that read, “Yaaas Queen” — a reference to a popular Internet meme.

“The show is always done in a way that’s a little bit lighter and a lot more accessible,” said Kim Folks, the Manor’s Director of Programs and Community Outreach, who organized the show.

“Whether you’re talking about the simplicity of the costumes or how they shorten certain portions of the program, I just think they do such a great job because they’re all such professionals, and frankly, the acting is fantastic.”

Many of the actors boast Juilliard degrees and big roles in household-name T.V. shows on their resumes, but they do the  “Shakespeare at the Manor” show for free. Sylvester Manor sold over 400 tickets for the performances with proceeds going to the Manor’s educational programs and to the Theater Arts Guild. This year, the Manor gave free tickets to those aged 18 and under because they wanted young people who study Shakespeare to have access to the performance.

Ms. Folks said she thinks the actors choose to participate because Shelter Island is “a beautiful place to visit” and the show is “well-run” and “well-attended.” The thespians are hosted by the community outreach members and friends of the Manor throughout their three-day stay and families volunteer to provide them meals.

“The families consider it a total pleasure, and I think that gets conveyed to the actors who come and stay — that they really love it. It’s such an enhancement to the Island,” said Ms. Folks.

The annual Shakespeare at the Manor performances are continuing a century-long tradition of arts celebration at the Manor, exemplified at the turn of the 20th century by the Lady-of-the-Manor Cornelia Horsford’s “summer salons” featuring poetry and literary readings, music performances and theatricals.

“Really, from generation to generation at Sylvester Manor, there has always been this thread of arts, culture and food,” said Ms. Folks, noting that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the poet famous for “Paul Revere’s Ride,” was a regular visitor to Sylvester Manor in the 1800s.

“It’s a big part of what we do,” she said.