Witches, ghosts, sword fights and a pie nobody should eat: William Shakespeare knew horror. This October, School of Performing Arts students bring the bard’s darker side to BOOtanica at Botanica, The Wichita Gardens, 701 Amidon St.
Directed by Joseph Urick, assistant professor of acting, BOOtanical Shakespeare features a condensed “Macbeth” and scenes from “Hamlet” and “Titus Andronicus,” bringing Shakespeare’s supernatural and gruesome tales to life through outdoor performance and stage combat.
Students are learning to project their voices without microphones, develop physical storytelling and adapt their acting techniques to a public setting. The experience connects classroom learning with hands-on performance. The BOOtanical Shakespeare performances run 6:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 16-17 and Oct. 23-24. Each performance sequence lasts about 20 minutes.
BOOtanica is open 5-10 p.m. Fridays and 2-10 p.m. Saturdays. Festival admission is ticketed.