Published: July 18, 2008 10:02 am         

'Shrew,' 'All's Well' staged in Elberta

Acting troupe is returning for its fifth season

ELBERTA -- A Chicago-based theater troupe returns for its fifth season of performing Shakespeare plays in the Elberta Waterfront Park this month.

"The Taming of the Shrew" will be performed July 22, 24, 27 and 30. "All's Well That Ends Well" is scheduled for July 23, 25, 29 and 31.

Elizabeth Laidlaw, a fourth-generation summer resident of Benzie County, founded Lakeside Shakespeare in 2003. She serves as artistic director for the ensemble and also works as an actress, producer and theater instructor in Chicago. She created Lakeside Shakespeare specifically for the summer festival in Benzie County and for a theater outreach program in the Frankfort-Elberta school district.

Laidlaw spent seven weeks in Frankfort directing "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at Frankfort High School. This summer, ensemble member Christy Arington will lead a children's workshop July 26 from 10 a.m. to noon in Elberta Park.

Laidlaw's theater credits include the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Court and Chicago Shakespeare theaters. She received a certificate in Shakespeare from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Performances will be staged each night at 7:30. Admission and parking are free, although a $10 donation for adults is suggested and goodwill donations will be welcomed. Feel free to bring picnic suppers, blankets and lawn chairs. The performances will be held rain or shine in the Performance Pavilion.

Elberta Waterfront Park is on Betsie Lake on M-168, just off M-22. For more information, go to www.lakesideshakespeare.org or call the Benzie County Visitors Bureau, 882-5801, or the Frankfort-Elberta Chamber of Commerce, 352-7251.