Outdoor Shakespeare kicks off with a fun romp

Nadine and Pascal Tibbits have established Summer Shakespeare Tauranga. Photo/supplied

You haven't long been in Tauranga. How did you come to be here?
We moved our family to Tauranga two years ago from Auckland for a lifestyle change and haven't looked back.

What are your arts backgrounds?
Nadine holds a degree in Theatre from Auckland University and completed a two-year diploma in Performing Arts in Wellington.

Pascal is a veteran of the Auckland theatre scene, having acted and directed in many Shakespeare plays over the past 25 years. He played the leads in Auckland Summer Shakespeare productions and more recently Macbeth (2014) and Iago in Othello (2015) at Detour Theatre.

Where did you meet?
We met while both performing in an outdoor summer Shakespeare production of King Lear at The Pumphouse Takapuna, way back in 2001!

So how did you find the Bay of Plenty arts scene when you arrived in Tauranga compared to Auckland?
We did find there is a strong theatre community in Tauranga and were warmly welcomed into the fold. We noticed there was not an annual production in Tauranga and are now remedying this!

Is Shakespeare is having a comeback? How do Bay of Plenty people embrace it?
We believe the people of Tauranga are very receptive to high quality entertainment, and an outdoor performance on a glorious summer's evening in the Bay of Plenty has tremendous appeal. Being able to bring kids to have dinner and watch a play creates a memorable family outing.

What projects are you working on now and why?
We are producing Twelfth Night at The Historic Village, as this is a play we both enjoy immensely. Pascal has performed in it twice and knows it inside out. Twelfth Night is very accessible for audiences, highly comedic and the plot easy to follow.

Tell us about Twelfth Night
This year is an auspicious year for performing Shakespeare as it marks 400 years since the Bard's death. Our tribute is Twelfth Night, set in the Renaissance in the coastal dukedom of Illyria. Our goal is an annual Outdoor Summer Shakespeare season at The Historic Village. This is the inaugural production and we've been generously sponsored by Tauranga City Council, The Historic Village and Permit Shop, who have assisted us in getting this venture running.