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No Bard by the river in 2018: Shakespeare in the Park won’t return to South Shore this summer

Click to play video: 'South Shore to miss out on Shakespeare in the park'
South Shore to miss out on Shakespeare in the park
Wed, Jun 27: The Repercussion Theatre's Shakespeare in the park season will kick off next week in Baie-d'Urfé. As Global's Billy Shields reports, there is a notable omission this year that has some South Shore residents disappointed – Jun 27, 2018

If you want to watch Shakespeare al fresco this year, you have a load of options on the Island of Montreal, with dates in Westmount, Dorval, Kirkland, Nun’s Island and Montreal West.

The one place you’d be out of luck, however, would be the South Shore.

Shakespeare rehearsals have begun in Cote-St-Luc. And while the calendar’s stacked, there are no dates on the South Shore this year. Billy Shields/Global News

“We’re disappointed, too,” said Amanda Kellock, the artistic director for the Repercussion Theatre. “We love it when we get to perform on the South Shore; we love to bring the show to as many people as we can.”

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The Longueuil borough of Greenfield Park hosted Shakespeare performances from Repercussion last year, but that was funded by the Canada 150 celebrations.

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“I would love to have it come back again next year,” said Robert Myles, the borough’s president.

In 2016, Brossard grabbed headlines when officials declined Shakespeare in the Park, initially saying outdoor performances aren’t allowed and then admitting that if they were in French they’d likely make an exception. Eventually Brossard let the show go on.

A Brossard spokesperson told Global News that it was a previous administration that made the initial decision, and that the city plans on hosting another performance next year on an every-other-year basis.

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“There was at one point a sense that they weren’t taking us because of language,” Kellock said. “But it ended up spurring a really good conversation with them.”

The first show of Romeo & Juliet is set to take the stage in Baie d’Urfé July 5.

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