Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan to open later this week

Two comedies will run on the river this summer with the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan theatre festival opening up on Friday night.

Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” and “The Comedy of Errors” will run until mid-August.

This afternoon, @shakespearesask announced its schedule, and a sneak peak of this years shows.

Here’s a little bit from “As You Like it”, which premiers on Friday to the public at 7:30. #yxe pic.twitter.com/0dOrW6JcJ1

— brady lang (@BradyLangSK) July 2, 2019

The two comedies will be a change, said actress Kate Harriot.

“Usually we pair a history or a drama with a comedy. But this year, it gets to be fun. No one has to die, everyone gets married,” Harriot said.

Harriot is in her third year with the theatre festival, and plays Rosalind in “As You Like It” and Luciana in “The Comedy of Errors.”

One of the mandates of the festival is keeping the cast Saskatchewan-born, something that actor Aaron Hursh enjoys.

“Anytime you get a chance to work in your hometown, it’s great,” said Hursh, who’s in his fifth season of the festival. “Usually, you know almost everybody in the cast, as they’re all from Saskatchewan.”

Hursh plays Orlando and Henchman in “As You Like It,” and Antipholus of Syracuse in “The Comedy of Errors.”

The premieres of the two plays will be Friday and Saturday. For a full schedule, head to their website.