If You Go
The second gathering of Rogues and Ruffians Renaissance Faire takes place from noon until 10 p.m. today at the Piazza, located at W5549 Center Road, 3.6 miles north of Monroe on Wisconsin 69.
Roaming the Faire throughout the day will be more than 50 entertainers, pirates, insulters, fairies, jugglers, musicians, minstrels and storytellers, artisans and vendors. The Renaissance Faire's family-friendly entertainment and activities include knife and ax throwers, belly dancing performances and classes for children, Chicago's The Suitcase Shakespeare Company performing "Much Ado About Nothing" in under an hour, The Guild of St. Michael Military, archery lessons for all ages, and The Complete Fool Juggler.
A silent auction of items donated by area businesses will be held from noon until 5:30 p.m. The auction is the primary fundraiser for Shakespeare on the Edge, which also is funded by grants from the Wisconsin Arts Board and United Way of Green County.
The Eclectic Rogues will perform "The Tempest" under the stars from 7 to 10 p.m.
Food also will be available, and the Faire will be held rain or shine.
Admission to the Renaissance Faire is $1, with a $5 maximum per family.
For more information, call (608) 325-5268 or search Shakespeare on the Edge at GreenCountySpotlight.com.
The fairy tale-like woods surround the foundation remains of an historic barn, which creates a delightful setting for this year's open air performance of William Shakespeare's "The Tempest," by the Eclectic Rogues, a youth acting troupe from Shakespeare on the Edge.
On Thursday, members of the company were rehearsing in the alley next to The Primitive Soul Art Studio in downtown Monroe, under the guidance of director Jennifer Bethel.
Several actors from last year's performance of "Hamlet" are back.
Bridget Kelly, 15, plays Ariel, a mischievous little spirit who must help Prospero, played by Tara Fetterolf, 16. Prospero, once the Duke of Milan, has spent 12 years in exile on the island refining his magic to punish and forgive his usurpers.
Colin Vestin, 15, will play Calaban, who was rescued by Prospero and now serves him.
He got the role, after playing Hamlet last year, "because everybody wanted me to," he said, laughing. "Actually, everybody picked everything else, and when they asked who wanted to play Calaban, everybody said, 'Colin'."
Vestin describes Calaban as "half man, half fairy fish."
"I wasn't sure if he was a drinking idiot or a Neanderthal, at first. Now I think his plan was to kill Prospero because he wanted to rule the island," he said.
The teens base their performance on "No Fear Shakespeare," a series of books that translate the dialogue on one page into modern English on the facing page. The translation helps them understand the story, but they preserve the Shakespearean language in performances.
"The core company commits to hundreds of hours in the 2009-2010 season traveling and performing," Bethel said.
Performance locations have included the Madison's Canope Center and the Janesville Renaissance Faire. This year, Bethel is working to get the performance into colleges and universities.
But Shakespeare wrote, "All the world is a stage," and the Eclectic Rouges take that to heart when they take to the streets. Actors recruit people on the street, encouraging them to put on the costumes and read for a part.
"Usually they do it, because their friends are supportive," Kelly said. "And we try to make it as comfortable as possible."
The core company ranges in age from 12 to 20, and members must have concluded one season in the Shakespeare project. The youth troupe include 10- to 14-year-olds.
Bethel started Shakespeare on the Edge in 2005, and it has became a non-profit organization.
The program's mission is to bring youth, adolescents and adults together to work toward a common vision of greater self-respect and self-awareness, while addressing abuse and violence in our culture through William Shakespeare's themes and characters.
Shakespeare on the Edge, Inc. was granted $10,000 from the Wisconsin Arts Board this year for The Art of Shakespeare in Rural Wisconsin Communities.