Interview: Artistic Director Kim Strassburger of 2024 Southwestern Summer Shakespeare Festival

Shakespeare and summertime are always a winning combination, either on page in sonnets or plays, or on stage.  The 2nd Annual Southwestern Summer Shakespeare Festival offers a chance to enjoy summer, Shakespeare, and an escape from the summer heat with their performances of “Romeo Y Julieta” and “Much Ado About Nothing.”  Kim Strassburger is the Artistic Director of the festival and the director for “Much Ado About Nothing” and talks about her work with the cast and crew to bring this to life on stage.

“Much Ado About Nothing” is one of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays, following the romance of two couples when soldiers arrive in the town of Mesina. One couple, Hero and Claudio, are younger and fall in love at first sight. Still, Benedick and Beatrice are older and have a history leading to the comedy's much-loved “enemies to lovers” relationship full of funny quips and hijinks as they get together.  But when someone makes accusations that could change everything, there is the worry that not everyone will get their happily ever after.

Kim Strassburger says that this play is one of her favorites and she was excited to explore this show with her cast.

“Much Ado About Nothing has long been one of my favorites of Shakespeare’s comedies as well, and it is such a treat to be able to direct a full production of it for the first time. It shows Shakespeare’s unique ability to alternate seamlessly between hilarious dialogue and dark, painful moments.  The play is a romantic comedy with real stakes lurking under the laughs.

That is what Shakespeare does in his comedies. He throws in a bit of sour to counter the sweet. The sour makes the sweet stand out. It is also a profoundly human thing as well. Life is not always “Happily Ever After” (cue Act 2 of Sondheim’s Into The Woods).”

It is these stakes that Strassburger finds so interesting to explore in the show and with her cast.

“This alternation between comedy and darkness shapes our production of “Much Ado About Nothing”. Setting the play in the 1990’s at Southwestern College, a world of young adults studying, partying, and often entering into their first real romantic relationships, the comedy alternates with the higher stakes of damage to the reputation of a specifically female character. 

Setting it in the 1990’s, the Golden Era of Romantic Comedies on film, also felt like a natural fit.   

I am so excited to be working with a young, diverse, and vibrant cast on this production as well as professional actors from the San Diego community. Younger actors get to work with more experienced actors, learning from them on their feet. I also have the pleasure of reuniting in this production with some of the actors whom I directed last year in the Shakespeare Festival’s “Hamlet”. They are indeed making the text come alive.”

Working with this diverse young cast also allows Kim to help the actors reframe how they approach Shakespeare's works, and not be intimidated by his reputation. After all, Shakespeare wrote everything to be performed live, not necessarily to be in a classroom. She has a few guidelines to help them in their goal to make the text come alive not become overly performative and have fun with the dialogue.

“A non-exhaustive list to making the text come alive for actors: 

1. Figure out what you are saying in language that YOU understand. Language is an ever-growing tree. New branches grow as older branches drop off. Don’t just “prettily recite” Shakespeare’s words.  

2. Learn how Shakespeare helps out the actor by clues in the text: What are the verbs that he gives to his characters? Where are his characters being more casual (Prose) and where are they using Heightened Language (Verse) to express “elemental” or bigger ideas? 

3. Pay attention to the punctuation. Breathe at the full stops. Keep the energy moving through the line. 

4. The best Shakespeare actors that I have had the privilege to see perform make the text sound natural and “discovered in the moment.” 

The days of performative Shakespeare are gone, but that does not mean that the beauty of the Heightened Language is gone. It just has to become more natural in delivery.”

Between “Much Ado About Nothing” and “Romeo Y Julieta”, Strassburger is excited for audiences to experience this year's festival.

“I am excited by the continuing work of the Festival to bring Shakespeare to new audiences in both the South Bay and San Diego.”

How To Get Tickets

Sadly, as Shakespeare has said “Summer's lease hath all too short a date” and so does this festival.  The 2nd Annual Southwestern Summer Shakespeare Festival runs from July 19th - August 4th in the Studio Theatre- Performing Arts Center at Southwestern College.

You can also read an interview with Sandra Ruiz Director of “Romeo Y Julieta" at the link here

Tickets: $10 General Admission.  Online ticket links are listed below for each show.

Box office is open for on-site sales ONE hour before every performance and there is free parking in Lot O.

For information: www.swcpac.com or www.swctheatre.com

"Romeo Y Julieta"

A Bilingual Adaptation of the Romantic Tragedy

Directed by SANDRA RUIZ

JULY 19, 27 & AUGUST 2, 7:00PM

JULY 20, 28 & AUGUST 3, 2:00 PM

Online Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/summer-2024-shakespeare-festival-romeo-y-julieta-tickets-928197261997

"Much Ado About Nothing"

The beloved Comedy set our very SWC

Directed by KIM STRASSBURGER

JULY 26, AUGUST 3 &4, 7:00 PM

JULY 21, 27 & AUGUST 4, 2:00 PM

Online Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/summer-2024-shakespeare-festival-much-ado-about-nothing-tickets-928224934767

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