Forty years of Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan (SOTS) started in 1985, with the company’s first performance. Their rendition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, set on a fictional golf course, began with one of the company’s actors hitting a golf ball that bounced — harmlessly — off a theatre patron’s head.
So if you were wondering — yes, there’s a callback to the inaugural show in this season’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with just a hint of golfing.
“I thought, how far could we go into this theme? Could we find a way to make this production our story, and homage to that time?” said SOTS artistic director Kayvon Khoshkam. “It’s a very different production, but I wanted to sort of meta-reference back to that original production.”
Khoshkam said this anniversary season of SOTS has been on his mind since he was told it was coming shortly after joining the company a few years ago. Last season, per Khoshkam, was meant to be introspective so they could step into a milestone year with confidence and clarity as to what the community wanted most.
That meant bringing back two full Shakespeare productions on the summer schedule, introducing more ways to open up the SOTS space to the community (there will be a small mini-golf setup on the site this year among other activities), and calling back to the early days of the company while looking ahead to the future.
“The audience made it clear they loved when they took a new angle on these plays,” Khoshkam said. “It was helpful to hear we’re really providing people access to these plays in Saskatchewan where there really isn’t much other opportunity.”
The two main stage shows for SOTS have significance for the company. The first, A Midsummer Night’s Dream directed by Khoshkam, takes place in the big energy and cultural nostalgia of the 1980s — another callback to the company’s origins doing the same show in 1985. The second is a Shakespeare play that has never been performed by SOTS before: The Tragedy of Richard II, directed by Skye Brandon.
Khoshkam said this production of Midsummer was a “love letter” to the company’s original production and its successes over the years with an 80s soundtrack and colorful theme, while Richard II was an opportunity to break the mold of SOTS productions by broadening the scope of what the company wants to accomplish.
“I’m really hopeful that the young people who see this production of Midsummer get that sense of wonder and joy and a positive memory of the theatre,” he said. “And Richard II is one of my favourite plays … I’m hoping people realize there’s more available in Shakespeare’s canon than what is traditionally offered.”
The company is also making room for more theatre in their venue. Two Shakespeare-themed shows in the Saskatoon Fringe Festival will make their home on the Rayner Whiteside Financial Group Community Stage this summer, and the SOTS Players Series Spotlight will feature “Shakespeare’s Mixtape” produced by local talent Oli Guselle from August 16-18 which will showcase Shakespearean songs in a modern-day light.
Khoshkam lauded the community and the audience for carrying the company to their 40th anniversary season and expressed amazement that the company has thrived in Saskatoon for decades. Part of this summer season will even include an “Alumni Night” to welcome back SOTS staff and performers from throughout the company’s history to join in a celebration of where they are now.
As SOTS looks to celebrate its 40th anniversary, Khoshkam said he hopes audiences old and new can come out to appreciate fun, unique classical theatre along the river — just as they’ve been able to do for decades.
“It’s miraculous,” Khoshkam said. “For this organization to be here in the middle of the prairies, I don’t think we should take that for granted.
“Tickets for Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan shows can be purchased online at shakespearesask.com.
