“Shakespeare or Space Wars” Mash-Up Theater Homage | Santa Clara

Bay Area outdoor-theatre troupe, Samuel Peaches’ Peripatetic Players, pays mashed-up homage to both “Romeo and Juliet” and “Star Wars”

The eccentric travelling thespian troupe continues their tradition of adapting beloved stories to the stage with ridiculous parody and silly songs. This September the Peripatetic Players will perform Shakespeare or Space Wars, described by one member of the troupe, Princess Gwen, as “an homage to two classic star-crossed tales of destiny and daring.” The title stems from a predicament: the Peripatetic Players find themselves caught between the long-held dream of Samuel Peaches, their troupe’s leader, to perform Mercutio’s famous “Queen Mab” speech, and the urge of their Properties Master, Thumper, to build legions of droids and spaceships.

No reservations are necessary. All performances are presented free to the public, and donations are welcomed after the performance. Audience members are encouraged to bring their own picnic blankets or lawn chairs, and are invited to arrive early to watch the troupe set up their stage.

“Shakespeare or Space Wars”
Saturdays and Sundays, Sept 10-24, 2016
FREE. No reservations are necessary. They gratefully accept donations.

Performance Schedule

• Saturday, September 10 | 2pm
  Berkeley Marina, Berkeley, CA
  160 University Avenue, between Marina Blvd & Seawall Drive
  Near Shorebird Park Nature Center and Adventure Playground
• Sunday, September 11 | 5pm
  Centennial Park, Pleasanton, CA
  5353 Sunol Blvd at Mission Drive — we’ll be near The Yak
  Presented in association with the City of Pleasanton
• Saturday, September 17 | 2pm
  City Plaza Park, Santa Clara, CA
  1098 Lexington St, Santa Clara, CA 95050 – near the Mission Branch Library
  Presented in association with Santa Clara Players and the Santa Clara City Library
• Sunday, September 18 | 2pm
  Dimond Park, Oakland, CA
  3860 Hanly Road, Oakland is Dimond Park’s address — but we’ll be at the south end of the park, near Dimond Avenue. Sponsored by Oakland Parks and Recreation.
• Saturday, September 24 @ 2pm
  Port Costa School, Port Costa, CA
  1 Plaza del Hambre, Port Costa — at the intersection of Canyon Lake Drive & Reservoir Street. Sponsored by the Port Costa Conservation Society
  Bring your hunger. Picnic lunches will be available for sale from the Bull Valley Roadhouse. This performance is part of FluxFest ’16

About the Peripatetic Players
With a wealth of tall tales of world travel under their belts, the Players made their Bay Area debut with O Best Beloved, an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling stories, at the 2013 San Francisco Fringe Festival. O Best Beloved also kicked off the Peripatetic Players’ annual Bay Area parks tour in 2014, followed in 2015 by Aesop Amuck, based on the famous fables. After an audience-acclaimed semi-improvised performance of Romeo and Juliet commissioned by The Bull Valley Roadhouse in Port Costa, the Players became traveling-troupe-in-residence there, “But,” states the Idiot String representative, “none of the Players have actually been seen by any of the town’s 250 permanent residents.”

About Idiot String
Local performance collective Idiot String, consisting of theatremakers Joan Howard and Rebecca Longworth, serve as management of the Peripatetic Players and their adventures. Idiot String is dedicated to creating new works of ensemble theatre that are accessible to a broad audience and inspire creativity, engagement in the physical world, and connection between people. Their work has been recognized with a Stuart Award for Excellence in Theatre, and funding from Theatre Bay Area and the San Francisco Awesome Foundation.