Cast members at the Coaster Theatre Playhouse.

Both longtime fans of The Bard and those newly acquainted with William Shakespeare’s work will be entertained and enlightened as actors from the Coaster Theatre Playhouse return for a third Shakespeare in the park program, performed outdoors in Cannon Beach.

“His characters and his stories are universal,” play director Patrick Lathrop said, “they never grow old.”

Performances are ongoing throughout the month.. In case of inclement weather, shows will move from the park to the theater. One special performance on June 29, which will take place in the courtyard by the theater, will run in conjunction with the Coaster’s 50th anniversary celebration.

The theme for this year’s rendition of Shakespeare in the Park is “Ghosts, Fairies and Spirits.” The event encapsulates several elements from the original version, “Don’t Fear Shakespeare (in the Park),” presented in 2020, as well as last year’s variation, “60 Second Shakespeare.” Eventually, if Lathrop continues the summer program in future years, he plans to meld the best aspects of all three into one “Shakesperience” piece to present annually.

Capturing the human condition

The program’s aim is to make Shakespeare productions accessible and approachable for modern audiences by presenting a few narrated choice works. Audiences will also enjoy period songs, recitations of Shakespearean sonnets and a splattering of insults and vocabulary words popular in the Elizabethan era.

However, for this year’s theme, Lathrop has added scenes that deal with the supernatural – ghosts, fairies, spirits and the like. For example, audiences will meet the witches from “Macbeth,” the ghost of Hamlet’s father, and the fairies featured in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

“It’s been enjoyable to settle on a combination of scenes and poetry, and it’s a lot of fun to interact with the audience outside,” volunteer actor Margaret Hammitt-McDonald said. This year’s program will be Hammitt-McDonald’s third. “It’s really cool to have the contrast between a couple of traditional Elizabethan-dressed characters and some more otherworldly characters,” Hammitt-McDonald said.

Hammitt-McDonald and her husband, Seth Goldstein, will also present a demonstration of Japanese sword fighting to accompany “The Keeper,” a song from the Elizabethan era. For the couple, Shakespeare’s appeal has persisted over decades because of how well his characters and situations were constructed.

“It’s so clear what people’s emotions are and what they’re dealing with,” Goldstein said. Hammitt-McDonald echoed this sentiment. “You could tell (Shakespeare) loved human beings, even at their most obnoxious and annoying, and that is universal and timeless,” she said, “you can see characters in his plays who are like people today.”

No fear Shakespeare

One of the first steps in presenting Shakespeare’s work to a modern audience is to help them get comfortable with its unfamiliar language. That’s what the Coaster Theatre seeks to accomplish with the casual nature of the summer Shakespeare program.

“One of the gifts this play brings to the community is helping (audiences) with the fear factor,” Hammitt-McDonald said. “You realize, ‘oh, wow, if I can kind of penetrate past these unfamiliar words, I can see these are feelings and situations human beings have always dealt with,’” she added.

Leonard Hoge, 14, agreed. “It’s really enjoyable,” Hoge added. He also appreciates being part of an opportunity for the public to gather for entertainment. “It’s always a fun time to see the community come out and come together in the park to see a live production,” Hoge said.

‘Shakesperience: Ghosts, Fairies & Spirits’

Cannon Beach City Park, 2nd and Spruce streets

6 p.m. on Friday

Additional performances at 6 p.m. on June 24 in Cannon Beach City Park, 3 p.m. on June 29 at the Coaster Theatre Courtyard and 7:30 p.m. on July 8 at the Coaster Theatre Playhouse

This event is free and open to the public, with donations welcome

www.coastertheatre.com