Photo by Jared Scoggins
The warm glow from twinkling strands of lights illuminates the backyard and its many seats. Patrons mingle with friends and strangers alike, enjoying the drinks and company. The friendly atmosphere and inviting din of chatter encourage anyone who steps into KinderHill Brew Lab to have a good time.
The moon and lights aren’t the only ones shining tonight, however. The feature of the night brings its very own stars to dazzle the audience with hilarious tales of love, magic and political intrigue as Drunk Shakespeare BCS prepares to perform their rendition of The Tempest.
The opportunity to watch Drunk Shakespeare BCS perform only comes twice a year. Their last three plays were all met with sell-out crowds, and their performance of Macbeth sold out twice, Savannah Barrera, director and founder of Drunk Shakespeare BCS says.
“Every Drunk Shakespeare has surpassed expectations,” Savannah says. “It’s one of the very few experiences in town where you can get cultured in a very fun and easy way”
The community roots and focus of Drunk Shakespeare BCS makes it a perfect fit for KinderHill Brew Lab, whose vision is to be a community gathering place, Laura Hill, co-founder and co-owner of KinderHill Brew Lab says.
“We don’t want to just be a business in town; we want to be a community partner that gives back,” Laura says. “Our goal has always been to be a welcoming space for everyone.”
With an atmosphere and values that emulate what is referred to in sociology as a third place, a place other than home and work where people can interact socially, KinderHill strives to be a community gathering place rather than just a regular bar, Jason Kinderman, co-founder and co-owner of KinderHill Brew Lab says.
When Laura and Jason missed their chance to see Drunk Shakespeare BCS’s rendition of Macbeth due to work, they jumped at the chance to bring the theater troupe into their own backyard.
“We actually wanted to go see [Drunk Shakespeare BCS] but we had work and weren’t able to attend,” Jason says. “Our friend who’s a photographer asked us if we’d be open to hosting and we said yes right away.”
Looking forward to the upcoming show, Savannah says the performance of The Tempest is bound to be a hit.
“The Tempest is pretty straightforward plot-wise, and it’s already a comedy,” Savannah says. “No one wants to see a bunch of sad drunks, so whenever we did [Macbeth] it was how do we make this tragedy funny.”
“The Tempest” is considered one of Shakespeare’s last independent works and one of his few works that is considered wholly original. It is a comedy filled with political intrigue and magic that focuses on Prospero and his daughter Miranda living on an island with the aid of his magic powers.
When the King of Naples and Prospero’s brother sail near his island, Prospero conjures a storm that wrecks their ship and leaves their party stranded on Prospero’s island so he can get revenge after they stole his dukedom of Milan.
What follows is a rollercoaster plot featuring a failed assassination attempt on the King of Naples, spirits tormenting the island’s visitors and a budding romance between Miranda and the Prince of Naples.
Photo by Jared Scoggins
“The Tempest” is believed to have been written in 1610-1611, just after the establishment of the Virginia colonies in the New World. Drawing inspiration from popular stories of shipwrecks and other fashionable topics of the time, Shakespeare paints his colorful narrative as he weaves together the “savage” philosophical ideals of societies that existed outside of the strict hierarchy of the European Renaissance and the Renaissance’s own ideas of man’s place in the world.
While there have been many different renditions of the play through the centuries, the version being put on by the Drunk Shakespeare BCS troupe will reflect the original version in all of its classical Shakespeare glory, or as close as they can with a cast that’s half drunk reciting innuendos in Elizabethan English.
“In some Drunk Shakespeare shows, they have one actor who gets drunk and takes five shots at the beginning of the show,” Savannah says. “[At ours] half of the cast gets drunk. Safety is our No. 1 priority and everyone has different limits.”
Drunk Shakespeare BCS started when founder Savannah’s friends told her, “we would love to see you get drunk,” and she told them they’d “have to buy a ticket.” So, a group of friends with a passion for theater put on their very own performance of the off-broadway production Drunk Shakespeare with their first play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
“I asked all my friends to do this silly thing with me, and we sold out, and everyone asked when the next one was,” Savannah says. “Here we are [almost] two years later doing our fourth show.”
Originally, Drunk Shakespeare had hoped to make its home at the LaSalle Hotel. Because of renovations, they weren’t able to host their second performance, leading to the company becoming a troupe that changed venues with every show.
“I try to focus on locally-owned venues because [Drunk Shakespeare BCS] is a testament to the community,” Savannah says. “We’ve been mostly in Downtown Bryan, which I love. Being able to know who you’re working with is really fun and it’s [become] a big community celebration.”
With shows continuing to sell out and regular rehearsals going smoothly, Savannah dreams of a world where she can bring even more theatrical entertainment to Bryan/College Station as a full-time job.
“This is most people’s first time seeing a Shakespeare show, drunk or sober,” Savannah says. “It’s a beautiful showcase of talent in the Brazos Valley — we have a full cast with full costumes and props.”
Ensuring that each play is entertaining for the audience is principal to Savannah’s vision as the director of Drunk Shakespeare BCS. While the show may contain some PG-13 remarks, it isn’t explicit by any means and is a performance that anyone can enjoy, Savannah adds.
“People who [act posh about Shakespeare] do not understand what Shakespeare is about,” Savannah says. “[The actors] are drunk adults, and I can’t control when or if they swear. Other than the cussing, it actually is a very family-friendly show.”
“The Tempest” by Drunk Shakespeare BCS will be performed on Saturday, March 30, at KinderHill Brew Lab in Bryan. The show runs from 7 to 9 p.m., and while the Biergarten will be open to the public, there will be reserved seating for ticket holders. Tickets are currently on sale at ticketleap.events/tickets/event-savi/the-tempest.
“There’s a lot of possibilities at [KinderHill], and I’m really excited about all of the options I have staging-wise,” Savannah says. “The atmosphere is really nice with the twinkling lights and the fireplaces.
For more information regarding Drunk Shakespeare BCS, contact eventsaviemail@gmail.com. For more information regarding KinderHill Brew Lab, visit kinderhillbrewlab.com or contact kinderhillbrewlab@ gmail.com.
