As the sun began its westward slant, a crowd of about 400 people gathered on the hillside above the Flathead River, facing the new stage at the Polson Fairgrounds amphitheatre.

Some lounged on blankets, others sat in camp chairs or cross-legged on the prickly grass, flanked by picnic baskets or sipping beverages, all eager for an annual dose of The Bard, courtesy of Montana Shakespeare in the Parks.

The traveling troupe of 11 professional actors is about two-thirds of their way through a summer tour that takes them to 64 communities in Montana and beyond, where they’ll stage nearly 80 performances. This year, they alternate between “Much Ado About Nothing,” staged in Polson Monday, and “The Merchant of Venice,” performed Tuesday at Palmer Park near Charlo.  

The actors come from all over, including Jamaica, where Gabbay Madu was born and raised, although she was largely educated in the U.S. She plays a leading role in “Much Ado” as the fiery and opinionated Beatrice, and a less demanding part as Solania in “Merchant.”

After two hours on the stage, Madu was boxing programs, t-shirts and stickers from the merchandise table and stashing them in the back of a truck Monday night.

    Benedick (Evan Joslyn) escapes into the crowd during "Much Ado About Nothing," performed Monday in Polson by Montana Shakespeare in the Parks. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)

This is her first summer tour since earning her MFA last spring from the University of Arkansas, and she was especially enthused about the number of children who attend the Shakespeare performances, the opportunities to learn from other actors and, of course, the scenery.

“I've seen more deer on this tour than I've seen in my life,” she said. “We saw a bear twice in two days, from a safe distance. So exciting!”

To top it off, “we had folks swim to work today,” she said, pointing across the Flathead River to where the troupe was staying with hosts Mike and Trish Rodrique. “What other job can you say that you swam to work?”

She admits it’s hard work moving from town to town almost every day, setting up and tearing down the stage, and performing a two-hour show. “But I think it's a gift for any actor – established, aspiring or otherwise – to get to do this,” she said. “It shows you just what you are capable of as a human being.”

Several of the actors are based in Chicago, where auditions are held each spring. Hunter Trammell, for example, is enjoying his second summer tour with MSIP, and played minor roles as Barrachio and the Friar Monday, before switching to Bassanio, the romantic lead in Tuesday’s production of “Venice” in Charlo. Originally from Kentucky, he has multiple acting stage and screen credits to his name.   

“We do everything,” he said while rolling up wires and collecting microphones after Monday’s show. “We set up the stage, we set up the sound, drive the truck. We do it all.”

He believes the company, now celebrating its 54th year, does a good job of interpreting Shakespeare through a “modern lens.”

For example, Trammell noted that “the treatment of women in this play is pretty abhorrent. So it's important to not shy away from that aspect.”

Trammell also notes that MSIP is very unique in its mission to bring free performances of Shakespeare by professional actors to remote communities, as well as more populated towns, in a four-state region.

    About 400 people gathered at the Polson Fairgrounds amphitheater Monday evening to enjoy a production of "Much Ado About Nothing" by Montana Shakespeare in the Parks – one of nearly 80 performances the traveling troupe delivers each summer in Montana and beyond. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)

“The communities out here are unlike anything I've ever seen or performed in,” he said. “And it's a generational thing. You can really feel the gratitude and appreciation for it, which is really moving.”

Callee Miles, who had minor roles in “Much Ado” and the lead as Portia in “Venice,” is completing her first season on tour with MSIP before entering her final year of graduate school at the University of Houston.

“You certainly have the best stars I’ve ever seen,” she said Monday while autographing a program for a young fan.

She also echoed Trammell’s observation about the generations of Montanans who have come to count on seeing Shakespeare each summer.

“There are some towns we're in where the audience is bigger than the census population of the town,” she said. “And it's so special to hear the kids who say this is their first theater experience or the people who are bringing their kids back and have three generations of people who've been seeing Shakespeare in the Park since they were a kid.”

She also appreciates the timeless nature of the work she performs night after night. “We've been screwing up in the same ways for such a long time,” Miles said. “And what's beautiful about it, of course, is that the plays are universal and they are still relevant.”

    The cast of "Much Ado About Nothing" celebrates two weddings at the close of Shakespeare's comedy, performed Monday at the fairgrounds in Polson. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)

Even for those who don’t catch or understand all of the words, it helps that Shakespeare wrote most of his plays in iambic pentameter. “It’s a heartbeat,” Miles said, rhythmically tapping her chest. “So that undercurrent gives you all you need to know.”

Tony Cobel, now in his 40s, has been attending Shakespeare in the Parks performances since his parents were students at MSU four decades ago.

“It's enchanting,” he said Monday. “It's not every place you get to be exposed to the language of Shakespeare and the humor and beauty. It's so intimate when it's done in a live setting.”

Cobel also appreciates that it’s open to all, and admission is free. He reported that such generosity, as well as the timeless themes of love and reconciliation, brought him to tears three times Monday night.

“Love is something that's really important to me,” he said. “And Shakespeare has a really powerful way of putting it.”

There's still a chance to see Shakespeare in a park this summer (although not quite as close as Polson or Charlo). For the tour schedule, head to shakespeareintheparks.org.

    Montana Shakespeare in the Parks actor Callee Miles signs the program for Olive after Monday's performance of "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Polson Fairgrounds. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)
  

 Actors from "Much Ado About Nothing" brought Shakespeare's comedy directly to the audience Monday night, as they interacted with some young theatre-goers while trying to trick Benedick (cowering in the corner). (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)