Swine Palace’s first summer festival aims to entertain and establish a foundation for summer seasons to come.
The summer festival, held June 26 through Aug. 5, features “The Taming of the Shrew,” “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged” and “How Can You Run with a Shell on Your Back?” 
George Judy, Swine Palace artistic director and head of MFA acting, is directing “The Taming of the Shrew.”
“The festival is an opportunity for the community to have high-quality theatre,” Judy said, “and it has an academic mission for MFA students.”
Beginning next summer, the University’s MFA acting program will require only two years of study, or six consecutive semesters, rather than three. The change has led the Swine Palace ensemble, a group of student actors, to provide an active summer season for its graduate students.
According to Judy, this summer festival is a trial run for the 2013 summer season, when these changes will be implemented.
William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” opens the festival with a cast of hired actors and University students. Judy said he isn’t worried about appealing to a younger University audience, because everyone can relate to the shows’ main idea that relationships aren’t easy. In addition to the theme, Judy also tailored the original text to focus the plot for audiences.
Kristina Udy and Jenny Ballard, Swine Palace ensemble members, are performing in “The Taming of the Shrew” and directing the festival’s other two productions.
Udy directs “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged,” which features three actors performing all 37 Shakespeare productions in an hour and a half. The comedy runs July 17 through 22.
The festival’s productions are all under two hours, and according to Judy, this is no accident.
“We cut down ‘Shrew’ to 80 minutes to focus the story line and agree with the festival’s overall summer fun approach,” he said.
The festival’s final production is “How Can You Run with a Shell on Your Back?” runs July 31 through Aug. 5. Jenny Ballard is directing this musical that follows six students in detention who act out some of Aesop’s fables.
Ballard described the production as, “The Breakfast Club with elementary school kids.”
The cast for “How Can You Run with a Shell on Your Back?” isn’t exclusively University students; students in the Playmakers of Baton Rouge summer camp also perform in the show.
Ballard, who directed “Godspell” last year with the Playmakers of Baton Rouge and Swine Palace, said she is excited about working with children and adults because they learn from one another.
Karli Henderson, the Playmakers of Baton Rouge managing director, said there will be two casts: one made up of MFA and undergraduate students with the Playmakers “young professionals” as backup, and the other cast uses the “young professionals” as leads.
The festival’s productions will all take place in the Studio Theatre and tickets are $10.
 
____ Contact Marylee Williams at [email protected]