Mount Royal University’s Shakespeare in the Park Festival set to return in 2012

Mount Royal University has announced that its Shakespeare in the Park Festival will be on hiatus for one year in order to focus on improving the program.

The Festival is slated to return in summer 2012 for its 25th season.

The decision to rework the Festival’s role at the University and as part of the greater Calgary community was made shortly after the departure of Artistic Director, Martie Fishman last October and a restructuring that involved moving the Theatre Speech and Music Performance program from the Conservatory at Mount Royal University to the Faculty of Communication Studies.

There will be some exciting opportunities to look forward to next year under new leadership and direction from the Faculty of Communication Studies.

"Shakespeare in the Park remains a vital part of MRU's enduring commitment to the summer arts scene in Calgary. Taking a one year hiatus will allow MRU and the Theatre, Speech and Music Performance program enough time to reconfigure this beloved theatrical vehicle, into a bigger and more spectacular entity that will be the envy of many theatre groups and schools in Canada," says Marc Chikinda, dean of the Faculty of Communication Studies at Mount Royal University.

Shakespeare in the Park has performed for over 750,000 Calgarians and their guests since its inception in 1987.