The Bard in Bell Buckle

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

"The play's the thing," said Hamlet, and Bell Buckle will be the choice location for fans of classic literature this summer as the first Tennessee Shakespeare Festival is slated to be held, with help from a daytime television star.

The event is scheduled for June 27-29 and July 4-6 on the campus of The Webb School.

While the small town has been known for decades for its popular festivals, antiques, arts/crafts, music, and great food, this new event is bringing together an alliance of artistic, educational and civic entities from the Middle Tennessee area.

The festival is sponsored by the Webb School and Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce.

The performance will be "A Mid-Summer's Night Dream" but with a slight twist of scene and accent. Though purely Shakespeare, the performance will be one that surprises and entertains even the savviest Shakespearian.

Lane Davies
(lanedavies.com web site photo) [Click to enlarge]
Actor-director Lane Davies currently heads up the Production Committee, and Ruth Cordell, Director of Theatre at Webb School chairs the Educational Committee.

Davies is best-known for his roles on "General Hospital" as Dr. Cameron Lewis and "Santa Barbara" as Mason Capwell but has appeared in prime-time shows ranging from "3rd Rock From The Sun" to "The Practice" to "Babylon 5."

Board members for the event include Rene Copeland, Executive Artistic Director of Tennessee Repertory Theatre; Jeff Gibson, Director of Theatre at Middle Tennessee State University; Albert Cauz, Headmaster of The Webb School; Bell Buckle Mayor Dennis Webb; Janet Linton, Director of Fine Arts at Webb; Richard Northcutt, attorney and founder of Valhalla Shakespeare; Ralph Jones, History Chair and Theatre Technical Director at Webb School; Jenny Hunt, Town of Bell Buckle Alderman; Rodney Simmons, Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce president; Stan Rupley, Director of Studies at Webb; Neal McClain, MTSU Computer Science Department Lab Director; and Larry Lowman, President of Tennessee Backroads.

For more information, contact Rodney Simmons at (931) 389-5724 or write him at Tennessee Shakespeare Festival, P.O. Box 488, Bell Buckle, TN 37020. The website is www.tennesseeshakespearefestival.com.