City Wants Residents to Weigh In on Free Shakespeare in McKenzie Park

Shakespeare. In McKenzie Park. Free.

What's not to like?  

Pro, con or in between, you can weigh in at a meeting Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Municipal Service Center Conference Room, 707 Fremont Ave.

The Los Altos Recreation Department wants to gauge interest and get feedback on a proposal to host the free Mid-Peninsula Shakespeare in the Park program during May and June.

The city had a meeting last week, which attracted only two households out of the 139 letters that were sent to residents and business owners in the surrounding area, said Peggy Ford, senior recreation supervisor for the city of Los Altos.

She suspects there is more interest out there than that.

"I want to spark a conversation," Ford said, "whether it's positive or negative."

The Festival Theater Ensemble is being displaced by construction from Mid-Peninsula High School, its outdoor home for the past 10 seasons in Menlo Park, where three plays run on weekends in June. 

In July and early August, the organization puts on the Los Gatos Shakespeare Festival in Oak Meadow Park, where tickets range from $10-$20.

The plays this year are The Tragedy of MacBeth, The Twelfth Night, and a 19th-century play, Charley's Aunt. 

The city of Los Altos was approached through the group's network because it wanted to stay on the lower Peninsula, Ford said. 

Though the plays are presented in 11 performances in June, the  production would require the group to use the park in May and June, to allow for 12 rehearsals and to load in the stage. There would be 13 technical rehearsals with amplification. 

Ford expects to discuss any concerns over lighting, parking, sound and security. She'd also be interested in hearing any expressions of support for having a well-established theatrical company present in Los Altos. McKenzie Park is the best location for the needs that staff has found so far, Ford said. Other locations scouted were deemed too close to noisy thoroughfares, such as San Antonio Road, which would make it difficult to follow the plays. The city would likely have to turn to private owners of vacant lots to see if there is any interest, otherwise, Ford said.

For more information about the Festival Theater Ensemble, see its website at festivaltheaterensemble.org.