This week has been all about me experiencing fun things!

So I have the week off from work, and while I am doing a crazy amount of school prep (planned my first science unit yesterday, all nine weeks of it!) I have also been doing some things for myself.

The first thing I did was go to Shakespeare in High Park. Canadian Stage puts on these productions every summer, and I really wanted to go. So, last week, I bought myself a ticket and I set out to go Sunday evening.

I saw an ad for this on the subway this summer, and was super interested. From July-September they were offering two different shows, Much ado about nothing, and Measure for Measure.

The shows start at 8pm and they alternate evenings. I wanted to make sure that I got one where I would be rested enough not to be falling asleep by 8pm (because let’s be real, that was basically my life all summer) and I knew that I wanted to see Much ado about nothing so I was a little limited on which days I could go so I selected a Sunday evening show.

The way they do the shows are really neat. So you can buy a ticket online, for $30, and that means you have a guaranteed seat. You get a cushion to sit on, and it’s in their preferred area which means a better view of the stage. OR you can just show up any time after 6pm when the gates open and donate what you can and sit wherever you like. But those preferred seats are given up at 7:45. If you’re not there to claim your seat by then, tough cookies.

So I purchased a ticket online because I wanted to have one of those special seats. Plus, having them supply a cushion meant that I didn’t have to bring one. I arrived around 7:20 ish. It was an easy subway ride for me, took about an hour to get to the right stop and then about a 10 minute walk into the park. You are encouraged to bring picnics and stuff and I saw a lot of people doing that. I had a bag full of candy so I was all good to go.

The amphitheater was really nice. It had rained about 30 minutes before I arrived so everything was a little damp, but other than that it was good. They have a nice tiered hill for people to sit on. I should have chosen to sit closer to the stage so I could stretch my legs out, but I also picked a nice stop so that when I had to run to the bathroom half way through the show, I didn’t really cause too much of a distraction. I also was fidgeting a LOT. Sitting cross legged only lasted for a little bit until my leg fell asleep and then I had to shift, and shift again, and again. Hello, my name is GF and I’m a fidgeter.

The show was amazing. The players were amazing. At the start, one of the cast came out and explained his heritage and how part of it was Native American and he had us take a minute to connect to the earth that we were on and he talked about what tribe it was from and he had a little moment of silence to thank the tribe and the earth for letting us have the space. It was really nice.

You can’t take pictures during the performance, for obvious reasons, but I did get to snag one before it started. And a few selfies too! Overall, it was a great evening and I am so glad that I went! Next time, I won’t buy a ticket but donate at the gate, and bring a nice pillow or something to lean against.