As a teen, Kevin Bennett had no interest in the works of William Shakespeare.
The North Delta native loved acting — and knew early on he wanted to direct — but the Bard was never his thing.
He didn’t get it. The text was old. And, when performed, it came off as precious.
Then, at the age of 18, it was like a light turned on.
He was in London, England, watching a production at the Globe Theatre. Half the audience was standing. And everyone was right in the action.
Bennett, a graduate of Templeton secondary’s fine arts program, took his experience to Langara College where he was enrolled in the professional theatre training courses with Studio 58.
There, he was part of two Shakespeare productions including as assistant director to Studio 58 founder Antony Holland for The Merchant of Venice.
Post grad, Bennett started a theatre company in Vancouver called The Honest Fishmongers, with the aim to tell stories “the Shakespearean way” — just like he saw at The Globe.
He directed Hamlet and King Lear at the Havana Theatre, both of which won rave reviews. “There was lots of buzz,” he remembered, which also drew the eye of Bard on the Beach reps.
Bennett worked for that Vancouver company as a teacher for two seasons before taking an apprentice director’s job at the famed Shaw Festival at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.
That was when he met someone who would soon change his life and become his mentor: Tim Carroll, now the fest’s artistic director.
“He was the best director I ever worked with,” Bennett said. “Everything that I had been developing up to then — in my own way — was now being realized. We were on the same page.”
By 2014, Bennett had his paperwork in for an assistant director’s spot at the Globe. Shakespeare Globe Canada was searching for a Canadian to help lead the cast in a familiar play for Bennett: The Merchant of Venice.
On a hunch, Bennett flew to London where — miraculously — he got a call from the Globe staff. He believes the in-person interview landed him the job.
Rehearsals started in London in early 2015 for the show that starred Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce (Game of Thrones) as Shylock. That, too, won five stars from critics.
The Globe asked Bennett to return the following summer for an international remount with half the original cast. This time, however, he was promoted to the role of associate director, which allowed him to do theatrical outreach work while travelling around the UK, the United States, China and Italy.
This year, Bennett’s plate is again loaded: He directed The Madness of George III at Shaw, which runs April 11 to Oct. 15 at the Royal George Theatre.
And this month, he’s at Place des Arts to direct eight high school students in his adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, at Coquitlam Town Centre Plaza. “They’re great because they are really into theatre and Shakespeare, which I certainly wasn’t at their age,” he said at a rehearsal last week at the Coquitlam venue.
The troupe’s play will have all the Shakespearean elements Bennett has honed over the years: lively and relatable scenes, music and audience participation in a popular outdoor setting.
The young actors will ask spectators to choose versions of the story they want to see “so that means every show will be different,” he said, adding, “It’s an all-ages show so everyone can join in. It’s a great experience for both the actors and the audience.”
Joining Bennett on the creative team are associate director Alex Kirkpatrick, production and costume designer Hannah Case and production assistant Sidney Klips.
• In addition to the performances at Town Centre Park Plaza, the troupe will offer a sneak peek at the city of Coquitlam’s Blue Mountain Park Neighbourhood Night on Thursday at 7 p.m.
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SHOW TIMES
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, adapted by Place des Arts’ Summer Teen Troupe, runs July 26 to 29 at 7 p.m. and July 30 at 2 p.m. at Coquitlam Town Centre Park Plaza (1299 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam). Admission is free. The production is funded with city and federal grants and the Coquitlam Foundation.
