Shakespeare-in-the-Park returns this summer with a Shakespeare classic
By Irwin Rapoport
July 23, 2026
Shakespeare-in-the-Park returns this summer with Repercussion Theatre’s new production of The Winter’s Tale, first staged at the Globe Theatre in May 1611.
Repercussion’s website frames the play around a pressing question: “How can you overcome a tyrant? No question could be more timely,” noting that Shakespeare explored this 400 years ago through King Leontes, whose jealous tyranny devastates his family and kingdom until, sixteen years later, his lost daughter Perdita and the defiant love she inspires help heal the damage. Over more than four centuries, The Winter’s Tale has inspired many adaptations, each finding new resonance in its themes of power, loss, and renewal.
For 2026, Repercussion Theatre presents the play in collaboration with UnCanon Theatre, with an all-Black and brown ensemble of performers, designers, and a director, set in a visually rich Nubian‑futuristic world where Afrofuturism opens space to imagine beyond immediate crisis. The company describes this staging as modelling bravery, boldness, and grace under tyranny, as the hopeful uprising of young lovers challenges the bloody rule of a jealous king.
For 2026, Repercussion Theatre presents the play in collaboration with UnCanon Theatre, with an all-Black and brown ensemble of performers, designers, and a director, set in a visually rich Nubian‑futuristic world…
The two‑hour performance (plus intermission) is directed by Lydie Dubuisson and runs approximately 120 minutes excluding the break. The production features a strong ensemble: Quincy Armorer, Belen Blizzard, Tamara Brown, Esi Callender, Métushalème Dary, Dayjan Lesmond, Briauna James, Jeremy Lewis, and Aladeen Tawfeek.
The Shakespeare‑in‑the‑Park season opened July 21 in Verdun and then travels through parks across Montreal and surrounding communities until August 15. Consult Repercussion Theatre’s website for dates and places.
The tour concludes in Westmount, with performances at Westmount Park August 12, 13, 14, and 15 at 7 pm.
The play is renowned for one of Shakespeare’s most famous stage directions: “Exit, pursued by a bear,” a surprisingly comic yet ominous instruction that has become legendary among theatre‑goers and practitioners.
All performances are free of charge, in keeping with Repercussion Theatre’s commitment to accessible, high‑quality outdoor theatre for everyone. Donations are warmly encouraged to help sustain Repercussion Theatre’s year‑round programming and ensure future Shakespeare‑in‑the‑Park seasons.
Actors Quincy Armorer and Tamara Brown speak about preparing for the play.
WM: How did you prepare for your roles and have you performed in other Shakespeare plays?
Armorer: Text work, text work, text work! I do a lot of text work to prepare for any role in Shakespeare, including reading the play several times. That’s where I begin. Throughout my career, I’ve performed in approximately 30 Shakespeare productions with many companies, including the Stratford Festival, the National Arts Centre, the Centaur Theatre, the Piggery Theatre, the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival, and Shakespeare by the Sea, among others.
Brown: Although I’ve played this character before, seven years ago for another company, since then my experiences and perspectives have expanded and evolved. As such, I prepared for this role much in the way that I do for any role, regardless of playwright. The text always provides the guiding basis when it comes to understanding the characters and their circumstances, what they say or don’t say, what they do or fail to do and what that reveals about their thinking and why the story unfolds the way it does.
WM: What attracted you to acting? What are the qualities that define you as an actor?
Armorer: There’s an energy that comes with performing on stage. You are, at once, a part of its creation and a vessel that allows it to pass through you – and you through it – in service of telling a story and offering audiences an experience. It’s a wonderful feeling. I’m a collaborator, and I believe in the spirit of contribution over competition.
Brown: I have always been captivated by storytelling and the arts from a very young age, and came to acting in my teens as a means to develop my communication skills. Storytelling is as much a vehicle for education as for entertainment, and a way to come together to examine the human condition and, hopefully, come to know ourselves and one another a little better as a result, if we allow it to. So I strive to approach this work with love, curiosity, playfulness, passion, connection and rigour. I hope you enjoy the show.
Images: Emem Etti
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Irwin Rapoport is a freelance journalist and community advocate from Westmount with bachelor’s degrees in History and Political Science from Concordia University. He writes extensively on local politics, education, and environmental issues, and promotes informed public discourse and democracy through his writing and activism.