The Bard's the thing

BAILA LAZARUS EDITOR

Ask anyone who had to study Shakespeare in high school and chances are they won't recollect the experience fondly. So it's a bit of a mystery as to why Bard on the Beach has grown into the phenomenon that it is today, with thousands of theatre-goers enjoying the playwright's work every summer.

But attend a few performances in the beautiful setting of Vanier Park, with the glow of a setting sun on downtown Vancouver acting as a stunning backdrop for the plays, and the phenomenon becomes less surprising.

Thus it was with enthusiasm that local Jewish actor Chad Hershler applied for and accepted parts in two of the three ongoing plays at Bard this year – Twelfth Night and Henry V.

Originally from Vancouver, the 27-year-old Hershler has been working in professional theatre for about nine years, much of it with Toronto theatre companies. Some might know the young actor from his stint in Leah and Paul For Example, a play that he developed in Toronto. It ran at the Vancouver Fringe Festival last year, as well as at Chutzpah 2002! at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver last winter.

Hershler's father, Cecil, is also well known to many in the Jewish community in Vancouver for his own stage work. He also performed in Chutzpah! 2002 at the Norman Rothstein Theatre in Shongololo, ironically, on the same evening that his son was performing his own play in the auditorium next door.

Performing since he was small, the younger Hershler paid much of his dues in Toronto, doing all the clichéd jobs – waitering, teaching English as second language – as he went after parts on stage. He travelled back and forth between Toronto and Vancouver, picking up Shakespearean experience with a touring Shakespeare company in Toronto. He eventually landed enough work to support himself for about six to eight months of the year.

"That's probably how it'll be for a while," he said. "Where I'm at in my career it certainly is seasonal work."

Shakespeare has always held Hershler's interest and the experience he garnered touring with the company in Toronto served him well when he came to audition for Bard on the Beach.

"Performing in Henry V, for my first time at Bard, it's a great part," said Hershler. "I feel blessed. It's got a full story line and development of the characters."
He adds that the act of performing the plays has expanded his own understanding and enjoyment of Shakespeare's work.

"It amazed me how much more the world of the plays opened up once I started to perform," he said. "It's taught [in high school] in a way that distances people from the words. I find that when I'm working with people on Shakespeare, they invite you to explore all the possibilities of what the words mean. There's so much room in the language to play around and make discoveries. You can make 100 different discoveries over the course of the run."

Although his role in the comedy Twelfth Night is a lesser one, his part in Henry V affords him ample time on stage and even furnishes him with a monologue that allows him to strut his Shakespearean stuff. And even with small parts, Hershler knows the experience of performing with Bard on the Beach is invaluable.

"When you look at the quality of the company and the experience, I'm gaining a lot just by being around the other actors," he said. "What a great way to spend a summer. It's incredible. Even when it's raining, the last three, four weeks I've been at the site, almost every day, I have a moment when I say, wow, it's incredible that I can do this. The whole experience feels like a real blessing."

One slight concern in the progress of the plays, however, has to do with the multiple parts each player performs and, with Hershler's flaming crop of hair, it's a little harder to hide the fact that he's changing roles. So after his character Lord Scroop is put to death in Henry V it gets a bit confusing to see him later "reincarnated" as the constable of France. Keep referring to your program, though, and the confusion should be sorted out.

Look for Hershler in future projects with his father, including a stint in Athol Fugard's Playland at Pacific Theatre in February. As for longer-term plans, there's "no question" that he'll be staying involved in theatre.

Twelfth Night and Henry V continue playing until Sept. 22. Call 604-739-0559 for show times and ticket information.

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