“Under the Greenwood Tree”: A Brief History of The Greenshow
By Kathryn Neves
Every summer, families from all over Utah—and beyond—gather in the Ashton Family Greenshow Commons beneath the towering “greenwood” trees (as Shakesepeare might say). As the smell of fresh tarts wafts over the air, boys and girls sit around the wooden stage and wait for the telltale sounds of festive music and laughter. And it comes. Performers dance out to the sounds of flutes and tambourines. The Greenshow begins.
This beloved institution has been around since the Festival’s beginning. “It’s a fundamental part of the Festival Experience,” said Executive Managing Director Michael Bahr. “Since the first years of the Festival, patrons have been immersed in a live theatrical experience, preparing them for the evening that awaits.”
Immersion: that was the original goal of The Greenshow founder, Barbara Gaddie Adams. As she and her husband, Fred C. Adams, worked to bring about the Festival’s first season, she felt that something was missing. They needed a transition; something to guide audiences out of the modern world and into the bygone, spellbinding world of William Shakespeare.
Music was the best way to do it. Barbara, an accomplished musician herself, gathered together a group of local performers and taught them a number of madrigals and dances. Glynis Adams Neves, daughter of Fred and Barbara—and early Greenshow performer herself—remembers that time fondly. “My mother taught my sister and cousins and I to play the recorder,” she said. “She would research songs, music, and dances from the time period, and taught [us] to play the instruments. From the time I was eight or nine, I played the recorder and sold tarts. It was a lot of fun.”
The early days of The Greenshow featured live music from Renaissance-style recorders and lute guitars. Community members sang English folk songs and performed dances like the maypole, pavane, and galliard. The Greenshow also featured a Punch and Judy puppet show, complete with hand-crafted puppets and authentic scripts from the mid-17th century. Local children played the recorder before and after the show, while tart sellers wandered through the delighted crowd. It was a celebration of Shakespeare performed for—and by—the community.
Audiences loved it. Local Cedar City children would ride their bikes to come and watch, and many of the same families attended night after night. The performance, free and available to everyone, was a unique and wholesome way to spend the evening, and come together with the community.
Over the years, The Greenshow has evolved and grown with the Festival. Modern Greenshows have expanded from the purely Renaissance-style performances, and now feature themed “nights” that explore different cultures and eras—like Scotland, Ireland, Italy, America, and local performances from members of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah—often themed after the evening’s play.
While the show may look very different from the early days, that same sense of community spirit is alive and well today. On a different lawn, but just as green; on a newer stage, but just as magical. Families still come each night for an evening of free live entertainment. “For 65 years, The Greenshow continues to be the flagship of the Festival, the epitome of live, interactive, intimate performance,” said Bahr. “Cedar City citizens love it and attend each year. It signals that summer has arrived—and the gathering of community, visitors, and company has commenced.”
This year’s Greenshow will feature three different themes: Stratford, an exploration of Shakespeare’s home and era; Americana, a celebration of America250; and recurring favorite Celtic, featuring folk music and dancing from Ireland. And just like the early years of community gathering, families and friends come together to celebrate performance, music, and the friendly welcome of the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
Don’t miss these free 30-minute performances each Monday through Saturday evenings at 7:10pm, June 18 through September 5 on The Greenshow lawn. For more information, visit bard.org/plays/greenshow or call 800-PLAYTIX (752-9849).
