Shakespeare group arrives in Kilgore
By JIM EPPERSON News Herald Staff

News Herald Photo by Jim Epperson The Kilgore Chamber of Commerce fed and were hosts to 90 actors, designers and production members working in the Texas Shakespeare Festival this summer. The Chamber welcomed the talent from across the country with a goodie bag and meals from local restaurants.

Ryan Bates lives in New York City, but he will be here this summer as one of the 35 actors who will work in Kilgore College's famous Texas Shakespeare Festival.

Bates was one of more than 1,600 actors who tried out for the Shakespeare Festival from 28 states and two countries. He will be here performing in three of the four plays the Festival offers: Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, the musical 1776 and Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. The fourth play performed a this year's festival is The Royal Hunt of the Sun.

"I came here because of the reputation and opportunity to do Shakespeare, classical shows and musicals," Bates said.

Bates was among the 90 employees of the Shakespeare company who was welcomed by the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce. The chamber was host of a welcoming reception Tuesday at the Kilgore College Anne Dean Turk Building.

"This play helps our economy," Mike Coston, president of the chamber said.

The production brings so many people to Kilgore, who then spend money here, he said.

"This is our way of thanking them."

Raymond Caldwell, founder and artistic director of the Shakespeare Festival, said this is the festivals biggest year, with bigger shows and a bigger crew. The Royal Hunt of the Sun, an epic play that tells the story of the conquest of the Inca Empire by the Spanish conquistadors, takes 34 people to perform the play.

"The hardest message we can't get out is that these are not Kilgore College students," Caldwell said. "We hired actors and designer from all over the country and all over the world."