Camden Shakespeare Festival, in association with Ziggurat Theatre Ensemble and Camden Library, will present the FAFALO! outdoors in the Camden Amphitheatre beginning on Saturday, July 25. Using colorful Balinese masks and huge, spectacular puppets, FAFALO! is a comic fantasy about what happens when a ludicrously unqualified buffoon is accidentally named king. Wacky, whimsical and ultimately uplifting, FAFALO! will delight adults and children.  

"A janitor becomes king and thinks the job is going to be a piece of cake," said director Stephen Legawiec,  in a news release. “That is, until he has to solve a huge crisis that threatens the lives of the entire population. It’s the story of an ordinary person called upon to do extraordinary things."

Fully masked throughout the play in custom-made Balinese masks, the ensemble of Maine-based actors – Hannah Daly, Andrew Edwards, Nolan Ellsworth, Emily Grotz, Dana Legawiec, Laura Maclean and Jared Mongeau – perform a broad and colorful range of characters.  Masks were made by Balinese master craftsman Nyoman Setiawan. Spectacular oversized puppets were made by Maine puppetmaker Libby Marcus.

"Mask is not part of the American popular theater tradition, and audiences rarely get to see fully masked productions by local companies," says Movement Director Dana Legawiec.  "Actors recruit their entire bodies from fingers to toes to make the mask come alive. All of the characters' thoughts and desires must be crafted into specific physical choices and communicated through the mask - relying on the text to tell the story is not enough."

FAFALO! will be presented outdoors in the Camden Library Amphitheater on these dates: July 25, 26 and August 1, 2, 9, 15, 16, 29 and 30. All performances begin at 5 p.m. The production is suitable for children. http://camdenshakespeare.org

FAFALO! was rehearsed entirely outdoors in accordance with public safety protocols. This performance fully complies with all guidelines as set down by the State of Maine for outdoor performances. Audiences will be limited to 40 attendees and must sit in pre-determined, physically-distanced seating areas. Audiences will also be required to comply with protocols including methods of entrance and egress, maintaining social distance and wearing masks when not seated. There will be no rain venue for this show. It plays outdoors only. In the case of rain we will cancel, and ticketholders may use their tickets at a future performance. Further information is on our website, CamdenShakespeare.org

More information is available and calling 207-464-0008 and Tickets are available at fafalo.brownpapertickets.com only.