Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti are known for their vibrant art scenes where enthusiasts can visit museums, attend musical performances, see plays, and much more. But there is one theater group that brings extra excitement to Ann Arbor each summer — Shakespeare in the Arb.
Started in 2001, Shakespeare in the Arb is an auditioned community theater group that gives 16 performances of a Shakespeare play every summer from May through June. This year, the group is performing "The Merry Wives of Windsor," one of Shakespeare's lesser-known comedies.
What sets SITA apart from other theater groups is that it does not perform on a stage – rather, it brings Shakespeare's plays to life outdoors in the Nichols Arboretum on the University of Michigan's campus.
"It's a community that started with our founder, Kate Mendeloff, who sadly passed away a couple years ago," said Tessa Hanrath, an Eastern Michigan University education major in her fourth year with SITA.
She plays Nym in the current production.
"She worked with U of M's Residential College, and she really wanted to get this group of students and community members together to make something great in the outdoors ... She created this community of people who have now stuck with it, and a lot of people have joined since then," Hanrath said.
While some SITA actors are UM students, many others are community members or students from other universities.
"A lot of people in the show this year are actually EMU alums," Hanrath said.
A poster for Shakespeare in the Arb's performance of "The Merry Wives of Windsor" this summer. Poster courtesy of Esther Osgood.
Attending a SITA performance is a compelling experience. The audience does not simply sit in one place; instead, they move with the actors throughout the Arboretum for each scene.
"You get to see a lot of the Arboretum ... and we get to develop a really special relationship with the Arb as we're doing this because we get to see it change over the course of two months," said Christa Ventresca, a lecturer of biology at EMU and doctoral student at UM who has been part of SITA since 2021.
She plays Abraham Slender in SITA's current production.
"The experience is not immersive theater, but I feel like it's very similar in that you feel like you're walking through this town as we're going through the play and seeing all these different locations," Ventresca said.
In addition to being a celebration of Shakespeare's creative genius, SITA is a way to bring the community together. Actors from all backgrounds come together to perform.
"We've had quite a few people in the shows throughout the years where this is their first play they've ever done, and we've had people who are professional actors who just decided to do this for fun," Hanrath said.
Actors are also united by a shared desire to preserve Mendeloff's artistic vision.
"Even people who haven't met [Mendeloff] or don't know her as well mingle with people who really knew her, keeping her vision alive," Hanrath said. "And it's also just a great way to get the Ann Arbor community together to see some great theater in a beautiful location."
Ventresca also shared that SITA allows actors and community members to develop a relationship with the Nichols Arboretum itself.
"We develop a really close relationship with nature and appreciation for the space," Ventresca said. "Having these events like Shakespeare in the Arb is really crucial so that people keep that relationship to the nature around them."
This year, one of SITA's performances featured American Sign Language interpreters. These interpreters placed themselves "onstage" with the actors and translated the spoken words into ASL.
"They would be doing their ASL right alongside everybody's lines so you could take a look at both, and it was really cool to see," Hanrath said.
Ventresca agreed.
"We could see them practicing, and we could see them trying to embody different characters," Ventresca said "There were two of them, and they would act out a conversation. ... I hope it continues and that we're able to incorporate them a little more intentionally in the future."
Anyone interested in theater is welcome to audition for SITA. According to Hanrath, the show is typically announced a couple months before auditions. Auditionees can sign up for an audition slot or attend walk-in auditions. If auditionees move to the next step of the process, they will be invited to a callback. Those interested can learn more about upcoming shows on the group's Facebook page.
Shows for "The Merry Wives of Windsor" will continue every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until June 29, 2025. To purchase tickets, visit the Michigan Union Ticket Office's website.
