In Martha Yarborough’s garden in High Point, everything was ready to go. The chairs were all lined up. The larkspur was blooming in the evening June sun. Guests relaxed in lawn chairs, drinking wine and eating caprese salad. There was only one thing left to do: watch a Shakespeare play.
But in classic Shakespearean fashion, things don’t always — or ever, really — go as planned. A drop of water fell from the sky, and then another. Three thunderclaps later, 80-year-old Yarborough, floral headpiece teetering slightly, yelled, “All right, everyone inside!”
Last year marked Yarborough’s sixth hosting a play by Shared Radiance Performing Arts Company, a nonprofit that produces Shakespeare plays, original works, and other projects. The organization was founded by Sherri Raeford, one of Yarborough’s best friends.
Shakespearean plays unfold — weather depending — amid the blooms in Yarborough’s garden. photograph by Joey Seawell
Raeford, a retired theater teacher, started Shared Radiance to bring theater to accessible places: parks, schools, gardens, and other gathering spots.
It’s a traveling troupe, so the lineup looks a little different each year, but the play in Yarborough’s garden is one tradition that doesn’t change. Last year, the group performed The Comedy of Errors. The play follows two sets of identical twins who were split up at birth, leading to a series of miscommunications until, at last, the mystery is solved and everything makes sense.
That night in High Point followed a similar format. Maybe that’s why Yarborough never complained about running to rescue caprese salad in the rain, or hosting 50 people in her living room, or having a cast of animated actors waltz around on her Oriental rug. It was merely a comedy of errors. The day reflected the spirit of the play: first confusion, then laughter, and finally, understanding.
To learn more, visit facebook.com/sharedradiance.
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