“Whoa! Bill Shakespeare? I knew I saw you in Hibbard!”

To go or not to go will be the question of Wednesday evenings in July, and the eclectic mix of actors, spoken-word artists, and Bard-lovers alike hope you don’t take as long as Hamlet to decide. UW-Eau Claire’s “Summer Events Series” hopes to introduce new talent to its patrons through two short plays performed by the Barebones Ensemble and readings of poetry and prose by area writers Jeannie Roberts, Alan Jenkins, Peg Lauber, and Jim Larson in a casual, outside setting. The Barebones Ensemble, a collection of artists with an open door philosophy for choosing their projects, will be performing two plays for the series, sister plays as one of the directors Josh Dolan-Neill calls them. “One is about this character Roy, recently returned from Vietnam and how he’s adjusting,” he said of Lone Star. The other play, Laundry and Bourbon, portrays his wife’s side, what she’s dealing with now that he’s back, and how they got there in the first place. Though neither of the shows have music written into the script, Barebones is using its own musicians to add an element of music. “The most challenging thing is finding a balance in making the shows funny as we can but still staying true to the poignancy of the play,” says Dolan-Neill. The content may be rich, but the setting is simple. For a scene that takes place on a back porch? “We’ll maybe put up a clothesline and essentially that’s it,” says Dolan-Neill. After all, all the world is indeed a stage. Barebones will likewise perform these plays at the Nucleus July 15, 17, and 18 for $5.

Shakespeare (and others) in the Park • Wednesdays throughout July • Campus Mall, UW-Eau Claire • 7pm • FREE • some adult themes and strong language