The Olde History, As We Know It

Historians the world over gnash their teeth and sob into their pocket protectors when faced with the task of presenting a complete history of a Company of Fools. Nonetheless we believe another attempt is in order. Hang on, here we go!

In 1990 two graduates of the University of Ottawa, Margo MacDonald and Heather Jopling, set out to fulfill a dream. Rooted in the belief that Shakespeare should be seen and not read, the pair recruited almost a dozen young performers and took to the streets. Inspired by the rogue Elizabethan players that once entertained audiences outdoors at the Globe theatre, they called themselves a Company of Fools and performed for crowds on the streets of Ottawa.

Even a Fool knows that street theatre in Ottawa is not a year round affair, and in 1992 the company began performing indoors with Shakespeare's Interactive Circus. Engaging and fast paced, the show was a run-away success and broke box office records at the Great Canadian Theatre Company's Night Howl series before touring across Canada.

Building a reputation as a highly physical troupe doing interactive shows, the Fools moved into their first full-length production in 1994. Directed by Michael Brunet, The Comedy of Errors used six actors to portray seventeen characters and incorporated the use of commedia del'arte, masks and giant puppets. From there, the Fools entered the realm of tragedy... sort of. In Romeo and Juliet: The Comedy six red nosed clowns told this classic love story gone awry. As You Like It, directed by John Koensgen, was the companies next full length show. In between these full length productions the company created and played several collage shows, including Everything Shakespeare Ever Wrote.

In 1998 the Fools began performing in Ottawa City Parks with collage shows, and in 2002 the Fools launched the Torchlight Shakespeare series with The Two Noble Kinsmen, directed by company co-founder Margo MacDonald.

Besides mounting an average of two productions a year, the Fools hold three annual events (Twelfth Night Celebration, Valentine's Day Sonnet Delivery, and the Ottawa Theatre Challenge) and are active in the Ottawa community. They perform at charity functions and for youth groups and teach workshops in High Schools. Their shows are often requested at Festivals (such as Festival 4:15 and the Canadian Tulip Festival) and they perform private shows for corporate clients such as the City of Ottawa, Deloite Touche, Maison D'Or Jewelers and the Zonta Club of Canada.