Silicon Valley Shakespeare staging two comedies in Saratoga this summer

Play’s the thing

Silicon Valley Shakespeare is showcasing two comedies for its summer season in Sanborn County Park in Saratoga this summer.

The company will produce “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde for the first time. The play is known for its razor-sharp wit, mistaken identities and romantic mischief. It will be paired with Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” reimagined as a South Asian American wedding celebration inspired by Bollywood films.

Artistic Director Angie Higgins said the season was intentionally built around comedy. “Many of us could use more opportunities to laugh and celebrate together right now,” Higgins said. “Both of these plays remind us that love, family, friendship and community can be messy, but they’re also what make life meaningful.”

Several events are also planned along with the performances to enhance the audience experience. During the run of “Earnest,” audiences can attend an Oscar Wilde and Edwardian Dress-Up Night and onstage photo opportunity on Aug. 2. There will also be a Cookies & Tea Night in partnership with Chipidee Cookies on Aug. 16. Performances of “Much Ado About Nothing” will include an Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Night on Aug. 9 that highlights businesses and organizations owned by or celebrating the AAPI community. There will also be a Desi Dress-Up Night with an onstage photo opportunity on Aug. 22. Guests are invited to wear traditional South Asian attire, including sarees, salwar kameezes, lehenga cholis and kurtas.

There will also be American Sign Language interpreters for the mainstage performances of “The Importance of Being Earnest” on Aug. 16 and “Much Ado About Nothing” on Aug. 23 by Bay Area theater interpreters Dane Lentz, Stephanie Renee Foisy and Kelly Wilmeth-Weir.

The SVS reparatory season runs Thursdays through Sundays, July 31-Sept. 6.

Baby bobcats

The Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA received its first bobcats at the Wildlife Care Center in Saratoga.

The four orphaned bobcat kittens will be monitored and cared for in special remote enclosures among the trees over the next few months. The center rescues and rehabilitates orphaned and injured wildlife with the goal of maintaining minimal human contact and releasing animals back to the wild after care.

The first bobcat came from Concord after it was found alone and crying for several days. The second was found orphaned in Carmel, underweight and heavily burdened with parasites. Two more came from Kern County after their mother suffered a fall. They have all been acclimated to their new surroundings and completed their disease quarantines, according to a press release.

“The bobcats will remain in our care for an extended period, as young bobcats are not fully independent until approximately 8–10 months of age,” said PHS/SPCA Communications Manager Colleen Crowley. “Our goal is to ensure they maintain a healthy fear of humans and develop hunting, climbing and survival skills necessary to thrive in the wild before we release them sometime after October.”

Anyone who finds an injured, sick or orphaned wild animal can call 650-340-7022.