It has been six years since Howard County's Chesapeake Shakespeare Company began staging its outdoor "Shakespeare in the Ruins" productions at the site of the old Patapsco Female Institute. For the past three years, the troupe has mounted two alternating productions in that historic Ellicott City location, and this year will carry on that tradition.

This year's edition could be subtitled "Shakespeare - First to Last," since it will showcase what is considered the playwright's final play, "The Tempest," along with one of his earliest, "The Comedy of Errors," which opens the festival Friday, June 6.

The double shot of classic literature is a good way to get a feel for the scope of Shakespeare's works, says troupe founder and artistic director Ian Gallanar, who is directing "The Comedy of Errors."

"We feel like we're doing the gamut of the Shakespeare canon," he explains. "Every summer when we do the two shows we look for contrasting pieces. And I think that 'The Tempest' and 'Comedy of Errors' are very different kinds of plays."

Gallanar has re-envisioned the silly romantic mix-ups in "The Comedy of Errors" as a sort of futuristic circus, while the company's associate director, Patrick Kilpatrick, is bringing the moody father-daughter allegory "The Tempest" into the Edwardian era.

Presenting the two plays in repertory means the same group of actors will be performing both shows. It's a difficult undertaking, but one that has its advantages, Gallanar explains.

"We like to do is put somebody in a large role in one play and a small role in another," he says. "We get really strong actors in some of the small roles, and personally, I think that's a real key to a strong production.

"(Shakespeare's) large roles are very well written, but if you put all your strong actors in the well-written roles and then you put you weaker actors in the smaller roles, you haven't got a very good balance in your production. And when we do rep, that's one of the things we get to address."

The downside is that the paid actors have to make a major time commitment to the project.

"We start rehearsing in March and we close July 13," Gallanar notes. "So people really have to give up a large chunk of their life for three and a half months."

It all appears to be worth it, though, if you look at the numbers. In the past three seasons, the company has grown its audience by more than 300 percent - a huge number considering the troupe is competing not only with other drama organizations such as the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, but with massive electronic-age distractions.

How did they achieve that?

"We made an effort as an organization early on that we want to grow -- and we want to grow fast. We want as many people as possible to come see our shows, because we want to share our point of view about Shakespeare.

"It was very important to us that this project be embraced by the community and be a part of the community. So we made a lot of efforts early on to work with people, have conversations, find out what they needed and wanted, do outreach programs."

Making the outdoor productions into events didn't hurt, either. Again this year, the company will offer pre-show entertainment by local musicians, jugglers and variety acts. The acts perform for picnickers who arrive early to partake of the many dinner options offered. This year's picks include Southwest flank steak wrap and a Greek vegetarian delight, among other things.

The fact that the troupe is also continually reviewed in a positive light and was picked as a "best bet" in regional papers also helped the troupe to attract the top-ranked talent it takes to grow artistically.

Just don't expect the troupe to explore the nuances of the Bard's odder works here, the way it does the rest of the year in its home at the Howard County Center for the Arts. Instead, it looks forward mainly to generating some outdoor fun.

"Summer shows are big events," Gallanar observes. "We try to produce plays people are familiar with."

The Chesapeake Shakespeare Company will present "The Comedy of Errors" Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m., June 6-8, 15, 21-22, 27-28 and July 6, 10 and 12. There will also be a Thursday, July 10 staging of "The Comedy of Errors" at 8 p.m.

"The Tempest" can be seen Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m., June 13-14, 20, 28-29 and July 4-5 and 11 and 13. A "double-header" performance of both plays takes place Saturday, June 28 at 5 p.m. The Friday, July 4 "Tempest" will start at 5 p.m.

All performances are at the Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park, 3691 Sarah's Lane, in Historic Ellicott City. Admission is $25 general, $22 for seniors and students younger than 22. Admission is free for anyone under age 18. For tickets and dinner information, call 866-811-4111 or go to www.chesapeakeshakespeare.com. Groups of 10 or more should call 410-313-8874.

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