LENOX, Mass. — For Shakespeare & Company Artist Greg Boover, music and acting have always been intertwined.
“Music has always been integral to my role as an actor, and I’ve long found myself gravitating toward places where music exists or is needed,” he said.
Indeed, Boover and his acoustic guitar have been a welcomed sight on Shakespeare & Company stages for several years – just last Season, his original arrangement of the Shakespeare-penned song Sigh No More drew applause night after night during Much Ado About Nothing, in which Boover also played Claudio.
In some ways, the through line is natural: “Every Shakespeare play has music somewhere,” Boover said. But that’s not where his musical connections to the Company end. He’s also served as a Composer, Music Director, and Sound Designer, most recently for the Northeast Regional Tour of Shakespeare’s production of Romeo and Juliet. He formed a music duo – the MoonCaps – with fellow Center for Actor Training alumnus Deaon Griffin-Pressley, releasing two albums, and found a long-time collaborator in fellow Company Artist David Joseph with whom he’s played live in a number of venues across Berkshire County.
In fact, Boover noted that the Berkshires as a whole has become an apt and inspiring artistic home in recent years, including through the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was able to create a home studio and spend time composing, rehearsing, and capturing video and audio content in the local woods.
Many new creative roots began to form during that time, he said, including Rain or Shine – Boover’s latest album, released in January 2023. It’s a 16-track exploration of many themes: some a celebration of community, others a rumination on isolation, and all written and recorded in the Berkshires over the course of two years.
Boover’s rendition of Sigh No More appears on Rain or Shine, and another track, Uplift, appears in the Shakespeare & Company documentary Speak What We Feel, an accounting of its award-winning and locally treasured Fall Festival of Shakespeare released in 2021.
“You could say I’ve found a niche as a musician in the Shakespeare world,” he said, “ and I’m grateful the Berkshires have given me opportunities to explore, experiment, and refine my art, both alone and in collaboration with others.”
Greg Boover’s album Rain or Shine is available now via gregoryboover.com, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and other streaming services.
Photo Captions:
Rain or Shine album cover art, by Liza Foley.
Greg Boover performs at Pop Up Shakespeare at Berkshire Museum, 2023. Photo by Katie McKellick.
About Shakespeare & Company
Shakespeare & Company was founded in 1978 by Tina Packer. Located in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, the Company offers performance, education, and actor-training opportunities year-round, and attracts more than 40,000 patrons annually with a core of more than 150 artists.
