Aleca Piper and Andrew Goldwasser. Photo by Lindsey Walters.
Actors' Renaissance Season
This season, we create theatre with no director, little costume assistance, and very little rehearsal time – similar to the way we believe Shakespeare’s company operated.
After their father dies, the Dashwood women must learn to embrace a new life, for better or for worse. Sisters Marianne (a hopeless romantic) and Elinor (a stoic realist) experience the pitfalls of society, the generosity of new friends, and the passion of unexpected love in this world-premiere adaptation of Jane Austen's exquisite early work. By battling through vicious gossip, relative poverty, and silly characters (not to mention countless set-ups by the "helpful" Mrs. Jennings), these sisters learn the importance of both sense and sensibility.
From the first words of the play until the title character loses his head, Shakespeare's shortest tragedy is also his most unrelenting examination of the dark side of humanity. Driven to bloody deeds by their lust for power and supernatural predictions, Macbeth and his Lady fight to hold on to their ill-gotten throne, their sanity, and each other by any means necessary.
This hilarious comedy is much more than a "battle of the sexes"; it is also a profound look at the necessity of "play" in our lives. This production includes Shakespeare's "Induction," which presents the Kate and Petruchio story as a play within the play. Blending romantic comedy and outlandish farce, Shakespeare gives us a love story of psychological liberation and the mysteries of being married.
Equivocation is "the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself" - and Equivocation is exactly that. Robert Cecil, Secretary of State to James I, commissions the unwilling playwright William Shagspeare to write a history of the Gunpowder Plot, the failed assassination of King James. Shag takes on this controversial play and uncovers a murderous conspiracy so scandalous even he couldn't have written it.
To escape death, the extraordinary Rosalind, her brave cousin Celia, and one of Shakespeare’s funniest fools flee into the woods. There, in the bewitching Forest of Arden, they discover shepherds and aristocrats, country folk and lovers – and, ultimately, life, love, joy, and freedom. Shakespeare’s glorious and wise comedy As You Like It reminds us of everything it is to be alive.
For “handsome, clever, and rich” Emma Woodhouse, romance can be hit or miss. An only child and a self-declared matchmaker, Emma uses her considerable (and misguided) talents to find partners for her less-fortunate friends. Though she declares she’ll never marry, even Emma falls victim to the pitfalls of love in Jane Austen’s witty and charming tale.
Richard III chronicles the cataclysmic end of England’s greatest power struggle, the Wars of the Roses. Richard is the play’s remarkable, charismatic, and repulsive ringmaster – he takes the audience into his confidence as he plots to kill everyone before him in line for the throne. Being seduced by Richard’s shameless treachery is one of theatre-going’s most delicious guilty pleasures.
The rake Dorimant and a merry gang of ladies and gents are up to no good in The Man of Mode. Dorimant’s involvement with a married woman and her younger friend complicate his budding interest in Harriet, a beautiful heiress; the romantic interests of his friends and their parents complicate everything else. Throw in disguises, tricks, and one fancy fop, and this witty comedy of manners will have you rolling in your seat.
The 2018/19 Hand of Time Tour takes a break from touring the country to give you some ghostly season’s greetings. Marley, the three Christmas ghosts, the Cratchits, and Tiny Tim are all back to take Scrooge on the ride of his money-grubbing life. Expect to be right in the middle of this beloved tale with new twists, surprises, and a production filled with music and cheer for the whole family.
by MICHAEL CARLETON, JIM FITZGERALD, and JOHN K. ALVAREZ
Original music by WILL KNAPP
What better way to ring in the holidays than with every Christmas story ever? This fast-paced romp takes you on the Christmas journey of a lifetime, through your favorite holiday classics, and then some. Hold on tight as you take a tinsel-covered rollercoaster ride bursting with laughter, carols, and joy, and prepare to leave with memories to last a lifetime.
Urban legend claims that Queen Elizabeth asked Shakespeare to write a play featuring “the fat knight in love.” In The Merry Wives of Windsor, Falstaff is certainly in lust, if not truly in love. The objects of his affection, two clever Windsor wives, team up to outsmart and outmaneuver one of Shakespeare’s most beloved bad boys. Romance, farce, and a loving portrait of Elizabethan domestic life blend in this irresistible comic confection.
In this thrilling and poignant coming-of-age story, Shakespeare gives us the whole world: the fabulous fat knight, the troubled king, the hot-blooded warrior, the prodigal prince, and the crew of big-hearted Eastcheap rabble-rousers. Henry IV, Part 1 is Shakespeare’s masterful exploration of family and friends; honor and happiness; and those moments when we are forced to choose between the thing we desire and the thing we know we must do.
This is the inaugural play of Shakespeare's New Contemporaries. This play will be inspired by and in conversation with The Merry Wives of Windsor or Henry IV, Part 1. Come to see how this new play engages with Shakespeare's work and support the next generation of the world's greatest playwrights. Stay tuned for the official announcement of this winning play in June 2018.
Letitia and Doricourt, though engaged for years, haven’t seen each other since they were children. In this comedy of town and country, Letitia outwits and outplays her “worldly” betrothed to win his love. A cast of characters, including Letitia’s tricky father, the divided Touchwood couple, and a pair of rogues, all wind up at a masquerade ball where mistaken identity makes the best match.
On February 14, 1551, Thomas Arden was brutally murdered in his own home. Arden of Faversham follows the scheming wife, lover, and hired henchman who carried out the notorious murder that rocked Elizabethan England. One of the earliest domestic tragedies to focus on ordinary, lower-class citizens, this play proves that a grisly, true-crime tale always captivates audiences.
