Thank you for visiting our archive. Each performance submitted to our website will be explained in detail in its own blog post. You can choose to look through these posts in a variety of ways.
“It may seem that success is gained by ambition, passion, and dedication alone. This is not true. Its thought that removing a problem solves the problem. This is not true. In this cautionary tale of betrayal and faithfulness, we explore what happens when well-meaning people striving to create change forget the one thing that matters most... Trust.”—description form the Alchemical website
Read MoreA reading and talk of the work-in-progress by Elevator Repair Service at the 92nd Street Y. This performance will open at the Public Theater in 2017.
Read MoreAbout the Company:
“CTH combines original adaptations, music, and dance to present great classics of world literature as well as contemporary works that will stand the test of time. It is CTH’s vision to create the 21st century theatre company whose value to its community is inherent and essential, a company that is engaged in producing theatre that has the capacity to change lives, and truly reflects the diversity of ideas and racial tapestry that is America. CTH is purposeful in seeking to create comprehensive access for theatre artists of diverse backgrounds. This includes actors, directors, designers, playwrights, technicians, and arts administrators.”
A revival of Jonathan Munby’s highly-acclaimed 2015 production of The Merchant of Venice, with Jonathan Pryce as Shylock.
Read More“The War of the Roses is over, and an exhausted, blood-soaked England is ready for peace at last. But for one man, peace is not enough. Disfigured, embittered, and gleefully amoral, Richard of York invites the audience to join him as he cuts down every obstacle between him and the crown. The original tale of charismatic villainy (and the inspiration for a slew of contemporary baddies on stage and screen), the homicidal, hair-raising Tragedy of Richard III reminds us that evil can be witty, insidious fun.”
Read More“The heart wants what the heart wants. And Helena’s heart wants Bertram, the handsome young nobleman in whose house she grew up. The only catch: he wants nothing to do with her. That’s the set-up for Shakespeare’s toothiest comedy, a sassy send-up of love, desire, and the mistakes of youth. Packed with colorful characters and some of the Bard’s best gags, All’s Well That Ends Well asks us: how far will you go to be with the one you love?”
Read MorePity poor Imogen! Her dad, King Cymbeline, banishes her love Posthumus from the kingdom because he wants her to marry royally and produce a proper heir. The Queen, her stepmother, wants her own son Cloten to marry her and plots to kill both Imogen and Cymbeline in a power grab. Posthumus, in Italy, makes a really dumb bet that leads to lots of trouble. Palace intrigue, treachery, murder plots, and deception challenge the characters of Cymbeline who, with the help of two surprise players, overcome mistrust and jealousy to live happily ever after. Except the Queen and Cloten, who as bad guys get what they deserve.
Read MoreSir John Falstaff arrives in Windsor somewhat short on cash, and decides his best remedy for the situation is to marry a rich woman. He sets about courting the married Mistress Ford and Mistress Page, sending identical letters to each. The merry wives quickly figure out Falstaff’s game, and while they’re not at all interested in his advances, they lead him on in order to play a series of jokes and indignities on him. Meanwhile, three suitors compete for the hand of Page’s daughter, Anne. Who will win? And what of the others in this tale of love and marriage, jealousy and revenge?
Read More"One of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies and our original Backyard Bard play, Twelfth Night features a love quadrangle and some very trying houseguests who show no intention of leaving! Twins Viola and Sebastian are separated in a shipwreck. Viola, disguised as the boy Cesario, is the intermediary as Duke Orsino attempts to woo the wealthy countess Olivia. Of course, Olivia falls for Cesario, and Sebastian’s unexpected arrival on the scene leads to some hilarious complications. Will everyone end up with a spouse? Will it be the one they expect?"
Read MorePericles is a risk-taker. He realizes that whatever answer he gives to a riddle will get him killed. So begins an epic journey of ambitious risks, great rewards, and big falls for the Prince of Tyre. Pericles marries, has a daughter, and is separated from both along the way; shipwrecks always seem to happen at the darndest times. All three of them lead strange, marvelous lives and travel convoluted pathways to the end, when they’re miraculously reunited.
Read More“A Midsummer Night's Dream is a tale of love and enchantment that is simultaneously set in the woodland and in the realm of Fairyland, under the light of the moon. The Drilling Company's Shakespeare in the Parking Lot, ever fond of holding a mirror up to its own neighborhood, is adapting the story into a fable of the Lower East Side in the first production of its 2016 season, July 7 to 23, directed by Kathy Curtiss.” –description from program website
Read MoreAfter receiving news of his father’s death, a young man comes home to a much changed world. Doubt, uncertainty, and grief dog him at every turn. Struggling to make sense of the new order, Hamlet faces a crossroad. He can consent, or rage against the injustice around him. Rich with soaring language, Shakespeare’s masterpiece opens up with fresh insights with each new viewing.
Read MoreThe idealistic resolve of four young men gets tested by four young ladies who show up at their doorstep. The King and his friends vow to abstain from women’s company for three years. They plan to devote their time to academics. The Princess of France and her ladies arrive for a visit just as the vows leave the men’s lips. It’s will against want and heart against head in this delightful summer romance.
Read MoreRichard III is the story of a nobleman who is determined to seize the crown of England. A man without scruples, a prodigious monster, an extraordinary villain and eternal warrior. Richard is the incarnation of selfishness, ambition, despotism and betrayal, a man who seduces everyone in his path and makes them fall under the spell of his insatiable desire for power. Richard's battle is with himself, but the victims are the public. This adaptation seeks to link Shakespeare's story and the history of Mexico at a very visceral level.
Read MoreTwelfth Night/Henry VI
Presented in English
Allan H. Treman State Marine Park, Ithaca, New York, USA
July 7-14, 2016
The Ithaca Shakespeare Company
“This summer, we'll be pairing the epic fourth installment in our history series with one of Shakespeare's richest and best-loved romantic comedies.
An exploration of love in all its forms, the crowning glory of Shakespeare's romantic comedies is a richly layered and endlessly entertaining play. Hilariously funny and deeply romantic, Twelfth Night features: a shipwreck, a clever heroine in disguise, twins that no one can tell apart, multiple cases of mistaken identity, a lovesick count, a lovesick countess, a pair of drunken pranksters, a duel (sort of), a pair of yellow stockings, a pirate, a fool, a madman, a bunch of lovers, a bunch of songs, and a whole lot of smiling!
When Henry V dies and leaves his young son on the throne, the divisions in the kingdom break open and England erupts into civil war. The Wars of the Roses pit the house of Lancaster against the house of York — one led by one of Shakespeare's most formidable women, and the other driven by the ominous rise of the future Richard III.
Drawing on material from all three parts of Shakespeare's Henry VI, this sweeping epic features the first appearance of Richard III, two of Shakespeare's strongest women in Queen Margaret and Joan of Arc, the scene that gave birth to the phrase "the Wars of the Roses," a popular rebellion with the slogan "Let's kill all the lawyers!", and some of the most thrilling and intense conflicts that Shakespeare ever created!” –From the company website
For More Information:
http://ithacashakespeare.org/prod/201607/index.php
Funding and Sponsorship:
Tompkins County Tourism Program
Cayuga Medical Center
“Political manipulation, fallen heroes, and revenge meet center stage in this rarely-produced, intense tragedy. When Rome is faced with threats from without and famine within, it turns to its defender, Coriolanus. The decorated war-hero quickly discovers that his true enemies lie inside Rome’s walls, and perhaps within himself. A perfect Shakespeare play for an election year!” –blurb from the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey website
Read MoreA king becomes a man. Richard II is dangerously out of touch with his kingdom. He wastes money, raises taxes to support his lavish lifestyle, plays favorites and cares more about his vanity than the common good. When Henry Bolingbroke—father of the future Henry V—challenges Richard for the throne, it’s a fight the king can’t win. But in losing his crown he gains far greater things: his humanity and his soul. Shakespeare’s luminous, poetic masterpiece is the first of four plays that chronicle the House of Lancaster’s rise and the beginning of the Wars of the Roses.
Read MoreWhat measures will leaders take to maintain control? Shakespeare’s dazzling masterpiece of political power, conspiracy and intrigue explodes with relevance. The Ides of March have come…but not gone! Join this thrilling company of actors for an unforgettable evening of theatre. Their professional company of 14 actors brings Shakespeare’s seminal play to life with power packed action.
Read MoreSeparated from her twin brother Sebastian after a shipwreck, Viola disguises herself as a boy to serve the Duke of Illyria. Wooing Olivia on his behalf, she is stunned to find herself the object of Olivia's affections. With the arrival of her brother, and a trick played on Olivia's steward, confusion reigns supreme in this classic romantic comedy of mistaken identity, songs, dances and multiple marriages. Twelfth Night is considered Shakespeare's most lyrical as well as experimental play. Piya Behrupiya transposes the action from Illyria to India in the form of a Nautanki and makes Shakespeare's gloriously sunny comedy come alive.
Read MoreWitches curse an actress to play the role of Lady Macbeth over and over again until she gets it just right. Will she be able to conquer madness, Serbians, and enchanted bagpipers long enough to triumph as Shakespeare's most misunderstood heroine?
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This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
