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.
Brave Spirits Theatre brings Alexandria, Egypt, to Alexandria, VA, with Antony and Cleopatra. Performed by an ensemble cast of only ten, this epic story of two lovers torn between their passions for each other and their duties to their countries is produced in celebration of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.
Read MoreShakespeare's play reimagined through the eyes of Lady Macbeth's chambermaid, annoyed at only having one short scene in Shakespeare's original.
Read MoreA production of Hamlet which delved into the Freudian overtones of the text in an innovative manner.
Read MoreTwo generations overcome past wrongs and misjudgments in this exotic and magical saga. Obsessive King Leontes accuses his queen, Hermione, of having an affair and sentences her to a trial. Meanwhile their infant daughter gets spirited away to a distant shore. Sixteen years later, through fate and love, the young woman discovers her true heritage and reunites her family.
Read MoreHamlet, de los Andes is a free adaptation of The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare. This take on Hamlet is a Bolivian one, drawn from a distinct reading by the company and the director. They have contextualized the play in the struggle and uncertainty of trying to reconcile a modern world with an ancient tradition, and restructured the play in an abridged version, relying on just three actors and one musician. The storyline and the events have been simplified and the characters reduced. Their Hamlet is a modern day man who has lost his self-awareness. He faces the impossibility of recognizing and coming to terms with himself after the fall. Who is Hamlet? Is it me or is it you? Is Hamlet the Teatro de los Andes itself? Is it the most recent bit of Bolivian history? By means of a proposal packed with metaphors and intertextuality, Teatro de Los Andes’ Hamlet experiences the uprising of the being, of art, of the homeland, of the world.
Read More“Public Works, The Public’s local and national initiative that invites diverse communities across New York to join in creating ambitious works of theater, celebrates its fourth year at the Delacorte with an enchanting new musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night with music and lyrics by the critically acclaimed songwriter Shaina Taub. Professional artists and community members from partner organizations in all five boroughs perform together on stage in this love story that follows the young heroine Viola, who disguises herself as a man when she washes up on the shores of Illyria. When Viola’s new boss, Duke Orsino, sends her to win over his unrequited love, the Countess Olivia, Viola’s disguise proves too effective, and the Countess falls for the young girl dressed as a boy instead. Artistic Director of Baltimore’s Center Stage, Kwame Kwei-Armah, directs this musical fever dream about love in all its many disguises, and transformative power of walking a mile in another's shoes.” –description from the Public Theater website.
Read MoreWith its love both for improvisation and Shakespeare, 123 Schtunk has created a unique version of Romeo and Juliet where both laughter and tears have their places. The company toured with the show between 2006-2008, and it is now in their repertoire again with completely new, self-written music.
Read More“Transformed into a battle of sexes set in the South.”
Read More“A cleverly crafted tale of mistaken identities, loves lost and found, families gone astray and made whole again.” –description from the DUP Official Page
Read More“Breaking… Shakespeare's alive! First ever interview. If Shakespeare were living and writing today, who would he be? A genius, an outsider, or just plain Bill? The Bard is very much alive and kicking, Hamlet's just opened (to mixed reviews!) and Will’s in the hot seat. Finally, we ask the questions that have kept us all guessing: Are these plays really his? Why the tragedies? What happened with Anne? Second guest: Sir Francis Bacon, Shakespeare's arch-rival. To be or not to be…? The answer’s not on Google. Festival premiere after hit run down under! 'Fantastic!' (James Valentine, ABC Sydney).” (description from the Fringe Programme)
Read More“England. 1918. A generation of men obliterated by the futility of war. Shakespeare's battle of wits set against the devastating backdrop of a country in mourning.” –description from the Fringe Programme
Read More“Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition! MCS Drama presents a brand new adaptation of King John, one of the least performed but most politically cutting and gravely comic of Shakespeare's history plays.” --description from Fringe programme. The performance was an abridged version of Shakespeare's play, and was also performed at Magdalen College School, Oxford.
Read More“Hamlet… and Ophelia. Cambridge University presents Shakespeare's most popular tragedy in 80 minutes. No diversion, no distraction. Witness the events unfurl before your eyes. Stripped to its roots, experience the truth of Shakespeare's play” --description from Fringe Programme
Read More“King Lear has ruled for many years. As age begins to overtake him, he decides to divide his kingdom amongst his children, living out his days without the burden of power.
A proud man, he allows vanity to cloud his judgment, believing that he can relinquish the crown, but enjoy the same authority and respect he has always known. Misjudging his children’s loyalty he soon finds himself stripped of all the trappings of state, wealth and power he had taken for granted. Alone in the wilderness he is left to confront the mistakes of a life that has brought him to this point."
Read MoreThe Two Gentlemen of Verona
Presented in English
Washington Square Park, New York City, New York, USA
August 20 – 21, 2016
Shakespeare in the Square
Directed by Dan Hasse
For More Information:
www.shakespeareinthesquare.com
“We kick off the season with the beloved annual Washington tradition, Free For All, bringing back STC favorite Ethan McSweeny with The Tempest. In McSweeny’s glittering production, Prospero’s magical island explodes with life, hosting sprites, goddesses and fools that hold court and delight all ages.
Prospero, the deposed Duke of Milan and now a powerful magician, raises a great storm to wreck the vessel bearing his betrayers onto the shores of the mysterious island he has made his home. There, attended upon by his daughter, a magical sprite and a villainous prisoner, Prospero leads them through a mysterious dream on the course from vengeance to reconciliation. Trickery and magic, romance and revenge set the stage for Shakespeare’s crowning masterpiece.” –from company website
Read More“This comical-tragical, tragical-comical tale of an underdog actor and his foolish band of woodland compatriots is riotous fun for the whole family!
In celebration of Shakespeare's 400 year legacy, So Please You brings Shakespeare's (almost) silent heroes – characters on the fringes, the small-part superheroes of Elizbethan theater – out of the wings and into the limelight! Stemming from the story of a servant named Dennis who appears only once in Shakespeare's As You Like It, our family-friendly farce traces this underdog's journey as a struggling actor who discovers friends, foes, and plenty of tomfoolery along his uphill climb to stardom. There will be foolishness. There will be music. There will be fun. Bring the family!” –description from the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival website
Read More“Three sisters meet to enact Macbeth's fate. Their twisted prophecies transform him from a war hero into a paranoid tyrant in this brutal Shakespearean tragedy, set to the beat of Hecate's drum.”--description from Fringe Programme
Read More“Shakespeare smashes Homer's grand legend of the Trojan War while the unrivalled gallery of stars - Achilles, Agamemnon and Helen - lust and manipulate general destruction. Comedy, tragedy, history, satire, political danger at its most chilling.” –description from the Fringe programme
Read More“Six young cosplayers' friendships are tested as they prepare for an anime convention's scene contest from Madsummer! - a modern-day anime Midsummer Night's Dream. A comedy about finding your tribe and chasing your own mad dreams.” (description from Fringe Programme)
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This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
