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Shakespeare and Co. schedule

Dave Read

Shakespeare and Co. Tina Packer and Nigel GoreShakespeare and Co.’s schedule for the 2010 summer season of theatre in Lenox includes 4 plays by William Shakespeare, Richard lll, Julius Caesar, The Comedy Of Errors, and A Winter’s Tale, a series of plays by Tina Packer about Shakespeare’s plays, Joan Ackermann’s play The Taster, the world premiere of Mengelberg And Mahler, by Daniel Klein, Sea Marks by Gardner McKay, and the encore production of Theresa Rebeck’s play Bad Dates, starring Elizabeth Aspenleider.

2010 Shakespeare and Co. schedule – Founders’ Theatre

Women Of Will: Following The Feminine In Shakespeare’s Plays

A true tour de force of performance, discussion, and just a bit of crowd participation, Women of Will is the much-anticipated, masterful summation of Tina Packer’s 40-odd years of deep investigation into all things Shakespeare. Packer and Shakespeare & Company favorite Nigel Gore, who have starred opposite each other in celebrated productions
including Antony and Cleopatra and Hamlet, present a series of scenes from throughout Shakespeare’s canon, providing
insight into the chronological growth of Shakespeare’s portrayal not only of female characters but of the qualities
traditionally considered feminine. This comprehensive overview combines themes from the full, five-part opus, and covers
the full breadth of Shakespeare’s works.

Women Of Will: The Complete Journey (Parts 1-5)

This can’t-miss extravaganza features the world premiere of the fully expanded, five-part version of Packer’s opus,
performed in an intimate setting over the course of three days. Limited seating is available for this priceless opportunity to
explore the depth of Shakespeare’s work with Shakespeare & Company’s visionary founder.

Richard III

“Since I cannot prove a lover…I am determined to prove a villain.”
At what price glory? One of Shakespeare’s most popular plays ever since its debut, Richard III is the story of a man who will do anything to become king—and the ruthless ambition that inevitably undoes him. This production, sure to be one of the most eagerly anticipated of the year, reunites award-winning actor John Douglas Thompson (as Richard) with S&Co. Artistic Director Tony Simotes, who directed Thompson in the 2008/2009 production of Othello that proved one of S&Co.’s most critically acclaimed box office hits ever. Thompson is joined by longtime S&Co. favorite Tod Randolph (Queen Elizabeth), last seen onstage here in Enchanted April, the surprising smash of 2006.

The Winter’s Tale

“If this be magic, let it be an art lawful as eating”
By turns enchanting and mysterious, hilarious and heartbreaking, this enigmatic tale has long beguiled audiences with its
story of miraculous transformation and the enduring strength of family ties. This startling and original adventure is not quite a comedy, not quite a tragedy, but one hundred percent Shakespeare. All seems well at court in Sicilia, but the jealous king recklessly pushes away those he loves—sending them on odysseys of self-renewal and enlightenment—only to finally reunite with his family sixteen years later. After memorable visits from some of Shakespeare’s funniest pastoral characters, it takes perhaps the most startling coup de theatre in the canon—and maybe just a touch of magic—to redeem a king’s shame, and make a broken family whole again. This production marks S&Co. Director of Education and Founder Kevin G. Coleman’s debut directing Shakespeare on the main stage, following his outrageous hits The Ladies Man (2008) and Rough Crossing (2009).

The Taster

“Could you taste my dreams as well?”
The Taster, a poignant and darkly funny play by Ackermann, makes its world premiere in Founders’ under the direction of
Tina Packer, Founding Artistic Director, who directed the successful world premiere of Ackermann’s Ice Glen in 2005. This
sumptuous feast of language introduces audiences to a world where the powers of literature and imagination co-mingle in the affairs of a contemporary couple at a crossroads. Henry’s career and marriage are in ruins, and his opera-singing wife Claudia wonders why he spends his days translating an obscure play about a boorish King and his beloved food taster. But sometimes a dusty play can speak to us from the past and provide the sustenance we need. Characters pass between the present day and medieval times, weaving a richly layered tapestry of theatre. Henry finds the nourishment he craves in the simple wisdom of a man gifted not only in the art of tasting, but of selfless service to others.

2010 Shakespeare and Co. schedule – Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre

Julius Caesar

“Men at some time are masters of their fates”
He was a leader so remarkable, his name would become immortal. Yet with each victory, Julius Caesar pushed Rome closer
toward monarchy—a yoke its citizens proudly threw off hundreds of years before. Shakespeare’s account of the conspiracy to kill Caesar, and the wild struggle to achieve order from the chaos that resulted, has long been loved for the clarity and beauty of its language. From a soothsayer’s immortal warning for Caesar, to Marc Antony’s famous funeral speech, Julius Caesar is dotted with some of the most memorable and enduring turns of phrase in the English language. The annual New England Tour of Shakespeare is a core element of S&Co.’s Education Program. This pared-down, electric production toured schools and theatres for four months before taking up residency at the Bernstein. It features a cast of young S&Co. actors on the rise.

Mengelberg And Mahler – World premiere

“Nothing less than a martyr will impress you.”
After fifty celebrated years leading the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Holland—during which he famously championed the
work of Jewish composer Gustav Mahler—legendary maestro Willem Mengelberg is faced with the unexpected prospect of
exile, in retribution for his perceived collaboration with the Nazis during their occupation of the Netherlands. Lohbauer delivers a powerhouse performance in this gripping one-man show, jumping across time and memory as one man
examines the choices he’s made, in a “conversation” with the memory of his friend and greatest inspiration. In the end,
conscience is the surest judge.

The Comedy Of Errors

Lunchbox Shakespeare!
“Every why hath a wherefore”
A roar. A riot. A wild ride indeed.
The Comedy of Errors is one of Shakespeare’s earliest and most unbridled comedies. Belly laughs aplenty are found in the
yawning gulf between the careful symmetry of the play’s structure and the whirlwind of its riotous plot. Stocked with
multiple sets of identical twins (constantly mistaken for each other, of course) and laced with giddy wordplay, The Comedy of Errors offers a brilliant glimpse at Shakespeare beginning to come into his own as a master dramatist.
A continuation of the very popular Lunchbox Shakespeare tradition, this high-octane production is presented by the young
actors in Shakespeare & Company’s professional actor training program—with a delicious lunch available for sale, to
compliment your bite of Bard!

Sea Marks

“I truly don’t know how I feel, but I know I never felt like this.”
For anyone who’s ever thought the chance for love has passed, comes this sea-swept tale of an unlikely romance springing at an unlikely moment. A fisherman from Ireland’s western islands has a poet’s touch but simple tastes, and a soul as deep as the ocean—which is his home, his religion, and his prison. A Welsh woman has left her native farm for the hustle-bustle of Liverpool and a career in publishing. Neither expected to find love later in life. But once the power of the written word brings them together, they are ready to try. These two seemingly mismatched people are finally ready to cross the ocean of loneliness that has kept them stranded for far too long. But in the intersection of poetry, love and ambition, some good things endure while others break apart.

Bad Dates

The whirlwind winter hit of 2009 is back! By popular demand, S&Co. favorite Elizabeth Aspenlieder returns to the stage in
the role for which she won a prestigious Elliot Norton Award (Best Solo Performance 2009) and was nominated for a 2010
IRNE Award. Aspenlieder pulls out all the stops as she slips into the role of single-mom-with-an-attitude Haley Walker, in
this one-woman-wonder of a play. Haley balances the pressures that come with a new career as a fashionable New York City restaurateur, raising a teenaged daughter, and even a too-close-for-comfort relationship with the Romanian mob—and does so without neglecting to find the perfect pair of shoes. A barnstorming box office hit and exultant critical favorite in winter 2009 season, Bad Dates returns this year at the peak of our summer season for all audiences to enjoy.

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