The Shakespeare and Co. 2016 schedule features a variety of productions at their Lenox campus which consists of Tina Packer Playhouse, Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, and Outdoor Stages, including The Dell at The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home, and the Rose Footprint. The lineup includes The Merchant of Venice, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare plus The Taming, said to be loosely based on his The Taming of the Shrew.
Shakespeare and Co. | Tina Packer Playhouse 2016 season
The Merchant of Venice | July 1 – August 21
- by William Shakespeare
- Directed by Tina Packer
- Featuring Jonathan Epstein
A perilous romance. A tragic history. An infamous wager. Shakespeare’s most controversial yet poignant play offers a visceral display of courtship, prejudice, money and revenge, ending ultimately in a choice between life and death. Founding Artistic Director Tina Packer re-unites with long time Company member Jonathan Epstein as Shylock, the Bard’s most memorable and highly charged outsider.
Or, | July 23 – September 4
- by Liz Duffy Adams
- Directed by Alice Reagan
- Featuring Tod Randolph
The bawdy 1660s look a lot like modern day in this playful comedy about one chaotic night in the life of the poet, spy, and first female playwright, Aphra Behn. Determined to leave the spy trade behind and launch her new career, Ms. Behn must deliver a play by morning, a task complicated by an array of amorous distractions and scandalous revelations. Can she resist the charms of an infatuated actress, save the king, win a pardon, and write her masterpiece, all in one night?
The Two Gentlemen of Verona | August 4 – September 4
- by William Shakespeare
- Directed by Jonathan Croy
Boy meets girl. Boy loves girl. Boy’s best friend meets girl and also loves girl. Hilarity ensues as love is professed, secret plans are made, and friendships are betrayed. This early romantic comedy takes a gleeful look at the fickle nature of young love and features one of Shakespeare’s most engaging comic heroines, two of his funniest clowns, and the best role ever for a dog.
Shakespeare and Co. | Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre 2016 season
The Taming | May 27 – July 30
- Regional Premiere
- by Lauren Gunderson
In a hilarious red state versus blue state comedy, two political opposites spar in a strange hotel room under the watchful eye of a controlling beauty queen. This boisterous, all-female “power-play,” loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, takes on America’s overheated political rhetoric, some surprising truths about our founding fathers, and the passions of three slightly insane women who just might be revolutionary geniuses.
Ugly Lies the Bone | June 16 – August 28
- New England Premiere
- by Lindsey Ferrentino
- Directed by Daniela Varon
- Featuring Christianna Nelson
Newly discharged and bearing deep physical and emotional scars from three tours in Afghanistan, Jess builds a virtual escape from her pain through an innovative new video game therapy. Her new perception of reality allows her to begin to restore her relationships, her life and, slowly, herself. Winner of the 2014 Joanne Woodward/Paul Newman Drama Award, this bracing drama explores recovery, redemption and the what it takes to survive.
Cry “Havoc!” | August 3 – August 13
- Special Engagement
- by Stephan Wolfert
- Directed by Eric Tucker
- Featuring Stephan Wolfert
In an inspiring 75 minutes, Stephan Wolfert recounts his own experience pre- and postmilitary service. Through the lines of Shakespeare’s most famous speeches and through his personal experiences, Wolfert explores our societal neurosis of war. The military recruits citizens and trains them to kill, but what does the “de-cruit” process look like? How do we relearn to live together? The performance is followed by an engaging discussion between actor, audience, and veterans that dares to explore these questions.
Sotto Voce | August 18 – September 11
- by Nilo Cruz
- Directed by Daniel Gidron
- Featuring Annette Miller
This haunting work by the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of Anna in the Tropics explores the indelible power of memories and the resiliency of true love. A passionate, Jewish-Cuban young man seeks out a famous, reclusive novelist who, decades earlier, had lost her love aboard an ill-fated ship of Jewish refugees during World War II. Acclaimed and awardwinning actor Annette Miller vividly portrays this remarkable character.
Shakespeare and Co. | Outdoor Stages 2016 season
Twelfth Night | July 14 – August 20 | The Dell at The Mount
- by William Shakespeare
- Directed by Jonathan Croy
Outdoors, fresh, and fast-paced, Shakespeare’s most rebellious and beloved comedy catapults audiences into a world of illusion, debauchery and mayhem. Amidst the Mount’s forest and foliage, audiences are transported to the mythical land of Illyria—alongside the recently shipwrecked, lusty Viola. The 90-minute frolic unravels a madcap mix-up of characters and offers a reunion of epic proportions.
The Emperor of the Moon | July 15 – August 20 | Rose Footprint
- by Aphra Behn
- Directed and Adapted by Jenna Ware
When love strikes, chaos ensues and a coup of astronomic proportions is set. Sisters, suitors, servants, and a father obsessed with the moon set the stage for a stellar farce performed under the open-air tent. Ware’s fast-paced, family-friendly adaptation of Aphra Behn’s Restoration comedy, based in Commedia dell’Arte, will offer audiences of every age a hearty dose of mayhem, music, and merriment.
Shakespeare & Company tickets and box office info.
- 70 Kemble Street
- Lenox, MA 01240
- phone: 413-637-1199
- www.shakespeare.org
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