On Sunday, April 25, 2010 the Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble and the Powerhouse Theatre will attempt to break the record longest, continuous, marathon reading of Shakespeare's work. Participants will read the entire canon of Shakespeare's plays around the clock for up to six days.
All proceeds from this event will support performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream this summer, so that LATE may present this production on the
Powerhouse Theatre's redwood deck at no-cost to the public. By providing free Shakespeare in this uniquely intimate outdoor space, the company hopes to engage underserved audiences in innovative ways by removing financial barriers to their attendance and challenging their expectations of what the theatre-going experience can be.
"This is our way of giving back to the community that has consistently and enthusiastically supported our work," says Tom Burmester, Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble. "I can't think of anything better on a summer night than kicking back with a drink and watching a terrific production of one of the greatest comedies ever written."
In addition to raising money, this record-breaking attempt will be raising awareness of the Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble and the
Powerhouse Theatre's first annual Shakespeare on the Deck production. As such, celebrities, local officials, and notable members of LA's theatre community will be invited to participate.
"Tom and I were talking about doing a walk-a-thon to raise money" said Eric Sims, producer of Shakespeare on the Deck, "and I came up with this idea of doing a Shakespeare reading marathon where participants would be sponsored by the 'foot.' Tom immediately suggested we should do all of Shakespeare's plays and, next thing I knew, we were talking about setting a world-record!"
The record breaking attempt will begin on Sunday, April 25 at 8 am. More information is available on the Powerhouse website at
www.powerhousetheatre.com. A Midsummer Night's Dream will begin performances at the
Powerhouse Theatre on July 8, 2010.
