Baltimore Shakespeare Factory Kicks Off 2014 Season With RICHARD III, Now thru 4/19

The story of a man's lust for power and his ruinous taste for intrigue, Richard III comes to Baltimore this spring to kick off the Baltimore Shakespeare Factory's 2014 season.

Written early in Shakespeare's career, the play tells the story of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who ruled England for just two years until his death in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Set in the waning days of the War of the Roses - the bloody strife between the Houses of Lancaster and York for the throne of England - Richard III takes its audience into the inner circle of royal politics, where betrayal, paranoia, and revenge were the norm.

"Richard was a product of his world," says Factory Artistic Director Tom Delise, who is directing Richard III. "He is commonly seen as a villain or a viper. But he was operating in a nest of vipers."

Richard III is the opening show of the Factory's 2014 Season of Malice & Misadventure. Much Ado About Nothing and Measure for Measure are on tap for summer, with The Comedy of Errors, presented in the fall, to round out the Shakespeare shows. A new version of the classic tale of Cinderella is scheduled for the Holiday season.

"We pride ourselves on attempting to re-create the staging practices that were enjoyed by Elizabethan audiences of the Bard's day," Delise said. "Our 2014 season will display the best drama, wit and language that Shakespeare has to offer."

Baltimore Shakespeare Factory's 2014 Season of Malice & Misadventure Lineup follows. All curtain times, unless noted, are 7:30pm Friday & Saturday, 2:00pm Sunday. Preshow entertainment begins 30 minutes before curtain.

Richard III
TODAY March 28- April 19
Free Preview Thursday, March 27 - 7:30pm
Special 10 am weekday matinees available (April 3,9 & 15).
The Great Hall Theatre at St. Mary's
3900 Roland Ave., Baltimore 21211

Much Ado About Nothing
July 18-August 3
Special show time on Saturday, August 3 - 6:30pm (the evening will also feature a 9:30pm performance of Measure for Measure)
The Meadow at Johns Hopkins University's Evergreen Museum & Library
4545 N. Charles, Baltimore 21210

August 8 & 15
Boordy Vineyards
12820 Long Green Pike, Hydes MD 21082

August 9 & 10
The Great Hall Theatre at St. Mary's
3900 Roland Ave., Baltimore 21211

Measure For Measure
August 3- August 17
Special show time on Saturday, August 3 - 9:30pm (the evening will also feature a 6:30pm performance of Much Ado About Nothing)
The Meadow at Johns Hopkins University's Evergreen Museum & Library
4545 N. Charles, Baltimore 21210

August 1 & 22
Boordy Vineyards
12820 Long Green Pike, Hydes MD 21082

August 23 & 24
The Great Hall Theatre at St. Mary's
3900 Roland Ave., Baltimore 21211

Comedy of Errors
November 7- November 23
The Great Hall Theatre at St. Mary's
3900 Roland Ave., Baltimore 21211

December 14 & 21
Boordy Vineyards
12820 Long Green Pike, Hydes MD 21082

Cinderella: an original family comedy
December 5-28
The Great Hall Theatre at St. Mary's
3900 Roland Ave., Baltimore, 21211
Times and Dates TBD

Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students/teachers/seniors, and FREE for children Grade 5 & under.

Factory productions reproduce the staging conditions that Shakespeare used in England during the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. Some of these conditions include the use of universal lighting which allows actors to see and interact with the audience, the use of live modern music (thematically related to the show) prior to the show and during interludes, liberal use of cross-gender casting, extensive doubling of roles, limited sets that encourage the audience to use their imaginations, and a fast paced show that honors the "two hours traffic of our stage."

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