Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's New Theatre in the Rough presents Free Staged Reading of Richard III, featuring Jeffrey Donovan

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) will debut Theatre In The Rough with a script-in-hand reading of William Shakespeare's Richard III featuring Jeffrey Donovan of USA's Burn Notice. The reading will be held on Wednesday, November 20, 2013 (7pm) at Babson College's Sorenson Center for the Arts, 231 Forest St, Park Manor South, Wellesley, MA. The reading is free and open to the public. A $50 per person donation includes VIP seating for the reading and admission to a private reception (10pm) with the cast at the Glavin Family Chapel at Babson College. Space is limited. To register for both free or VIP reception go to www.commshakes.org.

Directed by Steven Maler, the Richard III cast also includes Debra Wise (Queen Margaret), Will Lyman (Duke of Clarence), Johnny Lee Davenport, (Lord Hastings), Adrianne Krstansky (Duchess of York), Robert Pemberton (Duke of Buckingham), Amelia Broome (Queen Elizabeth), and Jennifer Ellis (Lady Anne). All members of Actors' Equity Association.

Richard III is Shakespeare's twisted tale of the seductive and destructive Duke of Gloucester who claws his way to the top with ruthless abandon. A study in power and manipulation, the story follows the rise and fall of one of Shakespeare's most complex characters.

Theatre in the Rough is a new series debuting in Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's 2013-2014 season. An expansion of CSC's longstanding American Voices, TITR is a script-in-hand reading series presented without common theatrical elements like sets or costumes. These pared-down readings uniquely engage the audience by immersing them in the immediacy of the text and the actors' performances, allowing one's own imagination to take creative flight. Previous readings have featured some of Boston's best local talent alongside stage/TV/film actors such as Rutina Wesley, Chris Cooper, Jeff Donovan, Paul Rudd, and Anthony Mackie.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company best known for its annual free performances on Boston Common, is a non-profit organization founded in 1996 dedicated to bringing the works of William Shakespeare in vital and contemporary productions to the people of Boston and to exploring Shakespeare's works with Greater Boston's youth in innovative and creative ways. In addition to the annual Boston Common productions, CSC presents a summer "Tour of the Parks" program that tours Shakespeare-inspired programming designed for families to Boston neighborhood parks. CSC also presents several free play-reading events during the year: American Voices, Shakespeare and Law as well as Shakespeare and Leadership. CSC fulfills its educational mission with actor-training programs for both high school students and pre-professional actors with its Summer Academy. Throughout the year, CSC partners with area high schools and Boys and Girls Clubs to provide in and after-school theater activities to inner-city youth. Recent productions include The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Coriolanus, All's Well That Ends Well (2012 Elliot Norton Award-winner for Best Production, Large Theater), Othello andThe Comedy of Errors. CSC is the Resident Theatre of Babson College.