Adirondack Shakespeare Company Presents TWELFTH NIGHT, HAMLET and More, Aug 2012

The Adirondack Shakespeare Company (ADK Shakes) will return to their favorite venue this summer to perform Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and Hamlet as well as Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and an original children's play, The Twelve Labors of Hercules.

The company has scheduled a week of performances at the outdoor amphitheater at Scaroon Manor, a space which ADK Shakes hopes to revitalize. Bringing live performance back to the Scaroon Manor Amphitheater has always been in ADK Shakes' plan."One of the reasons we are looking to establish a Shakespeare company in the Adirondacks is to save this amazing outdoor amphitheater," explains Tara Bradway, Artistic Director. ADK Shakes hopes that their work with Adirondack Architectural Heritage will lead to the Scaroon Manor Amphitheater being added to New York State's list of historic sites.

This summer marks the Adirondack Shakespeare Company's third annual Summer Festival Season in the Adirondack area. The company is known for their unique performance style, called Shakespeare IN THE RAW. Described as a "head-first, no-safety net dive into Shakespeare" this original process involves a short, intense rehearsal period in which the cast is expected to focus on the language of the play and not the extraneous elements. All costumes, props and sets are stripped away, allowing the words of the play to become the focus. The result is a performance in which the actors work directly with the audience to bring the Bard's world to life.

This year, ADK Shakes has applied their IN THE RAW techniques to Shakespeare and Stoppard alike, pairing Hamlet with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead in order to provide two sides to the Price of Denmark's tragic story. The shows have been double cast, so the actors will portray the same characters in each play, leading to a cohesive pairing that explores multiple representations of the story.

ADK Shakes will return to the Scaroon Manor Amphitheater on August 8th, with a morning performance of Hercules and an evening performance of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. The company will continue to offer daily performances at the Scaroon Manor Amphiteater through August 12th. All performances at Scaroon Manor are free with paid admission to the Scaroon Manor Day-Use Facility. Donations to support the work of Adirondack Shakespeare Company are welcome and warmly appreciated.

For a full schedule of events, or to reserve tickets, visit www.adkshakes.org. For information about the Scaroon Manor Amphitheater and ADK Shakes' restoration efforts, please e-mail info@adkshakes.com.