Shakespeare In The Park in Royal Oak Opens With TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA 7/22

Water Works Theatre Company proudly announces the cast for The Two Gentlemen of Verona, its selection for the tenth anniversary production of Shakespeare in the Park in Royal Oak. Tickets ($18) are now available online at www.waterworkstheatre.com, A complete performance schedule follows this release. The Two Gentlemen of Verona will be performed July 22 - August 8 in Starr Jaycee Park - 1101 West 13 Mile Road, Royal Oak MI 48073.

In The Two Gentlemen of Verona, two best pals give the word "gentlemen" a bad name in Water Works, hilariously slick, 60s-styled comedy. These guys chase the same woman around Italy, while the gal they left behind puts on a man's suit and chases the truth! The cast for The Two Gentlemen of Verona includes Water Works veterans and Actors' Equity Association members Sara Cathryn Wolfe and Rusty Mewha as well as Actors' Equity Association member Kevin Young. Past Water Works Theatre Company actors Stephen Blackwell and Jaclyn Strez will also join newcomers Linda Rabin Hammell, Sean Paraventi, Tommy Simon, and Jamie Weeder in the nine-person ensemble. Rolls in production are as follows (in alphabetical order by actor):

Character Actor Actor's hometown
Thurio Stephen Blackwell Berkley, MI
Dutchess (Duke of Milan) Linda Rabin Hammell Lathrup Village, MI
Proteus Rusty Mewha Plymouth, MI
Antonio & Eglamour Sean Paraventi Dearborn Heights, MI
Speed Tommy Simon Detroit, MI
Sylvia Jaclyn Strez Detroit, MI
Launce & Lucetta Jamie Weeder Ypsilanti, MI
Julia Sara Cathryn Wolfe St. Clair Shores, MI
Valentine Kevin Young Detroit, MI

The Two Gentlemen of Verona will cap Water Works Theatre Company's tenth annual production in Starr Jaycee Park and the theatre's 9th Shakespeare play. The milestone production will be directed by Barton Bund, the Founding Artistic Director of Ann Arbor's award-winning Blackbird Theatre. His previous directing credits include his original musicals The Glob and Patty Hearst, as well as Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, How the Other Half Loves, the Blackbird's all African-American Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Battery, and his adaptations of D.H. Lawrence's The Rainbow and Women in Love. A graduate of Eastern Michigan University, Bart is also a nominee for the Williamstown Theatre Festival's L. Arnold Weissberger Award for excellence in playwriting, former staff writer for Mosaic Youth Theatre, and a Purple Rose Theatre Playmaker Playwright. He currently lives in Ann Arbor with his family and their menagerie.

Water Works Theatre Company will also present its second annual daylight family show production, Lane Riosley's The Commedia Tales of King Arthur Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00pm, and Saturday and Sunday mornings at 11:00am in Starr Jaycee Park.

Since 2001, Water Works Theatre Company has produced eight Shakespeare plays, one Neil Simon comedy, an award-winning drama about the plight and story of Iraqi women, a commedia show for kids, and eight summers of KidsAct! outdoor performance workshops. Those productions were: A Midsummer Night's Dream (2001), Taming of The Shrew (2002), Much Ado About Nothing (2003), Twelfth Night (2004), As You Like It (2005), Comedy of Errors (2006), Barefoot In The Park (2007), Romeo & Juliet (2008), Heather Raffo's 9 Parts of Desire (2007 & 2008), Macbeth (2009) and The Commedia Robin Hood by Lane Riosley (2009).

Water Works Theatre Company, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit professional theatre company that provides professional caliber experience to the emerging professional theatre artist. The company is proud to be presenting its 10th annual Skakespeare in the Park in Royal Oak without the aid of local tax payer dollars. For more information log on to: www.waterworkstheatre.com.

Water Works Theatre Company presents the
10th Annual Shakespeare In The Park in Royal Oak
2010 Performance Schedule

Thursday, July 22 @ 8:00pm - Two Gentlemen of Verona ($18)
Friday, July 23 @ 8:00pm - Two Gentlemen of Verona ($18)
Saturday, July 24 @ 8:00pm - Two Gentlemen of Verona ($18)
Sunday, July 25 @ 3:00pm - Two Gentlemen of Verona ($18)

Tuesday, July 27 @ 7:00pm - Lane Riosley's The Commedia King Arthur ($6)
Wednesday, July 28 @ 7:00pm - Lane Riosley's The Commedia King Arthur ($6)
Thursday, July 29 @ 8:00pm - Two Gentlemen of Verona ($18)
Friday, July 30 @ 8:00pm - Two Gentlemen of Verona ($18)
Saturday, July 31 @ 11:00am - Lane Riosley's The Commedia King Arthur ($6)
Saturday, July 31 @ 8:00pm - Two Gentlemen of Verona ($18)
Sunday, August 1 @ 11:00am - Lane Riosley's The Commedia King Arthur ($6)
Sunday, August 1 @ 3:00pm - Two Gentlemen of Verona ($18)

Tuesday, August 3 @ 7:00pm - Lane Riosley's The Commedia King Arthur ($6)
Wednesday, August 4 @ 7:00pm - Lane Riosley's The Commedia King Arthur ($6)
Thursday, August 5 @ 8:00pm - Two Gentlemen of Verona ($18)
Friday, August 6 @ 8:00pm - Two Gentlemen of Verona ($18)
Saturday, August 7 @ 11:00am - Lane Riosley's The Commedia King Arthur ($6)
Saturday, August 7 @ 8:00pm - Two Gentlemen of Verona ($18)
Sunday, August 8 @ 11:00am - Lane Riosley's The Commedia King Arthur ($6)
Sunday, August 8 @ 3:00pm - Two Gentlemen of Verona ($18)