Naked Shakespeare Finalizes Details for Monument Square Performance 9/21

 

Acorn Productions offers audiences a chance to experience one of Naked Shakespeare's unique audience-participation "Sonnets and Soliloquies" events outdoors in Monument Square in Portland on Monday, September 21st.

The evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with wines for sale by the glass and complimentary appetizers provided by the Wine Bar on Wharf Street. During this portion of the evening, roving sonneteers will perform table-side while cue cards are distributed to volunteers who wish to be a part of the performance. The formal performance, consisting of 16 speeches and 2 short scenes, will begin at 6 p.m. "Sonnets and Soliloquies" showcases some of the Bard's best-loved speeches, using contemporary cues read by audience members to provide a more accessible contemporary context for the pieces. The Monument Square performance will include selections from "Romeo and Juliet," &quot ;Richard III," "Hamlet," "the Merchant of Venice," "Othello," "The Tempest," "As You Like It," and many other plays. Admission is $10 and audience members wishing to eat and drink must be over 21 (ID required).

Naked Shakespeare's performance in Monument Square is necessitated by the recent decision to deny the Wine Bar an entertainment license, effectively ending 3 years of free monthly performances at that venue. The license was denied due to the "dispersal ordinance" which does not allow new entertainment licenses to be issued to businesses within 100 feet of another business with an entertainment license. At the Public Safety Committee Meeting earlier this week, a proposal to exempt non-amplified entertainment from this ordinance was approved, and it now will go before the full City Council for approval. The date of this performance of "Sonnets and Soliloquies Greatest Hits" is scheduled to coincide with the meeting of the Portland City Council at which this amendment will receive a first reading. Audience members are encouraged to come to this event to show their support for the Naked Shakespeare series at the Wine Bar.

Since the company's inception in 2004, Naked Shakespeare has continually offered free performances at both traditional and non-traditional venues throughout Greater Portland. "Sonnets and Soliloquies" is an hour-long free performance of some of the bard's best poetry, presented in a style that is designed to be accessible to all audience members, even those that are not that familiar with his work. The ambience and performance style encourage an intimate relationship between actor and audience that allows the language to take center stage. The inclusion of cues read by audience members allows for a playful interaction that celebrates the poetry and imagery contained in Shakespeare's plays.

While the venue remains in question, Naked Shakespeare plans to continue the "Sonnets and Soliloquies" the first Monday of the month beginning in November 2009. Additionally, the company will be presenting a scene night entitled "Fools for Love" at SPACE Gallery in downtown Portland on January 18 and 19, 2010. The season will continue with an abridged version of "The Tempest" at USM in March and conclude with a full production of "As You Like It" over two weekends in May at Riverbank Park in Westbrook.

The Acorn Shakespeare Ensemble was founded by Michael Levine and Michael Howard in the fall of 2004 in order to provide an opportunity for local professional actors to forge a long-term working relationship designed to deepen their ability to interpret classical text. The company's mission to is to educate its audience about the meaning behind Shakespeare's text by using acting to simply demonstrate the broad range of intricate emotion, theme and language. Naked Shakespeare actors strive to create the world of the play in the imagination of the audience by minimizing the use of sets, lights and costumes and focusing on the imagery contained in the Bard's language.

Call Acorn Productions at 854-0065 or visit www.nakedshakespeare.org for more information about "Sonnets and Soliloquies" or any other programs offered by Acorn Productions.