William Shakespeare News

Shakespeare & Company unleashes its devilish new take on The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield. A hilarious medley of mayhem, comedy, and lunacy, Complete Works is directed by resident funny man Jonathan Croy and features just three actors who play over 750 roles- yes we are kidding-well, sort of. This family friendly show runs in the Tina Packer Playhouse from July 4 - August 24th. Press Opening is Friday, July 11 at 7:00pm. To RSVP or for interview opportunities contact Communications & Press Director Elizabeth Aspenlieder: aspenlieder@shakespeare.org.

On Monday, June 9, 2014, Sir Kenneth Branagh presented the Shakespeare Medal to Richard Easton and The Public Theater's Oskar Eustis presented the Linda Gross Playing Shakespeare Award to Hamish Linklater at the Shakespeare Society's Annual Playing Shakespeare Celebration. Scroll down for photos of the event, which included guests such as Lily Rabe, Jack O'Brien, Stephen DeRosa, Jacob Fishel, Jimmy Yuill, Dakin Matthews, Chukwudi Iwuji, and more!

dell'Arte Opera Ensemble, which offers role debut and training opportunities to emerging opera artists, celebrates its eleventh season of high-quality, affordable NYC performances with a Shakespearean summer. The company's Shakespeare Repertoire Project (SRP) includes fully-staged productions of Salieri's 'Falstaff' and Purcell's 'The Fairy Queen,' along with a semi-staged production of Verdi's 'Macbeth,' and an evening of Shakespearean 'Songs and Sonnets.' Kicking off on August 7, 2014, the dell'Arte season takes place in the intimate, 160-seat East 13th Street Theatre, placing its audience feet away from burgeoning talent and timeless opera productions with chamber orchestra.

With recent airings on PBS via the BBC's 'Hollow Crown' series and a screening of the RSC production with David Tennant and celebrations being held the world over for William Shakespeare's 450th Birthday, the Delaware-Pennsylvania region has seen a mini-renaissance of Shakespeare's Richard II. The Arden Shakespeare Gild celebrates with its own production of Richard II directed by Tanya Lazar. Local actor Greg Faber will play the title role in a cast featuring 19 actors.

The Shakespeare Players program of the Rochester Community Players will present eleven performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare, July 5 to 19, 2014. Performances will be presented every night between July 5 and 19, except Mondays and Thursdays. All performance times are 8:00 PM. There is no admission charge for this FREE Shakespeare in the Park production (donations will be solicited). Check out a first look below!

Portland Shakespeare Project (PSP) has announced that Grant Turner, former Artistic Director of Northwest Classical Theatre Company (NWCTC), is joining the company as Co-Artistic Director. Turner will share responsibility for the overall artistic direction of PSP with Founding Artistic Director Michael Mendelson.

Celebrating its 10 year anniversary this summer, The Lord Chamberlain's Men will tour a production of Romeo and Juliet around the UK and Europe from today, 10 June - 29 September 2014. The foremost open-air Shakespeare touring company in the UK performs to over 40,000 people annually without any public or corporate financial support.

Shakespeare is in Hollywood? Well, he certainly is in Augusta at the Barn Theatre today, June 10 - 22!

The Actors' Gang, the critically acclaimed Los Angeles based ensemble Theatre Company, will be heading overseas bringing William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Academy Award winner Tim Robbins, to international audiences. The production will put on six performances in Beijing, China, June 10th - 15th at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, four performances in Shanghai, China, June 19th - 21st at the Daguan Theatre, Zendai Himalayas Art Center and four to six performances in Italy, June 28th - July 6th at the prestigious Spoleto Festival.

Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) and the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) will release a new live recording of the first-ever concert performances of Leonard Bernstein's complete score for the musical West Side Story featuring a stellar Broadway cast including Cheyenne Jackson and Alexandra Silber, and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, today, June 10, 2014.

Hub Theatre Company of Boston continues its second season with the irreverent comedy The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield at Club Cafe July 18-Aug 2.

One of William Shakespeare's best known and best loved stories about the whimsies and caprices of love, Much Ado About Nothing kicks off the duet of summer shows staged by the Baltimore Shakespeare Factory for 2014.

Following critically-acclaimed, sell-out productions of The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream and A Christmas Carol in Middle Temple Hall, Antic Disposition will stage Shakespeare's ROMEO AND JULIET in the ancient Temple Church from Saturday 30 August - Sunday 7 September.

The cast of How the World Began features Elizabeth Donnelly (WAM Theatre's The Old Mezzo, Ivoryton Playhouse's The Rainmaker), Benjamin Epstein (Shakespeare & Company's Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2), and Don Shannon (National Player's Twelfth Night, Barrington Stage Company's Enemy of the People). Tracy Liz Miller (Vermont Shakespeare Company, Associate Producer) will direct the reading.

Once the actors start doing their version of Romeo and Juliet the adrenaline kicks in, and all three performers are willing to do just about anything for a laugh.

During the summer month weekends, the Royal Shakespeare Company's outdoor theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, The Dell, will play host to a range of lively student, community and semi-professional productions. Performances kick off today, Saturday 7 June, and continue until Sunday 31 August.

Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum celebrates the Bard's 450th Birthday with an All-Shakespeare Season under the stars and live oaks of Topanga Canyon.

A unique new audiobook experience showcasing William Shakespeare's revered historical tragedy JULIUS CAESAR featuring an all-star cast is now available to download via Overdrive.

The Baltimore Symphony, Folger Theatre Company, and Baltimore Choral Arts Society Women's Chorus combine for a musical delight.