The Acting Company's 42nd Season to Feature MACBETH, 'A CONNECTICUT YANKEE'
By: Tyler Peterson Feb. 23, 2015
"Our newly commissioned adaptation of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Jeffrey Hatcher (Tuesdays with Morrie, Columbo) will have its world premiere mid-February at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis prior to our 42nd national tour," announced The Acting Company's producer and co-founder, Margot Harley. "Connecticut Yankee will tour to 14 states running in repertory with a new production of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, stopping in New York for two weeks at Off-Broadway's Pearl Theater April 1-12. This is our seventh tour in association with the Guthrie."
"This is a great pairing of comedy and tragedy - the world's greatest playwright coupled with America's most beloved humorist," saidIan Belknap, The Acting Company's Artistic Director and Connecticut Yankee's director. "Mark Twain's satirical tale invites us to wander with Lancelot, Guinevere, Merlin and Mark Twain himself as they time travel from the 19th Century to 6th Century England's medieval times through the eyes of Hank Morgan of Hartford, Connecticut who, after a blow to the head, awakens to find himself transported back to the time of legendary King Arthur."
"Our sleek and accessible production of Shakespeare's Macbeth will thrill, startle and satisfy students and adults alike-the perfect presentation for both first timers as well as Shakespeare buffs," noted its director Devin Brain. "One of his darkest and most powerful tragedies, Shakespeare dramatizes the psychological and political impact of when evil is chosen to satisfy the ambition for power."
Founded by John Houseman and Margot Harley in 1972, The Acting Company has toured to 48 states and 10 foreign countries presenting more than 130 classic and new works while earning a TONY for Excellence in Theater, Obies, Audelcos and Los Angeles Critics Circle Awards. Kevin Kline, Rainn Wilson, Patti LuPone, Frances Conroy, Jeffrey Wright, Harriet Harris, David Ogden Stiers, Keith David, Hamish Linklater and Jesse L. Martin are but a handful of performers who began their careers on tour with The Acting Company.
The Acting Company's 42nd tour includes stops in:
March 4 Springfield, IL Sangamon Auditorium (Yankee)
March 7-8 Madison, WI Fredric March Play Circle (Macbeth)
March 11 Columbus, OH Southern Theatre (Macbeth)
March 13 Flint, MI The Whiting (Macbeth)
March 14 Benton Harbor, MI Lake Michigan College Mendel Center (Yankee)
March 16 Houghton, MI Rozsa Center - Black Perf. Hall (Macbeth)
March 18 Portsmouth, OH Vern Riffe Center for the Arts (Yankee)
March 20-21 Glen Ellyn, IL McAninch Arts Center (Macbeth/Yankee)
March 23 Buffalo, NY University at Buffalo - Center for the Arts (Macbeth)
March 24 Plattsburgh, NY Hartmanm Theatre (Macbeth)
March 25 Burlington, VT Flynn Center for the Performing Arts (Macbeth)
March 26-27 St. Jonhsbury, VT St. Johnsbury Academy - Fuller Hall (Macbeth)
March 28 Hartford, CT Mark Twain House & Museum (Yankee)
March 31-
April 12 New York, NY Pearl Theatre (Yankee / Macbeth)
April 14 New Brunswick, NJ State Theatre Regional Arts Center (Macbeth)
April 16-17 Newport News, VA Ferguson Center for the Arts (Macbeth/ Yankee)
April 18 Allentown, PA Miller Symphony Hall (Yankee)
April 19-20 Gettyburg, PA Majestic Theater (Yankee/ Macbeth)
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