Chesapeake Shakespeare Company Announces 20th Anniversary Gala: A Capulet Costume Ball

Baltimore's CHESAPEAKE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY has announced its upcoming Gala -- its first-ever Capulet Costume Ball, according to Lesley Malin, CSC's Producing Executive Director.

The Verona-themed costume ball will give attendees the rare opportunity to not only get a behind-the-scenes peek at Romeo and Juliet and its costumes, props, acting, stage combat, and dances, but to also feel as though they are costumed players on the stage where CSC has presented dozens of first-class Shakespeare comedies and dramas since opening its doors in 2014. The company was founded in Ellicott City and performed mainly in Howard County for its first dozen years.

ROMEO AND JULIET is the core annual presentation of its groundbreaking school matinee series that CSC has mounted since 2015, which has introduced tens of thousands of students to Shakespeare.

"We decided to gussy up our gala this year, now that we're twenty. So many fun things can happen when people are in costume. In ROMEO AND JULIET, it's love at first sight! We couldn't be more excited about our biggest and most glamourous Gala yet. We want everyone to experience the work, passion, and creativity that have made up our history and will guide us into the future. We look forward to celebrating our twenty years on stage in style, and invite our wonderful supporters and friends to indulge their creative side and come join us as Cleopatra, Henry VIII, Hamlet, Queen Elizabeth, or even one of the Bridgertons," she adds. "We promise a high-spirited evening of fun that sets the stage for our programming operations and educational endeavors in the years ahead."

Upcoming productions for Chesapeake Shakespeare Company's 2022-2023 season include: a new adaptation of their Charm City-themed A Christmas Carol, reimagined by Company Member and historical writer Laura Rocklyn and directed by Shanara Gabrielle (December 2 - 23, 2022); the long-anticipated return of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)-- will be the first production of the revised script in the region. Founding Artistic Director Ian Gallanar will direct (February 10 - March 23, 2023); Hamlet which returns to CSC for the first time in over a decade, and the first time on the company's downtown Baltimore stage-featuring nationally-acclaimed director Eleanor Holdridge and longtime Company Member Vince Eisenson in the title role (April 28 - May 21, 2023); finally closing the 20th Anniversary Season with a presentation of Macbeth in the company's popular summer slot. Company Member Lauren Davis directs CSC's Black Classical Acting Ensemble in CSC's original outdoor home, the Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park in Ellicott City (June 16 - July 23, 2023).

Tickets for the Gala are available at www.chesapeakeshakespeare.com/support/2022gala/

Proceeds from the costume ball support Chesapeake Shakespeare Company's artistic and education programs.