Shakespeare & Company Announces Lineup for Studio Festival of Plays, 9/6-9/7

Lenox, Massachusetts's Shakespeare & Company has announced the scheduling for its 2010 Studio Festival of Plays.  The Festival will run from September 6 to September 7 and will feature staged readings of new plays.

The festival will begin at 11:00am on September 6 with Anton in Showbusiness, written by Jane Martin and directed by Gina Kaufman.  A hilarious parody of the world of theater, Anton in Showbusiness follows three actresses performing in a regrettable production of Chekhov's Three Sisters in San Antonio, TX. From directors and actors to producers and critics, no one escapes ridicule in Jane Martin's delightful send-up of the theater business.

At 12:45pm, the Festival will present Hour Glass, written by Richard L. Gaw, directed by Rose Ginsberg, and starring Sonya Hamlin and Rose Ginsburg.  Myra Goldman has been a leading activist and intellectual for the last 40 years. But it isn't until a young graduate student discovers her memoirs that the full breadth of Mrs. Goldman's accomplishments are revealed. Hourglass is a play about love, sacrifice, and the power of human connection.

At 2:25pm, the Festival will present Death and the Ploughman, written by Johannes von Saaz, translated from the Middle High German by Michael West, directed by Daniela Varon, and starring John Douglas Thompson and Tod Randolph.  A bereaved farmer converses with the Grim Reaper, lending insight into the finiteness of life and the meaning of death. Written in 1400 (or the "Dark Ages"), Death and the Ploughman is a poetic rumination on the nature of grief and loss.

At 5:00pm, the Festival will present The Liar, written by David Ives and directed by Andrew Borthwick-Leslie. The Liar follows the story of Dorante, a charming, handsome young man who is also...a pathological liar! When he arrives in Paris, Dorante's outlandish tales amaze and convince all who hear them, but for each problem his clever lying solves, it creates two new ones. Will he manage to keep his stories straight and somehow still get the girl? This joyful French farce, written in verse, bursts onto the stage in acclaimed Broadway playwright David Ives' sparkling new adaptation.  David Ives is probably best known for his evenings of one-act plays All in The Timing and Time Flies. Selected recent plays include New Jerusalem: The interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza; Irving Berlin's White Christmas; Is He Dead? (adapted from Mark Twain); and his newest hit Venus in Fur is slated for a Broadway run. He is the author of three young-adult novels, Monsieur Eel, Scrib and Voss. He is a graduate of Yale School of Drama and a former Guggenheim Fellow in play wrighting.

At 6:15pm, the Festival will present The Memory of Water, written by Shelagh Stephenson, directed by Eric Tucker, and starring Elizabeth Aspenlieder, Corinna May, Annette Miller, Josh Aaron McCabe, Eric Tucker, and Kristin Wold.  Three sisters re-unite for their mother's funeral in this exploration of memory and the endurance of family bonds. A poignant black comedy, The Memory of Water is a lucid examination of the relationships between siblings.

At 8:00pm, the Festival will present Equivocation, written by Bill Cain and directed by Reggie Life.  Shagspeare (aka, Shakespeare) is commissioned to write a play about Guy Fawkes, who nearly blew up England's parliament with his infamous Gunpowder Plot. Conflict arises, however, when the play's commissioners order Shagspeare to write an empty piece of propaganda rather than an honest work of art. A humorous portrait of a torn playwright, Equivocation raises thought-provoking questions about an artist's responsibility to tell the truth.

The Festival will continue on September 7 at 11:00am with Loveplay, written by Moira Buffini and directed by Tod Randolph.  A mad-dash through time, each scene in Loveplay takes place in the same small square of London property. Beginning in A.D. 79 and hurtling to the present, Loveplay is a compelling exploration of love, sexual desire, and sex as a commodity.

At 12:45pm, the Festival will present Amy's View, written by David Hare and directed by Timothy Douglas.  A play about the relationship between an aging actress and her daughter, Amy's View is a family battle of love and status. Compelling, moving, and richly complex, Amy's View is full of jarring discoveries for both the characters and audience.

At 2:15pm, the Festival will present Opus, written by Michael Hollinger and directed by Gina Kaufman.  A beautifully structured play, Opus invites us into the lives of five chamber orchestra musicians. Moving back & forth in time, the play paints a vivid portrait of the human drama behind any well-crafted musical performance.

The Festival will close at 5:00pm with The Home Team, written by Kim Carney, directed by Daniela Varon, and starring Rory Hammond, Christianna Nelson, Diane Prusha, Wesley Rice, and Michael Toomey.  A raucous family comedy filled with gut-wrenching moments, The Home Team tracks the Gurley family as they prepare for the big University of Michigan versus Michigan State University football game. The excitement of the game is nothing in comparison to the zany antics of this working-class family. Hilarity, football, and awkward family moments - The Home Team is not to be missed!

The Festival will take place in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre.  The suggested donation is $16 per performance.  For more information, visit www.shakespeare.org.