Gamut Theatre's Harrisburg Shakespeare Company Stages RED VELVET, Beginning Tonight

Gamut Theatre Group's Harrisburg Shakespeare Company (HSC) opens Lolita Chakrabarti's RED VELVET tonight, January 23, 2016 on the Select Medical Mainstage at the New Gamut Theatre located at 15 N. 4th Street in downtown Harrisburg.

The box office and bar will open at 6:30 p.m. and the play will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the performance are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors/military, and $15 for students and can be purchased in advance at www.GamutTheatre.org. Following the performance, a reception will be held where guests can meet and mingle with the cast and crew while enjoying refreshments. Tickets to the opening night reception are sold separately.

RED VELVET will continue January 24 - February 7 with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. As always, Sunday performances are "pay what you will". Student matinees of the performance are also available for educational groups to book February 3 and 4. For more information on student matinees, contact Michelle Kay Smith at or by calling 717-238-4111.

RED VELVET tells the remarkable true story of Ira Aldridge: Gentleman, actor, star of the London West End stage. In his lifetime, Aldridge, the son of an African American slave and survivor of early 1800's New York City slum life, would go on to play the most coveted of Shakespearean roles. He toured Europe extensively, and RED VELVET focuses on his historic portrayal of Othello which shocked European audiences so much so that the production was forced to close after only two nights.

Artistic Director J. Clark Nicholson calls Aldridge's story "a triumph over all expectations." RED VELVET stars Anthony Golden Jr. in the role of Ira Aldridge.