MEASURE FOR MEASURE Will Conclude The Saint Sebastian Players Season

The Saint Sebastian Players offer a new take on a classic, producing William Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, set in the 1970s southern United States, April 26-May 19, 2013.

In Measure for Measure, the Duke empowers Lord Angelo to rule in his place while he purports to leave on a journey but secretly investigates the moral decay of his dukedom, disguised as a friar. Resorting to an old law against fornication to enforce his strict standards of morality, Angelo proceeds to condemn fornicators to death. The first of these is Claudio, a young man who has had made his fiancée pregnant. Claudio's sister Isabella, who is about to take her vows as a nun, pleads for her brother's life. Angelo uses his power to try to blackmail Isabella into his bed, leaving the pious young woman with an impossible choice: uphold her commitment to chastity or commit a serious sin to save her brother's life.

Director Jack Dugan Carpenter, who directed SSP's production of Figments in spring 2012, commented, "Setting the production in the 1970s South will help bridge the gap between the religious and secular spheres (as is the structure in Shakespeare's Vienna); the South still maintains religious values in ways that other parts of our great nation do not. And it cannot be denied that many of these religious values have not evolved with the rest of the world, whatever your particular feelings might be. The South is also full of life and heat and love and passion! It is also, even still, a place in which the divide between those with wealth and those living in poverty is immense."

Carpenter continued, "Much of the action of the play will take place in a courtroom, watching individuals of power deciding the fate of others. In this play, however, it isn't only the court who decides fate-everyone does some judging of their own." A company member of SSP, Carpenter previously directed Matryoshka for The Plagiarists, Caesura: A Butchery (for which he was also a co-adapter) for The P's and The Alchemist and The Armageddon Dance Party with Nothing Special Productions.

The cast includes SSP company members Jim Masini, Victoria Montalbano, Martha Reddick and Renae Stone, along with Tony Kaehny as the Duke, Sean McGill as Angelo, Jason Markoff as Claudio, Adrienne Matzen as Isabella, Andy Blaustein, Graham Emmons, Evan Henderson, Cady Leinicke, Greg Peters, Melissa Reeves, Jon Rooney and Ben Schlotfelt. The production team includes SSP company member Emil Zbella as set designer, Emma Cullimore as costume designer, Megan Turnquist as lighting designer, SSP company member Ned Ricks as properties manager, Michael Kunc as sound designer, Neal Ryan Shaw as dramaturg, SSP company members Lisa Ramos and Kaitlin Taylor as assistant directors, Katie Ritchie as stage manager and SSP company members Jim Masini, Nancy Pollock and Steven Walanka as producers.

SSP began producing theatre in 1982 at its original home, the St. Sebastian parish, at the corner of Halsted Street and Wellington Avenue on Chicago's North Side. When the parish closed, SSP relocated to its current home, St. Bonaventure, at 1625 W. Diversey. During its history, the company has produced original and previously produced dramas, comedies and musicals; original audience-participation mysteries for special events; and the Monologue Matchup Competition, as well as provided support for smaller Sebastian Studio Projects produced by company members. A complete list of mainstage productions are available on SSP's website.

Measure for Measure runs April 26-May 19, 2013, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. at St. Bonaventure, 1625 W. Diversey, at Marshfield just west of Ashland, in Chicago. Free parking is available in two lots. Full-priced single tickets are $15, $10 for students with valid IDs and $7 for seniors and children younger than 12. Group rates also are available. All programming is subject to change. For information, call 773-404-7922 or visit saintsebastianplayers.org.