New Theatre Company Altered Shakespeare To Presents THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA

The Two Gentlemen of Verona will be the first production by Altered Shakespeare, a new theatre company with a focus on an alternative look at William Shakespeare's texts. Directed by Shawn Gann, performances will take place November 11th at Lola's in Fort Worth and November 18th at Union in Dallas at 8:00PM.

Considered to be one of Shakespeare's earliest comedies, The Two Gentlemen of Verona follows close friends Proteus and Valentine and deals with themes of love, infidelity, and friendship. According to director Shawn Gann, "Fools for love run amok amongst the balconies, forests, and groundlings of fair Verona. Plus, a bit with a dog! A traditional, loosely rehearsed romp of Shakespeare's OG tale of lovers, cross dressers, and clowns."

The cast for this production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona is as follows:

Camille Monae - Proteus

Monalisa Amidar - Valentine

Tia Laulusa - Julia

Sakyiwaa Baah - Silvia

Christopher Lew - Speed

Celeste Perez - Launce/Outlaw

Omar Padilla O - Thurio

J.R. Bradford - The Duke/Antonio

Gwen Pallas - Lucetta

Alle Mims - Pantino/Sir Eglamour

Mark Tam Quach - Host/Outlaw

Altered Shakespeare is an affiliate of Shakespeare Everywhere. The founding members of Altered Shakespeare are Shawn Gann, Alle Mims, Tia Laulusa, Christopher Lew, Jonah Gutierrez, Bobby Garcia and Chris Sanders.

Shawn Gann, along with being The Two Gents director, is a tireless collaborator in the theatrical community. As an actor, director, and producer, he's been involved in 100+ productions throughout the metroplex; and, more often than not, The Bard's words have graced the project. He has toured nationally and internationally; most recently performing in The 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Scotland) in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. As a working Filipino minority in Texas, Mr. Gann is proud of Altered Shakespeare's mission and the artists that have come together to nurture its growth. This has been 20 years in the making for him, but he's grateful that it's here and that it's for everyone.

Alle Mims, cast as Pantino and Sir Eglamour, is a California transplant who earned her BA in Drama from Texas Woman's University in 2016. Since graduating, she has had the privilege of working at numerous companies in town, including Theatre Three, Shakespeare Dallas, LIP Service, Theatre Britain, and Lily and Joan. She has also tried her hand at producing (Women in Theatre Festival) and writing (Sally and Thomas). She is ecstatic to be combining her love of Shakespeare with her passion for inclusive and accessible entertainment in order to create Altered Shakespeare!

Tia Laulusa, cast as Julia, is proud and delighted to be a part of Altered Shakespeare. She earned her MFA in Acting from SMU, and has since had the privilege of working in the vibrant DFW theatre community: she was previously seen in Macbeth at Shakespeare Dallas, Our Town at Circle Theatre, and Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. at Second Thought Theatre.

Christopher Lew (Clew), playing Speed, is a Texas native actor, educator, producer, and director who graduated from UT Austin and studied at the RSC. He is happy to have made a home on DFW stages including The Ochre House, Theatre Three, Stage West, and The Undermain. Clew is passionate about human connection through storytelling, and establishing opportunities for under-represented folks in the theatre community. He is excited for the future ahead and wears many hats as a co-Founder of Altered Shakespeare.

Jonah Gutierrez is the set designer/technical director. For 5 years since leaving college, Jonah has been an independent lighting and scenic designer. He has received recognition as an artist, designer, choreographer and performer over the past couple years with The Dallas Morning News, Theatre Jones and Dallas Observer. This year he completed huge projects as the A1 for Shakespeare Dallas, the A1 for a Festival, directed a series of performances for Dallas Fest, directed Cirque De Los Muertos, and received a grant for a show he is coworking/directing for Prism Movement Theater's upcoming spring season.

Bobby Garcia is a local martial artist, performer, and fight choreographer. He attended TCU, is a former EMT, and also graduated from the police academy in the state of Texas. Previously seen in Prism Movement Theater's Bruises, he is a suit actor and choreographer for The Immortal Red Fox project, has worked with Lone Star Circus, Dallas Children's Theater, Artstillery, and Arts Mission Oak Cliff as a performer, choreographer, consultant, and teacher. For this production Bobby is assisting in a variety of ways including rehearsal Stage Manager.

Chris Sanders is an actor, singer, improviser, educator, Statera Arts Ambassador, and AEA member. Chris is also a verse nurse, dramaturg, director, and overall Shakespeare Enthusiast with Altered Shakespeare. Having earned their BA in Theatre, their MFA in Acting, along with taking part in two Shakespeare training programs, and having performed in 15 productions of Shakespeare's works, including at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Chris is honored to be a part of Altered Shakespeare.

Altered Shakespeare gratefully acknowledges our venue sponsors for the production:

Lola's Fort Worth: 2735 W 5th St, Fort Worth, TX 76107

Union Coffee Dallas: 3705 Cedar Springs Rd, Dallas, TX 75219

For more information on the show and theatre company follow Altered Shakespeare on social media at https://www.facebook.com/altered.shakespeare/ and https://www.instagram.com/altered.shakespeare/

Tickets to The Gentlemen of Verona can be ordered online at https://shakespeareeverywhere.ticketleap.com/

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