Ensemble Theatre Co Kicks Off Season with MEASURE FOR MEASURE

ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY (ETC) presents the first show of its 2019-20 season, a contemporary look at William Shakespeare's MEASURE FOR MEASURE, directed by ETC Artistic Director Jonathan Fox. MEASURE FOR MEASURE begins previews on Thursday, October 3, opens on Saturday, October 5 at 8:00pm, and runs through Sunday, October 20, 2019 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.

One of William Shakespeare's most beguiling plays dramatizes one of his more infamous bargains: a young woman's virginity in exchange for her brother's life. This story of tyrannical authority, sexual power, and gender politics is especially resonant in today's #MeToo culture. Set in a contemporary landscape, this production examines Shakespeare's enduring question of why "some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall."

"We open our season with a timely look at one of Shakespeare's most intriguing works, MEASURE FOR MEASURE" comments Jonathan Fox, ETC's Artistic Director. "With an extraordinary cast including local favorites Lily Gibson and Trevor Peterson, and an equally impressive creative team, our season opener this year will have our subscribers and audiences talking about this new take on Shakespeare's classic well after the final bows."

Jonathan Fox (Director/Artistic Director) joined ETC in 2006. His most recent ETC productions were Everything is Illuminated and The School for Lies. He adapted and directed ETC's 2017 production of Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives. Other ETC productions include Porgy and Bess, Macbeth, Sweeney Todd, Woyzeck, Amadeus, A Little Night Music, The Liar, Crime and Punishment, and a dozen others. He received his MFA from Columbia University, and is a recipient of the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Fellowship. He has served as an adjunct faculty member in theater departments at UCSB, Columbia University, University of Utah, and Monmouth University.

Playing the central figure of Isabella, a young woman about to become a nun, is LILY GIBSON, an award-winning actor who played Baby Doll in ETC's 2016 production of Tennessee Williams' Baby Doll. The cast also includes AK MURTADHA, whose performances in Macbeth and Intimate Apparel captivated Santa Barbara audiences, as the "Duke," and TREVOR PETERSON as "Claudio," who returns to ETC after playing Ever in Dancing Lessons and Biff in Death of a Salesman earlier this year. Richard Baird, who is the founding artistic director of New Fortune Theatre Company where he has directed and appeared in Henry the Fifth, The Birthday Party, and Les Liaisons Dangereuses, plays the role of Angelo. This production marks his 50th Shakespearean production.

Also featured in the cast are Brian Ibsen as "Lucio,"Matthew Floyd Miller as "Pompey," TIM McMANUS as "Provost," and PAUL SANDBERG as "Escalus." The cast also features three Santa Barbara actors: PAIGE TAUTZ as "Mariana," Robert Lesser as "Elbow," and Tiffany Story as "Mistress Overdone."

The MEASURE FOR MEASURE design team is as follows: Scenic design is by Jeffrey Behm. Lighting design is by Jared A. Sayeg. Sound design is by Randall Robert Tico. Costume design is by Dianne K. Graebner. Video design is by Ben Crop. Properties design is by Erik Herrera. The Production Dramaturg is Anna Jensen. Casting by Amy Lieberman. The Production Stage Manager is Jessie Vacchiano.

MEASURE FOR MEASURE begins previews on Thursday, October 3, opens on Saturday, October 5 at 8:00pm, and runs through Sunday, October 20, 2019 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.

Performances are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:00pm, Sundays at 2:00pm and 7:00pm, with an added Tuesday 7:00pm show on October 8 and a Saturday 4:00pm matinee performance on October 12, 2019.

All preview tickets are $42. Regular adult ticket prices range from $62 to $72 with discounts available for seniors. Student tickets are available for only $25 each, and tickets for patrons age 29-and-under are always just $40. Single tickets are available through the ETC Box Office at (805) 965-5400, or online at etcsb.org. For group sales information, please call (805) 965-5400. Prices subject to change.