Naked Shakespeare to Present WOMEN WARRIORS

Naked Shakespeare, Acorn Productions' performance series dedicated to presenting the works of the Bard in accessible ways for contemporary audiences, continues the company's popular First Friday performances with a December performance in The Ballroom at Mechanics Hall. "Women Warriors" is a one-hour compilation of scenes and monologues featuring such iconic characters as Joan of Arc and Cleopatra. Director Michael Levine has stitched the narratives together in order to trace the rise, and in some cases fall, of these powerful female archetypes. Each sequence unfolds in an octagonal playing space reminiscent of a boxing ring, complete with a "ring boy" who assists the combatants throughout the evening. The show is performed by an ensemble of 8 Naked Shakespeare company members who play not only the warriors, but also their foils. The performance is free with a $10 suggested donation. For more information, audience members are encouraged to visit Acorn's website at www.acorn-productions.org.

The warriors featured in the show are primarily figures from history: Cleopatra (Antony and Cleopatra), Constance (King John), Joan of Arc (Henry VI, part one), Margaret of Anjou (Henry VI parts one and two, and Richard III), who are joined by a few fictional characters: Helena (All's Well That Ends Well), Tamora (Titus Andronicus), and Volumnia (Coriolanus), as well as Lady Macbeth. "Women Warriors" continues Naked Shakespeare's thematic evenings of First Fridays at Mechanics Hall in a series of free presentations designed to increase the public's awareness of Shakespeare's language.