New Jersey's Shakespeare LIVE! Presents MACBETH & A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's acclaimed educational touring company, Shakespeare LIVE!, will present one-hour family performances of William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream on Saturday, March 10 at The Theatre's Main Stage – the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre in Madison.

Since 1997, Shakespeare LIVE! has presented more than 1,400 performances to nearly a half a million young people at more than 750 schools and other venues throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and Connecticut. These performances are part of The Stages Festival, a month-long, state-wide celebration of theatre and the performing arts. The Stages Festival, a project of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, takes place each March and offers discounted and/or free tickets to performances, workshops and events statewide suitable for all age groups.

A one-hour family performance of Shakespeare's most popular comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream will be held Saturday, March 10 and April 14 at 11 a.m. at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre. Shakespeare LIVE! offers a fresh, imaginative take on this perennial audience favorite. When starry-eyed young lovers and zany would-be actors cross paths with mischief-making fairies in a magical forest, the result is one of the world's most uproarious comedies. A Midsummer Night's Dream is the ideal "first Shakespeare" for elementary grades, and a riotous roller-coaster ride for teens (and adults).

A one-hour family performance of Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth will be held Saturday, March 10 and April 14 at 2 p.m. at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre. In war-torn Scotland, a heroic general finds himself tempted by ambition, mysterious prophecies and his wife's promptings. As he seizes the throne, he is spirals into a maelstrom of self-made horrors that drag him to his inevitable doom. Macbeth is appropriate for grades 6 and up.

Tickets are $15 for adults which includes one free ticket for a child under age 18 with each ticket purchased. For tickets to or more information about family performances of Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream, call the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's box office at 973-408-5600, via email at Boxoffice@shakespeareNJ.org or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org.

Additional Live at the Kirby performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tragedy of Macbeth will be held on Saturday, April 14. Tickets for these performances are $15 for all ages.

Shakespeare LIVE!, celebrating its 15th season, travels to schools and other venues throughout the state and wider region with 60-minute versions of two of Shakespeare's most popular plays. To inquire about bringing Shakespeare LIVE! to your school or venue, call 973-408-3980 or e-mail ssheptock@ShakespeareNJ.org. The cast of Shakespeare LIVE! includes Aaron Bartz of New York City; Craig Bazan of Camden, NJ; Cameron Berner of New York City; Connor Carew of Brooklyn; Rachel Fox of New York City; Erica Knight of Berkeley Heights, NJ; Allison Layman of Teaneck, NJ; Arthur Lazalde of New York City; Meg Kiley Smith of San Anselmo, CA; and Nathan Winklestein of New York City.

Shakespeare LIVE! is part of Shakespeare in American Communities: Shakespeare for a New Generation, a national program of the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts Midwest. The National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts Midwest presents Shakespeare for a New Generation. The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is one of 40 professional theater companies selected to participate in Shakespeare for a New Generation, bringing excellent productions of Shakespeare to thousands of middle- and high-school students in communities across the United States. For more information on Shakespeare for a New Generation, please visit www.ShakespeareInAmericanCommunities.org.

Funding for Shakespeare LIVE! is provided, in part, by The Turrell Fund, the MetLife Foundation, Investors Bank, Provident Bank Foundation, The Ambrose and Ida Fredrickson Foundation, and The John and Margaret Post Foundation.

2012 marks The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's 50th Anniversary. The company's 50th Anniversary season, which begins in late May and continues through December, includes productions of Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part One; The Liar by David Ives, adapted from the comedy by Pierre Corneille; Shakespeare's Measure For Measure; Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, adapted by Neil Bartlett; Man of La Mancha by Dale Wasserman, with lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh; and Trelawny of the Wells by Arthur Wing Pinero.

For its annual Outdoor Stage production at the Greek amphitheater at the College of St. Elizabeth in Morris Township, The Shakespeare Theatre will present Shakespeare's slapstick The Comedy of Errors.