The Shakespeare Theatre of NJ Announces Changes to Season Line-up

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey has announced it will add acclaimed Italian playwright Dario Fo's political farce Accidental Death of an Anarchist to its 2011 Season. The production replaces the previously announced Noël Coward's Fallen Angels. Accidental Death of an Anarchist will begin performances on August 3 and run through August 28. For information, call the box office at 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org. "Having to make a play selection change is almost always dictated by outside circumstances," said artistic director Bonnie J. Monte. "In this case, we have been told that the rights to Fallen Angels are restricted. However, while we have to wait for Coward's play for another time, there will be no shortage of comedy in August when we present this deliciously scathing farce by Dario Fo who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997".

Dario Fo's hilariously zany tale embodies the modern Fo-brand of commedia theatre that has helped define him as a playwright of the people. Inspired by a true story of man who "fell" from the window of a police station, Fo has invented an outrageously sly and caustic comedy filled with physical and linguistic acrobatics. In awarding Fo the Nobel Prize for literature, the committee said he was a writer "who emulates the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden."

Also in the 2011 Season - the 49th Anniversary Season of New Jersey's only professional theatre dedicated to Shakespeare's cannon and other classic masterworks - is Molière's renowned 17th century satire The Misanthrope. The Misanthrope runs June 1 through June 26.

For its annual Outdoor Stage production at the Greek amphitheater at the College of St. Elizabeth in Morris Township, The Shakespeare Theatre will present the world's most popular comedy, Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. This newly conceived, exuberant, 90-minute production will be perfect for children and families of all ages. A Midsummer Night's Dream which will run from June 22 through July 31 and will include new 4:30 p.m. twilight performances on select Saturdays and Sundays in addition to 8:15 p.m. performances Tuesdays through Sundays.

Back on the Main Stage, the Shakespeare Theatre will present Timon of Athens. This taut 90- minute version of Shakespeare's rarely-produced play has been created by Brian B. Crowe and in his inventive hands will feature imaginative staging and a sublime blend of Grand Guignol, Vaudeville, and Brechtian theatricality. Timon of Athens will run July 6 through July 24.

The Fall portion of the season will launch with Shakespeare's great tragedy Othello, featuring Keith Hamilton Cobb (television's Andromeda) as the Moor of Venice. Not seen on The Shakespeare Theatre stage since 2003, this tale of love, jealousy, and betrayal remains as compelling today as when it first exploded onto the stage in 1604. Othello will begin performances on September 7 and continue through October 2.

Christopher Sergel's stage adaptation of Harper Lee's beloved American classic To Kill A Mockingbird will begin performances on October 12 and continue through November 20.
Featuring the characters Atticus Finch, Scout, and Boo Radley who have become iconic figures in the American consciousness and conscience, this Pulitzer-prize winning tale is considered to be one of the most important novels of the 20th century.

The season will close with Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol adapted for the stage by Neil Bartlett. The Shakespeare Theatre presented the East Coast premiere of this unique and haunting stage version of one of the most beloved and moving holiday tales in 2007, and audiences have been requesting its return ever since. Ms. Monte will be re-imagining the show for this new production. A Christmas Carol will begin performances on December 1 and continue through January 1.

Lend Us Your Ears, the Theatre's play reading series inaugurated in 2010, will continue in 2011 with three diverse offerings. These script-in-hand readings by company members and guest actors will include a post-reading discussion with the audience. The series will begin on April 4 at 7:00 p.m. with The Notorious Lady Susan by Jane Austen and adapted by Tom Fontana. Next is Eves of Ides by David Blixt on September 19 at 7 p.m. The series concludes with The Winslow Boy by Terrence Rattigan on November 14 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults or $36 for all three; and $10 for students or $24 for all three.

Complete Works subscriptions, the best available seats to all six Main Stage productions, are now on sale. Complete Works subscriptions range in price from $108 for Previews to $378 for Opening Nights. Student subscriptions are available for $60. Call The Shakespeare Theatre Box Office at 973-408-5600. The Complete Works subscription features up to 43% percent savings off the cost of regular tickets, the best seats to all Main Stage productions; free, easy and unlimited ticket exchanges should schedules change; discounts on additional tickets; and the convenience of having tickets in hand and dates scheduled in advance.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's Main Stage, the 308-seat F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, is conveniently located in Madison at 36 Madison Avenue (Route 124) at Lancaster Road (on the Drew University campus), just minutes from routes 287, 78 and 10. Parking is free. The Outdoor Stage is located on the campus of the College of St. Elizabeth in Morristown. The F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre is barrier free with access into the Theatre via a ramp and elevator access to all floors. Wheelchair seating and transfer seating is available. Braille and large print programs are available. Infrared listening devices are available free of charge. Some performances are audio described. Contact the theatre for more information. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org.

The acclaimed Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is an independent, professional theatre company located on the Drew University campus. One of the leading Shakespeare theatres in the nation, serving 100,000 adults and children annually, it is New Jersey's only professional theatre company dedicated solely to Shakespeare's canon and other world classics. Through its distinguished productions and education programs, the company strives to illuminate the universal and lasting relevance of the classics for contemporary audiences.

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