Small Boat Productions Brings SHAKESPEARE, SUDDENLY to the Brick
10 actors. 1 Day to rehearse. The catch? You don't know what show it is until they start reading.
Small Boat Productions will present SHAKESPEARE, SUDDENLY at The Brick on Saturday, February 22nd at 7 PM. The Brick is located at 579 Metropolitan Avenue.
10 actors. 1 Day to rehearse. The catch? You don't know what show it is until they start reading. "Shakespeare, Suddenly" returns after surprising a sold out audience in December with a reading of "Taming of the Shrew" at The Brick Aux. To draw a bigger crowd, Small Boat Productions is moving Shakespeare Suddenly to The Brick.
Karsten Otto directs once again. His partnership with Small Boat Productions started with "Shakespeare, Clearly;" a workshop where Otto introduces professional actors of all skill levels to his unique approach to Shakespeare's verse. "Shakespeare, Suddenly" was born out of the success of that workshop as a means of showcasing the technique to an audience, as well as showcasing some of the students themselves.
The cast features Ahmad Maher (The Ally), Arin Edelstein, Jacob Dysart, Jessica Frey (Racecar Racecar Racecar), Lilli Stein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Matthew August Jeffers (An Enemy of the People, Richard III), McLean Peterson (Love's Labor's Lost), Raven Jeanette, Sam Gonzalez (Vile Isle), and Tara Pacheco (First Wives Club). AJ Liu makes her stage management debut with Small Boat Productions.
Small Boat Artistic Director Ben Natan shares his excitement for this round of "Shakespeare, Suddenly."
"One of the profound difficulties with doing Shakespeare in 2025 is making it feel new. What better way to strip an audience of their preconceived notions about a 400 year old play than to just not tell them what play it is? The surprise of it all really allows for people to come into these stories with truly fresh eyes and an open mind. On that performers' side, what a delightful challenge to stretch your legs in a part for only six hours of rehearsal and only a few more hours in front of an audience. This setup serves as a fun, easy way for artist and audience alike to enjoy some Shakespeare.'
On the building community through these projects, Natan goes on to say:
"We have assembled an incredible team of theater workers for this project. My respect for Karsten Otto's approach to Shakespeare is immense and the speed at which he can help actors make the text sing is spellbinding. The cast features some folks who have done truly amazing work in the New York theater and some folks who really deserve a closer look and bigger stage. Small Boat has a strong philosophy around community building and professional development which is served by building out a cast like this. I hope audiences come away from this reading not just impressed by the overall experience, but also feel like they got to witness some true up-and-coming stars in the theater.
I'd also love to give a special shout out to AJ Liu, who is stage managing for the first time and continues to show up for Small Boat in so many ways.
Finally, I want to invite everyone who comes to watch to stick around with the cast afterwards. We usually will go to a bar nearby. The basis of our artistic work is human connection and Small Boat will always keep the party going in order to allow folks to really get to know each other. Come join us for what should be a really special evening of Shakespeare and community."
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