Theater at Monmouth opens Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra as part of the It's Greek (and Roman) to ME! Season. Antony + Cleopatra, one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies, weaves a web of the spell-binding relationship between the Queen of Egypt, and her Roman lover, Antony, one of the Triumvirate of Roman rulers that vie for Cleopatra's Country and attention.
Through modern adaptations and classic takes on the original plays and myths; TAM’s 53rd Season will feature gods, demigods, heroes, and heroines, and every satyr in-between.
Forget the Cherry Blossoms, folks, they'll be gone before you know it. Brave Spirits' Histories rep, cultivated, rested and ready, will be where it's at when our theatres re-open. Their a?oeHenry the Fifth,a?? as with all the other plays in the current cycle, is full of surprises and fresh interpretations. It is clear that the Histories Repertory will wrap up a few loose ends, while pointing towards contentions and bloodshed to come.
The final chapter of The King's Shadow is about to begin. Henry the Fifth, opening March 14, 2020, completes the first season in Brave Spirits Theatre's two-year project to stage Shakespeare's eight history plays about the Wars of the Roses. During a tumultuous period of less than a hundred years, England experienced civil war and political upheaval as the throne switched hands nine times. Shakespeare dramatized these events over the course of his career in eight remarkable plays: Richard the Second, Henry the Fourth Part 1, Henry the Fourth Part 2, Henry the Fifth, Henry the Sixth Part 1, Henry the Sixth Part 2, Henry the Sixth Part 3, and Richard the Third. Brave Spirits Theatre is making history by becoming the first professional American theatre company to mount full productions of Shakespeare's two tetralogies and perform them in repertory.
With the mayhem, warfare and epic egos of Henry the Fourth, Part 1 well under their belts, Brave Spirits Theatre now turns its talents towards one of the more challenging history plays in Shakespeare's canon, Henry the Fourth, Part 2. Director Charlene V. Smith continues to find new gems here among the many performers, and there are some moments that truly shine here.
During a tumultuous period of less than a hundred years, England experienced civil war and political upheaval as the throne switched hands nine times. Shakespeare dramatized these events over the course of his career in eight remarkable plays: Richard the Second, Henry the Fourth Part 1, Henry the Fourth Part 2, Henry the Fifth, Henry the Sixth Part 1, Henry the Sixth Part 2, Henry the Sixth Part 3, and Richard the Third. With an ensemble of twenty actors, Brave Spirits Theatre will stage these eight plays over the next two years, culminating in marathon performance weekends during July 2021.
BST's fall repertory explores depraved violence, sexual obsession, and female determination in two of the greatest tragedies written for the early modern stage. In The Changeling, Beatrice-Joanna goes to any lengths rather than be forced to marry a man she doesn't love--including murder. Though four hundred years old, this gripping play presents an all too familiar picture of women's entrapment and degradation at the hands of men. The Duchess of Malfi also follows the tragic efforts of a noblewoman to marry for love and to free herself of the writhing political, religious, and erotic web spun by her family. Inspired by a true story, his macabre, punk beauty of a play draws together extraordinary language, violent delights, and some of the most complex and memorable characters in Jacobean drama.
Tackling Macbeth is no minor feat. Few shows inspire as much dread both onstage and off as Shakespeare's "Scottish Play." Daringly dark in both plot and theme, Macbeth relies heavily on the performances of the eponymous Scot and his wife to propel the plot along compellingly and with varying intensity. 4615 Theatre Company's production, unfortunately, falls victim to most of the pitfalls which riddle this complicated work. The final result is a revival which is bogged down by a slow-paced first act and lead performances which are unable to reveal anything new about this work.
Whatever happened to the theatrical thriller? There's something so incredibly fulfilling about a play that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Too often, there are elements that can pull you out of a thrilling production. It can be the smallest thing: from a flickering stage light to a fumbling actor. Thankfully for 4615 Theatre Company, their production of Dinner by Moira Buffini is devoid of any of these downfalls. Instead, the play comes together to create a sumptuous treat that will leave you wanting more.
Brave Spirits Theatre again provides a fresh, immediate take on a Shakespearean classic, this time with a hard-hitting production of CORIOLANUS, directed by Charlene V. Smith. Underappreciated compared to many of Shakespeare's other plays, it's particularly timely in 2018 as it explores a power struggle among great men and the masses they're supposed to serve.
BST's 2018 repertory explores war and winning from opposite perspectives. As civil unrest threatens political upheaval, the war hero Coriolanus is driven to defend and then destroy his own country. Shakespeare's last tragedy takes a piercing look at men who cannot leave war behind. Performed as part of the Women's Voices Theater Festival, The Trojan Women Project explores the timeless story of The Trojan Women to illuminate modern women's relationships to sexuality, politics, and violence. This intersectional look at American women asks why our gender isn't enough to unite us and whether we are the losers in the American Dream.
Doctor Faustus transforms into a production about how a woman is manipulated by the world around her. With a solid cast, Brave Spirits Theatre's production turns Marlowe's vision on its head and explores it through a feminist lens.
Brave Spirits Theatre updates the classic tale of a man who sells his soul to the devil to explore ambition and power from a woman's point-of-view. In her quest to get everything she's ever wanted, Joan Faustus pays the ultimate price: her soul.
Tom Prewitt, Avant Bard's current artistic director, knew who he wanted to take on this monumental role: Rick Foucheux. A 35-year veteran of stages large and small in the Washington, DC area, Foucheux has played everything from realism to the avant garde; modern and the classics. Capping off his storied career as he is about to leave the limelight to spend time as a grandfather and to travel, Foucheux taking on Lear is a match made in heaven. Effortlessly commanding the stage, Shakespeare's words and the arc of the tragedy seem newly minted in Foucheux's skillful hands.
Avant Bard proudly announces the last production of its 2016/2017 season, Shakespeare's masterpiece King Lear starring local acting legend Rick Foucheux as Lear.
Theatre for the Game of Thrones fan: In two plays from Shakespeare's contemporaries, brothers and sisters defy the greatest taboo and fall in love. Incestuous passion threatens to overcome reason, but to very different results. Brave Spirits Theatre pairs John Ford's gruesome tragedy,'Tis Pity She's a Whore, with Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher's rarely produced tragicomedy, A King and No King.
"Eurydice" by Sarah Ruhl is now appearing Thursdays through Sundays until November 20, 2016 at NextStop Theatre, in Herndon, Virginia. The first look at photos from the production are now available.