Elizabeth Aspenlieder News

For those who think that Christopher Durang's popular VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE is a strawhat comedy, this production proves it's goat real heart too, just as in any Chekhov play.

With a healthy dose of hilarity, heart and humility Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike joins the Bernstein repertory with director Matthew Penn at the helm. Christopher Durang's Tony-award winning homage to Chekhov leaves no stone unturned when it comes to family dynamics, sibling rivalries, love, lust, hopes and dreams in this razor sharp comedy. The stalwart cast includes audience favorites Tod Randolph and Elizabeth Aspenlieder, and S&Co. newcomers Jim Frangione, Angel Moore, Mat Leonard and Olivia Saccomanno. Performances run in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre August 6 - September 14. Press Opening is Friday, August 15 at 8:00pm. To RSVP or for interview opportunities contact Communications & Press Director Elizabeth Aspenlieder: aspenlieder@shakespeare.org.

A sweeping spectacle of bawdy buffoonery and bloody rebellion, director Jonathan Epstein's razor sharp and condensed adaptation of Henry IV delivers both parts in one dynamic evening of theatre. Performances run in the Tina Packer Playhouse August 2 - August 31. Press Opening is Friday, August 7, at 7:00pm. To RSVP or for interview opportunities contact Communications & Press Director Elizabeth Aspenlieder: aspenlieder@shakespeare.org.

The Servant of Two Masters gets a fresh take in the deft hands of director and long-time Company artist Jenna Ware. Her fast-paced and hilarious adaptation of this classic Commedia dell'arte farce by Carlo Goldoni features an adroit and energetic cast, some of whom are Berkshire natives, and who trained with S&Co. as adolescents and are now acting, directing and teaching for the Company. Servant offers up a hearty dose of madcap'd mayhem, music, sword fighting and massive amounts of fun for our audiences of all ages to enjoy! This family-friendly show runs on the 200-seat, tented outdoor Rose Footprint Theatre from tonight, June 25 - August 23. Press Opening is Friday, June 27 at 5:30pm.

Shakespeare & Company unleashes its devilish new take on The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield. A hilarious medley of mayhem, comedy, and lunacy, Complete Works is directed by resident funny man Jonathan Croy and features just three actors who play over 750 roles- yes we are kidding-well, sort of. This family friendly show runs in the Tina Packer Playhouse from July 4 - August 24th. Press Opening is Friday, July 11 at 7:00pm. To RSVP or for interview opportunities contact Communications & Press Director Elizabeth Aspenlieder: aspenlieder@shakespeare.org.

The Servant of Two Masters gets a fresh take in the deft hands of director and long-time Company artist Jenna Ware. Her fast-paced and hilarious adaptation of this classic Commedia dell'arte farce by Carlo Goldoni features an adroit and energetic cast, some of whom are Berkshire natives, and who trained with S&Co. as adolescents and are now acting, directing and teaching for the Company. Servant offers up a hearty dose of madcap'd mayhem, music, sword fighting and massive amounts of fun for our audiences of all ages to enjoy! This family-friendly show runs on the 200-seat, tented outdoor Rose Footprint Theatre from June 25 - August 23. Press Opening is Friday, June 27 at 5:30pm. To RSVP or for interview opportunities contact Communications & Press Director Elizabeth Aspenlieder: aspenlieder@shakespeare.org. Read on for more on cast and director.

Casting for Shakespeare & Company's upcoming Summer Performance Season was finalized last week which includes a roster of audience favorites, critics' top picks and a bevy of newcomers joining the Company's ranks in this celebratory season in honor of the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth. See play titles, casting, Press Openings and full schedules for each production listed below.

Anything is sweeter than this mother and daughter story.

Emergent Arts will present the second installment of The UFO Show (Unidentified Funny Objects), an evening of standup storytelling and original songs, tonight, August 8 at 8pm at The Mix Studio Theatre, 8 North Washington Street, Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Shakespeare & Company is proud to introduce Award winning playwright Martin McDonagh's work to its Bernstein Theatre repertoire with The Beauty Queen of Leenane. Directed by Matthew Penn, who also makes his debut with the Company, The Beauty Queen of Leenane features the indomitable Founding Artistic Director Tina Packer, long-time Company actor Elizabeth Aspenlieder, and newcomers Edmund Donovan and David Sedgwick. Steeped with razor sharp wit, humor and humanity, The Beauty Queen of Leenane runs August 8-September 15 in the Bernstein Theatre, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox MA.

Due to the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response to last year's combination of special presentations and performances, Shakespeare & Company has announced the return of FOUR favorite happenings. This series of events is perfectly tailored to its summer performance season. Engaging discussions, riveting talks, and insightful Q&A's will all be featured in the Company's already packed calendar. For more information on all of Shakespeare & Company's special 35th Season offerings, including Author! Author!, Studio Series, Tuesday Talks, Wednesday Q&As, Behind the Scenes Tours, and other special events, visit www.Shakespeare.org.

Due to the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response to last year's combination of special presentations and performances, Shakespeare & Company has announced the return of FOUR favorite happenings. This series of events is perfectly tailored to its summer performance season. Engaging discussions, riveting talks, and insightful Q&A's will all be featured in the Company's already packed calendar. For more information on all of Shakespeare & Company's special 35th Season offerings, including Author! Author!, Studio Series, Tuesday Talks, Wednesday Q&As, Behind the Scenes Tours, and other special events, visit www.Shakespeare.org.

Shakespeare & Company's groundbreaking Shakespeare in the Courts program, which leads adjudicated young people in an exploration of Shakespeare's plays, is celebrating its 13th year. The program, which runs in both North Adams and Pittsfield, was launched in 2001 with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, and is generously supported this year by Massachusetts Cultural Council's YouthReach Initiative; Berkshire Life, A Guardian Company; Berkshire County District Attorney's Office; The Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire; and the Charles H. Hall Foundation. Led by S&Co.'s expertly trained arts educators, Shakespeare in the Courts program is a challenging, inspiring, and often revelatory program. For media interviews and information contact Communications Director Elizabeth Aspenlieder aspenlieder@shakespeare.org OR Associate Director of Communications and Marketing Director Jason Velazquez jvelazquez@shakespeare.org.

Ten new dramas and comedies, absorbing and entertaining, are featured in the second year of the Barrington Stage 10X10 NEW PLAY FESTIVAL. Ten minutes each and playing for just ten days, the offers provide a tasty sample of what is new in the regional theatre community today.

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and TriStan Wilson, Managing Director, presents the 10×10 New Play Festival, today, February 14 through March 3, part of the 2013 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival.

Following a record-breaking 35th Season, Shakespeare & Company Artistic Director Tony Simotes is pleased to announce the 2013 summer lineup of plays that will take place in the Tina Packer Playhouse and the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, including a number of special events that will underscore those productions. The highlights of the 2013 Summer Season include two full productions of Shakespeare: Love's Labour's Lost and Richard II, both of which will be performed for the first time on the Tina Packer Playhouse stage, as well as the previously announced Mother Courage and Her Children, directed by Simotes and starring Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis, Apollo Dukakis, and OBIE Award winner John Douglas Thompson. Tickets will go on sale on February 14, 2013, and can be purchased online at www.shakespeare.org or by calling 413-637-3353.