Steven Maler News

Due to the continued effects of COVID-19 on Boston and its community, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company is postponing its production of The Tempeston the Boston Common until July 2021 with the same artistic and design team, as scheduling allows, including Tony Award nominee John Douglas Thompson* as Prospero, Remo Airaldi* as Antonio, Nora Eschenheimer* as Miranda, actor/playwright John Kuntz* as Trinculo, Nael Nacer* as Caliban, Richard Noble as Alonso, Fred Sullivan, Jr.* as Stephano, and Michael Underhill as Ferdinand. Scenic Design is by Tony Award winner Clint Ramos and Jeffrey Petersen, Costume Design by Nancy Leary, Lighting Design by Eric Southern, and Sound Design by David Reiffel.  

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Founding Artistic Director Steven Maler, announced today the principal cast members for its 25th Anniversary production of Free Shakespeare on the Common: William Shakespeare's beloved play The Tempest.

It is interesting to look at the history of art and entertainment by analyzing the innovations which have been deemed exclusively novelties and written off as fleeting trends by their contemporaries. For film, color and sound were both considered by many to be cheap gimmicks that would quickly fade out of style, within a medium that itself was sure to merely exist for a brief moment in time. Yet, in the 21st century, we still praise the brilliant color work in movies by Wes Anderson and exalt the sounds in the works of Paul Thomas Anderson. When we look, however, at 3-D technologies ranging from the two-tone glasses technology from vintage cinemas, to warped screens which became popular with the release of Oklahoma! (explaining some of the bizarre cinematic sequences in that movie), to those distorted selfies your friend just figured out how to post on Facebook, none seem to have found a lasting hold beyond trendiness or novelty entertainment. Slightly different, though sharing some characteristics, virtual reality technology is gradually developing into a tool which may be the next lasting innovation in entertainment. While the development of the technology has mostly been pounced upon by the video game industry, the theatre and film worlds have found ways to benefit from and expand the possibilities of what audiences can engage with inside a pair of high-tech glasses. Notably, Robert LePage's company, Ex Machina, created an interactive, virtual experience called The Library at Night which let audiences roam through real and imagined libraries, including one underwater conundrum and the Library at Alexandria as it burned.

Located in the heart of Boston's vibrant Theater District, Moxy Boston Downtown is partnering with Commonwealth Shakespeare Company to offer Bostonians the opportunity to experience Hamlet 360: Thy Father's Spirit this winter. Taking Shakespeare's most iconic play to the cutting edge of immersive storytelling, the experience embraces the immersive power of VR to plunge viewers into Hamlet's harrowing journey.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) has announced that Associate Artistic Director Adam Sanders has assumed the position of Managing Director of CSC. His past position of Associate Artistic Director will be filled by Elliot Norton Award-winning director Bryn Boice, who will be in charge of CSC's Apprentice Program, CSC2 and Stage2, CSC's Shakespeare performances for young audiences. They will both support Artistic Director Steven Maler in continuing the work of CSC for future seasons.

Babson College and Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) announced today the discontinuation of their partnership effective January, 2020.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Founding Artistic Director Steven Maler, is pleased to present its 24th season of "Free Shakespeare on the Common:" William Shakespeare's romantic fable Cymbeline directed by Fred Sullivan Jr.

Two dozen nominations of outstanding actors, directors, designers and ensembles were announced today by The Boston Theater Critics Association (BTCA), with winners to be revealed at the 37th Annual Elliot Norton Awards on Monday, May 20, 2019 at 7 PM, at the Huntington Avenue Theatre.

Pigeon keepers are an interesting and unique, albeit diminishing, subset of humans, and within that group is a subset, presumably small, of people who identify with the birds. Taking it one step further, Birdy, the protagonist in Naomi Wallace's adaptation of William Wharton's novel BIRDY, identifies, not with, but as a bird. Strange as it sounds, it may be the most sane response to an insane world in this drama that toggles back and forth between a pre-World War II Philadelphia suburb and an Army hospital in post-war Kentucky. It is a war story that plays out on the battlefield of an intense, intimate friendship, where the psychological wounds are more damaging and enduring than the physical ones. Steve Maler's skillful direction unleashes a dazzling palette of colorful performances, each actor contributing a broad brush stroke to the communal masterpiece.

The Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) today announced the nominees for the 23rd Annual IRNE Awards, which honor the best of the previous year's actors, directors, choreographers, designers and companies across the full spectrum of large, mid-size and fringe theater companies. Moulin Rouge!, a new musical produced by Global Creatures, and An American in Paris, produced by the Ogunquit Playhouse, led with 12 and 11 nominations, respectively, in the Large Stage Musical Category. The Huntington Theatre led all companies with 31 nominations across seven productions, including 11 for Man in the Ring, the story of six-time world champion prizefighter Emile Griffith.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) has added three performances to its highly anticipated upcoming production of Birdy, adapted by Naomi Wallace from the novel by William Wharton, and directed by Steven Maler. The production now runs February 27 through March 17 at the Carling-Sorenson Theater at Babson College in Wellesley.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and Founding Artistic Director Steven Maler announced the cast of the second production of its 2018-19 Season: Birdy, adapted by Naomi Wallace from the novel by William Wharton, and directed by Steven Maler. The production runs February 27 through March 10 at the Carling-Sorenson Theater at Babson College in Wellesley.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Founding Artistic Director Steven Maler, announced the cast of the first production of its 2018-19 Season: Universe Rushing Apart: Blue Kettle & Here We Go, two one-act plays by Caryl Churchill, directed by Bryn Boice. The production runs November 7-18 at the Black Box Theater, Sorenson Center for the Arts at Babson College in Wellesley.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Founding Artistic Director Steven Maler, presents its 23rd season of "Free Shakespeare on the Common:" William Shakespeare's drama Richard III, directed by Steven Maler and starring Faran Tahir. Performances are free of charge, and will take place on the Boston Common, near the Parkman Bandstand.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company Founding Artistic Director Steven Malerannounced today the 2018-19 Season, to be presented at the Sorenson Center for the Arts at Babson College in Wellesley, as well as in downtown Boston.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company Founding Artistic Director Steven Maler announced today the 2018-19 Season, to be presented at the Sorenson Center for the Arts at Babson College in Wellesley, as well as in downtown Boston.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Founding Artistic Director Steven Maler, presents its 23rd season of "Free Shakespeare on the Common:" William Shakespeare's drama Richard III, directed by Steven Maler and starring Faran Tahir. Performances are free of charge, and will take place on the Boston Common, near the Parkman Bandstand.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Founding Artistic Director Steven Maler, presents its 23rd season of "Free Shakespeare on the Common:" William Shakespeare's drama Richard III, directed by Steven Maler and starring Faran Tahir. Performances are free of charge, and will take place on the Boston Common, near the Parkman Bandstand.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Founding Artistic Director Steven Maler, is pleased to present its annual Shakespeare and Leadership series, focusing this spring on GENDER AND POWER through scenes of various Shakespeare plays. The event will take place at the Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre at New England Conservatory, on Thursday, April 26.

Babson College is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Sorenson Center for the Arts on February 26, 2018. Richard MBA'68, P'97, P'00 and Sandra P'97, P'00 Sorenson will be back on campus to celebrate the success of their generous gift. Thanks to their support, BabsonARTS is able to present a diverse and impressive array of theater, dance, music, film, video, literary art, and visual arts programming to the Babson community.