Suzanne O'Donnell News

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF presents To Kill a Mockingbird from January 21 - March 8, 2015. Directed by Thomas Ouellette (Race; Romeo and Juliet; and Pride and Prejudice), Christopher Sergel's adaptation of Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning novel comes to life on the Margeson Theater stage. Playing in repertory with Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor (February 4 - March 7, 2015), tickets to both productions are available now by calling (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, visiting www.orlandoshakes.org, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street).

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF dares audiences to take a risk on new plays at PlayFest from this weekend, November 1 - 3, 2014. Presented by Harriett's Charitable Trust, the fast-paced weekend is packed with lively discussions, engaging playwright panels, and new play readings, along with a keynote speech from playwright Mark St. Germain. This season's event marks the twelfth festival of new plays at the Theater.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF dares audiences to take a risk on new plays at PlayFest from November 1 - 3, 2014. Presented by Harriett's Charitable Trust, the fast-paced weekend is packed with lively discussions, engaging playwright panels, and new play readings, along with a keynote speech from playwright Mark St. Germain. This season's event marks the twelfth festival of new plays at the Theater.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF announces partial casting for the seven productions in its 2014-2015 Signature Series. Following an extensive nationwide search, Artistic Director Jim Helsinger has handpicked a talented group of Broadway veterans and local favorites to bring the Theater's 26th Season to life.

Visions of power captivate and corrupt as the star couple craft their dark fantasies into crimson reality in Shakespeare's Macbeth as envisioned by PSF Producing Artistic Director Patrick Mulcahy. Previewing July 17 and 18, and opening July 19 on the Main Stage, Macbeth runs through August 3.

The wildly hilarious Tony-Award winning comedy Lend Me a Tenor opens tonight, July 11 at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Running in repertory with Shakespeare's Macbeth, the production continues through August 3 in the PSF Main Stage theatre on the campus of DeSales University. Get a first look at the cast in action below!

Tennessee Shakespeare Company asked our actor playing Petruchio, Paul Kiernan?, five questions now that he's been through the first week of rehearsal with us for The Taming of the Shrew.

Very rarely does a play leave you visibly shaking. Orlando Shakes' Harriett's New Play Series piece PLUTO explores the taboo subject of a mass shooting perpetrator's psyche and difficulty of accepting change. The material is heavy, but incredibly thought provoking and profoundly moving.

Pluto, A National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere by Steve Yockey, will be directed by Mark Routhier at Orlando Shakespeare Theater, beginning tonight, February 27 and running through March 23, 2014. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF will present Steve Yockey's Pluto, part of Harriett's New Play Series, from tonight, February 27 - March 23, 2014. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action!

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF will present Steve Yockey's Pluto, part of Harriett's New Play Series, from February 27 - March 23, 2014. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action!

It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play by Joe Landry, featuring original music and musical arrangements by Kevin Connors, is directed by Robert Cacioppo at Orlando Shakespeare Theater, running now through December 29, 2013. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

The classic 1946 holiday movie, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE comes to life on stage, but with an Orlando Shakes twist. Brilliantly staged as a live radio play, the audience gets to see and hear IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE as if it were being performed in as an old time radio show - cleverly branded WOST. This unique interpretation makes for a fun and thoroughly entertaining for young and old.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF warms Central Florida audiences with the holiday cheer of Joe Landry's It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. Performed as a 1940s live radio broadcast and directed by Florida Rep's founding Producing Artistic Director, Robert Cacioppo, It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play begins tonight, December 4 and runs through December 29, 2013 at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center in Loch Haven Park.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF is proud to present Steve Yockey's Pluto, part of Harriett's New Play Series, from February 27 - March 23, 2014. In collaboration with Atlanta's Actor's Express and Washington, DC's Forum Theatre, Orlando Shakespeare Theater will produce the National New Play Network's (NNPN) 35th Rolling World Premiere through the Network's Continued Life of New Plays Fund. Directed by Mark Routhier, the production features Orlando actors John Connon, Jillian Gizzi, Heather Leonardi, Chris Metz, and Suzanne O'Donnell. Tickets ($17 and $25) can be purchased by calling the Box Office at (407) 447-1700, online at www.orlandoshakes.org, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center in Loch Haven Park.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF warms Central Florida audiences with the holiday cheer of Joe Landry's It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. Performed as a 1940s live radio broadcast and directed by Florida Rep's founding Producing Artistic Director, Robert Cacioppo, It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play begins December 4 and runs through December 29, 2013 at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center in Loch Haven Park. Tickets ($17-$40) may be purchased by calling the Box Office at (407) 447-1700 or online at http://orlandoshakes.org.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF proudly presents its annual new play festival, PlayFest, from November 8-10, 2013. This fast-paced weekend is packed with lively discussions, engaging panels, and new play readings, along with a keynote speech from award-winning playwright Lee Blessing. PlayFest 2013 is part of Harriett's New Play Series and marks the eleventh festival of new plays at Orlando Shakespeare Theater. Tickets to individual PlayFest readings ($5) may be purchased by calling the Box Office at (407) 447-1700, online at http://www.orlandoshakes.org, or in person inside the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center, 812 East Rollins Street in Orlando's Loch Haven Park.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF warms Central Florida audiences with the holiday cheer of Joe Landry's It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. Performed as a 1940s live radio broadcast and directed by Florida Rep's founding Producing Artistic Director, Robert Cacioppo, It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play begins December 4 and runs through December 29, 2013 at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center in Loch Haven Park. Tickets ($17-$40) may be purchased by calling the Box Office at (407) 447-1700 or online at http://orlandoshakes.org.

Make no mistake about it, Shakespeare's plays, despite their intellectual reputation, are filled with content that, if written today, would draw the ire of many parents. However, when Shakespeare used rape, drugs and alcohol, and murder in his plays, it was always as a vehicle to serve the larger story. When his plays featured lies, betrayals, and manipulations, they were always motivated by the unique psychology of the individual characters. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for 'The Cortez Method,' running through September 22nd at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater.