Naked Shakespeare Returns To Space Gallery With FOOLS FOR LOVE Scene Night

Acorn Productions continues the company's 2009/10 season of Naked Shakespeare events with two evenings of scenes at SPACE Gallery on Congress Street in downtown Portland. Titled "Fools for Love," the evening will feature 9 scenes from such well-known plays as King Lear, Richard III, and Twelfth Night, as well as lesser-known gems from The Winter's Tale and Measure for Measure. The scenes were chosen with an eye towards connecting the depths of the lover's passion with the seeming folly of the fool's antics. True to the company's aesthetic, the scenes will be staged in various locations around the space, allowing for an element of surprise as audience members morph into actors at unexpected times. A recent upgrade in the lighting system at SPACE Gallery will allow the company to provide better visibility as the actors jump from scene to scene throughout the room, providing for an immediacy and intimacy that has become one of the company's trademarks. The performance is free with a $10 suggested donation requested to support the work of Naked Shakespeare.

For the past 5 seasons, Naked Shakespeare has been presenting their unique brand of performances in a variety of non-traditional venues. The company is dedicated to making the work of the world's greatest playwright accessible to all audience members, even those that are not familiar with his work. The ambience and performance style encourage an intimate relationship between actor and audience that allows the language to take center stage. Naked Shakespeare performances are presented with minimal lights, costumes and props to hearken back to the way the bard's works were originally performed in The Globe Theatre. Best-known for its monthly "Sonnets and Soliloquies" presentations at the Wine Bar, the ensemble occasionally offers longer and more fully-realized performances in order to more fully explore the emotional lives of Shakespeare's characters Whatever the venue or length of the text, Naked Shakespeare actors perform in a style that allows for a playful interaction with each other and the audience, celebrating the timeless nature of the poetry by providing a contemporary context for the text.

"Fools for Love" is directed by Karen Ball, Michael Levine, and Steve Urkowitz, and features company members Seth Berner, Laura Graham, Maggie Gish, Paul Haley, Chris Hoffman, Pat Mew, Debby Paley, Kerry Rasor, Jeffrey Roberts, April Singley, Johnny Speckman, and Eric Worthley. The scene night is the first of several events planned for the winter and spring season, including an abridged performance of The Tempest at USM's Luther Bonney Hall on March 18 and 19, and a full-length production of As You Like It in Westbrook's Riverbank Park from May 14 to 23. Call Acorn Productions at 854-0065 or visit www.nakedshakespeare.org for more information about "Fools for Love" or any other Naked Shakespeare event.

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