ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
By William Shakespeare
Edited and Directed by Tarell Alvin McCraney
February 18 – March 23, 2014
In an exciting international collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company and GableStage, Miami, The Public welcomes back writer/director Tarell Alvin McCraney (The Brother/Sister Plays) as its new artist in residence with ANTONY & CLEOPATRA. At the fringes of a war-torn empire, a man and a woman have fallen desperately, passionately in love. But for a soldier set to enforce the imperial will and the queen of a people intent on throwing off the yoke of empire, there is no place for personal desire. McCraney creates a stripped down, radical new version of Shakespeare’s gripping story of romance set against a world of imperial politics and power play and transports us to 18th century, sun-soaked Saint-Domingue on the eve of revolution. RSC in America is presented in collaboration with The Ohio State University.
Southwest Shakespeare Company
By Bill Cain
Feb. 28 – March 22, 2014
Anita Farnsworth Theater
Mesa Arts Center
1 East Main Street, Mesa, AZ 85201
(480) 644 6500
In London, 1605, a down-and-out playwright called Shagspeare receives a royal commission to write a play promoting the government’s version of the Guy Fawkes’ Gunpowder Plot. As Shag navigates the dangerous course between writing a lie or losing his head, his devoted theatre troupe helps him negotiate each step along the way.
Southwest Shakespeare Company
May 15 – June 1, 2014
Desert Botanical Garden
1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, AZ
A new adaptation of Shakespeare’s immortal A Midsummer Night’s Dream in partnership with the Desert Botanical Garden.
This new vision will include bold visual elements, stunning costumes, lighting and stage magic designed to highlight the Garden. Two seating options are available: general admission and reserved bistro seating for four. If you would like reserved seating, let us seat you at a bistro table. Guests can purchase food & a full cash bar will be available.
Bard on the Beach
June 11 – September 20, 2014
Directed by Dean Paul Gibson
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Meddling fairies, star-crossed lovers and bumbling tradesmen delight in Shakespeare’s beloved comedy. Oberon, King of the Fairies, is upset with his Queen Titania and he commands Puck to produce a powerful nectar that causes love at first sight. The mischievous sprite arranges for Titania to fall for Bottom, a simple weaver (now transformed into an ass) while entangling the affections of four runaway lovers.
Bard’s silver anniversary season revisits the hugely popular 2006 production of Dream, with Dean Paul Gibson back to direct.
Bard on the Beach
June 12 – September 18, 2014
Directed by Meg Roe
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Prospero, a magician and exiled Duke, is stranded on an enchanted island with his daughter Miranda, the spirit Ariel and the slave Caliban. He conjures up a storm that shipwrecks his enemies on the island’s shores. As Prospero and Ariel weave a magical web, surprising alliances form, murder plots are hatched, and romance blossoms between Miranda and the son of Prospero’s deepest foe. Meg Roe, who directed Bard’s 2008 Tempest, returns to deliver a re-imagined version of that season’s hit production.
Bard on the Beach
July 4 – September 17, 2014
Directed by Anita Rochon
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Love, jealousy, betrayal, escape and redemption merge to drive a story about what it means to lose yourself completely – only to find yourself again. Featuring a host of memorable characters and one of Shakespeare’s most finely-etched female leads, the play combines a fairytale quality with a modern sensibility. This physical and fast-paced adaptation is directed by Anita Rochon.