Chicago Shakespeare Festival
March 30 – April 13, 2014
Adaptor/Director: Emma Rice
[button url=”http://www.chicagoshakes.com/plays_and_events/tristan#sthash.7evS10J2.dpuf” target=”blank”]Buy Tickets[/button]
Lauded all around the world for its trademark vitality, the artistic collective from Cornwall, England, Kneehigh makes its long-awaited Chicago debut with the iconic work that first catapulted the company to international fame. Marrying gorgeous music and ingenious staging with cheeky humor and Wagnerian intensity, Kneehigh now reimagines one of the world’s oldest love stories. Cornish King Mark is at war; he rules with his head, not his heart. But he hasn’t counted on falling head over heels for his enemy’s sister, or expected the arrival of the enigmatic Tristan.
Syracuse Shakespeare Festival
April 4 – April 14, 2014
[button url=”http://syrsf.ticketleap.com/” target=”blank”]Buy Tickets[/button]
Our second plunge into 17th century French comedy gives us even more laughs than last year’s Molierean tickler. It’s another comedy by a French icon, The Suitors, by Jean Racine, Judith Harris directing; one of the most hilarious French plays ever written, Racine’s only comedy (1688), tells of a judge named Nigaud who has lost his mind from overwork but is still possessed with the desire to go to court and try cases day and night. After a brief intermission the second half of this double bill gives you, Commedia dell’Arte, Lynn Barbato directing; the roots of improvisation date back to 16th century Italy where “stock” character types mocked social conventions and they’ll be mocking unconventionally for your laughter and delight.
Chicago Shakespeare Festival
April 29 – June 15, 2014
Director: Christopher Luscombe
[button url=”http://www.chicagoshakes.com/plays_and_events/henryv#sthash.h3ESXDbR.dpuf” target=”blank”]Buy Tickets[/button]
“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!” In a rousing finale to the 2014 season, Shakespeare’s powerful history play takes center stage in our magnificent Courtyard Theater for the very first time. Acclaimed British director Christopher Luscombe, whose work has been featured at the Royal Shakespeare Company, sheds new light on the Bard’s legendary coming-of-age story. Against all odds, a charismatic young monarch confronted by the ferocity of war proves his worth as a man—and king. Henry V is Shakespeare’s rallying cry, celebrating the power of language to summon battlefields from thin air and ignite our souls to action.
Bard on the Beach
June 11 – September 20, 2014
Directed by Dean Paul Gibson
[button url=”https://tickets.bardonthebeach.org/TheatreManager/1/login&event=0″ target=”blank”]Buy Tickets[/button]
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
[button url=”https://tickets.bardonthebeach.org/TheatreManager/1/login&event=0″ target=”blank”]Buy Tickets[/button]
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
[button url=”https://tickets.bardonthebeach.org/TheatreManager/1/login&event=0″ target=”blank”]Buy Tickets[/button]
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.