Oregon Shakespeare Festival
February 21 – November 3, 2013
[button url=”http://www.osfashland.org/experience-osf/current-season/buy-tickets.aspx” target=”blank”]Buy Tickets[/button]King Lear is ready to turn his realm over to his three daughters. His plan is simple: Give the biggest piece to the daughter who loves him most. But honeyed words and hubris blind Lear to the true motives of those around him, plunging king and kingdom into a hell of treachery, madness and unspeakable acts—with consequences that reveal the worst and best in human nature.
Seattle Shakespeare Company
Oct. 23-Nov. 17, 2013
Directed by George Mount
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Everyone knows that Beatrice and Benedick were meant for each other…except these two sharp-tongued wits can’t see it themselves! Only the shared resolve of redeeming a young girl’s honor brings the warring pair together. Filled with eccentric clowns, heart-warming families, and troublesome rogues, this vibrant comic celebration of romance will have you cheering when love eventually wins out.
Seattle Shakespeare Company
Jan. 8-Feb. 2, 2014
Directed by Rosa Joshi
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This lyrical beginning to the War of the Roses is among the most moving of all of Shakespeare’s histories. More poet than monarch, Richard II is ill-suited to the role that lineage and legacy demands of him. Surrounded by ambitious men who would prey on his vulnerabilities, Richard is toppled from the throne by his cunning and capable cousin, Henry. But in the loss of his worldly power, Richard makes an unexpected revelation far more important than any kingdom.
Lantern Theater
February 6 – March 16, 2014
Directed by Charles McMahon
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Idealism, envy, and power politics collide as the Roman Republic reaches a crisis. Caesar’s political genius, military prowess, and overwhelming popular appeal make him the most powerful leader the Republic has ever known. But his popularity breeds suspicion among his rivals and some fear Caesar’s power will corrode the freedom of the State. Shakespeare’s vision of Rome is both epic and intimate, from powerful speeches in grand public squares to whispered conspiracies in back rooms and dark hallways. There in the shadows, unlikely alliances set up a chain of events that bring down the great Caesar and thrust Rome into a disastrous civil war. Tony Award nominee Forrest McClendon leads an all-Philadelphia cast in Shakespeare’s timeless political thriller, brought to you by “the city’s top presenter of Shakespeare’s work.” (TheaterMania.com)
Chicago Shakespeare Festival
February 6 – March 23, 2014
Directed by: Gary Griffin
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Boasting one show-stopping song after another—like “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” and “Let Me Entertain You”—this classic musical is inspired by memoirs of the burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee; and it marks Associate Artistic Director Gary Griffin’s continued exploration of the Sondheim canon. Tony Award® nominee Louise Pitre makes her Chicago Shakespeare debut as Rose, the most infamous of all stage mothers. Pitre’s career highlights include many critically acclaimed performances in the theater, on television and concert stages across North America and Europe. Gypsy, a jewel of the American musical theater, has been described by The New York Times critic Frank Rich as “Broadway’s own brassy, unlikely answer to King Lear.”
The Tempest
- February 14 – November 2, 2014
- Angus Bowmer Theatre
- By William Shakespeare | Directed by Tony Taccone
Rough magic and brave new worlds
For 12 years, the exiled Duke Prospero has waited for this moment: Old enemies have sailed too close to his enchanted island, and a mighty storm has forced them ashore. Now it’s time to settle old scores and reclaim his former dukedom for his daughter, Miranda. Aided by supernatural powers, Prospero dispenses justice while overseeing the growing attraction between Miranda and the princely son of one of his foes. In Shakespeare’s romance, sorcery and love transmute vengeance into humility and humanity, making it possible for all to return to a world made new by the power of forgiveness.
This production of “The Tempest” is part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, a national theatre initiative sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts Midwest.