How are YOU celebrating Shakespeare’s 450th birthday? If you haven’t made plans, check out how some of our local theatre companies are honoring Sir William and join in!
________________________________________
“…there was a star danced, and under that was I born.”–Much Ado About Nothing
________________________________________
On the big day, April 23, be on the lookout for the Salty Shakespeare folks who will be doing a flash mob run-through all over the campus of Whittier College. Be especially observant in the lunchroom where, rumor has it, Polonius will be killed. The dress-run is in preparation for a full flash of what the company affectionately calls “Hamlet’s Greatest Hits” that will take place the next day. www.saltyshakespeare.com
Also on the 23rd, Long Beach Shakespeare Company will celebrate by presenting a night of Shakespeare sonnets, with everyone in attendance receiving a book of the complete sonnets as a free gift. www.lbshakespeare.org
The comedy series Complete Works will premiere all five of its episodes on Hulu on Shakespeare’s birthday, April 23. www.completeworks.tvMore
Here’s a last minute notice for Independent Shakespeare Co.’s non-union auditions for Romeo and Juliet. You must submit online by Friday, December 6. The 7-person cast will play ISC’s indoor studio venue and have a limited tour of the Los Angeles area. Actors should be athletic, and have significant classical theater experience. All will play multiple roles in this new adaptation, including, but not limited to, Romeo, Mercutio, Friar Lawrence, and the Nurse. All roles are open except for Juliet. Musical ability is a plus. They are looking for 2 women (20-45) and 3 men (20-45). Romeo and Juliet will be directed by Melissa Chalsma. Interview Dates are December 10 & 11, with callbacks on December 17. For more information and to submit, go to www.actorsaccess.com. [Note: interviews for this production have been moved to January 2014].
Salty Shakespeare will be performing flash mob Shakespeare at Peach Tree Pottery’s 8th annual holiday show on Saturday, December 7th. The company will be flashing between 11 and 4. www.peachtreepottery.net/events
The country’s youngest Shakespeare troupe, Los Angeles Drama Club, gets subversive on December 7 and 8 when they present The Taming of the Shrew Cur at their new home, the Lyric Theatre on La Brea. In this production all the genders are flipped. Kate the Shrew becomes Jake the Cur and her sister Bianca is now Bianco, the boy who all the girls are after. For tickets go to www.losangelesdramaclub.com.
Trip City has announced the launch of The Adventures of Shakespeare & Watson: Detectives of Mystery, a new web series from Chris Miskiewicz and Christopher Piazza. The series pairs William Shakespeare (David Blatt) and Dr. John Watson (Chris Miskiewicz ) as time traveling detectives who are trapped in the present after an accident with their time cane.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson have traveled to William Shakespeare’s era to solve “The Riddle of a Thousand Faces,” but Professor Moriarty has sprung a clever ruse, breaking Sherlock’s “time cane,” causing a “temporal storm” that sends Sherlock and Moriarty to times unknown, and Shakespeare and Watson to the present. Together, the unorthodox partners have formed the premier detective agency in all of north Brooklyn to fight crime while trying to figure out a way to get back to their own eras. The cast also includes award-winning British graphic novelist Nick Abadzis as Sherlock Holmes, and rock & roll drumming legend Ozzie Martinez as the loveable Cracky. Directed by Christopher Piazza. You can view the first four (of thirteen) episodes on YouTube now.
Devon Glover, aka The Sonnet Man, combines Shakespeare’s sonnets and Hip-Hop to appeal to audiences of all ages.
He is currently running a Kickstarter campaign (and is very close to success) with the goal of raising funds to create a curriculum guide, as well as create additional sonnets and videos for students and fans of Shakespeare. If you’d like to contribute, click here for the actual Kickstarter page.
Devon will be in Los Angeles this fall working with Salty Shakespeare on their production of Richard III directed by Nancy Linehan Charles. For more about The Sonnet Man visit www.thesonnetmannyc.com. The Sonnet Man has appeared on The Today Show, Schools and Universities throughout the NYC area, and an annual performance in Negril, Jamaica, featured in the Soul Rebellion concert for the NEET program.
Planning on seeing Fiasco Theatre’s Cymbeline at The Broad? Watch for the Salty Shakespeare folks who will be flashing at the Broad on Saturday, December 15th, 1:15 – 2pm, before the matinee performance. You’ll see them out on the front patio and in the back courtyard. The drunken porter from the Scottish Play will be staggering through, along with Hamlet and Bottom, Ophelia and Titania and the crazy teenagers from Midsummer. You might even see Rose Guildencrantz.
And tomorrow, Saturday December 8th, you can find them flashing the Peachtree Pottery gallery on Boise Avenue in Mar Vista. Watch for Kate and Petruchio to make an appearance between noon and 5:00 pm. You never know when they’ll pop up so keep your eyes open…and to keep up on all the company’s comings and goings, visit their website at www.saltyshakespeare.org.
Salty Shakespeare is tearing down the walls and bringing Shakespeare straight to the people. Join them on the beach for a sleek cutting of A Midsummer Night’s Dream on the Venice Beach boardwalk at Sunset Ave. August 26, 27 & 28 at 4:00 pm. Sit on your beach towel or stand right with the actors as you watch a fairy kingdom of surfer dudes and skaters; teen lovers who are volleyball freaks, and rude mechanicals as indigenous artists and poets a day or two out of rehab – plus a Puck that’s one helluva rapper.
Bring the whole family and get ready for Guerrilla Shakespeare in action as the play erupts right out of the crowd. Admission is FREE. Click Here for more information.
RT @LADramaCC: @LADramaCC is proud to announce the nominees for theatrical excellence for 2020 and 2021. Congratulations to all the nominee…---- 9 months ago
RT @LADramaCC: The 2022 @LADramaCC is pleased to announce its current officers and members for the upcoming 2022- 2023 season. Founded in 1…---- 10 months ago
Shakespeare in LA 