Shakespeare Performance Showcase at Gustavus

Building on the success of last season’s Physical Theatre Project, the Department of Theatre and Dance at Gustavus will present a Shakespeare Performance Showcase, directed by Amy Seham, in Anderson Theatre, at 8 p.m. Dec. 9-11 and at 2 p.m. Dec. 12.

The Showcase uses Shakespeare’s classic  A Midsummer Night’s Dream as a loose framework, and includes sonnets, monologues and scenes from many other works by the famed playwright. The evening culminates in a delightful rendition Dream’s hilarious play within a play, Pyramus and Thisbe.

Each year, the Showcase is a culmination of a semester-long study of acting skills in a particular genre or technique. This year, advanced acting students focused on the work of William Shakespeare: methods of analyzing and interpreting Shakespeare’s texts, his approach to colorful characters and the power of the Bard’s poetic language.  The production includes sonnets, monologues and scenes from Macbeth and The Taming of the Shrew, and several other plays in addition to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The show provides an enjoyable introduction to Shakespeare for a novice and a wonderful evening for the seasoned Shakespeare enthusiast.  The minimal use of props, set and costumes allows the actors to concentrate on the scenes. And, with a season theme based on Shakespeare’s works, the semester-long study will give the company a great foundation when the department presents Hamlet in the spring.

Included in the cast are faces familiar to Anderson Theatre audiences. The cast includes seniors Kim Braun, Michael Davidson, Christian DeMarais, Bern Egger, Caitlin McCarthey, Megan Myhre, Jordan Walker and Peter Nygren. Others in the large cast are Ethan Bjelland, Ben Kolis, Chloe Radcliff, Lydia Benge Briggs, Rush Benson and Jane Chung.

Tickets for the Shakespeare Performance Showcase are available online at gustavustickets.com and at the Ticket Center in the Jackson Student Center. Reserved seats are $9 for adults and $6 for seniors and students. Tickets remaining on the day of the performance will be available in the Anderson Theatre lobby one hour prior to curtain.