#MaConnia Chesser

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Flight 1619 Finally Lifts Off in SpeakEasy/Front Porch’s Ambitious ‘Ain’t No Mo’

Cast of SpeakEasy/Front Porch’s ‘Ain’t No Mo’ Photos: Nile Scott StudiosMaConnia Chesser, Kiera Prusmack, De’Lon Grant, Schanaya Barrows, and Dru Sky Berrian. By Shelley A. Sackett Jordan E. Cooper’s Ain’t No Mo is a complicated, uneven, scathing, audacious, and hilarious rollercoaster ride of a play. It covers a lot of ground, and Cooper dips his pen into the inkwell of every genre known to…

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We recorded this episode live at Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, with musical accompaniment by a quintet of BSO musicians: Rachel Childers on horn, Clint Foreman on flute, Catherine French on violin, Ben Levy on double bass, and Suzanne Nelsen on bassoon.

Our cast included: Lauren Ambrose, MaConnia Chesser, Scott Cohen, Josh Gondelman, and Peter Riegert.

Lauren Ambrose is an Emmy, Tony, and Grammy nominee from the award-winning Showtime series, “Yellowjackets.” She’s also starred in “Servant” on Apple TV+ and “Six Feet Under” on HBO.

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REVIEW: "As You Like It" at Shakespeare & Company

REVIEW: “As You Like It” at Shakespeare & Company

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REVIEW: "The Merry Wives of Windsor" at Shakespeare & Company

REVIEW: “The Merry Wives of Windsor” at Shakespeare & Company

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Finn Wittrock Joins John Douglas Thompson in Reading of "Julius Caesar"

Finn Wittrock Joins John Douglas Thompson in Reading of “Julius Caesar”

(Lenox, MA) – Shakespeare & Company presents a one-time-only performance of Julius Caesar directed by Founding Artistic Director Tina Packer, who was recently honored by a Lifetime Achievement Award by The Shakespeare Theatre Association. The special staged reading features the Obie Award-winning John Douglas Thompson as Brutus and Finn Wittrock as Mark Antony, along with a cast of returning…

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by Barbara Waldinger

Kevin G. Coleman, the Director of Education and founding member of Shakespeare & Company, and runner-up for the Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre Education (2016), believes that “The Merry Wives of Windsor is Shakespeare having fun.  Period.  No grand themes. No deep waters.”  And that’s what he provides in his direction of this farce, now playing at Shakespeare & Company’s outdoor Roman Garden Theatre.

This company has always set a premium on education, with its extensive outreach programs to teachers and students throughout the Northeast, including the annual Fall Festival of Shakespeare, which brings together ten high schools in nine-week workshops that culminate in a weekend of full productions (abbreviated) of several Shakespeare plays.  Over the summer the Riotous Youth programs of two-week sessions for students ages 7-15 offer an opportunity to perform on Friday afternoons, and school residencies of one day to ten weeks introduce students from elementary through high school to Shakespeare’s text, culminating in a community performance.  Their one month January intensive for actors is often the training ground for future company members.

In this way, Shakespeare & Company builds its own unique version of a repertory theatre, training future generations of actors who often return each season to perform in their productions.  In the present gender-crossing, age-crossing, exuberant production of The Merry Wives of Windsor, Coleman, a master teacher, has incorporated young people in combination with more experienced actors. The two youngest cast members are Tobias Goodman, 15 years old, and Mary Shalaby, a high school senior, who trained with the company in their schools, and are each admirably interpreting several distinct roles.

The convoluted plot, especially difficult to understand in the long first act, concerns itself with the comical, overweight Sir John Falstaff (Nigel Gore), a favorite character from the Henry IV plays.  It is said that Shakespeare wrote this in a hurry by royal command perhaps because Queen Elizabeth, according to an old tradition, expressed a wish to see Falstaff in love.  Here we find him wooing Mistress Ford (Jennie M. Jadow) and Mistress Page (MaConnia Chesser), the wives of the title.  Falstaff, driven by lust and greed (acquiring their husbands’ money), infuriates the jealous Master Ford (Martin Jason Asprey), and provides the wives, disgusted by his identical love letters to each of them, the opportunity for revenge.  Another plot involves the Welsh parson, Sir Hugh Evans (Bella Merlin), who is visited by Justice Shallow (Madeleine Rose Maggio) and his cousin Slender (Gregory Boover), both conned by Falstaff and consequently also seeking revenge.  Evans talks Slender into wooing the daughter of Mistress Page, Anne (Jordan Cobb), whose mother wants her to marry the French physician, Dr. Caius (an amusing Glenn Barrett), though she is in love with a gentleman named Fenton, played by the ubiquitous and endlessly inventive Boover.  Adding to the confusion is the doubling of cast members, despite the wonderful costumes (by Kiki Smith) that strive to distinguish the characters.

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Coleman, a brilliant actor whose clowning onstage has entertained generations of patrons, encourages every cast member to play his/her character to the hilt—no choice is too outlandish or too anachronistic  for these performers or designers, including rock music between scenes and hilarious sound effects (by Amy Altadonna).  The second act is a marvel of comic antics as easy to understand as the first act is dense.  Two towering performances are Nigel Gore’s Falstaff and Martin Jason Asprey’s Ford.  Their many years of experience is obvious:  between them they have been with Shakespeare & Company for thirty-eight seasons (12 for Gore and 26 for Asprey, son of Tina Packer, founding Artistic Director).  Their scenes together are priceless, as Ford pretends to be Master Brook (unknown to Falstaff), who claims that his love for Mistress Ford will be requited only if the gullible Falstaff, well paid for his trouble, can demonstrate, by sleeping with her, that she is willing to be unfaithful to her husband.  Repeatedly Ford shows up just as Falstaff is about to make his move, depriving him of his desired evidence while causing injury and humiliation for Falstaff as he attempts to escape detection.  Ford’s subsequent soliloquies about the misery of being married are comic gems.  In the end, predictably, everyone is revenged on poor Falstaff while true love wins out, amid joyful song and dance.

The Rose Garden is a perfect setting to enjoy this production on a beautiful summer afternoon, with minimal props, a few small trees, a bench, two archways and a couple of fences (by set designer Jim Youngerman).  Read the play or check out a plot summary in advance in order to fully appreciate the work of this lively company of players.

  THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR runs from August 8—September 1.  Tickets may be purchased online at shakespeare.org or call 413-637-3353.

Shakespeare & Company presents THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR by William Shakespeare.  Directed by Kevin G. Coleman.  Cast:  Martin Jason Asprey (Frank Ford), Steven Barkhimer (George Page), Glenn Barrett (Dr. Caius), Gregory Boover (Master Fenton/Abraham Slender), MaConnia Chesser (Meg Page), Jordan Cobb (Anne Page/Hostess), Tobias Goodman (Pistol/Simple/John), Nigel Gore (Sir John Falstaff), Cloteal L. Horne (Mistress Quickly), Jennie M. Jadow (Alice Ford), Madeleine Rose Maggio (Robert Shallow/Bardolph), Bella Merlin (Sir Hugh Evans), Mary  Shalaby (Nym/Rugby/Robin/Robert).  Set Designer:  Jim Youngerman; Costume Designer:  Kiki Smith; Sound Designer:  Amy Altadonna; Vocal Coach:  Gwendolyn Schwinke; Faerie Whisperer/Composer:  Kristin Wold; Fight Director:  Kevin G. Coleman; Stage Manager:  Diane Healy.

Running Time:  2 hours 20 minutes with a 15 minute intermission; Shakespeare & Company, Rose Garden Theatre, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA., from August 8; closing September 1. https://www.shakespeare.org/

  REVIEW: “The Merry Wives of Windsor” at Shakespeare & Company by Barbara Waldinger Kevin G. Coleman, the Director of Education and founding member of Shakespeare & Company,

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Shakespeare & Company Presents Reading of "Julius Caesar" with John Douglas Thompson

Shakespeare & Company Presents Reading of “Julius Caesar” with John Douglas Thompson

“Let slip the dogs of war”

(Lenox, MA) – Shakespeare & Company presents a one-time-only performance of Julius Caesar directed by Founding Artistic Director Tina Packer, who was recently honored by a Lifetime Achievement Award by The Shakespeare Theatre Association. The special staged reading features the Obie Award-winning John Douglas Thompson as Brutus along with a cast of returning Company…

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Performances Run August 8 – September 1, 2019

“O powerful Love, that in some respects makes a beast a man, in some other a man a beast.” – Act V, Scene V

(Lenox, MA) – Shakespeare & Company presents William Shakespeare’s madcap comedy, The Merry Wives of Windsor directed by founding company member and Director of Education, Kevin G. Coleman, who was Runner-Up for the Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre Education in 2016. The Merry Wives of Windsor runs from August 8 to September 1 outdoors in the Roman Garden Theatre.

“The Merry Wives of Windsor is Shakespeare having fun. Period,” said Director Kevin G. Coleman. “No grand themes. No deep waters. No pushing the Renaissance envelope. When Shakespeare is having fun, it runs the gamut from groaningly predictable to surprisingly sophisticated with every stop in between. Shakespeare was masterful at pleasing his audience. Come enjoy the wisdom and wit of these women of Windsor. It’s all in fun.”

The play begins when Sir John Falstaff vastly underestimates the Merry Wives in the town of Windsor, as he hatches a frothy scheme to drain their bank accounts and drive their husbands insane with jealousy. Antics ensue as Falstaff continues to overestimate his own ability to dupe good people and pull off his scheme of deceit. With The Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare once again proves that the best human foibles are the ones we can laugh at.

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The production is generously sponsored by The Dr. Gerald and Roberta Friedman Foundation, and will feature Martin Jason Asprey (Mr. Frank Ford), Steven Barkhimer (George Page), Gregory Boover (Master Fenton), MaConnia Chesser (Meg Page), Jordan Cobb (Anne Page), Tobias Goodman (Pistol/Simple), Nigel Gore (Sir John Falstaff), Cloteal L. Horne (Mistress Quickly), Jennie M. Jadow (Alice Ford), Madeleine Rose Maggio (Robert Shallow), Bella Merlin (Sir Hugh Evans), and Mary Shalaby (Nym/Rugby).

The creative team includes Kevin G. Coleman (Director), Raz Golden (Assistant Director), Diane Healy (Stage Manager), Kathleen Soltan (Assistant Stage Manager), Jim Youngerman (Set Designer), Kiki Smith (Costume Designer), Gwendolyn Schwinke (Voice Coach), Kristin Wold (Movement Director), and Shane Burgett (Associate Technical Director).

Tickets for The Merry Wives of Windsor are available online at shakespeare.org, or by calling Shakespeare & Company’s box office at (413) 637-3353. The show runs from August 8 to September 1. The Roman Garden Theatre is outdoors and wheelchair accessible. Shakespeare & Company is located at 70 Kemble St. in Lenox, Massachusetts. Join us for a free pre-show talk on August 13 at 3:45 pm for insight into the plot and characters of the play to enhance your experience. Additionally, join Director Kevin G. Coleman and cast members for a Director’s Panel on Saturday, August 3 at 11:00 am. Tickets for the Director’s Panel are $10 for adults and free for students, and can be purchased at shakespeare.org.

The Company’s 2019 Summer Season also includes Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and The Taming of The Shrew, and a special workshop production of Coriolanus; plus Tony nominee The Children by Lucy Kirkwood, The Pulitzer Prize-winning Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks, and Tony Award nominee, Time Stands Still by Donald Margulies.

AT A GLANCE: PRODUCTION: The Merry Wives of Windsor PLAYWRIGHT: William Shakespeare DIRECTOR: Kevin G. Coleman ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Raz Golden STAGE MANAGER: Diane Healy ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: Kathleen Soltan SET DESIGNER: Jim Youngerman COSTUME DESIGNER: Kiki Smith VOICE COACH: Gwendolyn Schwinke MOVEMENT DIRECTOR: Kristin Wold ASSOCIATE TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Shane Burgett

CAST MEMBERS: MR. FRANK FORD: Martin Jason Asprey GEORGE PAGE: Steven Barkhimer MASTER FENTON: Gregory Boover MEG PAGE: MaConnia Chesser ANNE PAGE: Jordan Cobb PISTOL/SIMPLE: Tobias Goodman SIR JOHN FALSTAFF: Nigel Gore MISTRESS QUICKLY: Cloteal L. Horne ALICE FORD: Jennie M. Jadow ROBERT SHALLOW: Madeleine Rose Maggio SIR HUGH EVANS: Bella Merlin NYM/RUGBY: Mary Shalaby

SCHEDULE: AUGUST Thursday, August 8 – 5:00 pm (Preview) Friday, August 9 – 5:00 pm (Preview) Saturday, August 10 – 5:00 pm (Preview) Sunday, August 11 – 5:00 pm (Opening) Tuesday, August 13 – 5:00 pm Wednesday, August 14 – 5:00 pm (Press Night) Thursday, August 15 – 5:00 pm Friday, August 16 – 5:00 pm Saturday, August 17 – 5:00 pm Sunday, August 18 – 5:00 pm Tuesday, August 20 – 5:00 pm Wednesday, August 21 – 5:00 pm Thursday, August 22 – 5:00 pm Friday, August 23 – 5:00 pm Saturday, August 24 – 5:00 pm Sunday, August 25 – 5:00 pm Tuesday, August 27 – 5:00 pm Wednesday, August 28 – 5:00 pm Thursday, August 29 – 5:00 pm Friday, August 30 – 5:00 pm Saturday, August 31 – 5:00 pm

SEPTEMBER Sunday, September 1 – 5:00 pm (Closing)

Rain Policy From time to time weather may affect your enjoyment of the performance in The Roman Garden Theatre. Most often the show will go on and depending on the severity of the rain, will be performed as scheduled. If rain is heavy, performance in The Roman Garden Theatre will be moved to the Company’s tented Rose Theatre.

About William Shakespeare Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist. His works, including some collaborations, consist of about 37 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

About Kevin G. Coleman Founding Member (Director of Education, Board of Trustees, Fight Director) Kevin is one of Shakespeare & Company’s artistic and administrative leaders. He works in the Performance and Training departments as an actor, teacher, and director, and oversees the mission of the Education department. Kevin teaches text analysis, stage combat, and clown, and has been a guest teacher or director at MIT, Harvard, L.S.U., Stanford, Shenandoah Shakespeare, Q.U.T.- Brisbane, Lincoln Center, the Folger Library, Shakespeare Festivals in both Stratfords, and the Mercury Theatre in Colchester, UK. Kevin is the Theatre Director at the Austen Riggs Center, where he has directed over 30 productions. In 2016, Kevin was Runner-Up for the Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre Education.

About Shakespeare & Company Located in the beautiful Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, Shakespeare & Company is one of the leading Shakespeare festivals of the world. Founded in 1978, the organization attracts over 40,000 patrons annually. The Company is also home to an internationally renowned Center for Actor Training and award-winning Education Program. More information is available at www.shakespeare.org.

Shakespeare & Company Presents “The Merry Wives of Windsor” Performances Run August 8 - September 1, 2019 "O powerful Love, that in some respects makes a beast a man, in some other a man a beast." 

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(Lenox, MA) – Honoring beloved Founder and Director of Training Dennis Krausnick, Shakespeare & Company hosts a special memorial program open to the public. On Monday, June 24, 2019, at 1:00pm the Company welcomes community members and fellow artists to gather for the Dennis Krausnick Celebration of Life, held in the Tina Packer Playhouse Tent on the Shakespeare & Company campus, at 70 Kemble Street in Lenox, MA.

“Dennis’ contribution to my life and to the company’s life is immeasurable,” said Tina Packer, “in part because we were passionate about the same things, but also because he had the knack of filling in whenever and wherever rifts were seen and difficulties encountered. For instance, when we first arrived at the Mount in 1978, Dennis went two days early to organize the house and decide how the 20 people moving in would all share it. Or the times he stepped in as Managing Director during the first 20 years. He was integral to forming the Company and keeping us together, creating structures, listening to aspirations and disappointments, never once wavering in his own commitment.  In year two, he organized us as two non-profits—Shakespeare & Company and Edith Wharton Restoration, Inc. When we needed plays about Edith Wharton, or adapting her work, Dennis wrote them. Dennis held us together.  He held me together.  And I hope this day can offer some small glimpse into the life he lived, as an artist, as a partner, and as a friend.”

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It was with deep sadness that Shakespeare & Company announced the passing of beloved Founder and Director of Training Dennis Krausnick this past November. Dennis was a leader of the Company since its inception in 1978.  He was the cherished husband of Tina Packer, Founding Artistic Director of Shakespeare & Company; and step-father to Martin Jason Asprey, Actor and fellow Company Member. Dennis also left behind many loving friends, artistic collaborators, students, and fellow Shakespeare & Company supporters. The Company’s 2019 Season is dedicated to his legacy.

‘Dennis was my first teacher here, and my last,” said Artistic Director Allyn Burrows. “Missing him is surpassed only by how much we appreciate his dedication and enrichment of this Company.”

Shakespeare & Company now invites their extended community to gather as the summer season begins, to celebrate the life and legacy of Dennis. The day includes: a memorial program with stories and sentiments from Dennis’ life, a curation of his artistic work, and afternoon tea. Throughout the day Dennis’ recently published book of poetry, White Flash, will be available for purchase, with 100% of the purchase price going to the recently established Dennis Krausnick Fellowship Fund. The Fund, initiated by Dennis, supports scholarships to increase diversity within the Shakespeare & Company’s Center For Actor Training.

Much of what Shakespeare & Company strives to be in the world can be traced to Dennis,” said friend, fellow Founder, and Director of Education, Kevin G. Coleman. “The theatre artists he inspired and encouraged over the years can hardly be counted. His insight as a writer and director, and his courage as a teacher and performer can hardly be measured. But for me, it was always his friendship.”

“Over the last few months, I have been more and more amazed by the outpouring of love and appreciation for Dennis,” said Company Member and Committee Chair MaConnia Chesser. “It is almost overwhelming to understand that the impact he had on my life is echoed in the thousands of lives he has reached through this teaching, directing, writing, acting and community service.  It is truly an honor for me to be part of creating this day for my friend, and I hope it gives his family, students, colleagues and friends an opportunity to participate in our celebration of a truly exceptional man and artist.

The Company kindly requests all individuals interested in attending to please RSVP by Friday, June 14. To RSVP now please click here or for more information, please call 413-637-1199. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to the Dennis Krausnick Fellowship Fund here.

The Dennis Krausnick Celebration of Life Committee includes: Steve Ball, Ariel Bock, Allyn Burrows, MaConnia Chesser, Adam Davis, Allie Galen, Kristen Moriarty, Tina Packer, Kirsten Peacock, Tom Rindge, and Kristin Wold.

Dennis Krausnick Celebration of Life:

1:00pm – 1:30pm: White Flash books for sale and bar open at Josie’s Place in the Tina Packer Playhouse

1:30pm – 3:00pm: Special Memorial Program in the Tina Packer Playhouse Tent

3:00pm – 4:30pm: Celebrating Dennis’ Artistic Legacy though performances and poetry in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre  Studios.

4:30pm –  5:30pm: Afternoon Tea and Tree Planting Ceremony outside of the Tina Packer Playhouse.

About The Dennis Krausnick Fellowship Fund The Dennis Krausnick Fellowship Fund was established by Shakespeare & Company co-founder Dennis Krausnick in 2018 to provide scholarships for under-represented people of color to become Shakespeare actors, as well as resources for promising artists of color to become teachers of the Company’s work. The Dennis Krausnick Fellowship Fund also supports periodic retreats, bringing teachers and trainees together to brainstorm about the direction of the work, to strengthen the Center for Actor Training programs, and explore how to collaborate and celebrate more deeply. Lastly, the Fund may be used to support artists from war torn countries to participate in Shakespeare & Company’s Center for Actor Training programs. To donate to the Dennis Krausnick Fellowship Fund, visit shakespeare.org/actor-training.

About Shakespeare & Company Located in the beautiful Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, Shakespeare & Company is one of the leading Shakespeare festivals of the world. Founded in 1978, the organization attracts over 40,000 patrons annually. The Company is also home to an internationally renowned Center for Actor Training and award-winning Education Program. More information is available at www.shakespeare.org.

Shakespeare & Company Hosts Celebration of Life in Honor of Dennis Krausnick (Lenox, MA) – Honoring beloved Founder and Director of Training Dennis Krausnick, Shakespeare & Company hosts a special memorial program open to the public.

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2019 W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Festival Opens with Staged Reading of "Beyond the Veil"

2019 W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Festival Opens with Staged Reading of “Beyond the Veil”

(Great Barrington, MA) On January 25th at 7:00pm, the Town of Great Barrington’s W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Committee will launch the 2019 Du Bois Legacy Festival with a staged reading of Beyond the Veil, written by Emily DeVoti, directed by Regge Life, and performed by Shakespeare and Company at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center(14 Castle Street, Great Barrington). The evening’s lead sponsor is…

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by Jenny Hansell

A wooded glade lined with white pine trees in the Berkshires is a perfect stand-in for the Forest of Arden, the setting for As You Like It, the tale of palace intrigue, battling brothers, pastoral comedy and young love now at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox.

Duke Frederick has banished his brother, Duke Senior, from court, but allowed Duke Senior’s daughter Rosalind to stay as companion to his own daughter, Celia.  Young Orlando has been forced into poverty by his brother Oliver, who is withholding the fortune Orlando inherited from their father. As the play gets underway, Duke Frederick has a change of heart and sends Rosalind away, accusing her of being a traitor like her father. She and Celia decide to disguise themselves and go to the Forest of Arden, but not before she has fallen in love with Orlando after watching him in a wrestling match.  Later, in the forest, disguised as Ganymede, a young page, she tests Orlando’s love for his fair Rosalind.

The director, Allyn Burrows, has set the play in the Roaring ‘20s, and the young women wear drop-waist dresses and cloche hats designed by Govane Lohbauer. The cast is filled with S&Co regulars and a few first-timers, all of whom handle the language and the slapstick comedy with equal ease.

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As Rosalind, Aimee Doherty sparkles brightly, her singing voice as strong as her acting.  Her loyal bestie, Celia, is played with understated wit by Zoë Laiz, who is also weird and hilarious as Adam, Orlando’s pal, who is variously dragged around in a wheelbarrow or carried like a scarecrow.  Ella Loudon shines in the dual roles of LaBelle, who she plays like a gangly French-accented schoolgirl, and Phoebe, the disdainful object of Silvius’s desperate affection. The latter two are played as backwoods hicks in overalls, caught up in a love triangle (quadrangle really) with Ganymede and Orlando, played with passion and wide-eyed innocence by Deaon Giffin-Pressley. As Silvius, Gregory Boover ably accompanies the plentiful songs on guitar.

Touchstone, the fool, is here female, and her lover is now Aubrey instead of Audrey. As played by MaConnia Chesser and Thomas Brazzle (who is also the dastardly Oliver), they are as lusty and bursting with earthy puns, commenting on the love travails of the others.

The play touches lightly on its themes of love (love at first sight, love between brothers and sisters, lusty love) and the benefits of nature over the artificial constraints of life at court (especially appropriate for a production set in our beautiful Berkshires). But mostly it’s just a romp, with happy endings all around.

As You Like It by William Shakespeare, directed by Allyn Burrows, runs from August 9-September 2, 2018 outdoors in the Roman Garden Theatre at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA. Assistant Director: Lydia Barnett-Mulligan. Set Designer: Jim Youngerman. Costume Designer: Govane Lohbauer. Sound Designer And Original Music: Arshan Gailus. Stage Manager: Diane Healy. Vocal Coach: Ariel Bock. Movement Coach: Karen Beaumont. Choreographer: Susan Dibble. CAST: Gregory Boover as Silvius; Thomas Brazzle as Oliver/Aubrey; MaConnia Chesser as Touchstone; Aimee Doherty as Rosalind; Nigel Gore as Duke Senior/Duke Frederick; Deaon Griffin-Pressley as Orlando; Zoë Laiz as Celia; Ella Loudon as Phoebe; Mark Zeisler as Charles/Jacques.

Tickets for As You Like It are available online at shakespeare.org or by calling Shakespeare & Company’s box office at (413) 637-3353. The Roman Garden Theatre is outdoors and wheelchair accessible. Shakespeare & Company is located at 70 Kemble St. in Lenox, Massachusetts.

REVIEW: “As You Like It” at Shakespeare & Company by Jenny Hansell A wooded glade lined with white pine trees in the Berkshires is a perfect stand-in for the Forest of Arden, the setting for As You Like It, the tale of palace intrigue, battling brothers, pastoral comedy and young love now at…

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Shakespeare & Company Adds Additional Performance Dates to "Intimate Apparel"

Shakespeare & Company Adds Additional Performance Dates to “Intimate Apparel”

  Additionally, an Actor Change is Announced (Lenox, MA) – Shakespeare & Company adds two more performances to its Intimate Apparel run. Written by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage and directed by long-time Company member Daniela Varon, the performances have been selling out, similarly to their production of 4000 Miles last month. With two additional matinee performances…

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by Roseann Cane

 As noted by director Daniela Varon, Lynn Nottage’s play Intimate Apparel takes place in 1905, the same year that Edith Wharton published The House of Mirth. Both works are richly detailed, insightful studies of women, men, and class distinctions in and around New York at the turn of the last century, but while Wharton’s novel examined the more “visible” world of white society, Nottage explores a world that is far less familiar to most of us: that of the disenfranchised, the immigrants, the African-Americans.

 Esther (Nehassaiu deGannes), an unmarried 35-year-old African-American seamstress, creates lingerie from the elegant fabrics she buys from a pious Jewish Romanian immigrant, Mr. Marks (Tommy Schrider). Two of Esther’s clients, Mrs. Van Buren (Christianna Nelson) and Mayme (Medina Senghore) seemingly live on opposite ends of the social spectrum, the former a white woman who has married into a rich New York family; the latter, an African-American bordello worker.

 Esther’s landlady, Mrs. Dickson (MaConnia Chesser), cautions her when Esther enters an epistolary romance with a laborer on the Panama Canal, George Armstrong (Lee Edward Colston II). Mrs. Dickson describes the personal compromises she chose to make when she married a man with money. The now-widowed Mrs. Dickson advises Esther to guard her heart, but Esther is lonely, and eagerly accepts the marriage proposal from the man who writes so lovingly.

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Nottage has written a play that is at once well-crafted and deeply felt, and director Varon and her cast do it proud. deGannes offers a performance so nuanced and moving that the audience gasped loudly several times out of fear and concern for Esther. As the no-nonsense, kind landlady, Chesser has a lovely presence and command of her role. Mayme, the prostitute who happens to be a gifted pianist, is expertly embodied by the beautiful Senghore, and as the unhappy socialite, Nelson does a splendid job revealing her despondence at her own disenfranchisement.

The two men in the cast are strikingly good. Schrider’s palpably gentle soul, and the unrealized connection between his and deGannes’s characters, are deeply poignant.

 I loved that we first see Colston behind a scrim, as he recites his letters to Esther. The gauziness enhances the separation and mystery between George and Esther. George is from Barbados, and in the first act I found Colston’s accent a bit over-enunciated so that it didn’t sound natural. But by the second act, his accent seemed pitch-perfect. (I initially had a similar problem with deGannes’s North Carolina twang; for a small portion of the play, she seemed to stray from the accent, but in short order, her accent became authentic.)

 The scene changes are nicely choreographed by Varon, with actors and a few costumed stagehands whisking props away and moving furniture as we hear well-chosen ragtime music. The first act seemed very long, and I’m still uncertain exactly why. I suspect that as the run progresses, dialogue and set changes will speed up, and that problem will resolve itself. Sandra Goldmark’s set is as attractive as it is practical, with a series of lovely, colorful drapes serving as a backdrop. It’s fun to watch the wheeled furniture transform from scene to scene, with one constant: the bed, though seen at different angles, is always in full view as Nottage intended, a vivid reminder of each character’s experience of intimacy.

 Molly Trainer’s costumes are winning and so appealing. I must admit, however, that I found Nelson’s unnatural-looking blonde wig a distraction. Christopher Peifer’s sound design, Scott Killian’s compositions, and James W. Bilnoski’s lighting design enhanced the play seamlessly.

Intimate Apparel is an important, distinctive American play, and I have little doubt that Shakespeare & Company’s production will get the audience it richly deserves. On opening night, I learned that the entire first weekend was sold out, so I would urge you to make reservations posthaste if you want to see this fine show.

Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage, directed by Daniela Varon, runs July 20-August 13, 2017 in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre on the Shakespeare and Company campus, 70 Kemble Street n Lenox, MA. Set designer Sandra Goldmark; lighting designer James W. Bilnoski; costume designer Molly Trainer; sound designer Christopher Peifer; projections designer Natalie Johnsonius Neubert; stage manager Tori Sheehan; composer/music director Scott Killian. CAST: MaConnia Chesser as Mrs. Dickson;Lee Edward Colston II as George; Nehassaiu deGannes as Esther; Christianna Nelson as Mrs. Van Buren;Tommy Schrider as Mr. Marks; and Medina Senghore as Mayme. Tickets for Intimate Apparel are available online at shakespeare.org, or by calling Shakespeare & Company’s box office at (413) 637-3353

REVIEW: “Intimate Apparel” at Shakespeare & Company by Roseann Cane  As noted by director Daniela Varon, Lynn Nottage’s play Intimate Apparel takes place in 1905, the same year that Edith Wharton published…

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Shakespeare & Company Presents Lynn Nottage's "Intimate Apparel"

Shakespeare & Company Presents Lynn Nottage’s “Intimate Apparel”

“Lynn Nottage… a rare, vital, important theatrical voice…” – The New York Times (Lenox, MA) – Shakespeare & Company presents Intimate Apparel, written by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage and directed by long-time company member Daniela Varon. This winner of the 2004 Steinberg New Play Award, New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award runs in the…

[larryland]

(Lenox, MA) –  Shakespeare & Company is pleased to announce Joan Ackermann: One Playwright, One Weekend with staged play readings Friday, March 17 through Sunday, March 19. Company actors and guest performers will explore the most beloved scripts of prolific playwright, journalist and screenwriter, Joan Ackermann. Ackermann’s plays have been reviewed as very funny from The Wall Street Journal and joyously entertaining by the Louisville Courier Journal. The weekend celebrates her canon of plays, and includes a world premiere script. All six readings will be directed by Ackermann and performed in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre.

“Joan Ackermann is a Berkshire treasure of national renown whose nuanced plays give us an insight into human relationships that is unique,” said Artistic Director Allyn Burrows. “We’re very fortunate to be able to serve up six of them in a single weekend, directed by the playwright herself, in what will surely amount to an Ackermann feast.”

The weekend will include staged readings of Zara Spook and Other Lures called “wonderfully goofy” by The New York Daily News, Stanton’s Garage, The Batting Cage, and Ice Glen along with a collection of short plays and a world premiere script, all penned by acclaimed writer by Joan Ackermann.”

“I’ve had a surprisingly good time preparing for this weekend of readings. I’ve hauled piles of papers and manuscripts out of my study closet and now enjoy browsing through them piled up on tables around my house,” said Ackermann. “For me this is like a family reunion, getting acquainted with beloved old friends, characters who are as alive for me as the actors who inhabited them. I’m very grateful to Shakespeare & Company for this opportunity, and I’m very grateful to my theatre partner, Gillian Seidl, without whom I wouldn’t have travelled this journey.”

Tickets are $25 general admission. $10 student tickets are also available for all performances. A multi-play pass is also available for a 50% discount for five or more shows. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at www.shakespeare.org or by calling the Shakespeare & Company box office at (413) 637-3353. The Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre is wheelchair accessible. Shakespeare & Company is located at 70 Kemble Street in Lenox, Massachusetts. For tickets or more information visit shakespeare.org.

Schedule of Readings:

Friday March 17 7:00pm – Zara Spook and Other Lures by Joan Ackermann – Evelyn is a little woman with a big dream: she hopes to win the national women’s bass fishing tournament sponsored by Bassin’ Gal Magazine. The cast includes Ariel Bock, Deann Halpern, Mae Hedges, Ryan Marchione, Julie Webster, and Tom Whaley.

Saturday, March 18 1:00pm – Stanton’s Garage by Joan Ackermann – In a ramshackle garage miles from anywhere, two cars, both of which were en route to a wedding, await repairs. One is Ron’s, the ex-husband of the bride to be, a man who missed his divorce and certainly doesn’t want to miss his wife’s wedding. The cast includes Kevin G. Coleman, Annie Considine and Joan Coombs.

4:00pm –  Short Plays by Joan Ackermann – This collection of short plays features actors Danny Osman and MaConnia Chesser.

7:00pm – The Batting Cage by Joan Ackermann – In a Holiday Inn in romantic St. Augustine, Florida, two estranged sisters travel unlikely journeys as they struggle to regain their bearings after the loss of their much-loved third sister. The cast includes Caitlin Kraft and Tod Randolph.

Sunday, March 19 1:00pm – A World Premiere Script by Joan Ackermann – Ackermann’s newest script will be unveiled featuring actor Glenn Barrett.

4:00pm – Ice Glen by Joan Ackermann – In this touching period comedy, a beautiful poetess dwells in idyllic obscurity on a Berkshire estate with a band of unlikely cohorts, including an Irish cook, a lovesick gardener and an unlikely playmate. The cast includes Elizabeth Aspenlieder, Allyn Burrows, Jonathan Croy, Gillian Seidl, and Kristin Wold. About Joan Ackermann Joan Ackermann is a playwright, journalist, novelist, screenwriter and television writer, and together with co-founder Gillian Seidl has run Mixed Company Theatre in Great Barrington for thirty-six years. A Special Contributor to Sports Illustrated for seven years, she also wrote for Time, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Esquire, Glamour, Audubon and many other magazines. She has written over twenty plays which have been produced at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Circle Rep, The George Street Theatre, The Cleveland Playhouse, The Mark Taper Forum, The Berkshire Theatre Festival, The Guthrie, Shakespeare & Company, and The Vineyard Theatre in New York among other theatres. She adapted a play to film, “Off the Map,” which was directed by Campbell Scott and starred Sam Elliott and Joan Allen.  Her young adult novel, “In The Space Left Behind,” published by Harper Collins, is about a teenage boy from Pittsfield.  She was one of the head writers on HBO’s Arli$$ for seven years. She has been a hiking guide at Canyon Ranch in Lenox for over twenty-five years where she currently teaches Tai Chi.

About Shakespeare & Company Located in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, Shakespeare & Company is one of the largest Shakespeare Festivals in the country. Founded in 1978, the organization attracts over 30,000 patrons annually. The Company is also home to Shakespeare & Company’s internationally renowned Center for Actor Training and nationally renowned and an award-winning Education Program. More information is available at www.shakespeare.org.

Joan Ackermann: One playwright, One Weekend (Lenox, MA) –  Shakespeare & Company is pleased to announce Joan Ackermann: One Playwright, One Weekend…