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Award Winning Director and Founding Artistic Director of American Shakespeare Center, Jim Warren is currently in rehearsal with Southwest Shakespeare Company to present Lady Balthasar a new play by Ginna Hoben this Saturday, June 27 @ 6:30 pm PDT (7:30 MDT (8:30 CDT - 9:30 EDT) ZOOM audiences worldwide.
The title is a satirical jab at how very many of Shakespeare’s secondary characters are called Balthasar. “Knowing Southwest Shakespeare shares my interest in developing the next generation of ‘Shakespeares’, I approached them with the idea of reading Lady Balthasar”, said Warren. The playwright, Ginna Hoben, is one of Warren’s favorite actors who has performed on ASC stage and touring shows. Hoben is having great success with her semi-autobiographical solo show, The Twelve Dates of Christmas, which Warren directed and helped develop for its world-premiere and 7-year holiday run at the Blackfriars Playhouse in Virginia. “When I was asked to direct a Shakespeare play for SW Shakes I suggested Lady Balthasar because it’s a brilliant companion piece for Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, recently done by SW Shakes; it comically chronicles Portia and Nerissa’s venture into the legal profession” said Warren. “All the characters named Balthasar appear in this play along with a few other famous Shakespeare creations to add to the hi-jinx. It’s an extremely funny and poignant look at Shakespeare’s strong female leads, it’s written in contemporary language, and it contains quotes from several other Shakespeare plays.”
Lady Balthasar is a terrific piece for Hoben the playwright, who will also be playing the lead character, Portia supported by two very strong actors from Southwest Shakespeare stages, Betsy Mugavero and Alison Campbell. The entire cast volunteers from among the nation’s best. The recording will kept in the Education Library at Southwest Shakespeare for use in schools and community groups who may be unable to see live performances until the pandemic is contained.
Warren has produced and cast over 280 shows. Lady Balthasar is cast from past productions all over the country. The company is hoping for another global audience. Over 4,000 devices logged-in to see SW Shakespeare’s’ The Merchant of Venice.
MEET THE CAST
DIRECTOR: Jim Warren
PORTIA: Ginna Hoben
NERISSA: Betsy Mugavero
MERCH BALTH: Sheffield Chastain
DICK: Dan Matisa
RJ BALTH: John Way
ROS: Jessika Williams
VI: Alison Campbell
ADO BALTH: Greg Phelps
KATHERINE: Sara Hymes
MARGARET: Tamiko Steele
GRATIANO/COM BALTH: René Thornton Jr.
Questions? Please email Stacey Walston @ info@swshakespeare.org
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