EQUIVOCATION, Southwest Shakespeare Company, September 5 - 20, 2014

Back By Popular Demand For A Limited Run

In London, 1605, a down-and-out playwright called Shagspeare receives a royal commission to write a play promoting the government’s version of the Guy Fawkes’ Gunpowder Plot. As Shag navigates the dangerous course between writing a lie or losing his head, his devoted theatre troupe helps him negotiate each step along the way. At once an explosive comedy of ideas and a high-stakes political thriller, Bill Cain’s award-winning Equivocation deftly reveals the cat-and-mouse games in politics and art, and the craft of learning how to speak the truth in difficult times.

September 05 – September 20, 2014

Farnsworth Studio Theater

Mesa Arts Center

Photo by Devon Christopher Adams

Click here for tickets and additional information.

Cast, photos and review links will be added when available.

BEOWULF, Southwest Shakespeare Company, September 10, 2014 & April 1, 2015

The mother of all monster-tales comes to life in this remarkable solo performance. The tale of a man who kills monsters, becomes king and ultimately dies in battle with a dragon, Beowulf is one of the oldest surviving examples of English poetry. Nationally-acclaimed solo artist Charlie Bethel reanimates this usually dusty English lit staple and restores it to a rollicking, bloody and brash morality poem, in which the story’s themes — the impermanence of life, the uncertainty of mortality and the courage to engage in the simple act of living — are as immediate and pertinent as they are timeless and classic. (mature language and themes)

Adapted by Charlie Bethel from the Medieval Classic

Note: Special pricing will be offered to season subscribers (not part of the subscription package)

Click here for tickets and additional information.

THE ODYSSEY, Southwest Shakespeare Company, September 17, 2014 & April 8, 2015

Back by popular demand! Shipwrecks, Sirens, and Mythical Creatures meet Adventure, Magic, and Revenge!

Adapted by Charlie Bethel from the epic poem by Homer

Acclaimed solo artist Charlie Bethel re-imagines Homer’s famous epic story in a faithful yet accessible format for those who slept through high school Greek Literature. Voyage across land and sea, through the underworld, to the top of Mt. Olympus with the brave and courageous hero, Odysseus, as he valiantly seeks to return to his homeland and the arms of his wife and child. Don’t miss this thrilling epic adventure, suitable for most audiences. (Mature language and themes.)

Note: Special pricing will be offered to season subscribers (not part of the subscription package)

Click here for tickets and additional information.

KING JOHN, Southwest Shakespeare Company, October 10 – 25, 2014

This is an Arizona Premiere! Shakespeare’s thrilling story of the “game of thrones” that occurs upon the death of Richard The Lionheart. Two hours of hair-raising suspense, warfare, love, hate, wit and humor–the way only Shakespeare can do it.  As John desperately tries to hold onto power, the legitimacy of his reign is questioned by Constance, who asserts that her son Arthur is the true heir to the throne. Considered by many to be Shakespeare’s most underrated play, King John is a rare performance of one of Shakespeare’s best.

Nesbitt/Elliott Playhouse

Mesa Arts Center

Click here for tickets and additional information.

Cast, photos and review links will be added when available.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL, Southwest Shakespeare Company, November 29 – December 20, 2014

Special Event
Photo by Devon Christopher Adams

Relive this timeless classic with the whole family! A Christmas Carol is the ultimate family holiday experience. Traditional music, songs, dancing, and special effects make this moving tale an extraordinary evening for the whole family! Don’t miss the adventures of Scrooge as he is once again visited by the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future.

November 29 – December 20, 2014

Special Event 

Playhouse On The Park
1850 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004
http://www.playhouseonthepark.com

Click here for tickets and additional information.

Cast, photos and review links will be added when available.

KING LEAR, Southwest Shakespeare Company, January 16 – 31, 2015

Considered by many as one of the most profound plays in the English language, King Lear tells the story of an aging King and his three daughters, and the tragic consequences that ensue when he decides to divide his kingdom. Alternating between scenes of immense physical and psychological brutality and overwhelming humanity and beauty, this production is the theatrical event of the year and a rare production our patrons will not want to miss.

January 16 – January 31, 2015

Winterfest Repertory
Virginia G. Piper Repertory Theater

Mesa Arts Center

Click here for tickets and additional information.

Cast, photos and review links will be added when available.

Winterfest Repertory
Virginia G. Piper Repertory Theater
Photo by Mark Gluckman

AS YOU LIKE IT, Southwest Shakespeare Company, January 17 – 31, 2015

Escape with Rosalind and Celia into the Forest of Arden, a world where love is turned upside down and inside out. They will be joined by a host of memorable characters, including the inimitable Jaques who tells us, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” Featuring music, dancing, wrestling and romance, this most theatrical of Shakespeare’s works is a perfect pairing for King Lear.

January 17 – January 31, 2015

Winterfest Repertory
Virginia G. Piper Repertory Theater

Photo by Mark Gluckman

UNCLE VANYA, Southwest Shakespeare Company, February 27 – March 21, 2015

This acclaimed new adaptation of Chekhov’s classic from critically acclaimed playwright Annie Baker, author of Body Awareness, Mirror Circle Transformation, and The Flick, brings colloquial language and a new intimacy to this internationally beloved story of human relationships and yearning. Written with the “goal of creating a version that sounds to our contemporary American ears the way the play sounded to Russian ears during the play’s first productions in the provinces in 1898,” Ms. Baker’s Uncle Vanya introduces 21st century audiences to Chekhov’s enduring wit, insight, and emotional depth.

February 27 – March 21, 2015

Farnsworth Studio Theater

Mesa Arts Center

Translated and Adapted by Annie Baker and Margarita Shalina

SPELLBOUND!, Southwest Shakespeare Company, May 07 – May 24, 2015

Princess Imogen’s stepmother wants to kill her. Her father, King Cymbeline, is no help. Meanwhile, Imogen’s banished love, Posthumus, thinks she’s cheating on him. What’s a wronged royal to do? Swap the skirts for pants and run away disguised as a boy into the magical wilds of Shakespeare’s ancient Britain, that’s what. In true fairy tale style, the improbable becomes probable in an epic, adventurous romance filled with kind strangers, dastardly villains, ghosts, gods and lost princes. The high road to happily-ever-after awaits.

Note: Special pricing will be offered to season subscribers (not part of the subscription package).  

Special Event 

Desert Botanical Garden Event Plaza
1201 N Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, AZ 85008-3490

Music by Shishir Kurup, Book by Michael Flachmann (from Shakespeare), Direction and Adaptation by Jared Sakren