From our friends at the Shakespeare Theatre Company...
Shakespeare Theatre Company ReDiscovery Reading Series Opens with William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, Adapted by and Starring Kate Hamill
Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) is delighted to announce its 2017-18 ReDiscovery Free Reading Series with open with William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair. Directed by STC Artistic Associate Director, Craig Baldwin, the play is adapted by and stars Kate Hamill, the modern master behind the 2016 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility at Folger Theatre. The reading will take place on Monday, October 23 at the Lansburgh Theatre (450 7th Street, NW.)
Following the reading, there will be a post-show panel discussion with Kate Hamill, Victorian Literature Scholar and journalist Rachel Vorona Cote, and STC Literary Manager Drew Lichtenberg.
The 2017 world premiere of Hamill’s adaptation of Vanity Fair was deemed “an impressive feat of storytelling” by the New Yorker, with anti-hero Becky Sharp coyly lauded by the New York Times as “a nasty woman.” Using romantic entanglements and risky business deals as the rungs, Becky climbs from penniless beginnings to the upper crust of Victorian society.
Now in its 25th season, the ReDiscovery Series aims to introduce audiences to new adaptations of great but lesser-known classic plays under consideration for STC’s mainstage seasons, and the readings are often the first step in bringing a new adaptation or an under-produced classic back into the spotlight.
Craig Baldwin said: “Written by notable playwrights and performed by some of DC’s most talented actors, the ReDiscovery series is a fantastic opportunity for audiences to find a new favorite play or get a glimpse of the next big thing.”
Audiences wishing to keep pace with Becky Sharp as she climbs the social ladder should reserve their free ticket at http://www.shakespearetheatre.org/support/special-events/rediscovery-readings/ or call the box office on (202) 547-1122
Reading Series 2017-2018:
• November 13 2017: Edith Wharton’s The Shadow of a Doubt
• Monday, December 4 2017: Title TBA
• Monday, January 8 2018: Title TBA
• Monday, March 5 2018: Title TBA
• Monday, May 14 2018: Title TBA
For more information about the series, please visit www.ShakespeareTheatre.org/ReDiscovery.
ABOUT THE SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY:
Recipient of the 2012 Regional Theatre Tony Award, the Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) is the nation’s leading premier classical theatre company. Today, STC is synonymous with artistic excellence and making classical theatre more accessible to audiences in and around the nation’s capital. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Kahn and Executive Director Chris Jennings, STC’s innovative productions inspire dialogue that connects classic works to the modern human experience. The Company focuses on works with profound themes, complex characters and poetic language written by Shakespeare, his contemporaries and the playwrights he influenced in order to preserve and promote classic theatre - ambitious, enduring plays with universal themes - for all audiences. A leader in arts education, STC has a stable of initiatives that teach and excite learners of all ages, from school programs and adult acting classes to accessible community programming like play-relevant discussion series and the Free for All. For the past 25 years the Free For All program has offered an annual remount of a popular production completely free of charge to all audience members. Located in downtown Washington, DC, STC performs in two theatres, the 451-seat Lansburgh Theatre and the 774-seat Sidney Harman Hall. In addition to STC productions appearing year-round, these spaces also accommodate presentations from outstanding local performing arts groups and nationally renowned organizations. The Company has been a fixture in the vibrant Penn Quarter neighborhood since 1992.
Now in its 25th season, the ReDiscovery Series aims to introduce audiences to new adaptations of great but lesser-known classic plays under consideration for STC’s mainstage seasons, and the readings are often the first step in bringing a new adaptation or an under-produced classic back into the spotlight.
Craig Baldwin said: “Written by notable playwrights and performed by some of DC’s most talented actors, the ReDiscovery series is a fantastic opportunity for audiences to find a new favorite play or get a glimpse of the next big thing.”
Audiences wishing to keep pace with Becky Sharp as she climbs the social ladder should reserve their free ticket at http://www.shakespearetheatre.org/support/special-events/rediscovery-readings/ or call the box office on (202) 547-1122
Reading Series 2017-2018:
• November 13 2017: Edith Wharton’s The Shadow of a Doubt
• Monday, December 4 2017: Title TBA
• Monday, January 8 2018: Title TBA
• Monday, March 5 2018: Title TBA
• Monday, May 14 2018: Title TBA
For more information about the series, please visit www.ShakespeareTheatre.org/ReDiscovery.
ABOUT THE SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY:
Recipient of the 2012 Regional Theatre Tony Award, the Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) is the nation’s leading premier classical theatre company. Today, STC is synonymous with artistic excellence and making classical theatre more accessible to audiences in and around the nation’s capital. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Kahn and Executive Director Chris Jennings, STC’s innovative productions inspire dialogue that connects classic works to the modern human experience. The Company focuses on works with profound themes, complex characters and poetic language written by Shakespeare, his contemporaries and the playwrights he influenced in order to preserve and promote classic theatre - ambitious, enduring plays with universal themes - for all audiences. A leader in arts education, STC has a stable of initiatives that teach and excite learners of all ages, from school programs and adult acting classes to accessible community programming like play-relevant discussion series and the Free for All. For the past 25 years the Free For All program has offered an annual remount of a popular production completely free of charge to all audience members. Located in downtown Washington, DC, STC performs in two theatres, the 451-seat Lansburgh Theatre and the 774-seat Sidney Harman Hall. In addition to STC productions appearing year-round, these spaces also accommodate presentations from outstanding local performing arts groups and nationally renowned organizations. The Company has been a fixture in the vibrant Penn Quarter neighborhood since 1992.
