Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Shakespeare Dallas previews and opens All’s Well That Ends Well this weekend

By Shawn Parikh

Last weekend, Shakespeare Dallas began their outdoor summer festival with a great production of Othello. This weekend, they are previewing and opening the other show that will be part of their summer season: All's Well That Ends Well.

Directed by René Moreno, All's Well is about Helena who is a humble physician's daughter. She is given Bertram's hand in marriage after she cures the gravely ill King of France. Bertram refuses the arrangement but the passionate Helena won't take no for an answer. It tells the story of Helena’s struggle to win Bertram's love in this romantic tale of desire and honor. "All’s Well is interesting because it is Shakespeare’s only play that has a woman at the forefront," said Director René Moreno. "All’s Well is about one woman’s remarkable journey - a woman who faces difficult challenges and choices but ultimately prevails based on her own self-reliance."

All's Well That Ends Well

All's Well That Ends Well previews on June 19 & 20 and officially opens June 21 and continues June 25 - July 25 on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Othello will now have a regular run on Sundays, Tuesdays and Saturdays until July 26. Shows are pay-what-you-can Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays but a $10 donation requested. On Fridays and Saturdays, shows are $10 adults/$7 seniors and students.

As some great free extras, Shakespeare Dallas is offering The Green Show and StageNotes. The Green Show is pre-show entertainment that is back up on the bricks. It features puppets, song, dance, and excerpts from Othello and All’s Well That Ends Well done in its traditionally non-traditional manner. It will be performed at 7:35 p.m. on June 14, 21, 27, 28 and July 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26.

StageNotes is an adult learning program designed to enrich the educational aspect of Shakespeare Dallas productions at 7:35 p.m. This summer, participants will take an in-depth look at the historical significance of Shakespeare’s text, and gain insight to the overall concept of that evening’s performance. StageNotes: Othello will take place July 13 and 20; StageNotes: All’s Well That Ends Well will be July 10 and July 17.

And don't forget to bring chairs, blankets, alcohol, and food to have an even better time. Tickets can be purchased online.

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