Manchester, NH - the Acting Loft Academy
of Performing Arts, Manchester's Educational Theatre is proud to announce their upcoming production
of "THE
COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED)." This frantic, frenetic, and fabulously funny comedy has been touring to local schools all Spring, but will be taking over the Acting Loft stage April 25th, 26th, and 27th for three public performances!. The production and tour has been generously sponsored by Granite State Management & Resources/the NHHEAF Network Organizations.
THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) is the award-winning, international hit originally staged by the Reduced Shakespeare Company. In it, three well-meaning (if slightly confused) thespians attempt to perform all 37 of Shakespeare's plays in just under two hours. The resulting insanity is best described as the Three Stooges, the Marx Bros., and Bugs Bunny combined; shaken, not stirred. From a hip-hop rendition of Othello to the Hammiest Hamlet ever staged, the show careens at breakneck speed through all 37 plays (and the sonnets!) until no one will be able to look at the Bard quite the same ever again.
"This is simply my favorite comedy ... ever" said Toby Paul, one of the actors in the production . "There's no reason for anyone to be afraid of this show. Yeah, it's based on Shakespeare - but really, with the amount of pop culture references and silly slapstick, it really doesn't matter whether you know Hamlet from a Ham Sandwich, as long as you can appreciate a good Jamie Lynn Spears joke."
"Irreverent doesn't even begin to describe this show," added Dylan Gamblin, the another actor in the show. "There's nothing that doesn't get mocked here ... from Shakespeare to Politics to Pop Culture, we leave nothing untouched. Whether an audience member is an English Professor or a bored thirteen year old, we'll leave 'em laughing!"
"Yeah, and you get to see me in a dress!" added the third member of the company, Steven "Dingo" Ihde. He then began brushing his facial hair while singing "I Feel Pretty."
Last month, the show began touring regional Middle and High Schools as a special "in-school" field trip program, sponsored by the NHHEAF Network Organizations (The New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation). The tour is scheduled to wrap up in late May, but any schools interested in begin included are encouraged to contact the Acting Loft at 603-666-5999 as soon as possible to book the show for their school before it's too late.
"This is the perfect arrangement for schools," John Sefel, Acting Loft Artistic Director assured us. "The school gets the benefits of a field trip with few of the costs or liabilities - we bring in a show that can be tailored to a school's needs, and - in under two hours - we're able to introduce their students to the entire Shakespeare cannon in a way that's fun, edgy, and memorable! Meanwhile, the public performances at the Acting Loft are destined to become local theater history. That's right, I said 'history'. This thing's going to be like 'Who Shot J.R.' and Branjelina combined!"
Toby Paul, Dylan Gamblin, and Steven "Dingo" Ihde star in this fast-paced, no-holds-barred look at the
works of William Shakespeare. The show will be performed Friday and Saturday, April 25th and 26th at 7:30pm, with a matinee at 2pm on the 27th. Tickets are only $10 for adults, $5 for students, and may be purchased online at
www.actingloft.org or at the door the day
of the show. These three performances will take place at the Acting Loft theatre at 516 Pine Street, Manchester, NH, while the tour will continue to be available for Middle and High School productions through May, 2008.