Virginia Shakespeare festival
The festival will present two works, "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" and "The Merchant of Venice," for its 34th season on The College of William and Mary campus. Dates for this year are June 13-July 29, and both productions will be presented in the intimate Studio Theatre located in the rear of PBK Hall.
"The Two Gentlemen of Verona" will open the season June 13 and play through July 8. For the play, Director Steven Breese and Scenic Designer Gregg Hillmar have decided on what they're calling a "transverse staging," with audiences on two sides and scenery on two sides.
"The Merchant of Venice" will be presented July 12-29. While it's technically classified as one of Shakespeare's comedies, the play include many dramatic scenes and a climactic courtroom battle between the moneylender Shylock and Portia, the play's romantic heroine (disguised as a male lawyer). Director Owens will set the play in Venice in 1790 and take advantage of the generational struggles as the youth of Italy question both the fashion and moral sensibilities of their elders.