SUMMER SEASON 2008

MAIN STAGE SHOWS

“Do the shrew” with us in our  He Said, She Said "Battle of The Sexes" Summer!!!

  

(HE SAID):
“The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare
("The thrilla in the villa")
  Even during the Bard’s time, this comic masterpiece was controversial for its' portrayal of women, yet its’ brilliant writing and knowing insights into the human heart makes it one of his most popular and identifiable comedies. Summer 2008, it will take our stage by storm in a vibrant, raucous and decidedly FEMINIST take on the most popular of Shakespeare's plays, featuring his most beloved of all heroines, in the most passionate, physical and well-matched romantic pairing ever seen on stage. Using a modern-day boxing motif for our staging, our "femme-tastic" take on this classic tells the story of Kate--fiery, intelligent and outspoken (and thus labeled a "shrew" which, in Elizabethan times, simply meant a woman who spoke her mind). She is the older daughter of a wealthy Italian merchant, Baptisto, whose younger daughter Bianca is the apple of his eye. Pretty, (seemingly) non-threatening and lady-like, Bianca has two suitors vying for her hand--Lucentio, a visiting nobleman who falls in love with her at first sight and home-town boy Hortensio. But Baptisto declares that he won't let the "more desirable" Bianca marry without having "wicked" Kate wed first. Into the fray wanders Paduan nobleman Petruchio, whose quest for a rich bride leads Bianca's suitors to offer to pay him to woo (and win) Kate. Seduced by her hefty dowry, this "marriage mercenary" sets about "wedding and bedding" her as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, each of Bianca's suitors cook up schemes that involve disguise and subterfuge as they wage war over Bianca's hand. Of course, "all is not as it seems" on the surface with this beautifully-crafted masterpiece: Through-out the course of the show, we discover that the "sweet daughter" has a bitter, manipulative side, the sisters' new music teacher, "Licio", is really Hortensio in disguise, the new latin teacher "Cambio" is Lucentio, the servant "Tranio" is really the master "Lucentio"... and "heartless gold-digger" Petruchio discovers he has a heart after all--when he loses it to the "shrew"--who is actually a misunderstood, unjustly maligned woman who's been humiliated and ignored by her father, taunted by her manipulative sister and unjustly reviled by an entire town. Three romantically comic plots are tied together beautifully in a final scene that shows the transformative power of true love and the calm strength that comes from surrendering your ego, stubborn pride and willfullness in order to achieve peace. Kate's stunning final speech is a nod to the truly feminst viewpoint that women don't need to act like men to show their power and a testament to the fact that the strongest person in the room is often the one brave enough to appear vulnerable. Come out and decide for yourself just "who tames who" and if our "take" on this misunderstood classic is really just a sexist tome disguised as a comedy or a seemingly sexist comedy disguised as one of the greatest love stories ever told. Shown Thurs-Sat in alternating repertory July 24th- August 23^rd, 2008. House Opens at 5:30 pm. Curtain is at 6:00pm (sharp) with a 30 minute pre-show performance, “The Fooling of a Sly”. Tickets $10-$20, includes both shows. PG Rated

(SHE SAID): NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE
“The Tamer Tamed"by John Fletcher
("Payback's a bitch and her name's Maria") 

The shoe’s on the other foot--and it's a stiletto! Watch the men get tamed in this hysterically funny, witty and estrogen-empowered re-telling of the famous Greek play "Lysistrata" written by Shakespeare’s protégé, John Fletcher, approximately 20 years after "Shrew" as an "answer" (rather than a sequel) to Shakespeare's comic masterpiece, interweaving characters from the original with a brand new cast of witty, insightful characters in comedically-rich and romantic situations. The play opens in Padua, where Petruchio, now a widower, has married Maria, a "sweet and soft-spoken" cousin of his "dearly departed" wife Kate and his sister-in-law Bianca. A happily married young bride at the end of "Shrew", Bianca is now an older and (decidedly less than happily) married matron. Bored and grown weary of hearing about her brother-in-law's exploits as a "wife tamer", Bianca cooks up a scheme where she persuades Maria that her life is at stake: If Maria fails to "tame" Petruchio, his harsh ways will kill her just as they did Kate! The guileless Maria takes the bait and soon the entire feminine population has rallied around her cause, refusing marital relations with their husbands until Petruchio comes to heel. A subplot containing a love triangle between Maria's younger sister, Livia, her love-sick suitor Rowland and a clownish buffoon named Moroso has some of the sexiest and most sizzling dialogue to ever come out of the Elizabethan era. Filled with wise, insightful and wryly comic musings on the "Battle of the Sexes" as they wage war over the human heart, audiences will fall in love with these women as they break free from patriarchal bondage and embark on a journey that takes them from shy, demure and retiring girls to fully-realized women who find their own strength, power and voice in a shining, slapdash and exquisitely funny "undiscovered gem" never produced in NH before! Shown Thurs-Sat in alternating repertory July 24th- August 23^rd, 2008. House Opens at 5:30 pm. Curtain is at 6:00pm (sharp) with a 30 minute pre-show performance, “Couldabeen Hamlet”. Tickets $10-$20, includes both shows. PG 13 

“All The World’s A Grave”--WORLD PREMIERE
(“After a 400 year wait, it’s Shakespeare’s Newest Play!”)
By best-selling author John Reed
We are delighted to have been selected by best selling author John Reed to debut this, his first play, prior to its' launch in book form through Penguin Press on September 1^st.  Reed, who has written 4 novels as well as stories for such prestigious magazines as Playboy, New York Press and Time Out NYC, bills the play as “Shakespeare’s newest work” because all of the words were supplied by the Bard. In a clever twist, Reed deconstructed every famous Shakespearean tragedy, character and speech and re-combined and reinterpreted them in a fresh and innovative way that breathes new life into the 400 year old works. The play will be rehearsed in Waterville Valley during Theatre Under The Stars upcoming summer season, with a special preview presentation on the company’s beautiful outdoor stage before moving on to its’ world premiere run in New York City August 28-31st. “All The World’s A Grave” follows the story of Hamlet, prince of Bohemia, at war to win the hand of Juliet, whose father is Lear, King of Aquitaine. Aided by his friends Iago and Romeo, they are victorious. His new bride at his side, Hamlet returns home to discover that his father is dead and his new stepfather is his uncle, Macbeth. Interweaving characters, speeches and plot points from Macbeth, King Lear, Othello, Henry V, Romeo and Juliet and (of course) Hamlet, it is a witty and stunning new take on the old plays that promises “this ain’t your Momma’s Shakespeare!” ONE NIGHT ONLY Preview Performance Thursday, August 21^st at 6:30pm (house open at 6:30). Tickets $10-$20. PG Rated