UCA’s Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre was profiled in the “Summer Stages” guide in the weekend Arts section in the May 10 edition of The New York Times.”Summer Stages” profiles summer theatre festivals happening around the country and this year included such prestigious festivals as the Stratford Festival, Oregon and Alabama Shakespeare Festivals, the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre and the Kennedy Center. The Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre was the only theatre in Arkansas featured.
“To be mentioned in such prestigious company is a great honor,” said Matt Chiorini, producing artistic director of AST. “I have no delusions that this puts us in the same league as some of these theatres with larger budgets and a longer production history and national (and international) reputations, but it hopefully identifies us as a theatre-on-the-rise and a festival to be taken seriously.”
The Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre has begun work this week with more than 20 interns arriving from around the country in advance of rehearsals beginning on May 17 with the full company of more than 70 actors, designers, directors, musicians, technicians and scholars.
During the festival, the majority of the company will be living in Conway and Little Rock, working 48-60 hour weeks to build and rehearse the four professional productions to be presented June 10-28. This third season of the festival includes Shakespearean classics Macbeth and The Taming of the Shrew, the Arkansas premiere of the Broadway smash The Producers and the beloved classic The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Tickets are on sale now and are available, with a full schedule of events, at www.arkshakes.com or by calling 450-3265. For more information, contact Chiorini at (501) 269-4815 or mchiorini@uca.edu.
