Live and Virtual Performances will be Presented May 6 – 29
LENOX, Mass. – Shakespeare & Company presents The Approach by Irish playwright Mark O’Rowe at the Company’s Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, May 6 through May 29.
Co-directed by Mark Farrell and Shakespeare & Company’s Founding Artistic Director Tina Packer, The Approach follows the story of Anna, Cora, and Denise as they converse over coffee about their shared childhoods and burgeoning middle-age, with much left unspoken.
The Approach is the latest work by acclaimed playwright Mark O’Rowe, past winner of the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature: awarded to Irish writers under 40 in recognition of a body of work. Known for raw, visceral scripts for both stage and screen in his earlier years, The Approach marks a departure from O’Rowe’s norm, celebrating more subtle examinations of communication, morality, empathy, and intuition. It received its world premiere in Project Arts Centre, Dublin on February 6th, 2018, and will appear later this year at Spoleto Festival USA.
The cast includes:
Nicole Ansari, whose recent credits include the just-wrapped Off-Broadway hit run of Stephano Massini’s The Lehman Trilogy, the North American Premiere of 7 minutes, and the soon-to-be-seen feature film Land of Dreams premiering at the Tribeca Film festival. Her most recent film and TV credits include FBI, Hit & Run, Son of the South, and Remember me.
Elizabeth Aspenlieder is currently celebrating her 24th season at Shakespeare & Company, having appeared in more than 40 productions in addition to many other roles on stage, screen, and as a voice-over artist.
Michelle Joyner, whose notable credits include the world premiere of Life Sentences by Richard Nelson (The Second Stage); Romeo and Juliet opposite Michael Cerveris and Viggo Mortensen (IRT), and many other roles on stage and in television and film.
Sponsored by Steve Bader and Cathy Monoxelos, The Approach will be presented both in-person and online. Its in-person performances mark the reopening of the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre after its pandemic closure; tickets range from $37 to $67.
Online, The Approach will be presented via live stream at 7:30 p.m., on Saturday, May 14, and through recorded broadcast, Saturday May 21, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, May 22, at 3 p.m.; Saturday, May 28 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, May 29 at 3 p.m. Tickets for virtual performances are $27.
Talkbacks will be held with directors and cast following in-person performances on Thursday, May 12 (7:30 p.m. show), Saturday, May 14 (7:30 p.m. show) Sunday, May 15 (3 p.m. show), Thursday, May 19 (7:30 p.m. show), Sunday, May 22 (3 p.m. show), and Thursday, May 26 (7:30 p.m. show).
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit shakespeare.org/shows, or call the Box Office at (413) 637-3353. As of May 1, 2022, masks are required, as well as proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test taken within 48 hours is required from each patron.
About Shakespeare & Company
Shakespeare & Company was founded in 1978 by Tina Packer and a group of founding theater professionals. Located in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, the Company offers performance, education, and actor-training opportunities year-round, and attracts more than 40,000 patrons annually with a core of more than 150 Company Artists.
