Two World Premieres and New Spins on Shakespeare Lead Off the 47th Season
LENOX, Mass. – Shakespeare & Company has announced the titles of its 2024 season, including two World Premieres, a regional premiere, a musical exploration of Shakespeare’s language and music, and two Shakespeare productions staged under the stars on the Arthur S. Waldstein Amphitheater.
Shakespeare & Company’s 47th Season includes:
A Body of Water, by Lee Blessing
Directed by James Warwick
June 21 through July 21
Outdoors at the Roman Garden Theatre
Moss and Avis, a sophisticated and successful couple, wake up one morning in an isolated summer house high above a picturesque body of water. The weather’s fine; the view’s magnificent. There’s only one problem — neither of them can remember who they are. When a young woman named Wren arrives, information starts to flood in. But will it help? Her explanations seem only to make Moss and Avis’ world — as well as ours — more terrifying.
Shake It Up: A Shakespeare Cabaret
Directed by Allyn Burrows
July 2 through July 7
Tina Packer Playhouse
A waggish collection of Shakespeare’s stories and songs celebrating the heartbeat of the Bard’s words. For folks familiar with or new to Shakespeare, this limited run makes for a lively love letter to language and music. After all, if music be the food of love, let’s play on!
The Comedy of Errors, by William Shakespeare
Directed by Kate Kohler Amory
July 13 through August 18
Outdoors at the Arthur S. Waldstein Amphitheatre
The Comedy of Errors takes over Shakespeare & Company’s outdoor mainstage this summer – The Bard’s fast-paced and farcical story of mistaken identities that begins with two sets of twins separated by a storm at sea, and culminates in a raucous series of misunderstandings and mishaps.
WORLD PREMIERE
The Islanders, by Carey Crim
Directed by Regge Life
July 25 through August 25
Tina Packer Playhouse
Anna lives an insular life on an underpopulated island in the Great Lakes. She has few friends and likes it that way. Her quiet, controlled world is turned upside down by the arrival of a charming but secretive new neighbor, Dutch. For different reasons, Dutch and Anna have each retreated from mainstream society. Can their connection survive the revelations that must inevitably come with true intimacy?
REGIONAL PREMIERE
Flight of the Monarch, by Jim Frangione
Directed by Judy Braha
August 3 through August 25
Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre
Two siblings, Sheila and Thomas, were both born and raised in a small, New England fishing village where they still live. This darkly comic play explores how siblings’ lives are intertwined, what we owe to the people who know and love us best, and how family members’ needs and desires may push the boundaries of what we can be expected to do for others.
The Winter’s Tale – An Enhanced Staged Reading, by William Shakespeare
Directed by Tina Packer
August 21 through August 25
Outdoors at the Arthur S. Waldstein Amphitheatre
The Winter’s Tale is an odyssey through a world where kingdoms collide, betrayal weaves its web, and love battles against all odds. Magic, mystery, and a man-eating bear feature as the story unfolds, examining the consequences of jealousy and the power of forgiveness.
WORLD PREMIERE
Three Tall Persian Women, by Awni Abdi-Bahri
Directed by Dalia Ashurina
August 30 through October 13
Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre
Golnar, a punkish Iranian-American millennial, returns home to her mother Nasrin for the anniversary of her father’s passing and walks into hoards of family memorabilia that her grandmother Mamani has moved in with her. This comedic and touching play is about generational differences, grief, control, and learning to let go; but more than anything, it’s a love story to immigrant mothers.
Emma – A Lively, Costumed Reading* by Kate Hamill, adapted from Jane Austen’s novel
Directed by Ariel Bock
December 13 through 15
Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre
Emma Woodhouse prides herself on being a matchmaker with an impeccable track record, much to the chagrin of her dear friend Mr. Knightley. Her latest scheme revolves around the sweet Harriet Smith, whom Emma advises to reject a perfectly good marriage proposal in favor of another eligible bachelor. But her best-laid plans are turned upside down by unpredictable displays of affection, unexpected rivals, and Emma’s sudden realization that true love may have been under her nose all along.
Tickets are on sale now at shakespeare.org, or by calling the Box Office at (413) 637-3353.
*Tickets to Emma will be on sale soon.
Photo Caption: Jacob Ming-Trent, seen here at left, returns to Shakespeare & Company this season, featured in Shake It Up: A Shakespeare Cabaret. Also pictured: Sheila Bandyopadhyay; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 2023. Photo by Nile Scott Studios.
