Every month, we share a snapshot of Shakespeare in performance around America. What plays are onstage this month? We check in with our theater partners Alabama Shakespeare Festival, The Atlanta Shakespeare Company at the Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse, Brave Spirits Theatre, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Brave Spirits Theatre presents Coriolanus (Feb 7-25), performed in repertory with The Trojan Women Project in Alexandria, VA.
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- Anderson Wells as Sicinius and John Stange as Coriolanus. Photo by Claire Kimball.
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- Robert Pike as Aufidius. Photo by Claire Kimball.
Chesapeake Shakespeare Company presents Red Velvet (Feb 2-25), Lolita Chakrabarti’s play about Shakespearean actor Ira Aldridge. Accompanying the production is an exhibit of playbills and images of the first African-American actor to achieve international renown, drawing on the resources of the Folger Shakespeare Library and other collections around the world.
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- RED VELVET by Lolita Chakrabarti at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company through February 25, 2018. Photo by Shealyn Jae. Ira Aldridge (Christian R. Gibbs) discusses his performance as Othello with Connie (Tracey Farrar), the Theatre Royal Covent Garden’s servant.
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- RED VELVET by Lolita Chakrabarti continues at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company through February 25, 2018. Photo by Shealyn Jae. The year is 1833. The 26-year-old American actor Ira Aldridge (Christian R. Gibbs) receives encouragement from Pierre Laporte (Yury Lomakin), manager of the Theatre Royal Covent Garden, as he dresses to replace the ailing Edmund Kean in the role of Othello.
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- RED VELVET by Lolita Chakrabarti continues at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company through February 25, 2018. Photo by Shealyn Jae. Following an historic performance of Othello at Theatre Royal Covent Garden, Ellen Tree (Laura Rocklyn) visits co-star Ira Aldridge (Christian R. Gibbs) in his dressing room to celebrate their success — and work out their blocking for the next day’s performance.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Feb 3 – Mar 10) as its Short Shakespeare! production with two 75-minute performances each Saturday.
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- Bottom (Adam Wesley Brown) takes center stage as The Mechanicals assign roles for their upcoming theatrical performance. Photo by Liz Lauren.
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- Oberon (Sean Fortunato) and Titania (Christiana Clark), the king and queen of the fairies, come face-to-face during a tense yet passionate lovers’ quarrel. Photo by Liz Lauren.
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- An incensed Helena (Ally Carey) mocks Hermia (Faith Servant), while the meddling Puck (Travis Turner) observes invisibly. Photo by Liz Lauren.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Othello (Feb 16 – Oct 28) and Henry V (Feb 21 – Oct 27).
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- Chris Butler (Othello) and Danforth Comins (Iago)
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- Daniel José Molina (Henry V)
Alabama Shakespeare Festival presents Much Ado About Nothing (Feb 22-25).
The Atlanta Shakespeare Company at the Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse presents Romeo and Juliet (Feb 3 – Mar 3).
Learn more about the Folger Shakespeare Library’s theater partnership program.
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