tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5080427686377510790Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:22:26 +0000http://www.swshakespeare.org/blog/blog.htmlAndyBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5080427686377510790.post-8020624720116485437Tue, 11 Mar 2008 18:50:00 +00002008-03-11T12:22:26.906-07:00<div align="justify">Since my last post, I want to report that our third season in the Mesa Arts Center is turning into a resounding success. Several landmarks were reached so far this year, including most single tickets sold, most single ticket revenue for a single production, the first time a school from California attended one of our student matinees, and other milestones. We are currently in the middle of the run for <strong>The Merry Wives of Windsor </strong>and it is selling out and audiences are loving it. Known as "Shakespeare's Situation Comedy", Merry Wives brings back the beloved character of Falstaff to try to con two small town wives out of their husbands' money. But Shakespeare makes it clear that small-town common sense triumphs over big city bravado in this his most domestic comedy. Other wonderful comic characters abound including the insane Dr. Caius, Parson Hugh Evans, the idiot Abraham Slender, and the very eccentric Mistress Quickly, among others. Coming up in April we will present the very witty and charming "dramedy" <strong>Pygmalion</strong> by George Bernard Shaw. This was the play that formed the basis for the musical My Fair Lady, but it is a far more complex story in the original. The language is as witty as any play by Oscar Wilde and the characters are unforgettable. This production stars Maren Maclean Mascarelli as Eliza and New York actor David Adkins as Henry Higgins. Also, don't forget our "Shakespeare Marathon" coming up on Shakespeare's birthday. We will be reading <em>all the works of William Shakespeare, </em>back to back over roughly 5 days. It will be at Tempe Marketplace and will be getting lots of attention, we trust! So, come and be a part of what promises to be a remarkable and crazy event. Our next year's season has been announced and it is listed on this website, so take a look at what we have in store next season. We are very excited about it and it will undoubtedly be filled with some wonderful surprises as well!</div><div align="justify">See you at the theatre,</div><div align="justify">Jared Sakren</div><div align="justify">Artistic Director</div>http://www.swshakespeare.org/blog/2008/03/landmark-season-continues.htmlJared Sakrentag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5080427686377510790.post-6312130038212569950Sun, 16 Dec 2007 16:31:00 +00002007-12-16T20:02:25.950-08:00Seasons Greetings to all our patrons and supporters! I feel like I am definitely a part of the new media now that I am (with this post) becoming a blogger.<br />Our company just finished a very successful run of "A Shakespearean Christmas" at the Mesa Arts Center Farnsworth Studio Theatre, and I am deep into rehearsals for our upcoming production of "The Scottish Play". We have a fantastic cast, including Cale Epps as Macbeth, Richard Baird (who played Petruchio in our recent production of "Taming of the Shrew") and Kaitlin O'Neal as Lady M (Kate in "Shrew"). The rest of the ensemble is just terrific, with a host of returning company members as well as some new faces. What a great script to work on. The production will be wonderful, rest assured. The visual "eye candy" should be something special, and those wanting to see a production of this, the shortest of the Bard's tragedies, in all its supernatural and visceral glory should not be disappointed. We are working our hardest on making this a very memorable production.<br />Also, we had Eve Shapiro in town the week before last, to discuss her upcoming direction of "Pygmalion" in April. We finished up some casting and had production meetings with our design team. We are extremely lucky in getting Eve to do this show---she is formerly a faculty member of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in England, as well as Juilliard, and is a Shaw specialist. We are still in the process of casting the role of Henry Higgins, and Eve had a talk with Alan Rickman (from "Harry Potter") to get his advice. The set designer is Chris Barreca, one of the best set designers in the country. I am very excited about that production, and I hope you are, too.<br />Also in the mix are planning sessions for our Gala Fundraiser on February 23rd and our mammoth "Shakespeare Marathon" around The Bard's birthday celebration on April 25th---<br />The Complete Plays of the Bard, read back-to-back, 24/7, until finished. And, schedule permitting: with Chris Noth of "Sex In The City". Not to be missed!<br />That's all for now, in this, my first blog ever.<br />See you at the theatre(s)!<br />-----Jaredhttp://www.swshakespeare.org/blog/2007/12/jared-sakren-artistic-director.htmlJared Sakren