Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre

Season of Identity Ties Together 2015 Lineup

Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre's ninth season next June will feature two full-length Shakespeare comedies—The Merry Wives of Windsor, and The Merchant of Venice—along with Fiddler on the Roof and an adaptation of Shakespeare's As You Like It  for young audiences. The season is scheduled to run June 4–28, 2015.

Producing Artistic Director Rebekah Scallet said in the theater's online announcement of the season that she selected the lineup based on the theme of identity.

“All of the plays have characters at their center who are struggling with issues of who they are,” she said. “Tevye in Fiddler must come to terms with what it means to be a traditional man in an increasingly modern world, Shylock in Merchant must navigate his Jewish identity in a world that is hostile to his religion, Falstaff in Merry Wives views himself as a romantic lover while the rest of the world sees him only as a buffoon, and Rosalind in As You Like It disguises herself as a boy and better understands her true nature and the nature of love in the process.

“I wanted to have a repertory season that was exciting and fresh, that truly allowed the productions to be viewed in dialogue with each other, and also one that would capture audiences' imaginations and challenge them to think about their lives. I think these four shows do just that.”

AST will also partner with other community organizations this year to help explore some of the key issues of religious diversity, tolerance, and the significance of faith and tradition that are raised specifically in Fiddler on the Roof and The Merchant of Venice. Collaborations with the Jewish Federation of Arkansas and Temple B'nai Israel of Little Rock have been established to organize educational and outreach events on these topics, both leading up to and during the season.

The productions will take place at multiple venues. The Merry Wives of Windsor will kick off the 2015 season at The Village at Hendrix in Conway on June 4 and then tour to the Argenta Arts District in North Little Rock, both outdoor spaces. The remaining productions will be performed at the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall, the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, AST's home base. As You Like It will also be available for touring, with performances already scheduled at Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville and the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute on Petit Jean Mountain.

“With the two outdoor venues, we hope that theatre-goers in Arkansas and around the region will recognize AST for its dedication to the cultural and artistic growth that is currently underway in our state,” Mary Ruth Marotte, AST's executive director, said in the announcement. “Our outdoor venue at The Village has drawn huge crowds the last four years, and our audiences look forward to the show and the entire experience of Shakespeare under the stars. In addition, we look forward to bringing our professional theatre to Argenta for our third consecutive year.”

The season will close June 28 with a matinee performance of The Merchant of Venice in Reynolds.

Tickets for the season go on sale April 13, 2015.

More information about the 2015 season will be announced at AST's annual Fall Membership Party on Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m. at the home of Brad Lacy in Conway, 507 Locust Ave. Admission is free to all 2015 AST members, with membership donations being taken at the door. Membership to AST begins at $50 per family. The night's festivities will include food, wine and beer, a scotch and wine raffle, and live music.

Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre is the state's only professional Shakespeare company. Each summer, AST offers full productions of a range of Shakespeare's works, as well as other plays and musicals that help fulfill AST's mission to entertain, engage, and enrich the community.

October 10, 2014

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