Hope College Theatre will present "Love's Labour's Lost," a comedy by William Shakespeare, on Friday and Saturday, April 21-22, and Wednesday-Saturday, April 26-29, at 8 p.m. in the DeWitt Center main theatre.
Hope College Theatre will present "Love's Labour's Lost," a comedy by William Shakespeare, on Friday and Saturday, April 21-22, and Wednesday-Saturday, April 26-29, at 8 p.m. in the DeWitt Center main theatre.
In Shakespeare's "Love's Labour's Lost," the King of Navarre and the men of his court swear an oath to devote the next three years of their lives to matters intellectual and to foreswear anything that blunts this purpose, especially women. The Princess of France and her attending ladies immediately arrive and the men fall head over heals in love, putting their intellectual endeavors aside to woo the ladies with great humor and little skill.
In speaking of the play, Sean Dooley, who is director and visiting assistant professor of theatre, said, "I have found 'Love's Labour's Lost' to be the most lighthearted of Shakespeare's comedies, owing much to 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' The play is filled with clowns and lovers whose ineptitude leads to much merriment." Michelle Bombe, director of theatre and associate professor of theatre, added, "We have chosen to set the play in an academic world in the very early 1920s--complete with ukulele playing, Charleston dancing, and the good musings of William Shakespeare."
Members of the production team include Hope College theatre faculty Michelle Bombe as costume designer and Perry Landes as lighting and sound designer. Technical direction is by Hope staff member Paul Anderson. Two Hope students are serving in important roles in production: junior Michael John Braaksma of Cambria, Wis., as scenic designer; and senior Brandon T. Hazen of St. Paul, Minn., as assistant lighting designer. Other Hope students involved are senior Elise Edwards of Elgin, Ill., as stage manager; junior Kate Finkbeiner of Haslett as assistant stage manager; and sophomore Kelly Sina of Watertown, Wis., as assistant stage manager.
Cast members include: senior Rachel Achtemeier of Dubuque, Iowa, as the Princess of France; sophomore Jennifer A. Blair of Libertyville, Ill., as Rosaline; sophomore Steven Clay Branford of Pomona, N.Y., as Dumaine; sophomore Dane Dandridge Clark of Grand Rapids as Berowne; senior Heather Janofski of Marquette as Katherine; sophomore Stephen McEwan of Midland as Longaville; sophomore Jon Sprik of Grand Rapids as the King of Navarre; and senior Kendra Stock of St. Charles, Ill., as Maria.
Additional members include: freshman Justin Barigian of Coarsegold, Calif., as Marcade; freshman Isaac Bush of Muskegon as Boyet; junior Adam Carpenter of Auburn Hills as Holofernes; senior Sandy Deitz of Grand Rapids as Dull; freshman Jeff Lampen of Zeeland as Nathaniel; freshman Ritchie Latimore of Dayton, Ohio, as Forester; junior Cody Masalkoski of Lansing as Costard; sophomore Joceyln Vammer of Midland as Moth; senior Eric Van Tassell of Spencer, Iowa, as Armado; and sophomore Rachel Wells of West Bend, Wis., as Jaquenetta.
Tickets for "Love's Labour's Lost" are $7 for regular admission, $5 for Hope faculty and staff, and $4 for students and senior citizens, and are available in the ticket office inside the east entrance of the DeVos Fieldhouse, which is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition, the theatre lobby ticket office in the DeWitt Center will be open on performance nights shortly before 8 p.m. The ticket office may be contacted at (616) 395-7890.
The DeVos Fieldhouse is located at 222 Fairbanks Avenue between Ninth and 11th streets. The DeWitt Center is located on Columbia Avenue at 12th Street.