The Hope College Great Performance Series will feature two different productions by Aquila Theatre on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 18-19, at 7:30 p.m. in the Knickerbocker Theatre in downtown Holland.
“The New Yorker Magazine” has described Aquila’s productions as “The classics made relevant with superb acting and clever staging,” while “The New York Times” has called the company “The excellent Aquila Theatre, an extraordinarily inventive and disciplined outfit.”
Aquila Theatre will be presenting “Fahrenheit 451” on Tuesday, Feb. 18. One of the most revered novels of the 20th century, “Fahrenheit 451” is Ray Bradbury’s dystopian tale of a bleak future in which literature and knowledge are on the edge of extinction. Considered a work of science fiction when first published, “Fahrenheit 451” has been debated for decades: issues of censorship, the effects of technology on society and literature, and the means by which knowledge is gained continue to be very real concerns in the present day. Bradbury wrote the stage version of his novel as well.
On Wednesday, Feb. 19, Aquila Theatre will stage Shakespeare’s comedy “Twelfth Night.” Written in 1600 and set against a background of romance and mystery, the story of identical twins and mistaken identity, set in the mystical world of Illyria, explores the universal themes of love and all its ambiguous effects on human behavior.
Aquila Theatre was founded in London in 1991 by Peter Meineck and has been based in New York City since 1999. Aquila’s mission is to bring the greatest theatrical works to the greatest number. To this end Aquila, presents a regular season of plays in New York, at international festivals, and tours to approximately 70 American towns and cities each year. A favorite of Great Performance Series audiences, Aquila Theatre has presented at Hope before in 2006 and 2009.
Tickets are $18 for regular admission, $13 for senior citizens, and $6 for children 18 and under. Tickets are available at the ticket offices in the main lobby of the DeVos Fieldhouse (222 Fairbanks Ave.) and the Events and Conferences Office located downtown in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.). Both offices are open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at (616) 395-7890.
The Knickerbocker Theatre is located at 86 E. Eighth St.
More information about the season may be obtained online by visiting www.hope.edu/gps/.