Hope Summer Repertory Theatre is continuing its season with the opening of “Shakespeare in Love” on Friday, July 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the DeWitt Center main theatre.
Additional performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. on July 20, 22, 24, 26 and 30, and August 1, 2, 5 and 6, all in the DeWitt Center main theatre.
The play is based on the screenplay by Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman. Young Will Shakespeare is overdue with his new play — a half-baked mess called “Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter” — and he’s having a colossal case of writer’s block. The deadline for his new play is fast approaching, but he is in desperate need of inspiration. That is, until he finds his muse: Viola. The young woman is Will’s greatest admirer and will stop at nothing (including breaking the law) to appear in his next play.
This comedic and romantic adaptation of the Academy Award-winning screenplay (that features Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes) has been acclaimed as “a hit, a very palpable hit!” According to Michael Billington of The Guardian, “[T]his is a play that stands on its own two feet as a heady celebration of the act of theatre.” The Chicago Tribune has even labeled it as “one of the finest plays seen on a Chicago stage this year!”
HSRT’s production of “Shakespeare in Love” is directed by Cameron Knight. The creative team includes Alex Thompson as music director, Peter Sargent as lighting designer, T. Stacy Hicks as costume designer, Jessica McIlquham as media and sound designer, Sarah Pearline as scenic designer and Alyssa Van Gorder as the stage manager.
The cast of “Shakespeare in Love” includes a large chunk of the 2019 company,
with the title romantic duo being played by Meg Rodgers (Viola) and artistic director Lenny Banovez (Shakespeare). The rest of the cast includes Noah Cornwall, Christian Klepac, Mike Lee, Julia Klinestiver, Chip Duford, Nicholas Parrott, Trey DeLuna, Jasmine Bracey, Jonathan Smoots, Ali Bourzgui, Pedro Juan Fronseca, Glen Forbes, Angela Iannone, John Bergeron, Laney Lynch, Benny Salerno, T. Stacy Hicks, Ben Lohrberg, Jon Grunnert, Analiese Puzon, Angelika Anastacio, Rafael Lopez, Taylyn Reine, Jacqueline Silva, Katie Joachim and Lauren Blair Smith.
Individual tickets are $26 to $30 for regular admission, $22 to $27 for senior citizens and $15 for children under 18. Tickets and season packages may be purchased either at the ticket office in the Events and Conferences Office located downtown in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center, which is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and can be called at 616-395-7890; or the ticket office in the DeWitt Center, which is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (intermission on performance nights) and Saturdays from noon to intermission. Tickets can also be purchased online.
The Anderson-Werkman Financial Center is located at 100 E. Eighth St. in downtown Holland, between College and Columbia avenues. The DeWitt Center is located at 141 E. 12th St., facing Columbia Avenue between 10th and 13th streets.
More information about HSRT’s 48th season can be found online or on facebook.