See also: The Rise of the Understudies
Over the next five years, the AT&T Performing Arts Center and Shakespeare Dallas will present all of William Shakespeare's work, including every one of the plays and sonnets. If he wrote any mash notes or shopping lists, they'll do those, too. < em>The Complete Works of William Shakespeare will be presented in monthly staged readings (eight per year) in the 200-seat Hamon Hall at the Winspear Opera House. Dallas actors and directors will collaborate on the performances.
"We obviously have a passion for Shakespeare and his entire catalogue of work," said Shakespeare Dallas' artistic director Raphael Parry in a press release. "This unique partnership really allows us to use our decades of experience in order to share all of this, including his lesser known works, with Dallas audiences."
The series will allow Shakespeare Dallas, now in its 41st season, to explore some of the Bard's plays that they've never done in full production. They tend to stick to the top 10 hits, with Macbeth coming up on their schedule at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater this fall.
The staged reading format for the new series will use simple props and uncomplicated lighting and costumes "to keep the focus on the poetry and brilliance of the text," said the release. The performances will be on Sunday afternoons and Monday evenings, typically times when actors are available for the gig if they're working in plays running elsewhere.
The series is made possible by a grant from the Mankoff Family Foundation. Ticket information will be available later this month.
Here's the lineup for the first round of readings: September 23-24: Much Ado about Nothing October 14-15: Othello November 25-26: The Taming of the Shrew January 13-14: The Winter's Tale February 17-18: Henry VI Part 1 March 10-11: Henry VI Part 2 April 14-15: Henry VI Part 3 May 19-20: Richard III
