Abilene Shakespeare Festival returns in June with two shows playing on alternate nights.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by retired theatre professor Gary Varner, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. June 18, 20 and 26 in Fulks Theatre, with a talkback session following the June 26 performance.
When the merry sprite Puck meddles with a magical love potion, young lovers lost in the woods mysteriously find themselves infatuated with the wrong person in this hilarious, fairytale fantasia that proves the course of true love never did run smooth. Recommended for ages 10 and older.
Shakespeare in Love, directed by theatre professor Adam Hester (’77), will be performed at 7:30 p.m. June 19, 25 and 27 in Fulks Theatre, with a talkback session following the June 19 performance.
Based on a screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard and adapted for the stage by Lee Hall, the story follows poor Will Shakespeare, who is suffering from a severe case of writer’s block with a deadline fast approaching.
Then his No. 1 fan, Viola, appears, disguised as a boy and hoping to appear in his new play. Viola sparks the bard’s creative fires and when he and his muse fall in love, hilarity ensues: mistaken identities, competitive backbiting with another troupe of players, and the potential of suffering the Queen’s wrath. Adapted from the Oscar-winning film, Shakespeare in Love is an homage to the joys of theatre. Recommended for ages 13 and older.
Doors for all performances open at 7 p.m. Admission is free but season subscribers will be seated first. Donations at the door help support the festival. For more information, visit acu.edu/theatre.