May 23, 2022: The Keegan Theatre is pleased to announce the cast and creative team of SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, adapted by Lee Hall from the acclaimed screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard. The celebrated play is making its Regional Premiere as one of the final offerings of Keegan’s 25th Anniversary Season, running in repertory with THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF DR. WONDERFUL (AND HER DOG!), by Lauren Gunderson with music by Bree Lowdermilk, a Keegan PLAY-RAH-KA production for families.
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE is co-directed by Ricky Drummond and Douglas Dubois, with music direction by Tiffany Holmes and fight choreography by Ryan Sellers.
“The brilliance of SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE comes through in its marriage of original Shakespearean text and newly written words which lift the audience to a place of magic. The play subverts the mind and cuts straight to the heart of what matters – Love,” explains Drummond. “Our fantastic cast features performers who bring a sense of play to their work. They each bring unique skills which invigorate the script, and together they collaborate beautifully to create the world of William Shakespeare.”
“As we all recover from years of devastation by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dubois adds, “this play is a timely celebration of the life of William Shakespeare, who, as a child, survived the plague, and, as an adult, stayed in London when others fled for fear of the bubonic plague. SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE brings such humor and laughter with an air of love, which our company of actors embody in their eclectic delivery of the roles. We are also reimagining Shakespeare’s world, by paying tribute and being cognizant of all communities that must have lived and/or thrived in his time.”
About the play: Young Will Shakespeare has writer’s block… the deadline for his new play is fast approaching but he’s in desperate need of inspiration. That is, until he finds his muse – Viola. This beautiful young woman is Will’s greatest admirer and will stop at nothing (including breaking the law) to appear in his next play. Against a bustling background of mistaken identity, ruthless scheming, and backstage theatrics, Will’s love for Viola quickly blossoms and inspires him to write his greatest masterpiece.
The cast of SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE features Terrance Fleming as Will Shakespeare, Ashley Nguyen as Viola de Lesseps, and a robust ensemble, including Nina Andjelic, Rebecca Ballinger, Lily Burka, Patrick Casimir, Jeremy Crawford, Christion “Ty” Edwards, Scean Flowers, Karen Kelleher, Stephen Kime, Cristian P. Bonilla Lainez, Bianca Lipford, Timothy H. Lynch, Duane Richards II, Valerie Adams Rigsbee, Ryan Sellers, Robert Bowen Smith, Moira Todd, Jon Townson, and Taylor Witt.
The creative team also includes Gabrielle Busch (Co-Stage Manager), Tiesha Cooper (Hair and Makeup Designer), Sarah Daniel (Assistant Stage Manager), Kate Goldberg (Assistant Stage Manager), Venus Gulbranson (Lighting Designer), Ben Harvey (Master Electrician), Cresent Haynes (Sound Designer), Cindy Landrum Jacobs (Properties and Set Dressing Designer), Shee Shee Jin (Co-Stage Manager), Matthew J. Keenan (Set Designer and Master Carpenter), Elizabeth Morton (Costume Designer), Sarah Nichols (Dialect Coach), Mallory Shear (Intimacy Coordinator), and Colin Smith (Production Manager).
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE runs from June 18 – July 16, 2022, and the run includes two special audience engagement events. Following the matinee on Sunday, July 3, audiences are invited to a special moderated talkback with members of the cast and creative team. Then, following the matinee on Sunday, July 10, the Challenging Racism team will facilitate a special post-show discussion around “The Intersection of Race & Education,” specifically curated to build on the themes presented in SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE and enrich the audience experience of the play.
Challenging Racism is an Arlington organization that provides education on the prevalence and inequities of institutional and systemic racism, and Keegan has been honored to partner with them all season to enrich both artist and audience experiences with Keegan productions.
