ADK Shakes Actors Talk To NCPR's Todd Moe

 Sean Lounsbury in The Merchant Of Venice. Photo courtesy ADK Shakes. 

 

Sean Lounsbury in The Merchant Of Venice. Photo courtesy ADK Shakes. 

The Adirondack Shakepeare Company’s Sean Lounsbury  -- who survived a serious head on car crash last fall  –  recently talked with NCPR’s Todd Moe about the impact of this life changing event on the company. You can hear Sean's interview  -- along with artistic director Tara Bradway and actress Mia Canterby --  by clicking here.

This weekend marks the the last of the Company's Spring Season performances. Tonight at 8:00 pm. at Proctors, Schenectady, the Company performs  JULIUS CAESAR. And on Sunday, at 3:00 pm, at the  National Museum of Dance, Saratoga Springs, they perform  THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. Get the ADK Shakes full season schedule, by clicking here.

Schroon's ADK Shakes on the Road

If you have missed Schroon Lake based ADK Shakes performances on Sundays in Lake Placid – you are in luck. This Sunday you can get to see the company perform selections from their upcoming He That Plays The King: Selections From The Kingship Cycle.

It’s the third installment of their Sunday Shakespeare Series. ADK Shakes teamed up with the Lake Placid Center for the Arts to bring their Shakespeare in the raw style performance to the North Country’s most famous hamlet.

From ADK Shakes:

This series will be presented in full this summer, but you can get a sneak peek at the highlights from Richard II, Henry IV - Parts 1 & 2, and Henry V. Featuring the company’s Artistic Director Tara Bradway, Executive Director Patrick Siler, and festival favorite Collin McConnell in the title roles of Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V respectively.

“It’s exciting that these titles are enjoying a bit more attention lately with last year’s The Hollow Crown on PBS. Although they’re less familiar titles, they actually contain some of Shakespeare’s most beautiful language and compelling characters. Add in our signature Shakespeare IN THE RAW style, and you’ve got four plays that are absolutely not to be missed!” Tara said.

Where and When:  This Sunday, March 30 @ 7:30 p.m. Tickets - $5 (Call the Lake Placid Center for the Arts Box Office: 518-523-2512.

Kids Inspire Their Own Shakespeare Show

When ADK Shakes set up shop in Schroon Lake last year, the company was amazed by the number of kids that were turning up at their performances. Kids as young as four were "mesmerized" by the performances, recalled Tara Bradway, the show’s Artistic Director.

"They were wrapped. The kids got it. They are a lot smarter than a lot of adults give them credit for in understanding Shakespeare."

That experience led to a special commission of an adapted Shakespeare work just for kids, "Theseus And The Minotaur", two of the characters from  A Midsummer Night’s Dream. True to their roots, the performance Wednesday will be in “raw” form, where the focus is on the words --- not the sets or costumes. Says Tara:

The play encourages children to use their imaginations -- which they are so wonderful at doing. We are using simple props -- a ship is made from two dowels and a swath of fabric. The same fabric is used to veil the Minotaur. The actors employ considerable energy in order to bring the story to life, but it's really the children who provide that final step of creating the play.

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