The Semi-Royal Shakespeare Company has announced the performance schedule for the 2011 season. From March 10 - 13, a dynamic group of Mamaroneck High School students will present King Lear and Twelfth Night in a week of performances to be held in the state of the art auditorium at Hommocks Middle School in Larchmont.
King Lear centers around an aging King who attempts to divide up his estate among two of his three daughters after the youngest daughter refuses his conditions. This is the first time King Lear will be performed by the company. The SRSC production will take place in a contemporary setting.
Twelfth Night is a riotous comedy which takes place in the Adriatic city of Ilyria. A shipwreck leaves a set of twins to make their way in a new town. The female twin, Viola, who fears her brother is dead, pretends to be a male and unfortunately wins the favor of the fair Olivia. Comedic results ensue. The play is set in the 1970’s accompanied by period costumes and music.
These productions mark the 37th season for the company. With a cast and crew consisting of over 80 Mamaroneck High School students, under the direction of Dee O’Brien, The Semi-Royal Shakespeare Company is the oldest continuous high school Shakespeare troupe in the United States. Ms. O’Brien, who taught English at Hommocks Middle School for 36 years, received the Sunny Award for outstanding community service and the Westchester Arts Council Award for her contributions to theater arts.
“It is always exciting to see these productions come together,” said producer Beth Samach. “The students in the cast and crew are deeply committed to providing the community with an opportunity to experience the rich offerings of William Shakespeare,” she added.
The high school seniors in the cast and crew of these two productions are: Evan Amber, Julia Bellis, Zoe Berman, Gabe Bernstein, Christina Bishop, Bernardo Brandt, Kelly Cadden, Dinah Cherkasky, Charlotte Cwikowski, David Janoff, Jenna Danoy, Jolie DeFeis, Yuan Feng, Kyle Giddon, Jason Harris, Jason Hellerstein, Russell Masone, Gabriel Samach, Alissa Slater, David Thomson, Zach Upton-Davis, Matt Wolf, and Sarah Yalowitz
The Company will present six shows to the public with each production fielding two different casts. For information regarding the performance dates of specific cast members or if you would like to attend a rehearsal or performance, contact Emily Saltzman Hoffner at esaltzman@hotmail.com.
Show dates and times are as follows and all performances will be in the theater at Hommocks Middle School on Hommocks Road in Larchmont:
Twelfth Night
March 10, at 7:30PM
March 12 at 8:00 PM
March 13 at 1:00 PM
King Lear
March 11 at 8:00 PM
March 12 at 2:00 PM
March 13 at 7:00 PM
Tickets are $10.00 for all performances and can be purchased in advance using the order form found at the district website: www.mamkschools.org or at the door starting one hour before each performance, and depending on availability.
