New York Shakespeare Exchange Sets February ShakesBEER Pub Crawl

New York Shakespeare Exchange, creator of the viral smash The Sonnet Project, is thrilled to announce that their February ShakesBEER, NYC's original Shakespearean pub-crawl, will head to Greenwhich Village for two dates in February. The February ShakesBEER takes place on Saturday, February 6 and Saturday, February 13.

The event kicks off at The Red Lion (151 Bleecker Street), before traveling on to The Half Pint (76 West Third Street), The Lantern (167 Bleeker Street) and one additional other bar to be announced. Admission is $45, which includes four drink tickets redeemable for beer, wine and select cocktails at the participating bars. Check-in begins at 2:30 PM at The Red Lion for the 3 PM kick off. Tickets are available at www.shakespeareexchange.org or at the door. Advance booking is strongly recommended.

Shakespeare's original audiences were soused and lively when they attended his plays at The Globe. In a nod to tradition, ShakesBEER features scenes from his plays the way they were originally intended. The first crawl of 2016 features scenes from The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, and one surprise mash-up scene.

The three-hour pub-crawl is divided between four bars, with Shakespearian scenes breaking out at each location. The actors are shoulder-to-shoulder with the audience, drawing them in, surprising and delighting them.

The featured actors include Amy Jo Jackson (Cole Porter's Nymph Errant at Prospect Theater), Nate Washburn (Henry V at Arkansas Rep; These Seven Sicknesses at The Flea), Michael Shattner (Island and Pericles for NYSX), Therese Anderberg (A Christmas Story at The Cleveland Play House), Kristi Dana (The Sonnet Project for NYSX), Devin Haqq (Macbeth and Richard III with Epic Theater), and Phil Mutz (Gay Camp; The Life and Death of King John for NYSX)

The directors are Sasha Bratt, Matt Weiss, Cristina Lundy and Nathaniel P. Claridad. Kim Krane and Cristina Lundy are the producers.

ShakesBEER is produced as a fundraiser in agreement with The Theater Authority.

New York Shakespeare Exchange (NYSX) offers theatrical programming that explores what happens when contemporary culture is infused with Shakespearean poetry and themes in unexpected ways. Providing fresh points of entry to the work so that modern audiences will be exposed to the intrinsic power of Shakespeare, NYSX's goal is to encourage appreciation of classical theater and to expand the reach of the art form within new and existing audiences.

Photo Credit: Kalle Westerling