Baltimore Shakespeare Factory Presents THE SHOEMAKER'S HOLIDAY

Baltimore Shakespeare Factory is thrilled to present the Baltimore area premiere of Thomas Dekker's hilarious London city comedy, The Shoemaker's Holiday. The story is based on the real-life Simon Eyre, a commoner who became the Lord Mayor of London.

Rarely performed in modern times, this play was first performed in 1599 by the Lord Admiral's Men, the rival Acting Company, The Lord Chamberlain's Men, Shakespeare's company. Later it was performed for Queen Elizabeth I. It is a perfect example of the popular city comedy made famous by writers such as Shakespeare's friend, Ben Jonson. The city comedy genre makes the city of London itself a shadow character and offers fascinating insights into the lives of London's common people.

The bawdy dialogue of the play resulted in its temporary ban from the theatres in the 1600s, but the endearing characters and the love of life that permeates the play has ensured its survival. "BSF is excited to bring these charming characters and their story to modern Baltimore audiences for the first time," states Founding Artistic Director Tom Delise. "The Shoemaker's Holiday also marks a first for BSF: this is the first time we perform a play that is not by Shakespeare, but rather by a Shakespeare contemporary."

Tickets are available at BSF's website, http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2642706
Baltimore Shakespeare Factory's new website, http://www.baltimoreshakespearefactory.org/

November 4 - 20
Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm
Sundays at 4 pm
Indoors in the Great Hall Theater at St. Mary's Community Center
3900 Roland Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21211
410-662-9455

Pre-show entertainment begins 30 minutes before show time. Tickets are exchangeable for any performance during the run!

The Shomaker's Holiday is also part of 2016 Charm City Fringe, https://charmcityfringe.ticketleap.com/the-shoemakers-holiday/.

As with all Shakespeare Factory productions, The Shoemaker's Holiday is presented using the staging conditions of Shakespeare's day. Our productions bring Shakespeare's works to life in a way that is fresh and accessible to modern audiences without compromising the original language. The result is a fun, engaging, and fast-paced show that celebrates the artistry of Shakespeare's language.

Tom Delise (Director) founded the Baltimore Shakespeare Factory in 2006 and is the artistic director of the company. He received a BA degree in English from Brockport University and a master's degree in liberal studies from Towson University. For the Factory, he has directed the historic production of The Merchant of Venice in original pronunciation, The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Macbeth, Love's Labor's Lost, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Richard III, Measure for Measure and co-directed A Midsummer Night's Dream with Chris Cotterman. He has also directed a staged reading of The Famous Victories of Henry V, performed at the American Shakespeare Center. Delise has been a high school teacher for over thirty years and is the author of the book, That Is the Question: The Ultimate Shakespeare Quiz Book.

CAST OF SHOEMAKER'S HOLIDAY
Craig Allen Sir Roger Oatley/Shoemaker #2
Thomas Bowers Hammon/Lovell
Kerry Brady Sybil/Dodger/Prentice
Chris Cotterman* Roland Lacy
Conrad Deitrick Simon Eyre
Ben Fisler Sir Hugh Lacy
Davon Harris Ralph/Skipper/Warner
Jim Knost King/Askew/Scott/Hammon's Man
Bethany Mayo Margery
Allie Press Rose/Prologue #1/Shoemaker #1
Ian Blackwell Rogers* Firk/Prologue #2
Emily Su Roger Hodge
Tegan Williams* Jane/Boy/Servingman/Nobleman/Servant

ARTISTIC TEAM
Director Tom Delise
Stage Manager Rachel Tilley*
Costume Designer April Forrer*
Music Director Jamie Horrell
Jessica Clark Dramaturge
Graphic Designer Lynne Menefee

*denotes Resident Company Member

Baltimore Shakespeare Factory (BSF) is a nonprofit organization that entertains, educates, and enriches the Baltimore community by creating performances that inspire audiences with the wonder of William Shakespeare's plays and language.

In order to achieve this mission, BSF has the following strategic priorities:
· to produce the works of Shakespeare and his contemporaries by re-creating, as closely as possible, the staging conditions of Shakespeare's time, such as doubling, cross-gender casting, and the use of universal lighting so interaction can occur between the audience and the actors;

· to revive works written in the Elizabethan/Jacobean period that have become overshadowed in our time by Shakespeare;

· to present these works with unparalleled quality of language, intent, and focus so that the audience effortlessly understands each word and the full spectrum of meaning in these masterpieces;

· to perform one production of Shakespeare's work each season in original pronunciation (OP), the accent of 16th-century England, so Baltimore audiences can experience these works as the audiences of Shakespeare's time would have heard them; and

· to maintain a vibrant education program that consists of summer camps, children's troupes, lectures, and workshops and classes for people of all ages.

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