Photo Flash: First Look at SU Drama's MEASURE FOR MEASURE

Hypocrites, beware! Such is the matter of this profound and intriguing late comedy by Shakespeare. When Duke Vincentio of Vienna inexplicably hands over power to Lord Angelo, a man of self-professed puritanism, he lays a trap that ensnares the falsely virtuous and rewards the just and true. Like most Shakespearean comedies, the course to the truth is neither smooth nor easy, but it is filled with engaging characters and extraordinary events, and even concludes with multiple marriages-however unlikely that may sometimes seem.

Presented by the Department of Drama in Syracuse University's College of Visual and Performing Arts (SU Drama), Measure for Measure performs March 27 through April 12 in the Loft Theater at the Syracuse Stage/Drama Complex, 820 East Genesee Street. Tickets range $17-$19 and can be purchased at http://vpa.syr.edu/drama/tickets, by phone at 315-443-3275, or in person at the Box Office, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Shakespeare set Measure for Measure in Vienna, Austria during the 1600s. Director Celia Madeoy has advanced the time period of this production to around the 1880s, when, similarly to Shakespeare's Duke Vincentio, the Austrian Crown Prince Rudolf was seeking social reform.

Through a series of secrets and false identities, the characters question morality, justice and freedom. This demands a strong ensemble, with many actors portraying more than one role.

Photos by Michael Davis