SHORT SHAKESPEARE! MACBETH Opens Tonight at Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announces casting for Short Shakespeare! Macbeth, a 75-minute abridged production of William Shakespeare's tale of political intrigue and personal ambition. This new adaptation by Director Kirsten Kelly, whose decade long history with CST includes being the co-founder and director of the nationally recognized CPS Shakespeare! program, makes for an outstanding introduction to Shakespeare for audiences of all ages.

In addition to public performances each Saturday, this production will welcome 1,000 students per day during its five-week run in the Courtyard Theater, followed by an extensive tour to schools across the Midwest. Short Shakespeare! Macbeth will be performed for the public Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. from tonight, January 17 to February 14, 2015. After each performance, the actors remain on stage for a question-and-answer session, before joining the audience in the Lobby for one-on-one conversations and photo opportunities.

In a world brimming with the supernatural, three witches' prophecies reveal a path to the throne for Scottish nobleman Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth. Blinded by their royal desires, the couple struggles to balance conscience with ambition, leading to dark consequences. A theatrical world of action, sound and the spiritual makes Shakespeare's language come alive in one of the playwright's most powerful dramas.

No stranger to Chicago Shakespeare, Director Kirsten Kelly has been an integral partner of the CST Education team for more than a decade, including co-founding the CPS Shakespeare! program with CST Director of Education Marilyn Halperin nine years ago. The initiative, which engages Chicago Public Schools students and teachers to create a unique Shakespeare production on the Courtyard Stage, was recently recognized by First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House with the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award. Directing her first professional CST production, Kelly approaches Short Shakespeare! Macbeth with a diverse audience in mind-making for an exciting theatrical encounter for even the newest of Shakespeare fans. Kelly is also an award-winning filmmaker, most recently receiving critical success with her compelling documentary The Homestretch, which details the struggles of homelessness among Chicago teens inspired by her interactions with students in the CPS Shakespeare! program.

CST's Short Shakespeare! series is an essential component of the Theater's celebrated Team Shakespeare education program. Following five weeks of public and student performances in the theater's home on Navy Pier, the abridgment will begin its five-week tour to urban, suburban, and rural schools across the Midwest. With a crew of eight and a 20 foot-long box truck, the production will transform each venue with high-caliber staging and design, giving students the experience of a fully realized professional performance. Chicago Shakespeare offers students exclusive access to its productions by removing financial barriers to participation, with subsidized tickets for school groups.

Audiences of Short Shakespeare! Macbeth at CST and in schools around the Midwest will experience a talented cast of actors, many of whom have performed on Chicago Shakespeare stages in recent seasons, including Chris Genebach as Macbeth and Lanise Antoine Shelley as Lady Macbeth, joined by an ensemble of characters including La Shawn Banks, Jeffrey Baumgartner, Kevin Cox, Tiffany Yvonne Cox, Nicholas Harazin, Steven Lee Johnson, Garrett Lutz, Joshua Moaney, Michael Perez, Andrea San Miguel, and Christopher Sheard.

The seasoned creative team features assistant director and fight choreographer Matt Hawkins, Scenic Designer Scott Davis, Costume Designer Robert S. Kuhn, Lighting Designer Joel Moritz, Composer and Sound Designer Kevin O'Donnell and CST's Resident Wig and Make-up Designer Melissa Veal.

For a complete listing and bios of the company and creative team, visit www.chicagoshakes.com/ssmacbeth.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Short Shakespeare! Macbeth will be performed for the public on Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. from January 17 through February 14, 2015 in CST's Courtyard Theater. Tickets are on sale now for $16-$20 with special discounts available for groups of 10 or more. All patrons receive a 40% discount on guaranteed parking in Navy Pier garages. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit the Theater's website at www.chicagoshakes.com.

CST strives to make its facility and performances accessible to all patrons through its Access Shakespeare programs. Access Shakespeare performances for Short Shakespeare! Macbeth include: ASL Duo-interpretation and Open Captioning on February 7 at 11:00 a.m., and Audio Description on January 31 at 2:00 p.m.

ABOUT CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER - Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) is a leading international theater company and the recipient of the Regional Theater Tony Award. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Barbara Gaines and Executive Director Criss Henderson, CST is dedicated to creating extraordinary production of classics, new works and family programming; to unlocking Shakespeare's work for educators and students; and to serving as Chicago's cultural ambassador through its World's Stage Series. Through a year-round season encompassing more than 650 performances, CST attracts 225,000 audience members annually. One in four of its audience members is under eighteen years old, and today its education programs have impacted the learning of over one million students. CST is proud to take an active role in empowering the next generation of literate, engaged cultural champions and creative minds.

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