Acorn Productions' NAKED SHAKESPEARE Continues First Friday Shows, 5/1

Naked Shakespeare, Acorn Productions' performance series dedicated to presenting the works of the Bard in accessible ways for contemporary audiences, presents the company's latest installment of their new First Friday performance series on Friday, May 1st at 7pm in The Ballroom at Mechanics Hall.

The performance begins normally enough with a series of interspersed scenes from Twelfth Night, As You Like It, and Two Gentlemen of Verona. But after Viola, Rosalind, and Julia settle into their new cross-dressed lives of disguise as Cesario, Ganymede, and Sebastian, they discover that not all is as it seems. To begin with, Viola somehow wanders into the Forest of Arden, Julia into Illyria, and Rosalind in Mantua. To make matters worse, their companions begin to change as well, with Orlando changing into Celia, Olivia into Orsino, and Proteus into Silvia. Before the audience knows it, all of the characters have wandered all over the room and no one's role or gender has stayed the same. By the end, all has been restored as everyone returns to their original roles, and all's well that ends well. Or is it?

The performance is free with a $5 suggested donation. For more information visit the Acorn's website at www.acorn-productions.org.

Naked Shakespeare kicked off the company's First Friday performance series in April with a highly-successful "Fool-Off" at which local actor Tristan Rolfe won the title of "Portland's Royal Fool" with his performance as Bottom and then an original "Fool Rap."

May's edition of the series finds the company creating a performance installation similar to Naked Shakespeare's previous productions of "Cymbeline Underground" and "All's Well on the Waterfront."

In these shows, the audience is free to wander around the space encountering characters both during and inbetween their spoken scenes. While some familiarity with the three plays that are being excerpted and mixed together will help audience members keep track of what is going on, it is not required to enjoy the show.

Unlike last month's performance, May's presentation will use the entire room, including the historic balcony and other unique architectural features in the historic space. The performance continues Naked Shakespeare's 10-year local tradition of presenting the words of the bard in an intimate and accessible fashion.

DETAILS:

Who: Naked Shakespeare
What: "Lovers and Cross-Dressers"
When: Friday, May 1 at 7pm
Where: The Ballroom at Mechanics Hall, 519 Congress St., Portland
How Much: Free ($5 suggested donation)
FMI: www.acorn-productions.org

Pictured: Susan Clark, Christopher Hoffman, and Michael Levine. Photo by Arthur Fink.

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