Birmingham Village Players Present THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA

It's Shakespeare like you've never seen...technically, heard...it performed before as Birmingham Village Players (BVP) member Marcus Laban of Warren spins the tale of The Two Gentlemen of Verona into an audio drama created in the heyday of radio.

"The premise is that we discover these "lost tapes" in the vaults of our theatre," explained Laban. "After restoring them to the best of our ability, we've dropped them on our YouTube channel for all to enjoy."

The radio drama follows the misadventures of two young men from Verona and the women they've fallen for. It includes a lady in disguise, a scene-stealing dog, and a band of valley girl outlaws.

The comedy is told in five acts which can be listened to at the same or separate times. It features a radio-styled narrator who explains the actions that can't be seen and each act includes a light-hearted "commercial" from a "sponsor" from years gone by.

"This has been such fun," said Jaclyn Cherry of Los Angeles, a former member of the Michigan Shakespeare Festival's touring company who plays Launce in this production. "It's such a creative way to present this show."

Jude Purcell who last appeared on the BVP stage as William Shakespeare in the one-night-only presentation of Shakespeare in Love last March plays Proteus in The Two Gentlemen of Verona - A Radio Drama. "It's been a very interesting opportunity to play both the creator (Shakespeare) and one of his creations."

This isn't the first time Laban has directed a production of one of Shakespeare's plays, but it's definitely the most unusual. He's very proud of the cast of BVP members and friends of the Village Players both here and abroad who donated their time and professional expertise to making this happen.

"The Zoom recording sessions and all of the editing have been a lot of work," said Laban, "but it's been worth it. I hope everyone has a chance to tune in."

The Two Gentlemen of Verona - A Radio Drama is available anytime on the BVP YouTube channel: www.YouTube.com/BirminghamVillagePlayers. No purchase necessary.

The cast includes: Jude Purcell as Proteus, Tom Shilakes as Valentine, Liz Schultz as Julia, Stephanie Peltier as Silvia, Steve Sussman as The Duke, Jackie Bery as Speed, Jacylnn Cherry as Launce, Sterling Orlowski as Thurio, Sally Savoie as Antonia, Rachel Biber as Panthino, Suzie Skibicki as Lucetta, Holly Conroy as The Host, Ty Perkins as the Singer, Randi Hamilton as Outlaw #1, Kathleen Duffy as Outlaw #2, & Deb Dworkin as Outlaw #3. With Marcus Laban as the Narrator and cameos by Jennifer Jones, Becky Fisher, Steve Roberts, Rachel Wisley-Schulz, Laura Laban, Diane D'Agostino, and Liz Bery.

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