Door Shakespeare to Present THE TEMPEST and THE THREE MUSKETEERS, A MUSICAL ADVENTURE

Door Shakespeare announces its summer 2022 lineup of The Tempest, by William Shakespeare, and The Three Musketeers: An Adventure, with Music, a play by Joe Pine, based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas, with music and lyrics by Scott McKenna Campbell. The season runs June 22 through August 27, 2022 on Door Shakespeare's outdoor stage on the grounds of Björklunden in Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin.

The Tempest's first recorded performance was in 1611, but it was not seen in print until 1623, seven years after William Shakespeare's death. As one of Shakespeare's last plays, The Tempest shows the Bard in top form, a master of his craft. The play begins with a ship being torn asunder in treacherous waters. The story that unfolds is one that incorporates magic, nymphs, reapers, dogs, singing and dancing, high comedy, intrigue, romance, betrayal, and some of Shakespeare's most memorable characters and passages.

"The Tempest is magical when presented in such a place as the Garden at Björklunden," says director Michael Stebbins. "The action takes place out of doors on a fantastical island. Being a late work by William Shakespeare, the elements of tragic themes and comic resolutions, realistic characterizations and exotic tales, highlight the human experience in a most powerful way."

The Three Musketeers: An Adventure, with Music, had its world premiere in 2017 at the Ohio Shakespeare Festival. Longtime Door Shakespeare Company Member, Scott McKenna Campbell, who wrote the music and lyrics for the 2017 world premiere, once again joins Door Shakespeare this summer.

The Three Musketeers, by Alexander Dumas, written in 1844, became an instant classic. The story, set in 17th century France, full of intrigue and action, follows the exploits of the elite Musketeer guard and bodyguards to the king-Athos, Porthos, and Aramis-the most daring swordspersons in France. When d'Artagnan, a brash young person from the countryside, comes to Paris to join their ranks, they become the greatest friends of his life. When a villainous plot is hatched against the queen, the four dashing blades come to her rescue.

In Cool Cleveland's review of the 2017 world premiere, it said that "The Ohio Shakespeare Festival is offering this as wholesome family fare, and not unlike the author's books of the same name and The Count of Monte Cristo, this production will surely win over adults with historical perspectives and musical appeal, teens with romance and comedy, and youngsters with swashbuckling valiance."

Directing The Tempest is Michael Stebbins, Door Shakespeare's Producing Artistic Director. In addition to being seen on Door Shakespeare's stage as the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2019's Henry V, he directed the 2021 summer production of Hamlet, as well as the virtual productions of The Comedy of Errors and J. M. Barrie's Rosalind. He also directs the Door Shakespeare Reading Series. Michael received his BFA/MFA from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Professional Theatre Training Program.

Marcella Kearns returns to helm The Three Musketeers: An Adventure, with Music after directing the 2019 production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. A director, actor, and instructor, Marcella serves as Milwaukee Chamber Theatre's Associate Artistic Director. A proud member of Actors' Equity Association, she completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Dramatic Literature at the University of Vienna, Austria. Marcella holds an MFA from the University of South Carolina.

In addition to writing the music and lyrics for The Three Musketeers: An Adventure, with Music, Scott McKenna Campbell joins Door Shakespeare as music director. Scott is a theatre artist, musician, researcher and educator. He recently earned his Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison English Department, where he teaches students in Shakespeare, dramatic literature, and written composition. He has performed with professional theatre companies across the Midwest and East Coast, and has ongoing professional relationships with both the Ohio Shakespeare Festival and Door Shakespeare.

"We are delighted to return to the Björklunden Garden with a more traditional Door Shakespeare season," shared Managing Director Amy Ensign. "In addition to The Tempest and The Three Musketeers: An Adventure, with Music, we are bringing back three popular educational programs: Will in the Woods, Shake it Up Saturday, and our youth theater program, Camp Will."

Door Shakespeare was founded in 1995 under the umbrella of the then-named American Folklore Theatre. Since becoming its own nonprofit in 1999, the organization has produced 44 Productions in the Garden of Björklunden's 405-acre estate in Baileys Harbor.

For more information about Door Shakespeare visit www.doorshakespeare.com, write info@doorshakespeare.com, or call 920.854.7111.

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