ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL Kicks Off Shakespeare Theater Of NJ Fall Season 9/15

William Shakespeare's comedy All's Well That Ends Well kicks-off the fall portion of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's 2010 Season beginning with performances on September 15 and continuing through October 10 at the F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre. Seen for the first time in more than 10 years on The Shakespeare Theatre stage, All's Well that Ends Well brings company member Tamara Tunie back to the Theatre in the pivotal role of the Countess. Ms. Tunie currently appears in Law & Order: SVU as medical examiner Dr. Melinda Warner. For tickets or more information, call the box office at 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org. Discount tickets are available by purchasing a 3-play ticket package which includes tickets to All's Well That Ends Well, The Lion in Winter and I Capture the Castle. The F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre is located at 36 Madison Avenue (at Lancaster Road), in Madison.

This new vision of Shakespeare's mercurial comedic romance, directed by Stephen Fried, features an ensemble of nine actors switching identities as the play moves from Rossillion to Paris to Florence and back again! Whether the love story ends well or not well is often a matter of debate and that has made this tale compelling to audiences for more than four centuries.

Tamara Tunie plays the matriarch - the Countess of Rossillion. Ms. Tunie returns to The Shakespeare Theatre for her fifth season having appeared in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Tartuffe, Antony and Cleopatra and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. On Broadway she appeared as Calphurnia in Julius Caesar opposite Denzel Washington; in Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music with Ms. Horne; and in David Merrick's revival of Oh Kay! As a Broadway producer, Ms. Tunie produced the Tony Award and Drama Desk award-winning musical Spring Awakening and Radio Golf. Ms. Tunie recently directed the upcoming film See You in September. She currently plays Dr. Melinda Warner on NBC-TV's hit Law & Order: SVU. She has appeared at the New York Shakespeare Festival, and played Maggie in the first all African-American production of Cat On a Hot Tin Roof. She has also appeared on As The World Turns as Jessica Griffin, and NYPD Blue among others. Her film credits include The Devil's Advocate and City Hall with Al Pacino, The Peacemaker with George Clooney, Wall Street with Michael Douglas and many more.

Ellen Adair makes her Shakespeare Theatre debut as Helena, a young woman raised by the Countess. Adair's New York credits include Playboy of the Western World at the Pearl Theatre. She has also appeared at numerous theatres throughout the country including The Folger, Huntington Stage and Baltimore CenterStage.

Clifton Duncan makes his Shakespeare Theatre debut as Bertram, the son of the Countess and Helena's love interest. Duncan has appeared at The Public Theatre, Georgia Shakespeare Festival and Chautauqua Theatre Company. He is also a solo artist and his hip-hop personal narrative, the uniVERSE project, will have its New York City debut at the Ars Nova Festival.

John Ahlin returns to The Shakespeare Theatre to play the King of France, whose life is saved by young Helena. Ahlin has appeared at The Shakespeare Theatre in The Comedy of Errors and King John. His Broadway credits include Waiting for Godot with Bill Irwin, Nathan Lane and John Glover, Journey's End (winner of the 2007 Tony Award for Best Revival), The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Voices in the Dark, One Mo' Time, Woopee! and Macbeth.

Parolles, who betrays all those closest to him, is played by Clark Carmichael. Returning for his eighth season, Carmichael has appeared in Henry VI: Blood & Roses, As You Like It, That Scoundrel Scapin, The Tempest, and Carnival among others. His Broadway credits include the Jumper in Tom Stoppard's Jumpers.

Rounding out the cast are Jon Barker, Brian Cade, Robin Chadwick and Isabella Steele.

The Director
Stephen Fried returns to The Shakespeare Theatre after directing The Comedy of Errors in the 2008 Season. Previously he directed Coriolanus for the Next Stage Ensemble, the Theatre's summer touring company. Fried served as the Resident Assistant Director at the prestigious Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC. Most recently he directed Love's Labours Lost at Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Henry IV, Part 1 at Milwaukee Shakespeare and Haunted Prince: The Ghosts of Edwin Booth, which he co-created, at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. He will direct Henry V at Milwaukee Shakespeare this season. Fried grew up in Madison and participated in many of The Shakespeare Theatre's education programs during his youth.

The Artistic Staff

Creating the world of All's Well That Ends Well are set designer Bill Clarke, lighting designer Tony Galaska, costume designer Emily Pepper, and sound designer Karin Graybash. Denise Cardarelli serves as production stage manager.

Tickets
Full price single tickets for All's Well That Ends Well are now on sale and start at $31. Single ticket prices include a $2 facility fee not subject to discount. Student Rush tickets are available a half-hour before curtain for $10 with a valid student ID. For tickets, call the box office at 973-408-5600, visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org or email boxoffice@shakespearenj.org.

Save with Discount Ticket Packages
3-play discount ticket packages are now on sale. The discount ticket packages feature up to 40% percent savings off the cost of regular tickets, the best seats to the remaining three plays of the 2010 Season; free, easy and unlimited ticket exchanges should schedules change; discounts on additional tickets; and the convenience of having tickets in hand and dates scheduled in advance. 3-Play ticket packages start at $75. Call The Shakespeare Theatre Box Office at 973-408-5600. Call the box office at 973-408-5600. Look for more information at www.ShakespeareNJ.org.

Special Performances
Preview performances for All's Well That Ends Well are Wednesday, September 15 at 7:30 p.m; Thursday and Friday, September 16 and 17 at 8:00 p.m., and Saturday, September 18 at 2 p.m. These Preview performances offer opportunities for reduced-priced tickets while enjoying the excitement of the very first performances in front of an audience. As always, the first Preview performance is Pay What You Can night. Visit The Shakespeare Theatre Box Office between noon and curtain on August 11 and purchase a ticket for what you are able to pay for that evening's 7:30 preview performance (offer subject to availability).

 

For no more than the cost of a regular ticket, three Symposium Series performances for each show include a post-play discussion with the cast and artistic staff. Symposium performances for All's Well That Ends Well will be Tuesday, September 21 at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, September 24 and October 2 at 2:00 p.m.

For each production, The Shakespeare Theatre presents the popular education program Know the Show. From 7:00 to 7:30 p.m., artists from The Shakespeare Theatre will present a pre-performance talk that provides background information and an insider's perspective on the production. Know the Show will be held on September 23 at 7:00 p.m. General admission is $5 for the general public, $4 for ticket package holders. Tickets to that evening's 8:00 p.m. performance may be purchased separately.

The Saturday, October 2 at 2 p.m. performance will be audio described for those who are blind or have visual impairments. Audio description enables patrons with visual impairments to hear, through an FM transmitter, a live description of the action on the stage. A pre-performance sensory seminar is offered that allows patrons to feel props, costumes and set pieces to further enhance their live theatrical experience. The service is offered free of charge.

2010 Season

The remaining plays in the 2010 Season are:

James Goldman's wickedly biting "domestic comedy" The Lion in Winter, directed by veteran company member Paul Mullins begins performances on October 20 and continues through November 14. Goldman's acerbic comedy of a dysfunctional family dynasty in the year 1183 was nominated for two Tony Awards when it opened on Broadway, and was later made into an Academy Award winning film featuring Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn.

To celebrate the Holiday Season, the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey will present the East Coast premiere of Dodie Smith's British romantic comedy I Capture the Castle. Most famous for her novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, I Capture the Castle was Ms. Smith's first novel which she then adapted for the stage. This 1930's coming-of-age classic is perfect for family audiences and is full of colorful Bohemian characters, wit, wisdom, and a fabulous crumbling castle. Directed by Cameron Watson, I Capture the Castle runs December 1 through January 2.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's Main Stage, the 308-seat F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, is conveniently located in Madison at 36 Madison Avenue (Route 124) at Lancaster Road (on the Drew University campus), just minutes from routes 287, 78 and 10. Parking is free.

The F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre is barrier free with access into the Theatre via a ramp and elevator access to all floors. Wheelchair seating and transfer seating is available. Braille and large print programs are available. Infrared listening devices are available free of charge. Some performances are audio described. Contact the theatre for more information. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org.

The acclaimed Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is an independent, professional theatre company located on the Drew University campus. One of the leading Shakespeare theatres in the nation, serving 100,000 adults and children annually, it is New Jersey's only professional theatre company dedicated solely to Shakespeare's canon and other world classics. Through its distinguished productions and education programs, the company strives to illuminate the universal and lasting relevance of the classics for contemporary audiences.

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