The Phoenix Theatre is partying in quarantine in honor of the Bard this month. They are celebrating the Bard of Avon, with A Surprise Birthday Party for William Shakespeare, celebrating his 456th Birthday.
The professional theatre company, who has been hosting the daily, The Pointless Shakespeare Knowledge Challenge, will celebrate the birth of William Shakespeare with an evening of virtual performances on Shakespeare's 456th birthday Thursday, April 23 at 7 p.m.
The link to the performance will be available on the company's website www.thephoenixtheatrepa.com on the day of the show. This event is live and can be viewed from the comfort of one's home. The Pointless Shakespeare Knowledge Challenge is every weekday, Monday-Friday at 12 noon on Instagram (@phoenixtheatrepa).
For this one-night-only event Company Members, Apprentices, and Show Alumni from The Phoenix Theatre will present scenes, monologues, soliloquies, sonnets and songs that highlight some of the very best work from the Bard of Avon. A truly delightful evening for avid Shakespeare fans or people with very little Shakespearen knowledge that would like to get to know the Bard a bit better. Perfect for anyone that just wants to have a bit of fun and enjoy live theatre from the comfort of their home. This is a BYOC* event! *Bring Your Own Cake
The live event is free, but The Phoenix Theatre will be taking donations; 50% of the proceeds will be donated to the local nonprofit Chester County Food Bank providing essential services to the community during the COVID-19 outbreak.
"We had planned on doing a birthday party for Shakespeare in April to celebrate our apprentices. With stay at home orders in place, we didn't want to cancel this event, but find a creative way to make it accessible and engaging for an online audience. How fun to plan an evening around a surprise birthday party for Shakespeare! And because we are doing it *live* it will feel like the theater in the sense that we don't know what will happen, and the audience will be along with us on the ride!" said Jessica Myhr Reich, Phoenix Theatre Development Director.
Performing at this event will be Phoenix Theatre Apprentices: Emma Apple, Ryan Cassidy, Amanda Clark, Hannah Cohen, Bailey Denmark, Kelsey Hébert, Taylor Morgan, Mikey Roman, Samantha Leah Smith, Becca Stehle, and Lauryn Swavely; Phoenix Theatre Resident Company Members: Marcus Barainyak, Lydia Joy Carswell, Andrés Gallardo Bustillo, Michael Hajek, Jessica Myhr, and Seth Reich; and Show Alumni: Hannah Brannau, Danielle Foley, Katrina Hall, Catherine Ogden, and Trina Tjersland.
Videos