Measure for Measure at Lincoln Performance Hall

Power, corruption, ethics and sexual freedom are at the core of Portland State University Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure,” in a groundbreaking modern translation of the 420-year-old play by Aditi Brennan Kapil. The production runs February 29 through March 9, 2024 at Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 SW Park Avenue, Portland. Opening night is Friday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets ($6 - $20; free for PSU students) are available at https://www.pdx.edu/music-theater/measure-for-measure or by calling (503) 725-3305. 

Kapil’s translation of “Measure for Measure” was commissioned by Play On Shakespeare as part of the collaborative project titled Shakespeare’s First Folio: 1623-2023. The play is thought to have been written around 1603 or 1604 and was published as part of the Bard’s First Folio in 1623.

Comedic and sharp-edged, “Measure for Measure” takes place in the sexually corrupt city of Vienna. Unwilling or unable to bring the city back under his control, the Duke of Vienna places his deputy, Angelo, in charge before disguising himself as a Friar to keep an eye on Angelo’s work. Quickly taking charge of the situation, Angelo reinstates harsh laws that restrict the sexual freedom of the people of Vienna. Despite his efforts to crack down on the city’s moral failings, Angelo finds himself giving in to his own illicit desires. Caught up in Angelo’s machinations, siblings Claudio and Isabella face their own crises of morality as they attempt to navigate the intricate web of power that seeks to ensnare them. PSU Theater’s rendition of Shakespeare’s “problem play,” directed by Karin Magaldi, explores the shifting and complex role of power in morality, examining people’s hidden dynamics and the true nature that is revealed when their desires have been exposed.

Kapil is a television and theater writer, actress, and director, known for her writing on projects such as the Netflix series “Away,” the Starz TV series “American Gods,” Apple TV’s “Invasion,” and an adaptation of “Daughter of the Deep” with Rick Riordan for Disney+. Her numerous playwriting credits include “Orange” at South Coast Repertory Theater, and an audio play for Audible titled “Marrow.” Her first play, “Love Person,” received the Stavis Playwriting Award in 2009 and her script for “Agnes Under The Big Top: A Tall Tale,” was selected as a 2009 Distinguished New Play Development Project by the NEA New Play Development Program hosted by Arena Stage. 

“In reworking the play in her translation, Aditi Brennan Kapil honors the structure, rhythms, and themes of Shakespeare’s original,” wrote the University of Chicago Press. “Kapil’s updated language makes this cautionary fable about frailty, power, and the perils of legislating morality accessible for today’s audiences.” 

Karin Magaldi, Head of Theater and professor at PSU, directs. Magaldi has helmed numerous PSU Theater productions, in addition to “Spinning Into Butter” and “Boy Gets Girl” for Coho Productions and staged readings for the Jewish Theatre Collaborative, Portland Center Stage and Profile Theatre. A playwright herself, Magaldi’s credits include plays such as “The Spectacles,” “Wilde Tales,” “Verge Warnings,” “Jack and the Bones,” “Consider the Ant,” “Air” and American English versions of “Hedda Gabler” and “A Doll's House.”

Joining Karin Magaldi on the artistic team are Cooper Blomberg (assistant director); Ty Caskin (scenic co-designer); Jillian Catanzaro (lighting co-designer); Laura Helgeson (costume designer); Bards Myrick (sound designer); Daniel Pollack-Pelzner (dramaturg); and Solomon Weisbard (scenic and lighting co-designer). 

About Portland State Theater

The PSU Theater program mounts three productions per year on the stages of two unique theaters in Lincoln Hall. Directed by world-class faculty, these shows provide hands-on experience for students of every focus within the program, from acting to dramaturgy to technical theater.

In the selection of dramatic and other works, the school seeks to reflect vital contemporary issues, personal and public, in varied and challenging forms, both new and classic, thereby creating a forum for cultural and social concerns. The program actively pursues the development of new works, collaborations with urban arts and educational institutions, and the expansion of cultural exchange.

About Play On Shakespeare

Play On Shakespeare is a non-profit company promoting and creating contemporary modern translations of Shakespeare’s plays. Since its inception in 2015, Play On Shakespeare has commissioned dozens of contemporary playwrights and translators to translate 39 Shakespeare plays into modern English, with a majority of the commissions being helmed by BIPOC and womxn playwrights. Each playwright was tasked with matching Shakespeare’s linguistic rigor as they approached the text, preserving rhyme, rhythm, metaphor, meter, imagery, symbolism, rhetoric, and the structure that make Shakespeare’s plays engaging and accessible to today’s audience. Play On Shakespeare partners with artists and organizations across the globe to deliver and advocate for these translations through theatrical productions, podcasts, and publications.

About Shakespeare’s First Folio: 1623-2023 

Shakespeare’s First Folio: 1623–2023 commemorates the 400th anniversary of the publication of the first volume of Shakespeare’s plays – the First Folio. In partnership with Portland State University and other arts organizations, the First Folio celebration features an exhibition, a speaker series, and performances of Shakespearean drama, opera, music, and film. These citywide events explore how the Folio plays raise questions that evoke our own contemporary public debates. Beyond the enduring stories and memorable characters, the most compelling quality of Shakespeare’s plays is that they provoke audiences to wrestle with difficult questions, without providing definitive answers. These provocations are why the Folio plays resonate so powerfully across diverse communities and across time.

Authors

• William Shakespeare