Seattle Shakespeare Company Announces 2006-2007 Season

Seattle Shakespeare Company has announced plans for the theatre's 2006-2007 season of plays. The theatre will once again offer its popular Chamber Series production with a Latin American-themed Chamber Macbeth and will continue to explore classic works beyond the Bard with Richard Brinsley Sheridan's masterwork, A School for Scandal.

"I'm thrilled about the collaborations we've put together for this upcoming season," says Artistic Director Stephanie Shine. "Russ Banham, who inaugurated our Chamber Series, has some very exiting concepts for Macbeth. It will be great to welcome Mark Harrison (formerly from the University/> of Washington/>/>) back to town for The Winter's Tale, as well as adding Rod Ceballos to our artistic fold. My pirate-themed production of The Comedy of Errors was such a joy to stage in Colorado/> and I'm very happy to share it with Seattle/>/> audiences. I think audiences will have a great time with Sheridan/>/>'s masterpiece, A School for Scandal. It's simply a salacious play and I'm surprised it hasn't been performed in this area in more than 25 years"

Mark Harrison will direct Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale (October-November, 2006). A royal family is torn apart when jealous King Leontes imprisons his pregnant wife, Hermione, for infidelity and exiles his newly born daughter. Sixteen years later in a far off land, a young girl raised by two shepherds falls for a prince. In their love lies the key to a magical reunion. A fantastical fable of love and the power of forgiveness.

Artistic Director Stephanie Shine re-stages her award-winning Colorado Shakespeare Festival production of The Comedy of Errors (January-February, 2007 set in a seaport town of the early 19^th century filled with pirates, whorehouses, shady dealings and new found independence. A colorful, freewheeling comedy.

Russ Banham's "Chamber" Macbeth will be seen in March-April, 2007. A ruthless lord seizes the throne with the help of his scheming wife and a trio of mystical witches. Russ Banham, who staged Seattle Shakespeare's highly acclaimed production of Othello, draws upon the magic realism of Latin American culture to tell this tale of murder and ambition in an intimate and compelling chamber production.

The season will end with Richard Brinsley Sheridan's masterpiece A School for Scandal, directed by Rod Ceballos.. Sir Peter Teazle marries a young country girl and is then horrified when she joins a clique of gossiping socialites led by Lady Sneerwell. Behind-the-scenes intrigues, devious relatives, and forked-tongue characters make this a deliciously amusing play.

Seattle Shakespeare Company is the Puget Sound/> region's only year-round professional, classical theatre dedicated to producing the work of Shakespeare. The Company's growing success stems from a deep belief in the power and vibrancy of Shakespeare's words and ideas along with a commitment to artistic excellence on the stage. The results have been provocative performances that both challenge and delight audiences while fostering an
appreciation for the greatest playwright the world has ever known.

For more information call (206) 733-8222, or visit www.seattleshakespeare.org