Yesterday I sat on the famous thrust stage of the Guthrie Theater and watched a bunch of soldiers, lovers, and fairies dance, sing, fly, converse, love, hate, and generally cavort around in a bare circular space. Or was it all a dream? Such is the Guthrie's latest production of perhaps Shakespeare's best loved romantic comedy, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, that after three hours of spellbinding theater, you're not quite sure if what you saw just happened, or perhaps, as Puck suggests in his epilogue, it was all just a dream. Artistic Director Joe Dowling has returned to an old favorite in his final season at the Guthrie, assembling a gorgeous and talented cast of local favorites with a few national talents thrown in. It's no wonder that he returned to this show; this MIDSUMMER is a dream of a production, with plenty of spectacle in the form of dancing, flying, singing fairies, humor in the form of typical Shakesperean hijinks, and heart in this sweet romance that ends with a neat happily ever after. Everything about it is truly a delight.

English Repertory Theatre's Hamlet will run tonight, Feb 17th - Mar 15th 2015 at The Cockpit. Press Night: Wednesday, Feb 18th 2015, 7.30pm.

Shakespeare & Company has announced its lineup for the 2015 summer season, which includes three Shakespeare plays, Henry V, The Comedy of Errors and Hamlet, plus the Regional Premiere of Red Velvet by Lolita Chakrabarti, and the World Premiere of Jane Anderson's Mother of the Maid, starring Tina Packer. In addition, the summer season includes The Unexpected Man by Yasmina Reza, and opens with the provocative new play by Sarah Treem, The How and the Why.

Although billed as being for kids, there is plenty to keep the adults interested, too, so make it a family day out.

ROCKWELL Table and Stage, L.A.'s premier spot for extraordinary entertainment and dining is thrilled to announce the world premiere of an unbeatable couple, William Shakespeare meets Pat Benatar in the rock spectacle, ROMEO & JULIET: LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD, produced by Kate Pazakis, with musical direction by Brad Hooks, choreography by Chris Downey and written & directed by Bradley Bredeweg & Kelley Parker.

THE METROMANIACS might not be Moliere but it is a delicious romp thanks to the expert direction by Shakespeare Theatre Company artistic director Michael Kahn and playwright David Ives. Ives new comedy in English is taken from a rediscovered farce, LA METROMANIE by Alexis Piron. If the winter weather has got you down, I urge you to get tickets to THE METROMANIACS for disguises and ruses and verse-ical abuses. Kahn and Ives third collaboration as director and playwright/adapter - after THE LIAR and THE HEIR APPARENT - have struck gold again finding high art in the silliness of lesser known French comedies.

No one weaves a tangled web of a plot into a $4,000 designer play like Shakespeare. And the Alley Theatre wears that play well. It's been hanging out with the Kardashian-Wests lately and really getting into the fashion life. So AS YOU LIKE IT is a joy to write about. Sometimes, the stars just align.

Synetic Founding Artistic Director Paata Tsikurishvili will direct one of Shakespeare's best-loved comedies, following the success of Synetic's production of Twelfth Night. Confirmed bachelor Benedick and the equally spirited and unwed Beatrice will spar, court and conspire in Synetic's 11th Wordless Shakespeare adaptation, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. The show will run through March 22, 2015. Press opening is this Sunday, February 15 at 2 p.m. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

In this tangled tale of friendship, romance and revenge, a merchant borrows money to help his friend woo a rich heiress. Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, agrees to loan the money with one caveat: the merchant must pay the loan back in full, or else he will be forced to surrender a pound of his own flesh. When the merchant is unexpectedly bankrupted, who will save the day when Shylock comes, knife in hand, to claim his pound of flesh? Funny, horrifying, charming and unsettling, The Merchant of Venice has remained one of Shakespeare's most popular -and controversial - plays for more than four centuries. The Classic Theatre production features some of South Texas' premiere talent, including Classic Theatre founding member Allan S. Ross as Shylock.

Raleigh Little Theatre will present Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing at the Raleigh Little Theatre, 301 Pogue St, Raleigh, NC 27609, beginning tonight, February 13, 2015 and running through the 1st of March. The production will be directed by Patrick Torres, RLT's new Artistic Director.

Shakespeare may not have known Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in his time, but Director Tom Prewitt sees all the classic symptoms in Othello. With this lens of PTSD, WSC Avant Bard's current production becomes an examination of civilian vs. military life, generational differences, differing life experiences and, at its core, the terrible ravages of war. Race, the central feature in so many interpretations of Othello, is almost incidental here.

The Guthrie Theater and The Acting Company (TAC) reunite for a seventh year to present A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - a satirical story adapted by acclaimed local playwright Jeffrey Hatcher from the novel by Mark Twain - in repertory with Macbeth, Shakespeare's dark and powerful tragedy.

Babes With Blades Theatre Company will serve up the blood and pie with their upcoming production of William Shakespeare's most violent play, Titus Andronicus, performed by an all-female cast, at City Lit Theatre, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. Previews will be Saturday, February 21, Friday, February 27, and Saturday, February 28 at 8PM and Sundays, February 22 and Sunday, March 1 at 3PM. The press opening is Monday, March 2 at 8PM, and the show will run through April 4. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast below!

Actors From The London Stage (AFTLS), a self-directed ensemble of five professional British actors, will present William Shakespeare's Macbeth at the historic Washington Hall on the campus of the University of Notre Dame this week, February 11, 12, and 13, 2015 at 7:30pm.

Synetic Founding Artistic Director Paata Tsikurishvili will direct one of Shakespeare's best-loved comedies, following the success of Synetic's production of Twelfth Night. Confirmed bachelor Benedick and the equally spirited and unwed Beatrice will spar, court and conspire in Synetic's 11th Wordless Shakespeare adaptation. Set in 1950's Las Vegas, this flirtatious and fiercely funny show will blow you away with rockin' tunes, rat packers, and dreamy chicks who will shake, rattle, and roll as only Synetic performers can! Synetic's lively interpretation of Much Ado About Nothing will delve into the true meaning of courtship, love, and commitment.

In the final episode of Shakespeare Uncovered - Series II, Joseph Fiennes takes a look at Shakespeare's most often performed play, Romeo and Juliet, and the relevance it has in our world today. It is the story of two teenagers whose deep, profound love heals a deeply pathetic hatred between warring families and leaves the audience with a puzzling redemption. Love and death, conflict and pride, this play has it all.

The acting collaborative It's A Fiasco celebrates Valentine's Day with a Shakespearean fund-raiser. The party features company members performing Shakespearean scenes and sonnets as well as music, a silent auction, hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. All funds raised will support It's a Fiasco's third season of presenting free Shakespeare in Cambridge public parks.

Next on Shakespeare Uncovered, Kim Cattrall goes back 2000 years to explore the epic love story between a Roman General and an Egyptian Queen, two of the most powerful people in the world. She says theirs was an almost sadistic love affair and although she has played Cleopatra twice, she still has questions about the woman.

Taffety Punk's current production of The Tempest demonstrates how Shakespeare's work is infinitely elastic in terms of creativity and casting. Riot Grrrls, a faction of Taffety Punk Theatre Company dedicated to all-female productions of the Bard's works, has come up with a low-tech, low-cost, intimate staging that is as finely tuned as anything you'd pay big bucks for uptown.

ROCKWELL Table and Stage, L.A.'s premier spot for extraordinary entertainment and dining is thrilled to announce the world premiere of an unbeatable couple, William Shakespeare meets Pat Benatar in the rock spectacle, ROMEO & JULIET: LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD, produced by Kate Pazakis, with musical direction by Brad Hooks, choreography by Chris Downey and written & directed by Bradley Bredeweg & Kelley Parker.

The Daily Mail writes that INDIAN INK's Romola Garai will play 'Isabella' in Shakespeare's MEASURE FOR MEASURE at the Young Vic from October 2, 2015. Joe Hill-Gibbins directs.

Shakespeare in the Square's production of William Shakespeare's THE TRAGEDY OF ROMEO AND JULIET, directed by Dan Hasse and starring upcoming THE HEIDI CHRONICLES actress Elise Kibler, will complete its limited run on Sunday, February 8th at the Gym at Judson (243 Thompson Street). Now in their fifth season, Shakespeare in the Square makes their off-Broadway debut with THE TRAGEDY OF ROMEO AND JULIET, which opened Sunday, January 18th, and began previews Wednesday, January 14th. BroadwayWorld has a peek at the cast below!

William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor runs tonight, February 4, through March 7, 2015 at Orlando Shakespeare Theater. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

In the fourth installment of Shakespeare Uncovered - Series 2, David Harewood asks a very difficult question. Could you kill a person you love? Shakespeare made his audience confront that question when he created the character of Othello 400 years ago. It holds a key to understanding how such a strong warrior could end up so vulnerable that he would actually consider killing his wife. Harewood says, 'Whether you love him or hate him, we have to understand Othello. If you don't understand Othello, I don't think you understand yourself.'

Is it sexist or subversive? Morgan Freeman says he's always seen The Taming of the Shrew as a country tale, one that he feels is Shakespeare's most compelling comedy. In the next episode of Shakespeare Uncovered, Freeman takes a look at the play and explores that question, as well as what is at the heart of it all, love.