2016 Season
During the 2016 Season at Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, our four productions were Twelfth Night, West Side Story, Romeo & Juliet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Twelfth Night
Come one, come all! Inspired by carnivals of yesteryear, our actors will arrive ready to dazzle and delight the audience with the tale of twins Viola and Sebastian, separated by a storm at sea. The shipwrecked siblings discover new places, meet new people, and explore new possibilities as they try to find their way back to one another. Feste is our ringleader, a magician who brings the play to life by enlisting the talents of his gifted and colorful troop of entertainers in this fast-paced, funny, and family-friendly production. With a performance that includes sword-fighting, dancing, and singing (and maybe a few audience members!), Twelfth Night has a little something spectacular for everyone. So, hurry, hurry, step right up!
West Side Story
A perfect pair with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, this classic musical takes the star-crossed lovers to the streets of 1950s New York, translating the warring Montague and Capulet families into street gangs, the Sharks and the Jets, and adding some of the most magnificent music ever performed on a Broadway stage. Composer Leonard Bernstein captures the eloquent emotion of Shakespeare’s words in his incredible score, and creative and witty lyrics written by a young Stephen Sondheim bring the lovers into the 20th century. With a sweeping score, soaring melodies, dynamic dancing, and heartbreaking, humanity this production is not to be missed!
Romeo & Juliet
Shakespeare's celebrated romantic tragedy comes to the stage this summer with the world's most beloved pair of star-crossed lovers. Performed onstage in an intimate setting, AST's production invites you to embrace the intensity of the fledgling lovers, feel the tension between the feuding families, and experience the power of this breathtaking story in a beautiful Italian Renaissance setting. Fast-paced, furious, and full of fencing, Romeo and Juliet is a passionate ride through the agonies and elations of young love.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
AST welcomes you to a wonderful world of magic, mischief, and mirth with this imaginative and inspiring interpretation of A Midsummer Night's Dream. This family-friendly production of Shakespeare's charming comedy follows four young lovers into an enchanted forest, where fairies reign, folly ensues, and dreams take flight. Join us on an unforgettable midsummer journey and experience for yourself the thrill and madness of falling in love, with the delightful fairy Puck (Jordan Coughtry) serving as your musical emcee and guide. Presented for the first time outdoors on the University of Central Arkansas campus, we know you will delight in this deeply human, funny, all-time favorite play.