2017 Season
During the 2017 Season at Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, our four productions were The Taming of the Shrew, The Music Man, Julius Caesar, and Love's Labour's Lost.
The Taming of the Shrew
Grab a seat close to the stage as AST transports you back to the lively and colorful days of old world Italy, where embracing adventure, music, and above all, passion was a way of life. Through a flurry of song and spectacle, join the rambunctious and arrogant Petruchio in his quest to woo the unimpressed and headstrong "Kate the Cursed." Inspired by Italian traditions of puppetry and commedia dell'arte, our players bring the audience right into the middle of the action. So come ready to play--we can't tell the story without you!
Meredith Willson’s The Music Man
“Oh, we got trouble!” Parading into the hearts, hopes, and dreams of the folks of River City, smooth-talking Harold Hill waves his baton and conjures up just the joy this community needs, while also seeking the heart of skeptical librarian and music teacher Marian Paroo. With turn-of-the-century charm and a syncopated score that is one of Broadway’s best, The Music Man will high step into your heart and ring out a time honored melody to beat the band! With AST’s immersive on-stage seating, this performance of The Music Man will be like no other!
Julius Caesar
Lend us your ears for Shakespeare's famous retelling of the fall of the great Roman leader Julius Caesar. This complex tragedy explores the true meaning of honor and courage, and will be brought to life with AST’s intimate and visceral on-stage seating. The historical events are reimagined as taking place in a world not unlike our own, with women taking on leading roles in the conspiracy to overthrow a beloved but possibly corrupt leader. Will their desperate action save or destroy the Republic they claim to want to protect?
Love's Labour's Lost
Shakespeare proves that love is a battlefield in this play that pits traditional academic learning against lessons of the real world. The King of Navarre and his closest friends have sworn off women for three years in order to focus on their studies, but their best-laid plans go hilariously wrong when the Princess of France and her lovely ladies arrive. Throw a preening Spanish knight and some rustic clowns into the mix, and you have a classic Shakespearean romantic comedy to enjoy on an Arkansas summer evening.