Cal Shakes unveils its 2019 season
After a 2018 season of three non-Shakespeare productions and just one by its namesake, California Shakespeare Theater will produce two plays by Shakespeare and two by other playwrights for its 2019 summer season at the Bruns Amphitheater in Orinda. The company had previously maintained that balance since 2007.
“It’s a season of glorious comedy, stark tragedy and complex humanity that grapples with the timeless question: How are we responsible to one another?” says artistic director Eric Ting in a statement.
Cal Shakes announced the news Monday, Oct. 1.
Shakespeare will bookend the season, with the frolicsome, fairy-filled comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” opening the season May 22-June 9 and “Macbeth,” the bloody tragedy of ambition run amok, closing it Sept. 18-Oct. 6.
Bertolt Brecht’s “The Good Person of Szechuan” will run July 3-21. The show asks whether it’s possible to be both virtuous and prosperous, employing Brecht’s signature distancing techniques to make the audience think for themselves rather than emotionally identify with characters. “Szechuan” will be Cal Shakes’ first Brecht production.
The world premiere of Madhuri Shekar’s “House of Joy” rounds out the season Aug. 14-Sept. 1. The show, about a royal family riven by civil war, takes its inspiration from a variety of sources: two Mughal emperors, Shah Jahan and Farrukhsiyar; the current U.S. presidential administration; and a legend from the playwright’s own family.
Directors and casting will be announced at a later date. Season subscriptions start at $132. Info at www.calshakes. org or 510-548-9666.