COC theater to put on Shakespeare production
The College of the Canyons theater department continues its season with a production of William Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure,” opening Nov. 9. Performances will take place at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center (PAC) Blackbox Theatre on the college’s Valencia campus.
The “Measure for Measure” plot will still revolve around a duke abdicating his authority and a woman’s stand against lechery, but will get a contemporary makeover, according to a COC press release.
“Though this play is more than 400 years old, it sounds as though it was written last month,” said David Stears, production director and a new member of the full-time theater faculty. “There are whole passages that could have been ripped from recent headlines, with parallels to current items such as the #MeToo movement. It is a testament for the deep understanding Shakespeare had for people, characters and the nature of power.”
Stears is also the executive director of the Santa Clarita Shakespeare Festival, and was a long-time adjunct instructor in the COC theater department. He also serves as the theater department’s producer.
Showtimes are 8 p.m. on Nov. 9, 10, 16 and 17; and 2 p.m. on Nov. 11 and 18.
General admission tickets are $12. Tickets for students and seniors are $6. Visitors can contact the PAC box office at 661-362-5304 or visit the PAC website at https://www3.canyons.edu/Offices/PIO/CanyonsPAC/.