STC Announces 2013-2014 Season

Michael Kahn, Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company, which received the 2012 Regional Theatre Tony Award, announces the Company's 2013-2014 Season. The season will include the continuation of the Clarice Smith Repertory Series with Shakespeare's Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2. In addition to the Repertory are Shakespeare's compelling work Measure for Measure, Oscar Wilde's famous comedy The Importance of Being Earnest and Noël Coward's intimate Private Lives.

"All of the plays in our 2013-2014 Season are masterpieces of their own genre," said Michael Kahn. "I'm looking forward to our new season of sharp comedies and powerful classics with expert directors." Kahn said audiences can expect to see "casts that include well-loved veterans of the STC stages along with some new faces."

A sixth production will be determined in the near future to complete the subscription series. Patrons will have the chance to also see STC's annual Free For All production, a remounting of Much Ado About Nothing, originally directed by Ethan McSweeny.

Shakespeare Theatre Company'S 2013-2014 SEASON

Free for All - William Shakespeare's
Much Ado About Nothing
directed by Jenny Lord
originally directed by Ethan McSweeny
August 20 - September 1, 2013
Sidney Harman Hall

Everyone can see that Beatrice and Benedick are meant for each other except Beatrice and Benedick. Hero and Claudio, themselves newly betrothed, conspire to trick them into announcing their feelings for each other. Meanwhile, a bitter and troublesome Don John schemes to destroy Claudio and Hero's engagement by besmirching Hero's honor. Set in vibrant Cuba, Much Ado About Nothing is "a passionate night of fiery laughter and merry making" (Maryland Theatre Guide).

William Shakespeare's
Measure for Measure
directed by Jonathan Munby
September 12 - October 27, 2013
Lansburgh Theatre

Duke Vincentio, pretending to take leave, appoints Angelo his deputy and orders him to cleanse the city of vice. When Isabella, a woman about to dedicate her life to God, asks a favor of Angelo, a series of events unfold leading to a shocking ultimatum that reverberates throughout Vienna. Shakespeare's dark comedy of complex and controversial ideas is a compelling exploration of ethics, morality and the corrupting nature of power.

Oscar Wilde's
The Importance of Being Earnest
directed by Keith Baxter
November 21 - December 29, 2013
Sidney Harman Hall

Oscar Wilde's most perfect of plays, The Importance of Being Earnest, a comedy about class, courtship and connection, premieres at STC this holiday season at Sidney Harman Hall. Full of epigrammatic wit and surprising plot twists, Wilde's sharp and satirical concoction tells the tale of Jack and Algernon, who indulge themselves in their favorite pastime, "Bunburying," to avoid their burdensome social obligations. Earnest is a trivial farce for serious people.

William Shakespeare's
Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2
directed by Michael Kahn and Alan Paul
March 25 - June 8, 2014
Sidney Harman Hall

Two of Shakespeare's most popular works, Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 contain some of the playwright's most enduring and endearing characters. Henry IV is a coming-of-age story of a young prince burdened with the duty of accepting his father's legacy, and the responsibility necessary to unite a fracturing kingdom. Stacy Keach (King Lear, Macbeth) plays Shakespeare's beloved character, Falstaff, in this epic masterpiece told in two parts and staged in revolving repertory.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company is pleased to have the Robert H. Smith Family Foundation sponsor the Clarice Smith Repertory Series, featuring plays in repertory each season for the next three years. "This sponsorship will help the Shakespeare Theatre Company fulfill one of my most vital artistic objectives, to regularly incorporate repertory into our annual main stage programming as well as educate and engage our audience in this important work," said Artistic Director Michael Kahn. Clarice Smith stated she is happy to be able to assist Michael Kahn in achieving his goals for the company. "Michael's work has always been an inspiration and of the highest caliber. I am pleased to honor him in this way," Smith said.