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Media Relations

American Shakespeare Center on Tour: Performances and workshops come to IUPUI and IU Kokomo

An Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis professor is bringing quality Shakespeare to audiences in Indianapolis and Kokomo this month.

The Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI is bringing the American Shakespeare Center's Piercing Eloquence Tour to Indiana Feb. 25 through March 2. The tour will include 14 workshops as well as six performances for high school and IU students and faculty as well as the general public.

This Acting Residency is coming to IU thanks to an Indiana University New Frontiers Grant that Terri Bourus, associate professor of English drama and director of the American Shakespeare Residency at IUPUI, received. The American Shakespeare Center (ASC) will present three of William Shakespeare's most controversial plays: The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, and Henry V.

In 2006, Bourus brought the Actors From the London Stage (AFTLS) residency to IU Kokomo.

"The AFTLS residency was a huge success and it motivated me to move forward with another one -- this time I wanted to engage an American troupe," Bourus said. "The IU and Indiana communities will have a chance to see how dynamic and contemporary Shakespeare really is and bring him into their educational and entertainment experiences."

The ASC actors will stage six events: three public performances at the Christian Theological Seminary Theatre; two special free performances for high schools in the Indianapolis and Kokomo areas; and a special performance of the Court Room scene from The Merchant of Venice, "Shakespeare in the Courtroom" at the IU School of Law-Indianapolis at Inlow Hall on the IUPUI campus.

The ASC was founded on the idea that reproducing the staging conditions for which Shakespeare wrote can help modern audiences recover the essential vitality of Shakespeare's drama. From the start, the aim of the ASC has been not only to entertain but also to educate, and to entertain and educate as many people as possible.

During Shakespeare's time, theater was performed outside, which is why Shakespeare's Globe Theater in London is open air. The ASC, one of the country's most acclaimed acting troupes, will recreate original Shakespearean production techniques -- such as a stage surrounded by the audience on three sides -- demonstrating authentic Elizabethan theater. The ASC does not turn down the house lights but performs with the audience in full view, enabling the greatest possibilities for authentic Elizabethan theater.

"In the Early Modern Period, acting troupes performed their plays without the kinds of special effects we have at our disposal today; in that way, they were more dependent on language to set the scene and the mood of the performances," Bourus said. "That is one reason why Shakespeare's language is so rich. It comes from a tradition of so-called 'heightened language:' figurative and imagistic, it paints the scenes for the audience, allowing them to better understand characters, setting, and theme. This kind of theatre is vibrant, filled with metaphor, wit, and word-play; it begs the audience to take an active role in every performance rather than sit passively and 'watch.' Shakespeare, like other playwrights of his day, created what we might call interactive theatre.

"During Shakespeare's time, the audience would have been actively involved in the performances: talking back to the actors, sometimes even jumping onto the stage… that is, when the actors were not joining them in the 'pit,' where the audience could stand around the stage, leaning on it, within reach of the action onstage," Bourus said.

In addition to their performances, the ASC will make its residency at IUPUI a complete learning experience by conducting 14 workshops that explore many of Shakespeare's themes and techniques: For example, they will examine issues of leadership in Henry V, bigotry in The Merchant of Venice, and gender issues in The Taming of the Shrew. The ASC workshops will include "Stage Combat," "Shakespeare on Your Feet" and "Acting Shakespeare," among others.

Bourus hopes that the ASC's appearance on the IUPUI "stage" will revitalize theater on the campus.

"IUPUI, in its position as a force in the continued growth and development of Indianapolis, is perfectly situated to build on its theatre program. It is my hope that this residency will be the beginning of what will be a strong Early Modern performance program and venue as well. Theater at IUPUI adds richness to what is already a community increasingly dedicated to the Arts!"

For reservations or tickets please contact Wanda Colwell, at 317-274-9841.

For more information about the ASC, visit http://www.americanshakespearecenter.com.

All ASC performances

All ASC performances are free to IU faculty, staff and students with ID. Public performances: tickets are $10. Tickets may be purchased at the door the night of the event. For ticket and reservation information, please contact Wanda Colwell, English@iupui.edu, 317-274-9841. For more information visit http://liberalarts.iupui.edu/Shakespeare.

• Henry V, Thursday, 7 p.m. Feb. 28 and Saturday, March 1 at the Christian Theological Seminary Theatre, 1000 W. 42nd St., Indianapolis. This production is directed by Giles Block of London's Globe Theatre.
• The Merchant of Venice, 2 p.m. Sunday, March 2, at the Christian Theological Seminary Theatre, 1000 W. 42nd St., Indianapolis. This production is directed by P.J. Paparelli, artistic director of Alaska's Perseverance Theater and former associate director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.

Special Performance and Discussion:

• "Shakespeare in the Courtroom: The Nature of Justice and the Art of Anti-Semitism," 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, at Inlow Hall, IU School of Law-Indianapolis, 530 W. New York St.; featuring the courtroom scene from Merchant followed by a panel discussion with the actors and distinguished faculty from the IU system. Presented by the Jewish Law Society and the Department of English.

High school performances:

• The Taming of the Shrew (Special free performances for Indiana high schools), Monday, Feb. 25 (Indianapolis); and Friday, Feb. 29 (Kokomo). This production is directed by the American Shakespeare Center's artistic director, Jim Warren.

Since its inception in 1988, the American Shakespeare Center on Tour has visited 47 states and six countries. In 2001, the ASC put down roots when it opened the Blackfriars Playhouse, the world's only re-creation of William Shakespeare's indoor theatre. The ASC seeks to make Shakespeare accessible to all through its performances and extensive education programs.

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