The University of 91³Ô¹Ï will celebrate Valentine’s Day with the fourth annual SonnetFest — a communitywide public reading of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets as interpreted by members of the 91³Ô¹Ï and Michiana communities. The event will be streamed live online for the first time this year at .

“Over the past three years the event has proven to be so popular that we are continuing our annual tradition where faculty, staff, students and members of our community can gather together and bring Shakespeare’s beautiful ruminations on love to life,â€� according to Scott Jackson, executive director of Shakespeare of 91³Ô¹Ï.

All 154 of William Shakespeare’s sonnets will be read sequentially in the Great Hall of O’Shaughnessy Hall on the 91³Ô¹Ï campus from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 14 (Thursday). The event, sponsored by and the , is free and open to the public.

Shakespeare at 91³Ô¹Ï consists of the McMeel Family Chair in Shakespeare Studies, the Ryan Producing Artistic Director, the , , ancillary lectures and events, and library collections. Actors From The London Stage is a national outreach program of Shakespeare at 91³Ô¹Ï. Shakespeare at 91³Ô¹Ï’s mission is to become the pre-eminent venue for the study and performance of the works of William Shakespeare, providing 91³Ô¹Ï and the wider community an on-campus culture steeped in the works of Shakespeare — both on the page and on the stage.

Contact: Chuck Gessert, Audience Development Manager, 574-631-3777, shakes@nd.edu

(AFTLS), a self-directed ensemble of five professional British actors, will present William Shakespeare’s comedy “The Merchant of Veniceâ€� in historic Washington Hall on the University of 91³Ô¹Ï’s campus at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 12-14 (Wednesday-Friday).

The performances begin a national tour for this production with stops at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Wellesley College, the University of Texas at Austin, Penn State University and Kansas State University. Tickets are available at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center or by calling 574-631-2800.

One of Shakespeare’s best-known comedies, “The Merchant of Venice� has been arousing controversy for centuries with raucous and gentle comedy, tender poetry and its struggle with mercy and justice. This comedy of religion and race collides with love, family and justice and the currency of society and humanity in this vibrant production by five actors.

Members of the ensemble include tour veterans Nicola Alexis (Portia, Solanio, Bathazar, Gaoler, Leonardo), and Michael Palmer (Shylock, Old Gobbo, Lorenzo). Completing the ensemble are Noel White (Antonio, Gratiano, Tubal, Launcelot), Henry Everett (Bassanio, Morocco, Arragon and Duke) and Alinka Wright (Nerissa, Jessica, Solario, Stephano).

AFTLS is the national outreach program of . This unique educational program was developed in 1975 by Homer Swander at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The theater company is now based in London and at Shakespeare at 91³Ô¹Ï. The artists, composed of five British Shakespearean actors from such companies as the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain, and Shakespeare’s Globe, among others, devote a large part of their time to lectures, workshops, seminars and informal meetings with students. Their stay provides students and faculty with a unique opportunity both to observe extraordinary performances and to discuss literature and the art of theater in depth with some of the most talented artists from some of the most important theater companies in the world.

Contact: Chuck Gessert, Shakespeare at 91³Ô¹Ï, cgessert@nd.edu

The production of William Shakespeare’s “,� directed by David H. Bell, will be performed Aug. 14 through 26 and features a company of professional actors including NDSF veterans Andy Truschinski in the title role, Elizabeth Ledo as Ophelia and Donald Carrier as Polonius.

“Hamletâ€� will be presented in the Decio Mainstage Theatre in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of 91³Ô¹Ï. Tickets are on sale now for $12 to $75 with special discounts available for groups of 10 or more. A special family performance is offered at 2 p.m. Aug. 18 (Saturday) with four tickets for only $32. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center ticket office at 574-631-2800 or visit the .

David H. Bell, an internationally recognized director, choreographer and author, returns to the NDSF to direct. Bell directed last season’s acclaimed production of “The Merchant of Venice,� and “Twelfth Night� in 2009. In Chicago, Bell’s work has received 41 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and won 11. He has directed numerous productions at Chicago Shakespeare Theater including “The Taming of the Shrew,� “As You Like It,� “Murder for Two� and “The Comedy of Errors.� He has directed more than 30 productions for Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, Ill., and has directed both on and off Broadway in New York, working with such artists as Lauren Bacall, Patti LuPone and Carol Channing.

The title role will be performed by Truschinski, who returns to NDSF after appearing as Bassanio in “The Merchant of Venice.� He has performed at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, American Players Theatre, Riverside Theatre and Montana Shakespeare in the Parks. Joining Hamlet will be Lisa Brescia as Gertrude, whose Broadway credits include Elphaba in “Wicked,� Amneris in “Aida� and most recently as Donna Sheridan in “Mamma Mia!� Also joining the cast are Jeff Cummings as Claudius and Daniel Cantor as Ghost/Player King/Gravedigger.

The creative team for “Hamlet� is led by Ryan Producing Artistic Director .

is a regional center for Shakespeare performance, educational outreach and academic research and includes the 91³Ô¹Ï Shakespeare Festival, , visiting guest artists and lecturers, touring productions and new media library collections.

Contact: Chuck Gessert, cgessert@nd.edu

The opens with performances of at the University of 91³Ô¹Ï’s historic Washington Hall at 2 p.m. July 14 and 15 (Saturday and Sunday). During the course of one weekend, more than 100 actors and directors from throughout the Michiana community take to the stage in two different performances, each offering a series of 10-minute scenes taken from the plays of William Shakespeare.

This year’s line-up includes troupes from , The Acting Ensemble Stage Company, St. Matthew’s Cathedral School, South Bend Civic Theatre, Trinity School at Greenlawn, LaSalle Academy and The Player’s Guild at Indiana University South Bend. Also appearing this year will be groups such as Goshen Bards, Harter Heights Players, Michiana Mechanicals, South Bend Shakespeareans and ShakePeeps. A cast from Theatre at the Center in Munster, Ind., will also perform.

Begun in 2000, 91³Ô¹Ï Shakespeare Festival is part of , a program of 91³Ô¹Ï’s . The 91³Ô¹Ï Shakespeare Festival also produces professional productions of William Shakespeare’s plays that involve Equity actors and world-class directors and designers.

Tickets for ShakeScenes are free, but are required for admission. They will be available beginning noon July 5 (Thursday) at the ticket office, by phone at 574-631-2800, and on the Web at www.shakespeare.nd.edu.

Contact: Chuck Gessert, cgessert@nd.edu

Grant Mudge, formerly artistic director for , has been named the Ryan Producing Artistic Director of the (NDSF), according to Peter Holland, associate dean for the arts in the at the University of 91³Ô¹Ï.

“We chose Grant after an extensive national search,â€� Holland said. “His success in building the Richmond Shakespeare Festival shows that he has the track record and the talent to help us take the 91³Ô¹Ï Shakespeare Festival forward to an ever more exciting future.â€�

Mudge succeeds , who departs after the conclusion of the 2012 season of the Festival to pursue a research degree in England.

“Grant is exactly the right person to bring the 91³Ô¹Ï Shakespeare Festival to the next level,â€� said Skelton, who also served as an assistant professor in the at 91³Ô¹Ï. “We’ve built a wonderful home for world-class productions, including conservatory training for students from across the country, and extensive outreach programs within our many communities. It’s certainly difficult to leave, but Grant will bring new and exciting energy to the organization.â€�

Mudge brings more than 15 years of experience with Richmond Shakespeare, for which he has produced, directed and/or appeared in 50 productions and more than 2,100 performances. Grant holds a bachelor’s degree in English and theater arts from the University of Richmond. He will begin his tenure as the Ryan Producing Artistic Director at the end of the 2012 NDSF season.

is a pre-eminent center for the study of Shakespeare in performance, educational outreach and academic research. Shakespeare at 91³Ô¹Ï includes the 91³Ô¹Ï Shakespeare Festival, , visiting guest artists and lecturers, touring productions and new media library collections.

Note: Interviews and photos are now available. Contact Chuck Gessert, 574-631-3777, cgessert@nd.edu.

The 2012 (NDSF) will run July 14 through Aug. 26, highlighted by the Professional Company’s production of “Hamlet,� directed by .

Other performances include “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,� presented by the Young Company at outdoor spaces throughout the Michiana region; , a performance-based lecture series, which will be presented at select venues in July and August; and ShakeScenes, which will open the festival with performances at historic Washington Hall on July 14 and 15 (Saturday and Sunday).

William Shakespeare’s most famous play, “,â€� will be presented Aug. 14 through 26 at 91³Ô¹Ï’s . The title role will be performed by Andy Truschinski, who returns to NDSF after appearing in “The Merchant of Veniceâ€� at last year’s festival. Also appearing will be Lisa Brescia (currently performing on Broadway in “Mamma Mia!â€�) as Gertrude. NDSF and Chicago Shakespeare Theater veteran Elizabeth Ledo will portray Ophelia, and Stratford Festival veteran Don Carrier will play Polonius. Also joining the cast are Jeff Cummings as Claudius and Daniel Cantor as Hamlet’s father/leading player/gravedigger. Tickets range from $10 to $75 and go on sale through the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center ticket office on July 5 (Thursday).

Kevin Asselin directs the Young Company’s production of “.â€� The play will be performed free of charge in communities throughout Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan. The Young Company comprises students from 91³Ô¹Ï, Saint Mary’s College and other colleges and universities from across the country. The tour begins at 7 p.m. July 15 at the Lincoln Township Public Library in Stevensville, Mich. Other performances include:

• 6:30 p.m. July 21 (Saturday) — Dewey Cannon Park, Three Oaks, Mich.
• 7 p.m. July 22 (Sunday) — Battell Park, Mishawaka, Ind.
• 7 p.m. July 27 (Friday) — Centennial Park, Plymouth, Ind.
• 6:30 p.m. July 28 (Saturday) — Centennial Park, Munster, Ind.
• 7 p.m. Aug. 4 (Saturday) — Potawatomi Park Pavilion, South Bend
• 7 p.m. Aug. 5 (Sunday) — Wellfield Botanic Gardens, Elkhart, Ind.
• 7 p.m. Aug. 20 (Monday) — Main Building, 91³Ô¹Ï

The Beyond the Stage series features a performance-based lecture titled “An Eye for an Eye in Shakespeare’s Time.� Ryan Producing Artistic Director will explore the implications of vengeance from the tragic viewpoint of Hamlet and the comic stance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.� Actors from the Young Company will share a sample of this summer’s productions as well as others from Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Presentations will be at 3 p.m. July 21 at the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks, Mich.; at 7 p.m. July 31 (Tuesday) at New World Arts, Goshen, Ind.; and at 7 p.m. Aug. 7 (Tuesday) in the Philbin Studio Theatre of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10 and are available at each theater’s box office.

Over the course of one weekend, dozens of actors from throughout the community take to the stage in at Washington Hall. Two different performances, each offering a series of 10-minute scenes, are at 2 p.m. July 14 and 15 at Washington Hall on the 91³Ô¹Ï campus. Admission is free.

is a pre-eminent center for the study of Shakespeare in performance, educational outreach and academic research. Shakespeare at 91³Ô¹Ï includes the 91³Ô¹Ï Shakespeare Festival, Actors From The London Stage, visiting guest artists and lecturers, touring productions and new media library collections.

Tickets for “Hamlet� will go on sale at noon July 5 at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center Ticket office, by phone at 574-631-2800 and on the Web at www.shakespeare.nd.edu.

Note: Interviews and photos are available. Please contact Chuck Gessert, cgessert@nd.edu.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with the third annual “SonnetFestâ€� — a community-wide public reading of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets as interpreted by members of the University of 91³Ô¹Ï and Michiana communities.

“Over the past two years, the event has been so popular that we are continuing an annual tradition where faculty, staff, students and members of our community can gather together to bring Shakespeare’s beautiful ruminations on love to life,� according to , executive director of .

All 154 of William Shakespeare’s sonnets will be read sequentially from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 14 (Tuesday) in the Great Hall of O’Shaugnessey Hall on the 91³Ô¹Ï campus. The event, sponsored by Shakespeare at 91³Ô¹Ï and the , is free and open to the public.

Shakespeare at 91³Ô¹Ï consists of the McMeel Family Chair in Shakespeare Studies, the Ryan Producing Artistic Director, the 91³Ô¹Ï Shakespeare Festival, , ancillary lectures and events, and library collections. Actors From The London Stage is a national outreach program of Shakespeare at 91³Ô¹Ï. Shakespeare at 91³Ô¹Ï’s mission is to become the pre-eminent venue for the study and performance of the works of Shakespeare, providing 91³Ô¹Ï and the wider community an on-campus culture steeped in the works of William Shakespeare — both on the page and on the stage.

Contact: Chuck Gessert, audience development manager, Shakespeare at 91³Ô¹Ï, 574-631-3777, shakes@nd.edu

, a self-directed ensemble of five professional British actors, will present Shakespeare’s comedy of gender confusion “Twelfth Nightâ€� in historic Washington Hall at the University of 91³Ô¹Ï Jan. 25 to 27 (Wednesday to Friday) at 7:30 p.m. The performances begin a national tour for this production with stops at Schreiner, Middle Tennessee State, Rice and Vanderbilt Universities.

Admission is $20 for the general public, $18 for 91³Ô¹Ï faculty and staff and senior citizens, and $12 for students. Tickets may be purchased at the ticket office, by phone at 574-631-2800, or online at .

One of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, “Twelfth Night� involves two twins, Viola and Sebastian, separated when their ship capsizes. Each believes that the other has drowned. Viola washes ashore on the coast of Illyria. She disguises herself as a man and assumes the name Cesario so that she can take a position as an aide to the Duke, Orsino. Orsino desires Olivia, who refuses his attentions. Orsino sends Cesario as an emissary to Olivia. Sir Andrew Aguecheek also seeks Olivia’s love. He is a friend of her uncle, Sir Toby Belch. With the clownish philosopher, Feste, all these members of Olivia’s household plot to embarrass the dour Malvolio, a butler who has no tolerance for frivolity. They fool Malvolio into thinking that Olivia desires him, and when he confesses his love, Olivia orders him imprisoned as a madman. Sebastian then turns up and a series of mishaps ensue.

Members of the ensemble include tour veterans Dan Winter (Orsino, Feste, Fabian); Richard Daniel Stacey (Sir Toby Belch, Antonio, Valentine, Priest); and Jennifer Higham (Viola, Sebastian). Completing the ensemble are Katherine Heath (Olivia, Maria); and Michael Palmer (Malvolio, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Curio).

Actors From The London Stage is the national outreach program of This unique educational program was developed by Homer Swander at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The theatre company is now based in London and at Shakespeare at 91³Ô¹Ï.

The artists, comprised of five British Shakespearean actors from such companies as Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain, and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, among others, devote a large part of their time to lectures, workshops, seminars and informal meetings with students. Their stay provides students and faculty with a unique opportunity both to observe extraordinary performances and to discuss literature and the art of theatre in depth with some of the most talented artists from some of the most important theatre companies in the world.

Contact: Chuck Gessert, Shakespeare at 91³Ô¹Ï, 574-631-3777, shakes@nd.edu