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HCC THEATRE DEPARTMENT TO STAGE THEATRICAL PRODUCTION AT CULBERTSON AUDITORIUM

published November 2, 2021HCC THEATRE DEPARTMENT TO STAGE THEATRICAL PRODUCTION AT CULBERTSON AUDITORIUM

The Highland Community College Theatre Department will present "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)" at the Culbertson Auditorium November 11th  and 12th at 7:30 p.m. and November 13th at 2:00 pm.

The HCC Players presents the phenomenally popular parody The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield, which premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1987, and features three overachieving actors attempting to perform all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays in 90 minutes. Fast-paced, witty, and physical, it’s an evening of laughter for Shakespeare lovers and haters alike.  The original production went on to 9 record-breaking years on London’s West End, and has been the world’s most performed stage parody for the last 25 years.

The Complete Works is a hilarious, fast-paced romp through the Bard’s extensive playbook. Three (that’s right, only three) madcap men in tights weave their wacky way through ALL of Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories and Tragedies in one wild evening that will leave you breathless and helpless with laughter.

After a suitably pompous literary introduction, Act One launches into a highly condensed version of Romeo and Juliet, followed by modern interpretations of... Titus Andronicus and Othello. Next up is a mash-up in which all 16 comedies are performed at once. The pace doesn’t slow down as they move on to the Tragedies and Histories, which is performed as a football game, with the crown being passed from king to king. Just when they think they have completed the challenge of performing all 37 plays they realize they are short by one play – Hamlet. And it’s on to Act Two.

This is not your traditional evening of Shakespeare.

Director Sam Smith says that what appeals to him most about The Complete Works is that “It’s pure comedy that appeals to a wide spectrum of folks, regardless of whether they are knowledgeable of Shakespeare or not.  There is also a lot of audience interaction, whole and silly characters whose performance space is a living 360 degree world, and tons of space for physical comedy.”

Culbertson Theatre is located on the HCC campus in Highland, KS at 606 Main Street.

Admission is, as always, FREE, but seating will be limited for this production. The performances will be on the stage of the Culbertson Theatre, AND the audience will also be seated onstage, creating a much more intimate environment for both the performers and the audience. There will be overflow seating available in the theatre proper.

For additional questions, please contact Sam Smith at Highland Community College at 785-442-6089.

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