Shakespeare & Company announces its major summer productions for 2010.

Michael Hammond and John Douglas Thompson in Othello. Photo Kevin Sprague.

A few names are enough to generate quite a lot of enthusiasm for Shakespeare & Company's mainstage offerings for the summer of 2010: Richard III, John Douglas Thompson, Hermione, Elizabeth Aspenlieder, and of course Tina Packer and Dennis Krausnick, at the very least.

I've not had the pleasure of seeing Joan Ackermann's work before, but the Company's announcement describes her new play, The Taster, as a poignant and darkly funny play. It will make its world premiere in the Founders’ Theatre under the direction of Tina Packer herself. "Featuring OBIE award winning actor Rocco Sisto and Shakespeare & Company newcomer Maureen O’Flynn, The Taster is a sumptious feast of language and food for thought. A bittersweet tale that explores the art of tasting food, life and love as fully as possible with courage and gusto. Deeply moving, brilliant, funny." It will begin July 28.

I and many others were thrilled by Tony Simotes' direct and fast-moving production of Othello the past two summers, and John Douglas Thompson's visceral portrayal of the title role was unforgettable. What could be a more natural sequel than the bloody story of the devious machinations of the hunchback king? Simotes, who has succeeded Tina Packer as Artistic Director of Shakespeare & Company, with his strong knowledge of Shakespeare and his no-nonsense approach , will surely give us an energetic, tensile Richard III, full of contrasts and vivid characterizations. The run begins on July 2.

Kevin G. Coleman, Education Director and Founder will direct The Winter's Tale, which has become almost as popular as The Tempest in recent years. The wonderful Elizabeth Aspenlieder, who triumphed in Theresa Rebeck's one-woman play, Bad Dates last winter and will appear at the end of January in Christopher Hampton's adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos' Les Liaisons Dangereauses. will play Leontes' ill-treated, long-lost wife, Hermione. It begins on July 15.

Elizabeth Aspenlieder in Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Photo Kevin Sprague.

There will be yet another Shakespeare performance at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre. This lively production is directed by Shakespeare & Company Director of Training and Founder Dennis Krausnick and features performers in Shakespeare & Company’s prestigious Performance Internship Program. Begins July 3.

Apart from looking ahead to these exciting productions, this is time to remember what a powerful asset Shakespeare & Company is to our community and to our summer visitors. This past year they have presented a rich season, from Tina Packer's witty and endearing solo performance in Shirley Valentine to the much-acclaimed Othello, in spite of difficult financial times. And the company has its own long-term financial challenges as well.

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