April 12, 2023–SANTA CRUZ, CA– Santa Cruz Shakespeare (SCS), a nationally recognized professional theater company in Santa Cruz County celebrating its 10th anniversary, today announced tickets go on sale to the public May 1 for its Summer 2023 season, with productions of Shakespeare’s King Lear, The Taming of the Shrew and Lauren Gunderson’s The Book of Will. All productions will take place July 8 – Aug. 27, 2023, under the trees and stars in the Audrey Stanley Grove at Santa Cruz’s DeLaveaga Park.
Ticket sales:
Online ticket sales begin May 1 at santacruzshakespeare.org.
The seasonal Box Office opens for phone orders beginning June 6. Box office hours will be Tuesday through Thursday from 12p.m. to 4p.m. Call 831-460-6399.
Learn more at santacruzshakespeare.org/season-2023.
For advanced ticket sales, community members are encouraged to become SCS members. Tickets for SCS members are on sale now. Membership packages are available and include several benefits including ticket discounts, early admission, free parking, and more. For details on membership, visit santacruzshakespeare.org/member/.
About “A Summer of Legacy” 2023 productions:
The 2023 season, “A Summer of Legacy,” takes place during the 400th anniversary of the creation of the first printed collection of Shakespeare’s works, preserving his legacy forever.
The Book of Will by Lauren Gunderson
Director: Laura Gordon
Opening Night: July 13, 2023, 8p.m.
A love letter to William Shakespeare, this moving and joyful comedy tells the story of the two actors, friends of Shakespeare’s, who worked to preserve his plays and legacy seven years after his death. 2023 marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio, the first printed edition of Shakespeare’s collected plays. This not-to-be-missed production stars in-coming Artistic Director Charles Pasternak and out-going Artistic Director Mike Ryan.
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
Director: Robynn Rodriguez
Opening Night: July 14, 2023, 8p.m.
Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most raucous–and controversial–comedies will explore deeply complex characters as they struggle against the roles they have been prescribed, whether gender, class or age. While the results of these struggles provide hilarious moments, they also provide opportunities for deep reflection of questions about the human cost of maintaining the status quo. Thorny, funny and deeply human, Kate and Petruchio are two of Shakespeare’s most fascinating characters.
King Lear, by William Shakespeare
Director: Paul Mullins
Opening Night: July 28, 8p.m.
This thrilling and powerful interpretation stars Paul Whitworth, former Shakespeare Santa Cruz Artistic Director and Royal Shakespeare Company actor, in a not-to-be-missed tour-de-force performance. Charting a king’s disturbing descent into madness, this play explores how the craving for power can shatter both kingdoms and families.
Additional 2023 productions include The Fringe Show, an SCS intern production, with performances set for Aug. 16 and 22. This production features another Lauren Gunderson play, Exit Pursued by a Bear. This raucous revenge comedy is about one woman doing whatever it takes to get out of an abusive relationship.
Each season SCS presents a Staged Reading Series showcasing two new plays read by professional actors. Scheduled for the evenings of Aug.1 and 8, the plays will be announced soon.
About Santa Cruz Shakespeare
Featuring professional actors from around the country and inspired by deep local roots that go back more than 40 years, Santa Cruz Shakespeare stages bold productions of the plays of Shakespeare and other great playwrights that stimulate audiences’ senses and spark their imagination. For more information about SCS, visit santacruzshakespeare.org, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
