SHAKESPEAREANS GATHER IN L.A.Byline: Janet Weeks Daily News Staff Writer A four-play festival of the Bard's plays - including a gender-bending update of ``Twelfth Night'' - help kick off the 1996 World Shakespeare Congress in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. next week. More than 1,200 Shakespeare scholars from 38 countries arrive in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, this weekend for the congress, a weeklong series of discussions, seminars, plays and films. The event is sponsored by two groups of Shakespeare enthusiasts: the Shakespeare Association of America and the International Shakespeare Association. The scholars have been getting together to share in their common love of Shakespeare every five years since 1971, said Ann Jennalie Cook, an English professor at Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University, at Nashville, Tenn.; coeducational; chartered 1872 as Central Univ. of Methodist Episcopal Church, founded and renamed 1873, opened 1875 through a gift from Cornelius Vanderbilt. Until 1914 it operated under the auspices of the Methodist Church. in Nashville. A recognized Shakespeare expert, Cook helped organize previous congresses in Washington, D.C., Stratford-upon-Avon in England, and Berlin. The entertainment industry's renewed interest in Shakespeare makes Los Angeles the logical choice for this year's fest, Cook said. ``There's been an explosion of interest,'' she said. ``We have more Shakespeare being performed now than at any time in history. People are discovering that Shakespeare has extraordinary relevance today.'' In addition to lectures and workshops about Shakespeare, the scholars will be treated to four modern adaptations of Shakespearean classics by local theater companies. The plays are also open to the public. Santa Monica's Cornerstone Theater Company Cornerstone Theater Company is a theater company based in the United States that specializes in community-based collaboration. According to the mission statement published on the company's website, will reprise re·prise n. 1. Music a. A repetition of a phrase or verse. b. A return to an original theme. 2. A recurrence or resumption of an action. tr.v. its award-winning 1994 production of ``Twelfth Night.'' The update is set poolside on a Southern California naval base and includes some gender-bending twists. The original production won six Drama-Logue Awards. The Oasis Theatre Company in Los Angeles also presents an updated Shakespearean comedy for festival-goers and the public: ``Measure for Measure - Or If It Don't Fit, You Must Acquit To set free, release or discharge as from an obligation, burden or accusation. To absolve one from an obligation or a liability; or to legally certify the innocence of one charged with a crime. acquit v. .'' ``The play provides a brilliant insight into political and moral hypocrisy, an examination acutely necessary today,'' said director Endre Hules. Will & Company, a national touring troupe, presents ``A Midsummer Night's Dream A Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare written sometime in the 1590s. It portrays the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors, their interactions with the Duke and Duchess of Athens, Theseus and Hippolyta, and .'' The play is set in Sedona, Ariz., and involves mistaken identities in the Navajo spirit world. The Inner City Cultural Center reprises REPRISES. The deductions and payments out of lands, annuities, and the like, are called reprises, because they are taken back; when we speak of the clear yearly value of an estate, we say it is worth so much a year ultra reprises, besides all reprises. 2. its production of ``Iago,'' a twist on Shakespeare's great tragedy ``Othello.'' ``Iago'' is told from the perspective of Emelia, Iago's wife. All performances will be at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles. For ticket information, call (213) 485-1681. The congress will be headquartered at the Biltmore Hotel downtown, the site of an April 9 gala to welcome scholars. Celebrities expected to address and perform for the scholars include Jack Klugman, the Temptations, Harry Hamlin, Joanna Gleason, Chris Sarandon, Rene Auberjonois and David Ogden Stiers David Ogden Stiers (born October 31, 1942) is an American character actor, voice actor and musician, most noted for his role in the television sitcom M*A*S*H, and the science fiction drama The Dead Zone. . Proceeds from the gala, which is also open to the public, will go to an endowment fund to develop new theater in Los Angeles. Tickets range from $100 to $1,000. Call (213) 485-1624 for more information. |
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