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 Cold Spring, NY - Lovers separated by social mores and angry parents; identities mistaken and revealed; love scorned and love found; the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival celebrates its 22nd season with the brilliantly told romance of Cymbeline and the delightful gender-bending comedy Twelfth Night.
Cymbeline, directed by the Festival’s Artistic Director Terrence O’Brien, runs June 10-August 30. Twelfth Night, directed by John Christian Plummer, runs June 18-August 31. The plays will run in repertory throughout the season. Performances begin at 7pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 8pm Friday and Saturday; and 6pm on Sundays.
In addition, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), will run for 10 performances from July 22 - August 28.
The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival has inspired and delighted audiences with its vigorously original interpretations of the great works of William Shakespeare for twenty-one seasons to much critical acclaim from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The Poughkeepsie Journal, The Journal News and numerous other regional and national publications. Artistic Director Terrence O’Brien has maintained a commitment to making the timeless plays accessible to all audiences, relieving the burden of heavy language and over-dramatization that so many equate with Shakespeare. “We want the audience to feel the same way about this work as we do,” explained O’Brien. “We work to eliminate the affectation so often associated with Shakespeare. That combined with keeping the productions lively and sharing our own excitement about the work has helped us reach more and more people. You know it’s working,” he continued, “when you not only have people return season after season, but they say ‘thank you’ when they leave!”
Perched high up on the banks of the Hudson River on the grounds of the historic 19th Century Boscobel estate in Garrison, New York, the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival is the region’s only professional resident Shakespeare company, lauded as one of the finest Festivals of its kind in the United States. Using the dramatic views of the Hudson Highlands and the sweeping vistas from the elegant lawns of Boscobel as near perfect backdrops, the critically acclaimed Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival presents unparalleled productions under an open-air tent theater. To make the experience even more unique, audience members are invited to arrive two hours early in order to enjoy a picnic meal - with one of the most spectacular al fresco views - on the grounds of the estate.
“Summer Shakespeare festivals are thick on the ground in America these days … If you’re searching for the best of all possible times, though, you’ll have trouble topping the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. I see a lot of Shakespeare, but I can’t think of another outdoor festival that has a higher overall batting average. Hudson Valley’s deliberately informal productions are a model of cultural populism at its most engaging and effective,” wrote Terry Teachout in The Wall Street Journal last year.
TICKETS AND INFORMATION
Ticket prices for all performances are $28-$44 and are available through the HVSF Box Office, which will open on April 28, 845-265-9575. Discounts are available on most nights for groups, students, senior citizens and children 12 and under. The Festival offers several special packages, including a tour of the Boscobel mansion plus tickets; and overnight accommodations plus tickets. All packages are listed on the Festival website, www.hvshakespeare.org and are available through the box office.
For more information about the 2008 Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival as well as information about their ongoing Education and Community Outreach Programs contact the Festival at (845) 265-7858.
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