Gordon in the News: last updated 04/02/2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2008
MEDIA CONTACT: Cyndi McMahon
Office of College Communications
[email protected]
978.867.4236
BUY TICKETS NOW
WENHAM, MA-Under the direction of Jeffrey S. Miller, the Gordon College Theatre Department presents Love's Labour's Lost--considered to be William Shakespeare's most flamboyantly intellectual play. The production is filled with literary allusions, modern day poetic form and a cast of talented actors and actresses. Show dates are April 4-5 and 8-12, 2008. All performances will take place in the Margaret Jensen Theatre, in the Barrington Center for the Arts.
Love's Labour's Lost is about a king and his three lords who form a little "academe" vowing to study for three years while renouncing the company of women during this scholarly commitment. As soon as the vows are made, a princess and three of her ladies arrive from France on a diplomatic mission, throwing the plan into chaos. Complex and mischievous persons including an extravagant Spaniard, a country rascal, a clever dairymaid, and a pedantic schoolmaster are just a few of the characters that add to the mayhem and excitement of the performance.
"In an educational setting, it's imperative to perform Shakespeare--his work challenges an actor's vocal, physical, emotional and spiritual limits," says Miller, who also serves on the faculty and chairs the Department of Theatre Arts at Gordon College. "To borrow from the field of sport, when you play against tough teams, you naturally get better. Similarly, producing Shakespeare pushes actors to their best work."
Seventeen actors, all students currently enrolled at the Christian liberal arts college, will present the theatrical performance. "The actors have made major contributions to this interpretation of the production," says Miller. Although originally created for the stage in the late 1500's, Miller says the production includes many issues and emotions relevant to today. "Wit, satire, cynicism and irony dominate our conversations and many forms of entertainment today. The same seems to have been true of the time this play was written."
The performance will surely indulge patrons of the arts on many artistic levels. "Shakespeare seems to be warning us that our time here is short and we should focus on authenticity in our relationships." Miller continues, "The performance teaches us to advance past our witty retorts and cynical dismissals, and instead, try to be more genuine with each other."
Show times for Gordon's presentation of Love's Labour's Lost are Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday matinees at 4:30 p.m. General admission for Friday and Saturday evening performances is $13 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Tuesday through Thursday evening performances and Saturday matinees are $11 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased on line by visiting the Theatre Schedule page or by calling the Gordon College ticket line at 978.867.3400. Tickets will also be available at the door a half hour prior to show time.
Miller, a resident of South Hamilton, joined the faculty at Gordon College in 2002. His many directing credits include The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Macbeth, Shadowlands, Edith Stein and Forgiving Typhoid Mary. At Gordon College, Miller has directed a new adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities, Tartuffe, The Secret Garden, An Evening of Pinter, Tarantara! Tarantara!, Sueño and Quilters. His student ensemble-created production Growing Up Christian, directed by Miller, was invited to perform at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival's regional competition in 2007.
For more information on Love's Labour's Lost or to request publicity photos of the performance, please contact Cyndi McMahon at 978.867.4236 or e-mail [email protected]
Gordon College is a Christian college of the liberal arts and sciences on Boston's North Shore. The college offers majors in 36 fields and has graduate programs in education and music education. Leading the way in Christian college merit, Gordon is nationally ranked for its excellence in academics and its role in character building. These achievements recognize Gordon as one of the nation's top Christian colleges.
