Shakespeare Season in JC

JERSEY CITY, NJ – The Actors Shakespeare Company at New Jersey City University has announced its 2012-2013 Season, Flowers of Winter, which will begin in September and continue through June.  This marks the company’s 13th anniversary and its fifth season in residence at New Jersey City University, all under the stewardship of Producing Artistic Director Colette Rice.



The 2012-2013 Season, Flowers of Winter, will feature a spring main stage production and an ASC Lab presentation at the company’s home performance venue, NJCU’s West Side Theatre.  In addition, the company will present two free film screenings in NJCU’s Gothic Lounge.  For information about any Actors Shakespeare Company program or to purchase tickets call the box office at 201-200-2390 or visit ascnj.org.



““The Flowers of Winter” is inspired by a line from The Winter’s Tale,” said Ms. Rice. “Shakespeare’s deep connection with flowers and the natural world remind us of the cycles of loss and renewal, of the mixture of wild earthy comedy and deep spiritual tragedy which these plays bring to the stage.”



The Actors Shakespeare Company’s 2013 main stage production will be Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. A jealous tyrant, a queen on trial, two simple shepherds, young romance, a divine oracle, a singing con man, and one hungry, hungry bear make The Winter’s Tale a magical journey of loss, renewal, and the promise of spring.  Audience members are welcome to join an ASC artist 30 minutes before every show in the lobby for Bard Banter, a brief, "jumpstart" discussion about the play.  Bethany Reeves, director of ASC’s 2007 hit King John, will direct The Winter’s Tale, which will run Thursday, April 4 through Sunday, April 21, 2013.  Please visit ascnj.org for exact show times.  Main stage tickets are $30.00 for adults, $15.00 for students and senior citizens, and children under 15 pay their age.  Group sales are available.



On Sunday, December 9, Actors Shakespeare Company at NJCU will present The Wars of the Roses, an ASC Lab project created by the company’s resident artists.  ASC at NJCU  artists will meet in classes for several weeks to explore Shakespeare’s Henry VI and  Richard III, mining their epic stories of civil war and family retribution to create The Wars of the Roses.  The free, one-night-only presentation will also include a post show question-and-answer session with the actors on the process of bringing these texts to life.  Reservations are not required.



Shakespeare on Screen, ASC at NJCU’s free film series, will feature two classic Shakespeare-based films.  On Thursday, October 18, the series will feature Shakespeare-Wallah, Merchant/Ivory's 1965 film about a family troupe of English actors in India.  On Thursday, February 21, the series will feature Black Orpheus, Marcel Camus' 1959 retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth set during the time of Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro.  Both films will be shown in NJCU’s Gothic Lounge (Hepburn Hall, Room 202).  Reservations are not required.

Continuing last year’s successful expansion of ASC at NJCU’s educational programming, the company will again bring its popular classes to schools throughout Jersey City and Hudson County.   ASC at NJCU’s year-long, in-school drama program at A. Harry Moore School will continue for its fifth consecutive year.  Students from throughout northern New Jersey will continue to attend morning matinees of ASC at NJCU’s main stage productions and participate in question-and-answer sessions with the actors following each performance.



ASC at NJCU officially became the University’s theatrical company-in-residence in 2008, making NJCU only the fourth institution of higher education in New Jersey to be affiliated with a professional theatre company.  The collaboration between the company, which is in its 13th season, and NJCU began in 2005.  Since that time, NJCU and ASC at NJCU have partnered to present professional classical theatre to both the NJCU and wider Jersey City communities and NJCU faculty and students have been regularly involved in ASC productions and workshops.



ASC at NJCU works through the NJCU Foundation, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. Programming is made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner organization of the National Endowment for the Arts, New Jersey City University, and contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations. ASC at NJCU is a proud member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.



Actors Shakespeare Company at NJCU’s main stage, the 140-seat West Side Theatre on the University campus, is conveniently located at 285 West Side Avenue between Culver and Audubon Avenues in Jersey City.  The Theatre is just minutes from Routes 440, 1-9, and I-78.  There is ample parking in the University’s adjacent lots on West Side Avenue.  The West Side Theatre is wheelchair accessible.  ADA accessible seating is available. Assisted listening devices and audio and large print programs are available free of charge at all performances.