December 7, 1999
The Pasadena Shakespeare Company and Fremont Centre Theatre have announced that the PSC will present its 2000 season at the Fremont Centre Theatre in South Pasadena. The PSC is losing its current home at the Plaza Pasadena mall due to upcoming renovations.
The first production of the year will be King Lear, Shakespeare's classic tragedy of a stubborn and vain old ruler who loses everything because of his blindness to the presence of true love and loyalty. This modern-dress production of King Lear will be directed by Scott Rabinowitz, who directed the PSC's acclaimed 1999 production of Othello, and will play from February 11 to March 12.
From June 2 to July 9, the PSC will present She Stoops to Conquer, Oliver Goldsmith's hilarious 18th century comedy of manners and mistaken identities. It will be directed by Dana Marley-Kolb, who has directed many of the PSC's biggest hits, including The Beggar's Opera and Our Country's Good.
The third presentation at the FCT, playing from July 28 to September 3, will be The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare's tale of intolerance and revenge, directed by guest director Michelle Truffault, the former artistic director of San Francisco Repertory Theatre.
The season will conclude with Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part One, staged by PSC artistic director Gillian Bagwell. Infrequently performed, this history play juxtaposes the madcap Prince Hal's friendship with the disreputable Falstaff against the growing need for him to assume his responsibilities as heir to the throne and contend with the shining reputation of the dangerous rebel Hotspur. Henry IV will run from November 17 to December 17.
The PSC will also present Kaufman & Hart's You Can't Take It With You at a location to be announced, in April and May. The path of true love does not run smooth in this classic American comedy of 1936, when the daughter of the eccentric and gently anarchic Vanderhoff family falls in love with the son of her boss, a prominent and intolerant banker, but after some bumps in the road, love does prevail. The production will be directed by David Paul Needles, who delighted PSC audiences with his production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Five-play subscriptions are only $75 for general audiences, and $55 for students and seniors. Family subscriptions, which provide 4 tickets to each play, are $225. There is a $10 discount on subscriptions purchased before the end of the year. To receive a subscription brochure, or for more information, call (626) 564-8564 or visit the PSC's website at pasadenashakespeare.com.
The PSC, now in its fifth season, has been hailed as "a first-rate theatrical company" by the L.A. Times and "one of Pasadena's greatest treasures" by the Pasadena Star News. The Fremont Centre Theatre has gained a reputation for excellence since it opened its first season with the original hit Three Songs by William Mesnick in July 1997. Since that time, FCT has continued to bring original, obscure, and innovative works to its stage, creating exciting theatre in its venue in South Pasadena. The PSC and FCT look forward to their partnership in 2000, as they blend the classics and the contemporary into an exciting season for the theatre-going public. Information on FCT's season of plays and directions to the FCT is available by calling FCT at (626) 441-5977 or on its website at fremontcentretheatre.com.
The FCT is located at 1000 Fremont Avenue at the corrner of El Centro, in South Pasadena, one block south of Mission and two blocks west of Fair Oaks. Free parking is conveniently located behind the building.
Twelfth Night (1995)