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The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, with back-to-back productions of "Macbeth" and " Much Ado About Nothing," makes its annual autumn stop at the Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place in
downtown Asheville on October 11 and 12. Based in High Pont, the North
Carolina Shakespeare Festival features superb direction and outstanding
actors in its production of "Macbeth" on Friday, October 11, at 8:00p.m. and
"Much Ado About Nothing" on Saturday, October 12, at 2:00p.m. and 8:00p.m.
The Shakespeare Festival is part of the Diana Wortham Theatre's Mainstage Theatre Series, and is presented in partnership with Warren Wilson College.
"Macbeth," (see top photo) hailed as one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies, is considered by many critics to be Shakespeare's greatest work. The unbridled ambition of this Scottish thane provokes
hideous deeds that ultimately end in the murder of a King. When three
witches foretell a tempting future, a bloody web of evil begins to unfold.
The consequences reveal how greed, ambition, false courage and madness lead
to the moral degeneration of a man and his wife.
The beloved "Much Ado About Nothing" (see second photo on right) is one of Shakespeare's most buoyant and brilliant romantic comedies. This sharp-witted battle of the sexes between Beatrice and Benedick examines the foppery of love and courtship. A host of misperceptions among characters yields a rollicking good time in which the most unlikely couple finds true love. The Diana Wortham Theatre hosts several ancillary activities to coincide with the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival performances. One hour before each show are pre-performance discussions led by Artistic Director Lou Rackoff, or Shakespeare scholars Dr. David David Bradshaw and Dr. Mario DiCesare. These free discussions are Friday, October 11, at 7:00pm and Saturday, October 12, at 1:00pm and 7:00pm in the Forum at Pack Place. There is a post-performance discussion in the theatre immediately following the Friday, October 11, evening performance of "Macbeth." A patron reception with the cast in attendance follows the Saturday evening performance of "Much Ado About Nothing." The patron reception is $10 per person or free for members of the Diana Wortham Theatre Friends Association. The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival's performances in Asheville are sponsored by Progress Energy, Lee and Mario DiCesare, and The Janirve Foundation, and are a part of the Diana Wortham Theatre's Mainstage Theatre Series, which is sponsored by First Union /Wachovia. The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival's Asheville performances also receive support from media sponsor public radio station WCQS. The Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place is located in the center of downtown Asheville on historic Pack Square within walking distance of many shops and restaurants. The theatre seats just over 500, and boasts exceptional acoustics and sightlines, making it the premier performance space in all of Western North Carolina. The Mainstage Series is supported by a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, a North Carolina State agency, and the Asheville Area Arts Council. Tickets (Regular $27; Seniors/Students $25; Children $10) and information for the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival performances are available from the Diana Wortham Theatre box office at (828)257-4530 or online at www.dwtheatre.com.
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