INTERNATIONAL SHAW SOCIETY |
SEE A
SHAW PLAY There’s a Shaw play available some
place on this planet almost every day of the year, but of course what you
want is something within reach. If
you’re serious about this, we recommend signing up for Google Alerts at http://www.google.com/alerts under
“Bernard Shaw” or “George Bernard Shaw,” daily or weekly or monthly. Lots of productions will come your way
within driving distance. For a pretty
up-to-date listing of Shaw productions, see the calendar of current productions
at http://libra.apps01.yorku.ca/events/2019-02-22/. Below, we just want to call
attention to some major theater companies who have specialized in Shaw
productions over the years and that we can highly recommend. Just click on the title to get to their
websites. 1. The Shaw Festival (Niagara-on-the-Lake,
Ontario). Go to shawfest.com. This is one of the great repertory theaters in
the world, which offers 10 to 12 plays every year, from April through
October, two of which are likely to be Shaw plays. The town itself, on the mouth of the
Niagara River as it empties into Lake Ontario, is picture-postcard-perfect
and worth the trip. 2. Project Shaw in New York. David Staller has produced all of Shaw’s
plays, even the most minor, in readings by accomplished actors from Broadway,
TV, and film, and once a year provides a full production at some off-Broadway
theater. Every third Monday of the
month (usually), at Symphony Space on 95th & Broadway (212) 864-5400. See https://gingoldgroup.org/tickets/.
3. ShawChicago Theater Co. Robert Scogin is the Artistic Director for
a very accomplished company of actors, who do both readings of plays and
full-scale productions, of Shaw and other playwrights, mostly at the Ruth
Page Center for the Performing Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street, Chicago. Call (312) 587-7390 or write to info@shawchicago.org. Recently closed, due to the death of AD
Robert Scogin! Great loss! 4. Washington Stage Guild. https://stageguild.org/.
This group, founded by John MacDonald,
has been doing first rate productions since 1986, featuring many playwrights
but declaring Shaw to be their “resident playwright.” They perform at the Undercroft Theatre at
1900 Massachusetts Ave. in Washington D.C. and can be reached by calling (240) 582-0050. Current
address is 4018 Argyle Terrace, NW, Washington, DC 20011-5301. 5. Michael
Friend Productions. After
stage managing for decades for other companies, Michael Friend set up his own
company in 1992, which has been the only company in the UK that specializes
in Shaw plays, although doing other playwrights as well. This company is likely to show up in tours
all around England, but a special treat is to see them do Shaw on the back
lawn of “Shaw’s Corner,” Shaw’s home for 44 years in the village of Ayot St.
Lawrence, north of London and near St. Albans. See https://shawsociety.org/Shaw's-Corner-Theatre.htm.
6. Irish
Repertory Theater. At 132 West 22nd Street in New York, the
Irish Rep does brilliant productions of everything Irish, and occasionally a
Shaw play is featured. Call (212)
727-2737. 7. The National Theatre, in
London, England, is of course one of the great repertory companies in the
world, and when they do a Shaw play, which isn’t every year, it’s well worth
seeing. Ralph Fiennes in Man and Superman was the latest, IN
2015. See https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=wTZxXZ_SHYOqtQXj6amAAQ&q=ralph+fiennes+man+and+superman&oq=Ralph+Fiennes+in+MAN+AND+&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0i22i30.5897.18084..20509...5.0..1.348.4193.0j29j1j1......0....1..gws-wiz.....6..0i362i308i154i357j0j0i131j0i10j0i13j0i22i10i30.T9rmXK7u_mc,
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