Shakespeare Santa Cruz opens July 23 with 'Taming of the Shrew'

Shakespeare Santa Cruz will open its 32nd season with the popular and thought-provoking comedy, The Taming of the Shrew. Edward Morgan will make his SSC directing debut with this production.

Morgan previously worked at Utah Shakespeare Festival, The Shakespeare Theatre, The Kennedy Center, and Milwaukee Rep, and is also a casting partner with Cirque du Solei.

Playing in repertory in the Festival Glen will be the final play in SSC’s making-of-a-king trilogy, Henry V, directed by Paul Mullins.

Mullins is an associate artist at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, and has also directed for The Old Globe, The Dorset Theatre Festival, The Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C., and American Stage.

The summer season will also feature the annual Fringe show, which has been a favorite of SSC audiences. Each year, SSC’s multi-talented acting and production interns get a chance to show their stuff, in the words of artistic director Marco Barricelli: “unencumbered by those pesky professional actors.”

The 2013 Fringe show will be Tom Jones, adapted by Jon Jory from the classic Henry Fielding novel. A bawdy and rollicking comedy, the play will be directed by SSC alumna and UCSC Theater Arts faculty member, Patty Gallagher. It plays in the Glen for two performances only, August 20 and 27.

For the first time in SSC history, all shows will take place outdoors among the redwoods in the Sinsheimer-Stanley Festival Glen.

For complete schedule and ticket information see shakespearesantacruz.org.