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As a high school student, Joshua Lodge ’19 performed in several shows with the Semi Royal Shakespeare Company. He is excited to be part of the University of New 51¶ºÄÌ Theater program’s production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), which he hopes will enable him to share his love of Shakespeare with the campus community.

"I wanted to be a part of this show because it makes Shakespeare more accessible and fun for audience members," said Lodge, a music and sound recording major. "It doesn’t matter if you know every detail of every Shakespeare play, or absolutely nothing. This show is entertaining for everyone."

Directed by University of New 51¶ºÄÌ lecturer Jonathan Yukich, the show is fast-paced, funny, and witty. The curtain will come up at 7:30 each night from Wednesday, March 6, to Saturday, March 9, in Bucknall Theater in Dodds Hall. Tickets are "pay what you will" to support the Theater program.

Michael Kennedy ’19, a theater arts major and one of the show’s cast members, says working on it has been challenging but rewarding.

"This production was very appealing to me because it combines Shakespeare with seriously chaotic comedy," said Kennedy, who plays more than 20 different Shakespearean characters, including Cleopatra, Juliet, and Ophelia. "This play was a great opportunity to do an over-the-top comedy, which I find is often considerably more challenging than drama."

"I’m excited to share the beauty of Shakespeare’s work with the audience."Tim Sheehan ’19

Kennedy, who has also performed in several other University productions, including "Cabaret," "Our Town," and "A Chorus Line," says that the cast members enjoyed working together, and they have had the freedom to improvise, which has deepened their trust in one another. After performing on , they are now ready to break a leg on stage.

Cast member Tim Sheehan ’19, a theater arts major and a certified Preeminent Shakespearean Scholar, believes that Shakespeare’s plays are still relevant today.

"My role in the show is to help give an idea of who Shakespeare was and how fantastic he is," said Sheehan. "I’m excited to share the beauty of Shakespeare’s work with the audience."