Black Friars Playhouse Renaissance Season

Since the late eighties, the American Shakespeare Center has been running world class productions around the Americas, but it wasn’t until 1999 that it found its home in Staunton, Virginia.  Ever since, it has specialized in plays by our favorite Elizabethan playwright and, occasionally, his contemporaries. 

The American Shakespeare Center’s home is special for a number of reasons.  It is the world’s only indoor reproduction of London’s Blackfriars Playhouse and stays true to the staging conditions of the time period.  In fact, between the lighting, acting, and costumes, seeing a production at the ASC is like stepping back in time.  Though that doesn’t mean they don’t put a contemporary spin on Shakespeare’s works.  Whether it’s Twelfth Night set in the 1920s, or acoustic versions of pop songs played by the talented actors at intermission, you don’t have to be a renaissance scholar to enjoy a night out at the theater.

Another extraordinary aspect of the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton is the annual Actor’s Renaissance Season.  During the renaissance season, actors put on the plays, pulling from resources readily available at the theater to costume, stage, and direct themselves.  It’s just one way the ASC is devoted to artistic expression and growth.

The American Shakespeare Center is all about community involvement and educational programs too.  Between summer programs for students, performances for area schools, and workshops for budding artists, the ASC does a tremendous amount to give back to the community. 

The spring season has officially begun and some classics are on the current play docket.  A performance is well worth your time, but if you can’t get tickets, stop by for a tour of the play house!

As always, come stay with us!