New York and London based Aquila Theatre presents back-to-back performances of Edmund Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, 8:00 p.m. Friday, February 1 and Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, 8:00 p.m. Saturday, February 2 at Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place in downtown Asheville.
Aquila Theatre is one of the foremost producers of touring theater and is widely renowned for bringing a thoroughly modern sensibility to great classics throughout the United States and abroad. The company delights audiences with innovative takes and clever staging of strong scripts. Over the past several Mainstage Series seasons, Asheville audiences have come to know and anticipate the annual repertory offering of this creative company on the intimate stage of the Diana Wortham Theatre. Managing Director John Ellis notes the appeal of the “two plays in two days” weekend: “Many audience members attend both Aquila performances for the rare opportunity to see the same actors perform different characters, sometimes very opposite in nature, on successive evenings.”
On February 1, Aquila presents Edmund Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, one of the most famous romantic adventures in world literature. Cyrano is an excellent French soldier and swordsman who is besotted with the beautiful and alluring Roxanne, yet because of his famously huge nose he feels he can never truly win her heart and keeps his love a secret. Beautifully funny, poignant and often heart wrenching, Cyrano de Bergerac promises to be a wonderful evening of live theatre of the highest caliber.
On February 2, Aquila breathes new life into one of Shakespeare’s most challenging comedies, The Taming of the Shrew, telling the story of the timeless battle of the sexes. Bianca Minola, the beautiful daughter of a lord, is eligible for marriage but cannot be courted until her elder sister, Katherina, finds a husband. With its inventive style and versatile cast, Aquila breathes fresh life into one of Shakespeare’s most challenging yet enduring comedies.
Intersections Pre-show Discussions: For insight and increased enjoyment of the plays, ticket holders can attend free pre-performance discussions in The Forum at Pack Place at 7:00 p.m. before each performance.
In addition to its evening performance, Aquila Theatre presents the full-length production of The Taming of the Shrew as part of the 2012/2013 Matinee Series for Students and Families on Monday, February 4, 2013. Performances in the Matinee Series for Students and families are open to school groups, homeschoolers, community groups, and families. The matinee performance of The Taming of the Shrew is sold out.
Aquila Theatre’s performances of Cyrano de Bergerac and The Taming of the Shrew are funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council. The performances are made possible by Performance Sponsors Maureen & Frank Hantke, and by Mainstage Theatre Series Sponsors First Citizens Bank and Ward and Smith, P.A., with additional support from Media Sponsors WCQS 88.1FM and WNC magazine.