It’s the third edition of Shakespeare Speedrun at Greenfinch Theatre and Dive (2525 S. Jefferson), and YoungLiars is ready for the challenge.
The theater company will have just 12 hours to cast, rehearse, and produce a 90-minute production of a play this Saturday, March 8, at 8 p.m. Which play? All that the participants know until the big reveal during the morning of the show is that it’s Shakespeare—no title, no genre, no hints.
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If the first two editions of Shakespeare Speedrun are any indication, it’s going to be a lot of fun. “When they approached us about doing this, we immediately said yes,” says Chuck Harper, co-artistic director of YoungLiars.
While the idea is that the company will stay mostly faithful to the text—whatever that turns out to be—there’s certainly room for a degree of interpretation.
“For me personally and for the company, our history has been doing updates, adaptations, or pretty major reinterpretations—reimaginings of classics,” Harper says. “It’s something we already like doing, taking classic texts and finding our own way into them and making changes.”
The company’s most recent show, Wolf Kings, blended a Victorian drag show, a Parisian literary salon, and a “fairy tale resistance rally.” Titus Androgynous somehow found the LOLs in the brutal and bloody Titus Andronicus. Riffing on a theme is kind of their thing.
So just how does one plan for a show like this?
Harper says all of the preplanning they’ll attempt is related to logistics of the day, figuring out the timing on casting and rehearsals. The 10 actors are a mix of YoungLiars regulars and students who’ve undergone the company’s summer training festival. They’ll use a DJ for sound design. Harper will direct with Jef Awada, creative core for the company, and co-artistic director Maggie Conroy will either share in direction or be cast instead, depending on the show.
Harper has directed nine Shakespeare productions. The mission for this one is not a flawless production, he says, but to have a great time.
“It’s a little stressful just sitting around waiting!” he admits.
Keep an eye on YoungLiars and Greenfinch’s socials Saturday morning if you want to know what the show will be—or just trust the process and show up. Tickets are $15.
