USD theater to open season with ‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona’

This September USD students will have the opportunity to see a William Shakespeare play the way it was meant to be seen —not in a musty book, but live on stage.

The upcoming production of “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” by USD’s theater department aims to make this Shakespearean classic exciting, hysterical and, most importantly, accessible to students and the public alike.

Rebecca Bailey, a third year directing student who is in charge of the production, said the play deals with themes of friendship, love and seeking broader horizons.

“That’s a very convoluted thing in the world of Shakespeare,” Bailey said. “It’s a lot of things that we can recognize of being in love and the transformation that can occur when we fall in love with someone.”

Bailey started the process of pulling the show together early last spring with casting, costuming and workshops for the cast members. All summer, the cast spent time researching the language of Shakespeare.

“It’s a team production—there are 13 members of the cast who all stay pretty busy,” Bailey said.

And the cast has been working hard to make sure their version of “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” will be an engaging Shakespeare experience.

“This isn’t going to be what people expect,” Bailey said. “They’re going to laugh. They’re going to be able to understand it. Shakespeare isn’t something to be read on the page, it’s something to be watched on the stage.”

The play will be a showcase of contemporary music, elaborate costuming and might even include a shelter dog to bring awareness to animal adoption, Bailey said.

Showing times for “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” will be Sept. 28-30, Oct. 1-2 and 5-9.