A Footloose-Inspired Measure for Measure Joins the Howard Family Stage at Bard on the Beach

A Footloose-Inspired Measure for Measure Joins
the Howard Family Stage at Bard on the Beach

Measure for Measuredirected by Jivresh Parasram joins the Howard Family Stage at the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival from July 4 until September 20, 2024. Set in the party city of Vienna, residents will never find an empty dance floor until now. One of Shakespeare’s most painfully relevant tales of coercion and hypocrisy reaches darkly absurdist new heights in this footloose adaptation.

“Bringing new visions to the works of Shakespeare is always a challenge and when we were approached by Jivresh to create a “footloose-inspired” take on Measure for Measure said yes,” said Christopher Gaze, Bard on the Beach Artistic Director. “At Bard on the Beach we have a history of adapting Shakespeare’s work and putting a contemporary spin on it. This production of Measure for Measure will be no different and we are certain audiences are going to love this new retelling of this Shakespeare classic.”

Vienna, the city of sin, is the place to be with rocking dance floors and party animal Duke Vincenzio. However, when long-ignored morality laws must be enforced, the much-loved party boy Duke Vincentio flees, handing the judicial reins to the decidedly un-groovy Angelo. No (pre-marital) dancing is the decree. Disguised as a friar, the Duke stays in Vienna as Angelo harshly enforces the laws, sentencing young Claudio to death for dancing. Claudio’s sister Isabella, about to become a nun, pleads with Angelo, who demands she dance with him to save her brother. She refuses. The Duke, still undercover, suggests a plan involving Angelo’s ex-fiancée, Mariana, to save Claudio. Will their plan succeed and will Vienna’s dance floors remain empty for good under Angelo’s tyrannical rule?

Measure for Measure cast members include Scott Bellis, Meaghan Chenosky, Tess Degenstein, Leslie Dos Remedios, Craig Erickson, Karthik Kadam, Jeremy Lewis, and Raugi Yu.Understudies for Measure for Measure are Emma Houghton, Tal Shulman, Jacob Wolke, and Synthia Yusuf.

Set in the party city of Vienna, audiences will enter a night world filled with neon lighting passageways and alleys by Set Designer Ryan Cormack. Costume Designer Alaia Hammer has created colourful costumes paying homage to the underground music culture from the late 70s to 2000s. Chris Ross-Ewart (Sound Designer and Composer) is embracing Vienna’s party reputation filling the set with underground dance music certain to have audiences dancing even though it’s forbidden. Additional members of Measure for Measure’s production team include Hina Nishioka(Lighting Designer), Sam Jeffery (Fight Director), Krystal Kiran (Choreographer), Lisa Goebel(Intimacy Director), Alana Hawley Purvis (Voice Coach) and Heidi Wilkinson (Head of Props). They are supported by Rebecca Mulvihill (Production Stage Manager), Jenny Kim (Assistant Stage Manager) and Julia Lank (Apprentice Stage Manager).

SPECIAL EVENTS for Measure for Measure include:

Discover more about Bard’s production from the cast during Talkback Tuesdays in July and August, where performers will take part in free post-show discussions.

Ticket prices for all regular play performances start at $30 CAD and are available now. Early booking is recommended for best seat selection, as many performances sell out in advance. The full performance schedule and event details are on the Bard website at bardonthebeach.org. To book tickets, order online through the Bard website or call the Bard Box Office at 604-739-0559 or (toll free) 1-877-739-0559.

Media release and image provided by Cynnamon Schreinert, Hartley PR.