SANTA CRUZ — Everything is in place for Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s 11th season, which is its biggest yet. Past seasons have consisted of two William Shakespeare plays and one non-Shakespeare play, but this year consists of two Shakespeare plays and two non-Shakespeare plays, both of which the company has never performed before. From the Bard’s iconic drama “Hamlet” and legendary comedy “As You Like it” to Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” and Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie,” all of this year’s plays run the gamut in terms of mood, time period and setting, but all are unified by the theme of “Generations.
” “All four plays deal very directly with the younger generation inheriting the world and, in some cases, having to do battle for it with the older generation and, in some cases, having to do battle with themselves,” said Artistic Director Charles Pasternak. Pasternak said a goal is to choose plays that complement each other. “When our audience sees the season, they can hear the echoes and discussions going on among the plays,” he said.
“I pick them artistically in the hope that they all speak to each other, that they tell a sort of thematic story together as a season.” Another factor Pasternak highlighted is to select Shakespeare plays the company has never done before. In the case of “As You Like it,” which kicks off the season July 13, that was one the company has not done in more than a decade.
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