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You've read about the movies, selected some books, and perused the secondary sources and the fun and games. In the long run, who did Shakespeare write for? An audience! A living, breathing entity from which the actors could draw energy -- a live mass of humanity that registers instant approval or urgent dislike. Here in Chicago, we have a world class theater company that keeps Shakespeare's work alive. Shakespeare Repertory Theater will begin their 1999-2000 season in the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. They will be moving to a new, custom built theater that is being erected at Navy Pier. The Shakespeare Repertory Theater is 10 years old. It is "Chicago's third-largest, nonprofit producing theater. Approximately 90,000 people will attend the company's 1998-1999 season. Shakespeare Repertory Theater's education program, Team Shakespeare, this year will serve 40,000 secondary and middle school students and 1,300 teachers through student matinees, a statewide tour of an abridged production, teacher training, and study materials (Folio, Autumn, 1998)." This is the final season they will perform at the Ruth Page Theater, located at 1016 N. Dearborn. The theater has a thrust stage. If you've never seen Shakespeare (or any theater) performed in this way, you cannot say that you've seen Shakespeare as he "saw" it. If you have not been fortunate enough to attend a performance by this company, you must acquaint yourself with them. The productions I have seen (they are numerous!) have always been innovative, well costumed, and have always inspired a thought provoking view of the material, whether I agreed with the director's interpretation or not. Since this is an "unofficial" page, I am doing my best to gather information and make it available to you. Check back often or sign up for the Unofficial Mailing List. I will send you a brief email letting you know who, what, when, where and how I've updated. Check out this season, the announcements about next season, and the new Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
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