The drama department from Richards High School in Oak Lawn will present the comedy “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: Abridged” on October 10, 11, and 12.
Richards also will present a free performance for area senior citizens at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 9. This is the annual Dessert Theater -- desserts available at intermission and afterward -- at Richards.
The performances on October 10 to 12 begin at 7 p.m. each day. Richards is located at 10601 S. Central Avenue. Tickets are $8 at the door or $6 in advance from any cast member.
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This production is a parody of the plays written by William Shakespeare with all of them being performed in shortened form. Typically, actors use their real names and play themselves rather than certain characters.
Actors may speak directly to the audience during much of the play, and some scenes involve audience participation. The director and stage crew may also be directly involved in the performance and become characters themselves.
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The script contains many humorous footnotes on the text that are often not included in the performance. However, improvisation plays an important role and it is normal for the actors to deviate from the script and have spontaneous conversations about the material with each other or the audience.
It is also common for them to make references to pop culture or to talk about local people and places in the area where performance is done. As a result, each performance can be vastly different from another, even with the same cast.
