Theatre@York returns to the stage with William Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, directed by Jennifer Tarver, running at York University Jan. 22-28.
In this endearing comedy, Shakespeare explores the struggle between head and heart. The story opens with the King of Navarre and his three noblemen denouncing all worldly pleasures, including women, in order to devote themselves solely to intellectual pursuits. However, when the Princess of France and her three lovely ladies arrive at court, the men’s lofty vow is put to the test.
A great game of language and love, the play delights with its charm, witty repartee and clever plot twists, as the women teach the men a lesson about love that they will not find in any scholarly book.
Tarver has been directing theatre and opera for more than 15 years in Canada, Britain and United States. She is the founding artistic director of Theatre Extasis, a company committed to a physically-based approach to theatre in which dramatic action is wholly integrated with its environment. She currently serves as associate director of The Theatre Centre in Toronto.
Tarver’s honours include the 2002 John Hirsch Directors Award, and her company’s most recent work, That Time, garnered four Dora Mavor Moore Awards, including Best Director and Best Production.
Theatre@York productions showcase the talents of students in York University’s Theatre Department. The cast and designers for Love’s Labour’s Lost is drawn from the fourth-year acting and theatre ensemble. Set design is by Jessie Shearer, costume design by Anna Lacivita and lighting design by Johnathon Spink.
Love’s Labour’s Lost previews Sunday, Jan. 22 and Monday, Jan. 23 and runs through Saturday, Jan. 28 in the Joseph G. Green Studio Theatre on York’s Keele campus. Showtime is 7:30pm with matinees at 1pm on Wednesday, Jan. 25 and Friday, Jan. 27. Admission is $12, $8 for students & seniors and $5 group rate. The Sunday preview is pay-what-you-can and the Monday preview is $5. To reserve tickets, contact the box office at 416-736-5172, ext. 3.
For more information about Theatre@York, visit www.yorku.ca/finearts/Theatre@York.
This article was submitted to YFile by Mary-Lou Schagena in the Faculty of Fine Arts.