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Art center gears up for Shakespeare
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The Bowen Center for the Arts is reviving the works of Shakespeare for its Sept. 8 event at the Lakeview Center at 7 p.m.

 

The Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern will perform the complete works of Shakespeare, abridged, in a high-speed version of all 37 Bard’s plays and 154 Sonnets in just two hours.

 

But this is no ordinary rendition of Shakespeare’s classics. The Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern incorporates modern elements, cultural icons and current music to the performances.

 

Othello is acted out to hip-hop music, Titus Andronicus becomes a cooking show, and all the Histories are performed as a football game.

 

The entire show is performed by just three actors.

 

“There’s something for everyone,” said Marcia Chelf, director of the Bowen Center for the Arts. “There’s football for the guys and a cooking show for the girls. It’s just hilarious.”

 

Chelf believes the audience will be both entertained and intellectually stimulated by the show.

 

“This is not the Shakespeare of your high school,” said Chelf.

 

“This show provides a way for people to learn and appreciate Shakespeare in a way they have never been able to before,” she explained.

 

Tickets for the show are $30 and can be purchased at the center.

 

Three hundred tickets are available.

 

If tickets do not sell out before the show, then tickets can be purchased at the door at the Lakeview Center before the show.

 

The Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern has earned nationwide recognition for its unique performances that infuse the classic works of Shakespeare with contemporary entertainment and culturally relevant styles.

 

The group has been covered by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CBS and CNN.

 

“They are renowned for their work of recreating Shakespeare. This is what they are known for,” praised Chelf.

 

The Shakespeare Tavern opened in 1990 and has put on over 73 plays with 1,600 performances.

 

“It’s fun and educational. People will really enjoy themselves,” said Chelf.

The center is open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Saturdays, noon until 4 p.m.

 

For more information on this event or to purchase tickets, call the Bowen Center for the Arts at (706) 216-ARTS.