Theater - The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

February 20–23, 2002

A play by Jess Borgeson, Adam Long, and Daniel Singer

 

Production Staff

Director: James Fisher

Scenic and Lighting Designer: James Gross

Costume Designer: Laura Conners      

Asst. Dir./Stage Mgr.: Brooks Cannon '02

Asst. Stage Mgr.: Vasabjit “Lalee” Banerjee '02

 

Cast List

Josh: Josh Wilson '03

George: George Milberger '03

Justin: Justin Dirig '03

Al: Alpha Omega Newberry IV '05

 

Production Assistance

Lightboard Operator: Aaron Childress '02

Propsmaster: Michael Bricker '04

 

This production was dedicated to the memory of Marge Jackson, (1945-2002) longtime secretary and box office manager of the Fine Arts Center.

 

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged,) also known as The Complete Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged) is a parody of the plays written by William Shakespeare with all of them being performed (in shortened form) during the show by only three actors. Typically, the actors use their real names and play themselves rather than certain characters. The fourth wall is nonexistent in the performance with the actors speaking directly to the audience during much of the play, and some scenes involve audience participation. The director and stage crew also may be directly involved in the performance and become characters themselves.

 

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.

 

The play was written by the Reduced Shakespeare Company, and first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1987 and played for many years at the Criterion Theatre in London. It is notable for holding the (self-proclaimed) world record for the shortest-ever performance of Hamlet, clocking in at 43 seconds.

This page is part of an ongoing project to document the history of the theatre productions performed at Wabash College.  If you have information not included on this page, please contact the Theater Department or Professor Dwight Watson (watsond@wabash.edu).

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