Tonight is Industry Night for our show. Monday night is the night that the professional theater companies have off, so smaller theaters have a Monday night show so that the big folks can come see them. Industry Night also means that if you bring a headshot and/or resume you get a discounted ticket.
We're in a different space from our usual show - much smaller and more intimate, I am very excited to see how our show will be with such an intense focus on the acting.
We had our dress rehearsal in this space and I took some photos that night, I have posted them below so that you can get a feel for the space.

On a side note, thank you for your votes on concessions, because of your input we have started offering little cookies and snacks from India as well as sodas and they have been a great success!

So, come see our show tonight! It should very cool and rather different from our usual run. Click Here to buy ticket online or we take cash or credit cards at the door!

As You Like It is performing at 1635 Emerson Lane in Naperville (the big yellow box church off Ogden between Aurora Ave. and rt 59), we are usually in the basement but tonight we will but upstairs!

Bring a headshot and/or resume and get in for only $5!

See you tonight!

Ok, I just found the most amusing hashtag on Twitter - #ShakespeareBackwards I love it!

Here are a few examples:

jstnschneider  Othello breaks the spell holding Desdemona asleep by removing a magic pillow. #ShakespeareBackwards #amidoinitrite

oelj Lear is reconciled with his three daughters, Cornwall finds cure for blindness #ShakespeareBackwards

ASC_Cass  An unfortunate night in the woods outside Athens breaks up four marriages. #ShakespeareBackwards


ShakespeareGeek  Kate and Petruchio have a wonderful marriage in public, a terribly rocky one in private, and ultimately separate. #ShakespeareBackwards

and my favorite:

ShakespeareGeek  Iago provides marriage counseling for Othello and Desdemona #ShakespeareBackwards

I love this game! What can you think of? What reversal can you put on a Shakespeare plot?

Here is my first:

Nora_Manca  Orlando tries to seduce Ganymede and then loses interest when he realizes that Ganymede is Rosalind in disguise. #ShakespeareBackwards

Comment below to let me know what you think up! If you leave your Twitter id I'll follow you and retweet your Shakespeare Backwards hashtag!

Hello to all of you people visiting Nora's blog. I am the fabulous guest blogger today! My name is Chrissy Bellanger. If you were wondering, I am currently the head of the hair and make-up department for Storefront Shakespeare, I am also playing Orlando (the male lead) in the current production of As You Like It. Now that I am done with introducing myself, let us focus on the topic at hand. Last Thursday, February 17th, a group of us at Storefront Shakespeare went to see "Gnomeo and Juliet". Going into the movie, many of us were concerned that we were going to be upset because it is a children's movie and it was bound to have a happy ending. We were also concerned  that the movie would not allow children to fully understand the true story of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Not even five minutes, we were full of laughter and that was just the beginning. This movie was not only made for children, it was also made for the true Shakespeare fans. From the double entendres to the hidden and hilarious references to almost all of Shakespeare's works. This movie has quotes and written  references in the background alluding to other Shakespeare plays. There are references for; Hamlet, The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer-Night's Dream, As You Like It, King Richard III and of course Romeo and Juliet. And those are just the references that we caught, there could be more. Also on the topic of having a happy ending, the movie does have a happy ending (as you have probably guessed) however, the true ending of Romeo and Juliet is explained in a funny way by a very famous actor. Overall I would give this movie 5 ((count it 5)) stars! So I recommend going to the movies and enjoying this film. Have a great day.
<3 Chrissy Bellanger

Much Ado About Nothing!
I'm going for a modern Mob theme since it is set in Sicily (and with the Dons I couldn't resist). The hair and costumes are going to be very stylized with a fun 1920's twist.
Now I just need a location for it. If you know of any large space please comment below and I will check it out!
To get you excited for Much Ado About Nothing, here are some photos from other productions of it:

I just wrote a whole blog about how happy and excited I was about opening night and then the internet ate it. Cry. Oh well, let's start again shall we?

Opening night was really wonderful. My actors are incredible. It is truly amazing to see something that once only existed in my imagination and nestled in the Complete Works (a misnomer, but that is a topic for another time) come to life before my eyes and better than I could ever have conceived it.

I hope you come see our As You Like It, the actors are really fantastic . We have a show tonight at 8 and another one tomorrow at 5:30. I also highly recommend coming on Silly Student Night on Friday the 18th (even if you aren't a student), tickets are $5 for everyone (we were all students at one time or other and you could say we're all students in this great school of life ;-). Silly Student Night is a chance for the actors to get as ridiculous as they like, the only rule is that they have to stick to the script, but other than that, anything can happen.

We also have a show on Monday the 28th, so that theater professionals will be able to come on their one day off a week. We'll be in a smaller space on that day, but Promenade works well in intimate settings.

I do need your help with something. Would you please fill out the poll that fits so badly into the side bar on your right? Some audience members last night told us they wished we sold concessions, so I would like to know what you would like to purchase at one of our shows. I tried to place the poll into this blog, but that is what made the internet error that deleted the last blog I wrote.

Thank you so much for your help and have a lovely day!!!!

I can't believe we go up tomorrow!!! I'm so excited! Here are some photos from a recent rehearsal.

Come to opening night tomorrow!!!! We'll be at 1635 Emerson Lane in Naperville at eight o'clock, doors open at 7:30. Cash and credit cards taken at the door (thanks to a cool phone app we can take credit cards at the door now!) all tickets $10!

See you there!!!

We have a new poster made for us by the Amazing William Quayle!

It is so beautiful and perfect and just what I wanted! I have attached a mini version of it at the bottom of this blog if you want to print it out and post it somewhere! If you would like a larger version please email me at StorefrontShakespeare@gmail.com and I will send it to you.

In other new Racole Fisher, my partner in the Storefront Shakespeare madness has started her own blog!! Here is the link: http://lumpofcoal-cole.blogspot.com/

Have a beautiful day and I hope to see you on Friday at our opening!!!

Tickets are now on sale for As You Like It!!! Click here to buy tickets in advance! You can also buy tickets at the door.

Here is a poster I made up today, we have a nicer one on the way, but this will get the basic information across for now.
We finally do have a space for As You Like It! We will be performing at 1635 Emerson Lane in Naperville, in the basement of the Yellow Box Church. I am very happy with this outcome because the rooms are just the right size and have everything we need except storage for our set. They're even painted in nice colors.
More news coming soon!!!