Actor's Shakespeare Project stages Shakespeare

October 21, 3:46 PMBoston Theater ExaminerDonn Saylor

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       Shakespeare does Boston at the ASP

Boston's Shakespeare fans can finally rejoice.

Up until a few short years ago, the Bard’s plays were something of a rarity in Beantown. But thanks to the artistic vision and powerhouse integrity of the Actor’s Shakespeare Project, we now have a full scale Shakespearean repertory company right in our own backyard.

But don’t expect a stage version the likes of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet. The ASP, led by a team of Shakespearean scholars and artists, trains its eye upon the lyrical – and often surprisingly simple – language of the plays. There are no big explosions or Hollywoodized car crashes. In the hands of the Actor’s Shakespeare Project, the play’s the thing. The language takes the spotlight, and the staging is often simple but unique. With no set theater, the ASP moves from location to location around Boston, always to small, intimate venues rich in history and architecture. These locales then inform the angle of the production. It’s a brilliant concept not seen before in our area, and the result is a moving, personal experience of Shakespeare that is impossible to forget.

The ASP is also a socially conscious nonprofit, bringing the words of Shakespeare to a modern American city and not only making it entertaining, but making it relevant. The company does a variety of outreach and community service programs in an effort to inspire dialog and share the beauty of the Bard’s words. The ASP holds acting classes for kids and adults, as well as intensive workshops for teachers to learn the most creative and effective ways of teaching Shakespeare.

The productions staged by the Actor’s Shakespeare Project often take an original approach to the age-old stories. The company has performed an all-female Macbeth , a five-person Henry V (with each actor playing multiple roles), and a version of  King John cast in a contemporary setting. Through re imaginings like these, the ASP is able to cut through the spectacle of Shakespeare’s plays to present the works as definitive portraits of human nature.

It will be exciting to see where the Actor’s Shakespeare Project takes Bostonians this time around. But one thing is certain: throw out all you think you know about the Bard. This will be a feast for the senses.

A feast of Shakespearean proportions.

The first show of their fifth season, The Merchant of Venice, opens November 6 at Midway Studios in Fort Point Channel.