Corridor Buzz - The Premier Source of Arts & Entertainment News and Information for the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Corridor

Riverside Theatre looks forward to summer of ‘love’

Romeo and Juliet” and “Love’s Labour’s Lost” will be performed next June and July as part of Riverside Theatre’s 11th annual Shakespeare festival, the company announced today.

Both shows will run in rotation from June 11 through July 11 at the Riverside Festival Stage in Iowa City’s lower City Park. Tickets will go on sale in April.

Ron Clark, resident artist and production manager at Riverside Theatre, will direct “Romeo and Juliet.” Perhaps the most enduring love story of all time, the play follows two teenagers pulled by passion into a desperate struggle to be together, despite the violent feud between their families. Clark says he intends to direct a very “romantic and exciting production with lots of good swordplay, dance and a brand new musical score.”

Kansas City director Theodore Swetz will direct “Love’s Labour’s Lost.” This witty, wild comedy presents four young noblemen who swear off interactions with women in order to focus on intellectual pursuits, only to then be visited by four of France’s most alluring ladies. Swetz says that in the play, “man’s impulsive nature rules the day, but women’s wisdom and depth are ultimately celebrated.” Swetz is a founding company member of American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and is currently head of graduate actor training at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

For more information on Riverside Theatre click here.