The Davis Square Community

Theatre@First kicks off The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) this Friday. Director Mike Haddad has a new take on the affectionate parody of the Bard oeuvre, fielding a cast of eight of the funniest actors in the Boston theatre scene. Performances run May 17-June 1 at Unity Somerville.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) is a madcap race to perform all of Shakespeare's 37 plays in about 90 minutes. The Reduced Shakespeare Company, an ensemble of eight committed actors, will stop at nothing to achieve this feat... even if it kills them. (And a third of his plays were tragedies, so death is likely.) It's fast-paced fun for Shakespeare nerds and everyone who loves a laugh.

Performances
Friday, May 17, 2019 at 8pm
Saturday, May 18, 2019 at 8pm
Thursday, May 23, 2019 at 8pm
Friday, May 24, 2019 at 8pm
Saturday, May 25, 2019 at 8pm
Thursday, May 30, 2019 at 8pm
Friday, May 31, 2019 at 8pm
Saturday, June 1, 2019 at 3pm (matinee!)

For tickets and more information, please visit our website!

Theatre@First is holding auditions for Burning, local playwright Ginger Lazarus' modern adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac.

AUDITION DATES: December 10-11 by appointment only

ABOUT THE PLAY: Cy, a former Army sergeant kicked out under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," takes on the world with her words as a blogger, blowing the whistle on sexual harassment within the Army and going toe-to-toe with her former commander. She secretly adores her friend Rose, who in turn has her eye on Cole, an inarticulate infantryman. Cy reluctantly signs on to ghost-write Cole's courtship of Rose, but lets her own fantasy take priority. This thought-provoking drama explores themes of truth, deceit and silence, and the power each has to harm and heal.

Visit http://www.theatreatfirst.org/shows/burning/auditions.shtml to sign up today!

Bare Bones: Staged Readings at Theatre@First presents

MISS JULIE
written by August Strindberg
directed by J. Deschene
starring Ariana Nedelman, Carol Sutherland, and Sue Downing

Thursday, May 31st at 8pm
Unity Somerville
6 William Street, Somerville 02144

Free with suggested donation of $5

In the kitchen of a Swedish Count's manor house, on the magic of a Midsummer's Eve, the free-spirited and strong-willed Miss Julie is after one thing: the affections of her father's valet, John. Getting what she wants, however, becomes a slippery slope into double standards, manipulation, and questions of "morality" and "decency." Written in 1889 by famed cynic, August Strindberg, Miss Julie's meaning can now be seen in a very different way, and as such it serves as a very different kind of warning for today's audience.

For more info, visit theatreatfirst.org!

Theatre@First presents

R.U.R.
written by Karel Čapek
translated by David Wyllie
adapted and directed by Mary Parker

Unity Somerville, 6 William Street at College Ave

​​8PM PERFORMANCES
Thursday, March 15
Friday, March 16
Saturday, March 17 - COSPLAY NIGHT!Thursday. March 22
Friday, March 23

2PM MATINEE
Saturday, March 23

TICKETS $15 Adults and $12 Students/Seniors
http://www.theatreatfirst.org/tickets.shtml

R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) is the classic Czech sci-fi play by Karel Čapek that coined the term "robots." Translated into English by David Wyllie and re-conceived for a modern audience by Mary Parker, our version explores the same themes of humanity, love, the value of work, and the dangers of oppression as the original, while re-imagining the more problematic aspects of a play that is almost 100 years old and very much of its time.

On a remote, secure island, Rossum's Universal Robots churns out a cheap, disposable workforce. Rossum's robots are strong, intelligent, and versatile, and definitely not human. What could go wrong?

Theatre@First seeks new, unproduced plays from local playwrights for its workshopping program, FirstWorks. Playwrights will have the opportunity to gain feedback on their work from experienced directors and actors during the revision process. Revision sessions include a closed roundtable reading with actors, and culminate in a performed staged reading with feedback from our enthusiastic and insightful audience.

One full-length play will be selected. Due to logistical constraints, only shows able to be performed by a maximum of six actors will be considered. Roles may be doubled to accommodate the six actor limit within reason. Work submitted will be subject to extensive feedback with the expectation that revisions respective of deadlines will be performed by the playwright throughout this process. There are no subject matter criteria--we hope to be surprised and delighted.

Submissions are due by Dec. 29, 2017
Performance date is May 17, 2018

To submit, please send an email to firstworks@theatreatfirst.org with the playwright’s name, email, phone, mailing address, bio (250 words or less), play title, # of characters in the play (plays will be performed by a maximum of six actors), a brief synopsis, and ten-page sample of the play. Submissions are due by December 29, 2017.

FirstWorks encourages submissions from playwrights regardless of race, color, religion, ethnicity, ancestry, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, national origin, body type, age, disability or any other identity factor. Women, LGBT and POC are particularly encouraged to submit. This program aims to engage with Boston-area playwrights and support new works. Playwrights not residing within local travel distance of the Boston-area will not be chosen.

For more information please email firstworks@theatreatfirst.org or go to http://www.theatreatfirst.org/shows/firstworks/.

​Theatre@First takes the stage this weekend with six brand new short plays to raise money for hurricane disaster relief!

Giving@First: A 24-Hour Play Festival for Hurricane Relief
Saturday, October 14th at 8pm
UNITY SOMERVILLE
Suggested Donation $20

Giving@First is a one-night-only festival of short plays that will be created from page to stage within a 24-hour period. Our talented team of more than 20 writers, directors, and actors will scramble overnight and all day long to create a full festival from scratch! This play-in-a-day event will be a unique experience to see live theatre that is fun, frantic, unforgettable, and for an important cause!

All donations and sales collected at this event will be given to Americares' Hurricane Disaster Relief efforts, which directly aids survivors of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. For every $10 they receive, Americares provides $200 in aid. Help us make a difference in the lives of those in need.

To learn more about Americares and their work, visit their website, Americares.org.

For more information about Giving@First, visit theatreatfirst.org.