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Greensburg Civic Theatre to present Shakespeare in his “abridged” and “revised” form

By Mark Hofmann mhofmann@heraldstandard.Com 3 min read
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Rehearsing a scene from the upcoming “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised]” is (from left) Stephen Toth of Penn Hills, Ben Wren of Jeannette and Josh Kinneer of Donegal. The show will run April 30 to May 2 at the Greensburg Garden & Civic Center. It will also stream online.

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Rehearsing a scene from the upcoming “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised]” is (from left) Ben Wren of Jeannette, Josh Kinneer of Donegal and Stephen Toth of Penn Hills. The show will run April 30 to May 2 at the Greensburg Garden & Civic Center, and will stream online May 2.

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Ben Wren of Jeannette rehearses a scene from the upcoming “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised]", which will run April 30 to May 2 at the Greensburg Garden & Civic Center. It will stream online May 2.

An “abridged” and “revised” production will take on all of William Shakespeare’s plays this weekend — both to a live audience and via a live stream.

“The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised]” replaces Greensburg Civic Theatre’s intended spring production, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”

Director Vince D’Angelo said the planned production had a large cast, which presented difficulties because of the pandemic. 

The Oakmont resident suggested the new show because it requires few cast members, and works perfectly for a show in which the actors will wear clear masks on stage.

The play features all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays, meant to be performed in 97 minutes by three actors. The play is fast-paced, witty and physical. Written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield, “The Complete Works” is full of laughter and is geared for both Shakespeare lovers and haters.

The show features three regional actors playing numerous roles: Ben Wren of Jeannette, Stephen Toth of Penn Hills, and Josh Kinneer of Donegal. Marcus Greenberg of Unity Township is stage manager.

“The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” was created when three inspired, charismatic comics, having honed their pass-the-hat act at Renaissance fairs, premiered their preposterous masterwork at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1987.

It quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, earning the title of London’s longest-running comedy after a decade at the Criterion Theatre. “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” is one of the world’s most frequently produced plays and has been translated into several dozen languages.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s classic farce, two of its original writer/performers thoroughly revised the show to bring it up to date for 21st-century audiences, incorporating some of the funniest material from the numerous amateur and professional productions that have been performed throughout the world.

Along with the actors, audience members must also wear masks at all times in the building, including while seated during the show due to the extended time indoors.

Additional safety precautions will include seating at only 25% capacity, hand sanitizer in the lobby, electrostatic sanitization of seats between performances and electronic programs that may be viewed online in advance, during or after the shows.

The production will run Friday and Saturday, April 30 and May 1 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, May 2 at 2 p.m. at the Greensburg Garden & Civic Center, 951 Old Salem Road. Tickets for socially-distanced, in-person viewing are on sale at www.GGCCevents.org while a live stream will also be offered concurrent with one show only on Sunday, May 2 at 2 p.m. for those wishing to view remotely.

To purchase in-person tickets in advance, visit ggccevents.org or call 724-836-8000; the price is $16 for adults, $14 for seniors 55 and over and $11 for students. There’s an additional charge of $2 at the door.

Live stream option for $15 per household device are currently on sale via GCTheatre.org

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