Great Lakes Theater Presents Shakespeare's Uproarious Battle of the Sexes "The Merry Wives of Windsor"

CLEVELAND, OH - Great Lakes Theater (GLT) continues its 62nd season with Shakespeare’s uproarious battle of the sexes, The Merry Wives of Windsor, performing in the company's intimate and audience-friendly home at the Hanna Theatre, Playhouse Square, from March 22 – April 7, 2024.

Terri McMahon directs an extraordinary cast of familiar and new faces that will bring this classic comedy to life. Jodi Dominick* and Jessie Cope Miller* head up the cast as the titular “Merry Wives” while Daniel T. Parker* leads as Falstaff. Kechanté, Malik Bilbrew*, Teri Brown*, Calvin Carvagnaro, Jason Samuel Eno*, Trevor Gill-Snow, Jeffrey C. Hawkins*, Josh Houghton*, Anthony Michael Martinez*, James Alexander Rankin, Nick Steen*, M.A. Taylor* and Jerrell Williams* will round out this talented group of artists. *Member of Actors' Equity

The creative team for The Merry Wives of Windsor includes Scenic Designer Jeff Herrmann; Lighting Designer Rick Martin; Costume Designer Daniele Tyler Matthews; Sound Designer Matthew Webb; Wig and Hair Designer Iran Michael Leon; Choreographer Jaclyn Miller; Dialect Coach Sara Becker; Production Stage Manager Carolina Arboldea* and Assistant Stage Manager Imani Sade.*

Meet the rotund rascal Sir John Falstaff and the wise wives of Windsor in one of Shakespeare’s most raucous comedies. With an ego as big as his voracious appetite, Falstaff conspires to woo the two wealthiest married ladies in town and pocket their riches. However, Mistress Ford and Mistress Page devise a scheme of their own to teach him a well-deserved lesson in Wooing 101. Join us and feast on a hilariously magnificent treat of monogamously artful deceit.

The Merry Wives of Windsor is part of Shakespeare in American Communities, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. The residents of Cuyahoga County, through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, provide generous support for Great Lakes Theater's 2023-24 season. Great Lakes Theater programming is also supported by the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Audiences will experience this exhilarating production in an intimate theater setting at Great Lakes Theater's award-winning home at the Hanna Theatre. The innovative "Great Room" design seamlessly merges the artist and audience experience. Guests can choose from diverse seating options like traditional seats, club chairs, lounge/bar seats, couches, and private boxes. Arranged in an intimate 550-seat thrust configuration where the audience surrounds the stage, no seat is further than 13 rows from the performance.

Great Lakes Theater provides exceptional access to its artists and production process during every Hanna Theatre performance. The Hanna's doors open sixty minutes before each show, allowing patrons to witness the pre-show preparation, including stage combat rehearsals, dance calls, prop/scenic setups, technical cue rehearsals, and actor warm-ups - offering GLT audiences an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the theatrical process.

The Opening/Press Night performance of The Merry Wives of Windsor is Saturday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m. A preview performance is Friday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m. Curtain times for all evening performances are 7:30 p.m., with a 1:30 p.m. curtain time for Saturday matinees and a 3:00 p.m. curtain time for Sunday matinees. In addition, GLT will offer a sign-interpreted and audio-described performance of The Merry Wives of Windsor on April 7 at 3:00 p.m.

Great Lakes Theater offers patrons a robust series of Experience Enrichment Programming. On March 22, patrons can participate in our Director's Night, which features a lively pre-show discussion with GLT's Producing Artistic Director, Charles Fee. Each Thursday (Offered: 3/28/2024 and 4/4/2024) during the run, patrons are invited to our Salon Thursday pre-show discussions featuring a Great Lakes Theater artist. Our Playnotes pre-show discussions occur sixty minutes before our Saturday matinee performances (Offered: 3/30/2024 and 4/6/2024) and feature illuminating introductions to the content and history of the play presented by a guest scholar. On Sundays (Offered: 3/24/2024 and 4/7/2024), patrons can enjoy our Ice Cream Social Sundays, where they can grab a delicious, cool treat at a discount.

Single performance tickets range in price from $20-$84, with $15 tickets for patrons 25 and under. Tickets are available by calling (216) 241-6000, ordering online, or visiting the Playhouse Square Ticket Office. Visit https://www.playhousesquare.org/contact-us for Playhouse Square Ticket Office operating hours. Groups of ten or more save up to 45% by calling (216) 453-1066.

Great Lakes Theater, the first resident company of Playhouse Square, has brought the pleasure, power, and relevance of live theater to the widest possible audience since 1962. GLT programming impacts over 100,000 adults and students annually.

Posted on: February 26, 2024

Category: Press Releases