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Shakespeare’s Will

By Vern Thiessen
Directed by Melanie Dreyer
Starring Sheila McKenna
With violinist Dawn Posey

William Shakespeare remained married until his death to Anne Hathaway, about whom the world knows little and wonders much. This contemporary play portrays a full-throated Anne in every emotional color imaginable, at the center of her own story instead of relegated to a footnote in Will’s; a robust exploration of feminist themes resonant even in the #MeToo present.

Shakespeare’s Will offers a tour de force for an actress, in this case Sheila McKenna, cherished staple of Pittsburgh theatre, and is scored live by violinist Dawn Posey. The performance inhabits West Homestead United Methodist Church, a Pittsburgh treasure hiding in plain sight, unveiling the poetic space of her memory enhanced by the mastery of designers Stephanie Mayer-Staley, Joe Seamans, C. Todd Brown, Steve Shapiro, and Bonnie Siefers.

SHOWTIMES

November 8 – December 1, 2019
West Homestead United Methodist Church

This performance has passed.

Starring

Sheila McKenna

Actor

Sheila’s most recent work in Pittsburgh theatre includes directing The Gun Show (Can We Talk about This?) for Quantum Theatre, The History Boys for the Conservatory Theatre Company, Midnight Radio: Die Hard N’at for Bricolage Production Company and playing “Laurie” in City Theatre Company’s production of Pipeline. A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ‘Performer of the Year’ honoree, Sheila is a faculty member of Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts, and serves as the Associate Artistic Director for the Conservatory Theatre Company.

Melanie Dreyer

Director

Melanie Dreyer is an American theatre artist from Denver, Colorado currently living and working in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She has directed in multiple venues all over the world and working for Quantum Theatre remains a favorite. This is her third show for Quantum Theatre having also directed The Arabian Night and Yerma. Other important Pittsburgh credits include The Glory of Living and This is Our Youth for barebones productions as well as 9 Parts of Desire, Rockaby, Ohio Impromptu, Footfalls, Rough for Theatre II, and She Stoops to Conquer for Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre. She has been a teacher of performance at a number of institutions across the country but working at Pitt and living in Pittsburgh (2000-2008) are among her most cherished memories. She is now Chair of the Department of Drama at the University of Alberta. You can find more information about her professional accomplishments on her website: melaniedreyer.com.

Dawn Posey

Violinist

Dawn Posey is an active chamber musician, teacher and performer both in Pittsburgh and beyond. She has performed with the Boston Conservatory Honors Quartet; Festival A Tempo in Caracas, Venezuela; the Chamber Music Festival of Amman, Jordan; Blossom Music Festival; and Tanglewood Music Center. Additionally, she has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in Missouri, Indiana, and England. She is a founding member of Kassia Ensemble, a chamber music ensemble in Pittsburgh made up entirely of female performers. Kassia Ensemble seeks to empower women through quality performance, collaboration, and outreach. Dawn is a devotee of baroque performance practice, and a frequent guest artist with Chatham Baroque. Dawn is currently Associate Principal second violin with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra first violin section.

Simon Nigam

Actor

Simon Nigam is an 8th grade Theatre Major at Pittsburgh CAPA, and has performed locally with the Pittsburgh Opera, the Pittsburgh CLO, Prime Stage Theatre, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and multiple community theaters. A huge Shakespeare fan, Simon was a 2016 winner, 2017 finalist, and two-time honorable mention recipient in Pittsburgh Public Theater's Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Contest. He also raised over $1,400 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS by reading the works of Shakespeare aloud during a week-long series of YouTube live streams.

We are proud to partner with Superior Motors, Braddock’s premier restaurant helmed by Chef Kevin Sousa. To further your support of Quantum Theatre, make your preshow dinner reservation there, show them your Shakespeare’s Will ticket email, and Quantum Theatre will receive a donated portion of your total bill. Use OpenTable to make your reservation. Please make reservations between 5:30 and 6:30pm to ensure timely arrival at the performance.