Appalachian Shakespeare Center’s Measure for Measure

The Appalachian Shakespeare Center is back in Lexington this summer and wading into deep theatrical waters. Rarely performed and problematic, Shakespeare’s morally murky Measure for Measure takes the stage at Woodland Park and EKU’s Ravine. The Duke of Venice abdicates his power to the fiercely stern Angelo who cracks down on the wild goings on in their corrupt society. Making an example out of the guilty Claudio, Angelo sentences him to death for fathering a child out of wedlock. When Isabella, sister to Claudio and budding nun, comes to beg for her brother’s life Angelo’s mask of righteousness crumbles and he offers an obscene bargain for clemency. Surrounding this indecent proposal is a rabble of clownish pimps, idiotic authority figures, and hypocritical nobles that keep the play as relevant today as it was four hundred years ago.

“We are so excited to be back in Woodland Park this year with such a timely production,”says AppShakes Director and EKU Associate Professor of Music Matthew Johnson. “This play offers a lot much to chew on; it feels quite modern in its embrace of moral ambiguity, the primacy of personal narrative, and the corrupting nature of power. It feels like a new play, and likely will be, to much of the audience.”

Bring your own blanket and plan for dinner and a show! You will also be able to visit some food trucks and vendors that will be on sight for every performance from 6-8pm. We will have some local favorites like Spotz Gelato, Teppan Japanese Street Food, Griffin’s Kitchen, Nathan’s Taqueria, Kona Ice, Pivot Brewery and Dreaming Creek Brewery!

Woodland Park, Lexington KY at 7:30pm

Thursday through Saturday July 14-16, 21-23

Tickets available at the gate: $15 general admission $10 students seniors.

Also performing at EKU’s Ravine at 7:30pm

Friday and Saturday July 29, 30

Free admission