Shakespeare Spoof to Benefit C-N’s Alpha Psi Omega

Much Ado, Indeed — Carson-Newman alums Travis Stansell and Andrew Ward flank Kyle Biery during rehearsals for “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).” The spoof, condenses all of William’s Shakespeare’s plays into a two-hour comedy, will be presented in Gentry Auditorium next week.

Seven years after their production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), three local performers are bringing it back by popular demand, “or so we’d like to believe,” jokes Kyle Biery, director of Carson-Newman’s theater program. Along with C-N alumni Travis Stansell ’98 and Andrew Ward ’97, Biery will attempt to perform all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays in “a two-hour swoop.”

A portion of the proceeds will help members of C-N’s Eta Beta chapter of Alpha Psi Omega (APO) honor society travel to a spring conference.

“It’s a monumental task to perform Shakespeare the way it should be performed—absurdly,” smiles Stansell, deadpanning, “If you love Shakespeare you’ll love this show, and, if you hate Shakespeare, you’ll love this show.”

Biery said the announcement of the production started something of a C-N Alpha Psi Omega reunion. “We’d had some interest, and then alumnus Barrett Klausman (student director of a 1997 APO production of the play) said he was going to fly in from California. The next thing we know is that we have someone coming from New York, one from Kansas and a couple from Charleston. I think it’ll be a great weekend.”

The production opens at Campbellsville University this weekend and will be offered in C-N’s Gentry Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, January 20-21. A matinee will be presented at 2 p.m. on Sunday, January 22. The Alpha Psi Omega reunion will take place on Saturday.

For more information, or for general admission ticket reservations ($8 for adults, $5 for students and seniors), call 423-312-2252 or contact Biery at kbiery@cn.edu.