from our PRESIDENT
“Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t
around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?” “Remember, George: no man is
a failure who has friends.”
– Clarence the angel, “It’s a Wonderful Life”
On behalf of Don Quixote and his sidekick Sancho, as well as
George Bailey and everyone’s favorite angel, Clarence, and of
course the Bard himself, welcome to Orlando Shakespeare
Theater in Partnership with UCF’s 29th Season! Tonight our
greatest hope is that you experience a wealth of emotions and lose
yourself in the joyous moments of our production. So we; the Board
of Directors, staff, artistic company, and everyone associated with our Theater, thank you for
joining us.
I hope you’re as excited as I am to see what we have in store for you this season… Let’s take a
look: Man of La Mancha; The Hound of the Baskervilles; a festive seasonal favorite, It’s a Wonderful
Life: A Live Radio Play; two new plays from our Playfest Series: Native Gardens and The Luckiest
People; a production of Shakespeare in Love, based on the 1998 smash hit movie by the same name;
as well as an all-male production of Twelfth Night. And for our young budding artists, we are
excited about our productions of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, Showtime with Shakespeare: A Magic
Tree House Adventure, and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. WOW!
So come laugh, cry, and experience what the human condition has to offer us through the
ART of live theater. To me theater is a shared experience, so it is my hope that you are here
with friends and that you spend time after the performance talking about how your shared
experience made you feel and how it caused you to think differently about how you see life
from another’s point of view and perhaps... how it changed the way you see the world!
As always, we believe the first round of applause should go to our generous sponsors
whose financial support allows us to bring you season after season of rousing theatrical
productions that we believe our Theater’s namesake, William Shakespeare, would be
proud! Also much deserving of our appreciation are the many dedicated volunteers who
donate their time and talents to provide our guests with a comfortable and friendly
experience.
None of this would be possible, of course, without our diligent administrative and
production teams. Fearlessly led by Artistic Director Jim Helsinger and Managing
Director PJ Albert, their dedication to quality is epitomized in each and every
performance. On behalf of the entire Orlando Shakes family, thank you for joining us. Now
allow yourself to be swept away by the magic of live theater!
Sincerely,
R. Dean Basco
President, Board of Directors