Brown Box Theatre Project Tours FREE Shakespeare in Delmarva!

Brown Box Theatre Project Announces 2021 Delmarva Summer Shakespeare Tour!

Much Ado About Nothing

Presenting the Bard Under the Stars FREE & Outdoors

Touring Delmarva September 1-26, 2021

Brown Box Theatre Project, the country's premiere outdoor Shakespeare touring company, announces their 10th Annual summer tour featuring free outdoor performances of the comedy Much Ado About Nothing, and a series of "Page to Stage" library workshops exploring Shakespeare's world and words. Under the direction of Executive Artistic Director and Co-Founder Kyler Taustin, audiences can now enjoy Shakespeare's beloved comedy of trickery, deceit, and masquerade LIVE and on-stage, with bonus workshops for audiences of all ages at participating local libraries. The expanded 2021 Delmarva Summer Tour brings Shakespeare to 18 outdoor stages and 4 library workshops in September! All Much Ado About Nothing performances are free, outdoors, and open to all audiences; no tickets are needed. Social distancing through lawn seating, blankets and lawn chairs are welcome.

Brown Box's extended tour will also include stops in Indiana (July 21-31) and Massachusetts (August 6-29, 2021). Please visit http://www.brownboxtheatre.org for full performance schedule and rain locations. All library workshops are free and open to the public; some are in-person and some are virtual. Please see each library's website for information and registration.

Since 2010 Brown Box Theatre Project has been committed to reinventing the way theatre is created and consumed, by transforming public spaces into vibrant cultural and tourist destinations. Brown Box has perfected the art of the tour; through unique partnerships with local and state organizations, Brown Box delivers outdoor programming and educational workshops that engage and inspire. Brown Box's touring Shakespeare events include professionally designed sets, lighting, costumes and props, performed by skilled regional actors. Each program is built, performed, and packed away at each location!

About Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing:
"Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps." Upon their return from war, a group of soldiers are reminded that life and love are not so black and white. Trickery, jealousy, deceit, and masquerade each play a role in challenging Benedict and Beatrice's scorn for love (and each other) as well as the seemingly unassailable love of Claudio and Hero. Through witty banter and dastardly deception, Shakespeare's beloved comedy, Much Ado About Nothing debates the preconceived notion of how to love and the value of trust.

Much Ado About Nothing will be fully staged in each location, and will feature professional artists, designers, and actors including: Debbie Aboaba as "HERO", Margaret Clark as "BEATRICE", Drew Cleveland as "DON JOHN", Abuzar Farrukh as "BORACHIO", Christopher Ho as "CLAUDIO", Emma McGill as "MARGARET", Francis Xavier Norton as "DOGBERRY", Spencer Parli Tew as "DON PEDRO", Chelsea Titchenell as "LEONATA", and Cam Torres as 'BENEDICK".

"Much Ado About Shakespeare: Stage to Page" Library Workshops:

Brown Box Theatre Project is thrilled to announce the addition of 14 "Much Ado About Shakespeare: Stage to Page" Library Workshops, presented FREE to the public during the company's 2021 Summer Tour! Audiences of all ages are invited to join Brown Box Theatre Project in an engaging, exciting exploration of Shakespeare's words and worlds, in partnership with libraries in each touring region. Starting with collaborative relationship-building exercises, we will look at Much Ado About Nothing through its post-conflict scope. What happens when communities, like those in the script, begin to embrace non-traditional ways of thinking?

DELMARVA TOURING DATES/LOCATIONS:

All performances and workshops are FREE and open to the public (No tickets required for performances; see each library’s website for workshop details and registration):

September 1 |1:00 pm – NEW IN-PERSON WORKSHOP! Selbyville Public Library, 11 S Main St., Selbyville, DE

September 2 | 7:00 pm - PERFORMANCE: Freeman Stage, 31750 Lake View Dr, Shelbyville, DE

September 3 | 1:00 pm – NEW IN-PERSON WORKSHOP! Worcester County Library, 13 Harrison Ave., Berlin, MD

September 3 | 7:30 pm - PERFORMANCE: Sturgis Park, Snow Hill, 100 River St, Snow Hill, MD

September 4 | 7:30 pm - PERFORMANCE: Pitts St, Berlin, MD Berlin, MD

September 5 | 7:30 pm - PERFORMANCE: Robert Reed Waterfront Park, Main Street, Chincoteague, VA

September 9 | 7:30 pm - PERFORMANCE: Sunset Park, 1 S. Division Street Ocean City, MD

September 10 | 7:30 pm - PERFORMANCE: Seaford Jay’s Nest - 490 North Market Street Ext., Seaford, DE

September 11 | 7:30 pm - PERFORMANCE: Wilmington State Parks, Rockford Park – 2000 Lookout Drive, Wilmington, DE

September 12 | 7:30 pm - PERFORMANCE: Lewes Public Library, 111 Adams Ave, Lewes, DE

September 13 | 3:00 pm - NEW IN-PERSON WORKSHOP! Frankford Public Library, 8 Main St., Frankford, DE

September 14 | 1:00 pm - NEW IN-PERSON WORKSHOP! Somerset County Library, 11767 Beechwood St., Princess Anne, MD

September 15 | 7:30 pm - PERFORMANCE: Holts Landing State Park - 27046 Holts Landing Rd, Dagsboro, DE

September 16 | 7:30 pm - PERFORMANCE: First Heritage State Park, 102 S State St, Dover, DE

September 17 | 7:30 pm - PERFORMANCE: NEW LOCATION! Manokin River Park, 11840 Somerset Avenue, Princess Anne, MD

September 18 | 7:30 pm - PERFORMANCE: Muskrat Park, 207 Willow Green St, St. Michaels, MD

September 19 | 7:30 pm - PERFORMANCE: NEW 2021 LOCATION! Pohanka Riverwalk Ampitheater - 210 S. Salisbury Blvd, Salisbury MD

September 22 | 7:30 pm - PERFORMANCE: NEW 2021 LOCATION! Long Wharf Park – 2 Yacht Club Drive, Cambridge, MD

September 23 | 7:30 pm - PERFORMANCE: J. Millard Tawes Museum, Somers Cove Marina, 3 Ninth St, Crisfield, MD

September 24 | 7:30 pm - PERFORMANCE: Exmore Town Park - 3386 Main St, Exmore, VA

September 25 | 7:30 pm - PERFORMANCE: Avalon Park – 7 Louisa Lane, Charlestown, MD

September 26 | 7:30 pm - PERFORMANCE: Northside Park, 200 125th St Ocean City, MD

About Founder and Artistic Director Kyler Taustin: The Brown Box Story

Kyler Taustin is the co-founder and Executive Artistic Director of Brown Box Theatre Project. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Studies from Emerson College in 2008, he soon thereafter founded Brown Box Theatre Project – a travelling theater company with a mission to bring the very best in performance, design, and collaboration to unconventional venues and underserved destinations at little or no cost to audiences.

A Delmarva native, he was troubled by a lack of cultural opportunities while growing up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. He has since committed his career to building up the artistic landscape of his hometown, and other underserved communities in both Massachusetts and Delmarva who share a belief in accessible public art. Like the traveling medieval troupes that brought shows to the villages on the back of a wagon, Kyler envisioned a modern company that would load up a truck and bring theater to the people.

Brown Box’s innovative, full-scale traveling productions are supported by an equally innovative business model: From the beginning Kyler formed collaborations with arts centers and other public and private properties in both Massachusetts and Delmarva. Brown Box currently has 38 active private and public partnerships in 5 states; these mutually-beneficial collaborations activate unused spaces for locals and tourists alike and encourage community through open access to the arts. In Massachusetts, Brown Box has partnered with Boston Properties and the Fort Point Watersheet Activation Board to become an integral part of the activation efforts along the Fort Point Channel, allowing Brown Box to produce completely free productions for the public in unconventional and exciting spaces, and directly contribute to the city’s ambitious revitalization efforts in this area. In Maryland, a pivotal collaboration with the Ocean City Center for the Arts provides Brown Box with a unique and accessible indoor space, allowing the company to bring art to the Ocean City community year-round.

Over the past 11 years Kyler has turned Brown Box into a rapidly growing, year-round company that tours three full-scale classical and contemporary productions to 35 different communities in Massachusetts, Delmarva, and Indiana reaching over 7,000 audience members annually (including 1,600 under the age of 18 through youth workshops, school performances, and skill-building classes.) No ticketed event is over $25 per person, and all Shakespeare productions are free – no tickets required.

In addition to acting as Executive Director, Kyler directs the Annual Summer Shakespeare production, including this year's tour of Much Ado About Nothing. Contemporary productions Kyler has directed include Brilliant Traces, Lab Rats, Echoes, Two Wrongs, The Nina Variations, Some Explicit Polaroids, and Two Rooms. As part of the Boxer Shorts series, Kyler directed Capricho, Play, and Talk to Me Like the Rain.

Tickets and Partnership Opportunities:

All 2021 Much Ado About Nothing performances are free, outdoors, and open to all audiences; no tickets are needed. Social distancing through lawn seating, blankets and lawn chairs are welcome. Please visit www.brownboxtheatre.org for full performance schedule and rain locations. All library workshops are free and open to the public – some are in-person, some will be held virtually; please see each library’s website for information and registration.

Funding for Brown Box Theater Project’s 10th Shakespeare tour is provided in part by organizations dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive including:

MASSACHUSETTS: Wilmington Cultural Council, Plymouth Visitor’s Services Board, Fall River Cultural Council, Easton Cultural Council, Webster Cultural Council, Somerset Cultural Council, Chelmsford Cultural Council, Acton-Boxborough Cultural Council, Uxbridge Cultural Council, the Fort Point Watersheet Activation Board, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

DELMARVA: Maryland State Arts Council, Worcester County Arts Council, Talbot County Arts Council, Cecil County Arts Council, Salisbury-Wicomico Arts Council, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Nora Roberts Foundation, Somerset County Arts Council, Waddell Foundation, and the Delaware Division of the Arts.

INDIANA: Indiana Arts Commission and Paul M. Angell Family Foundation.

Invite Brown Box Theatre Project to activate an outdoor venue in your community! See brownboxtheatre.org, and call 443.808.1215, or email contact@brownboxtheatre.org

***