The illustrious American Shakespeare Center will perform Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde masterpieces March 21-23 at Central College. The Dangerous Dreams tour includes “Julius Caesar,” “Henry V” and “The Importance of Being Earnest.” All shows begin with live, acoustic music at 7 p.m., and performances begin at 7:30. Admission is free. Central hosts the troupe for an extended residency through the Thomas J. and Charlene P. Gaard Endowed Residency in the Liberal Arts.
Central’s long-standing connection with the American Shakespeare Center (ASC) is thanks to Walter Cannon, professor of English. The company, formerly Shenandoah Shakespeare Express, has performed more than a dozen shows on campus since Cannon became the college’s Shakespeare expert. Cannon will retire this year, but not before Central hosts the troupe again for workshops and three famous productions.
The American Shakespeare Center will bring its unique performance style to Central’s Kruidenier Theatre. The company has toured since 1988, recreating Shakespeare’s staging conditions: universal lighting, minimal sets, doubling, cross-gender casting and music. 
The ASC Blackfriars Playhouse, the world’s only reproduction of Shakespeare’s indoor theater, is open year-round for productions of classic plays, hailed by The Washington Post as “shamelessly entertaining” and by The Boston Globe as “phenomenal…bursting with energy.”
Students and guests will appreciate how ASC actors inhabit classic plays with clarity and energy said Cannon. “I think they will be amazed to discover they actually understand what’s going on,” he said. “Using original conditions is synonymous with good theater — they’re intent on engaging the audience.”
Universal lighting, for example, gives ASC actors a level of audience contact rarely seen in modern day theater. In Shakespeare’s time, theaters couldn’t turn lights out on the audience, so actors and audiences shared the same light. In the shows at Central, audience members will play the roles written for them: Roman plebeians and senators in “Julius Caesar,” Henry’s army in “The Life of King Henry the Fifth,” and spectators in the tangled and hilarious comedy “The Importance of Being Earnest.”
Pictured: Susie Parr as Portia and Josh Innerst as Brutus in “Julius Caesar.” Ross Neal as King Henry. Tim Sailer as Jack, Zoe Speas as Gwendolen and Josh Innerst as Algernon in “Earnest.” All photos by Michael Bailey.
The Dangerous Dreams Tour
“Julius Caesar”
In this profoundly moving, breathtaking and deeply human play, Shakespeare shows a world on fire; a world turned upside down; a world where some of history’s most famous men commit horrific crimes in the name of patriotism and honor. “Julius Caesar” is a dazzling thrill ride of betrayal, violence and, perhaps most surprisingly — love.
“The Life of King Henry the Fifth”
The story of England’s hero-king — and the greatest upset in European military history — is Shakespeare’s finale to his great history plays. More than that, “The Life of King Henry the Fifth” — at once touching, heroic, savage and comic — explores the nature of greatness and its connection to theatre. And perhaps more than any other of Shakespeare’s works, it makes the audience part of the story.
“The Importance of Being Earnest”
Oscar Wilde’s brilliant and wicked comic masterpiece defines wit and style. This “trivial comedy for serious people” is at once blissfully silly and outrageously shrewd. One hundred and twenty years after its first performance, “The Importance of Being Earnest” continues to delight audiences with its playful language, charming characters and biting look at contemporary society.
All shows last two hours and ten minutes, including intermission.
Thomas J. and Charlene P. Gaard Endowed Residency in the Liberal Arts is a signature residency that allows Central College to host notable visitors on campus in multi-day residencies interacting with students and the wider campus and community. These integrated learning opportunities for faculty and students reflect the liberal arts emphasis of the college, enhance the overall education received by students and make it possible for participants to engage in meaningful and up-close exchanges with known experts over an extended period.
Who: American Shakespeare Center
What: Extended residency, Dangerous Dreams Tour
When: March 21-23
Where: Kruidenier Theatre, doors open at 7 p.m. for 7:30 shows
Cost: Free
Additional events:
Central alumni are invited to a reception in Kruidenier Theatre Studio before “The Importance of Being Earnest” March 23.
High school students are invited to participate in a workshop with American Shakespeare Center actors at 2 p.m. March 21. Contact Kelli Holan at (641) 628-5283 or holank@central.edu to reserve your place.
The Bard of Central College
Walter Cannon, professor of English, retires this spring after 36 years at Central. In addition to hosting American Shakespeare Center many times on campus, teaching thousands of students, and serving as the academic advisor for hundreds of students during that period, Cannon’s recognition and accomplishments include:
- Published author and scholar, including poetry and his recent book Who Hears in Shakespeare
- Recipient of Iowa Campus Compact’s Excellence in Community Engagement Faculty Award
- Recipient of the Dr. John Wesselink Outstanding Performance Award for Teaching at Central College
- Recipient of the Dr. John Wesselink Outstanding Performance Award for Professional Development at Central College
- Recipient of the Huffman Award for Outstanding Support of International Education at Central College
- Director of Central’s Writing Across the Curriculum program
- Resident Director of Central’s Study Abroad Program in London
Students often ask Cannon which is his favorite among Shakespeare’s great works. “I tell them it’s whatever play we’re working on at the time,” he says. “His work plays fast to the audience and delivers lots of ideas in a short time. His ideas are so resonating and abidingly relevant. That’s what I like about teaching literature. Not everyone gets to read great literature over and over again.”
Founded in 1853, Central College of Pella, Iowa, is a private, residential four-year liberal arts college known for its academic rigor and strength in global experiential learning, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), sustainability education, athletics success and tradition, and leadership and service. Central continues to value its long-standing relationship with the Reformed Church in America. The college participates in NCAA Division III athletics and is a member of the Iowa Conference. Central is an active part of the Greater Des Moines region and just two minutes from Lake Red Rock, Iowa’s largest lake.
