Team Tatas Trivia Night on tap at Porky's Cafe in Shelton

 

Social Convention to rock Porky's in Shelton to benefit Valley Goes Pink

Valley Shakespeare Festival in Shelton adapts French comedy

SHELTON - Valley Shakespeare Festival is making a brief departure from the works of its namesake for its next “Theater in the Bar” production with Moliere’s bawdy comedy “Tartuffe.”

Fans of VSF are well-acquainted with the way the company’s Artistic Director Tom Simonetti likes to adapt the classics for a contemporary audience while retaining the work’s authentic language.  
“Tartuffe” presented a special challenge as it was not only written in the 17^th century, but also in Moliere’s native French.  

Many English translations have been published in the subsequent 350-plus years and, after much research, Simonetti created the version audiences will enjoy on March 10 and 11 at Porky’s Café, 50 Center St.

Jeremy Funke, VSF’s perennial and lovable Ebenezer Scrooge will play the title role, the unscrupulous lecher and houseguest- from - Hell, Tartuffe, who will stop at nothing to take his host for all he is worth. 

Dave Herigstad, last seen in the company’s summer production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as Oberon, the all-powerful King of the Faeries, will do a “180” and portray Orgon, Tartuffe’s brainwashed host who is feeling his age and looking for redemption anywhere he can find it.  

Jessica Breda, a long time VSF favorite who has played multiple roles with the company, will take on Dorine in “Tartuffe,” the out-spoken, feisty, no-nonsense maid to Orgon’s wife, and the only one with the finesse and courage to save her employers from certain devastation. 

Audiences will no doubt recognize many other returning cast members as well as meet some new ones in Valley Shakespeare Festival’s “Tartuffe,” an irreverent and hilarious look at family, morals, religion, and all the usual issues faced by families throughout the ages.  

Tickets are $20 per person for table seats and $15 per person for floor seats and are available for purchase online at www.vsfestival.org or by phone by calling 203-513-9446.  

This is a press release from Valley Shakespeare Festival, a non-profit theater company dedicated to bringing free and low-cost theater to the communities of the lower Naugatuck Valley.

Valley Shakespeare Festival to present 'Tartuffe' in Shelton

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SHELTON - Performances by the talented Valley Shakespeare Festival players will be March 10 and 11 upstairs at Porky's Cafe, 50 Center St.
Doors open at 6 p.m., show is at 7 p.m. 
Table seating is $20; general admission is $15. 

For tickets call 203-513-9446 or click HERE.


This is a release from Valley Shakespeare Festival.

Valley Shakespeare Festival to present 'Tartuffe' in Shelton

SHELTON - Back by popular demand,“for two nights only,” Valley Shakespeare Festival will continue its popular Shakespeare in the Bar series at Porky’s Café, 50 Center St., March 10 and 11 with Moliere’s outrageous and bawdy comedy “Tartuffe.”

You know the sparks are going to fly when the subtitle of the play you are about to witness is “The Hypocrite.”  
And that’s exactly what lucky audience members will experience when they settle into their seats in Porky’s intimate upstairs barroom.  

Porky’s is the perfect venue for VSF’s “Bar” series and the shows have become so popular that Porky’s owners have graciously allowed VSF to expand the program from one to two consecutive nights. 

The play was originally written in 17th century French verse, but Valley Shakespeare Festival will be presenting a modern English translation, adapted for the bar series by VSF Artistic Director Tom Simonetti.   
Although it, too, is in verse, it uses the modern English vernacular, making it very accessible to contemporary audiences. 

Tartuffe, the title character, is nothing less than a lying, lecherous, low-life scoundrel posing as a poor, humble, holy man.  
He has completely hoodwinked wealthy gentleman Orgon into welcoming him into his home and family, much to the horror and disgust of the rest of the household.  
Only Orgon and his mother are duped by him, though; Orgon’s wife, daughter, son, brother-in-law, even his maid, see right through the fraud and never miss an opportunity to point it out.  
During the course of this fast-talking, fast-moving comedy, Tartuffe nearly manages to con Orgon out of his money, property, his daughter’s hand in marriage and his wife!

To see how it all unfolds, and whether or not Tartuffe gets his just reward, join Valley Shakespeare Festival for its presentation of this raucous, rowdy, and irreverent look at 17th century French morality in a very 21st century dysfunctional family.

Doors open at 6 p.m., performance begins at 7 p.m. Admission is $20 per person for table seats and $15 per person for general seats.  
Visit www.vsfestival.org or call 203-513-9446 for more information and to purchase tickets. 

This is a press release from Valley Shakespeare Festival, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit theater company dedicated to bringing free and low-cost theater to the communities of the lower Naugatuck Valley.

Valley Shakespeare Festival to perform comedy in Shelton

The French playwright Moliere (1622-73) wrote Tartuffe in 1664. 
The classic comedy has been adapted on stage, in films, and on television, and is considered among Moliere's greatest works.

Valley Shakespeare Festival to present 'The Tempest' in Shelton

 Scene from a 'Shakespeare in the Bar' performance at Porky's Cafe in Shelton. Credit: Walker Studio LLC

SHELTON - Be the first in your neighborhood to start celebrating Halloween! 

Join Valley Shakespeare Festival at 6 p.m. Oct. 29 at Porky’s Café, 50 Center St. for a rip-roaring adventure! 

Experience a furious storm, followed by a violent shipwreck on a magical island. Then meet the monstrously deformed son of a witch, a vengeful wizardess, a captive sprite, a couple of hilarious cross-dressing drunkards, two young lovers and the most treacherous, devious, back-stabbing confederacy of traitors ever to stumble upon a beach!  

Say hello to the characters of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

To add to the merriment, Valley Shakespeare Festival will be conducting “Stephano’s Wine Grab.” 

Guests may purchase a bottle of wine from the “disguised” selections for the low price of $10 and have a chance to win a one-of-a-kind, hand-painted, goody-filled, commemorative Valley Shakespeare Festival “Tempest” wine glass.  
The wines range from $5 to $30 in retail value, some donated by local Shelton vendor The Wine Emporium.

Doors open at 6 p.m. for pre-performance libations at the cash bar followed at 6:30 p.m. by free pizza courtesy of Porky’s.  

The show begins at 7 p.m.  

Admission is $15 in advance, $20 at the door.  
Tickets are going fast and seating is limited so log on to www.vsfestival.org or call 203-513-9446 to purchase.

This is a press release from Valley Shakespeare Festival, a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit theater company dedicated to bringing free and low-cost theater to the communities of the lower Naugatuck Valley.

Valley Shakespeare Festival to present 'The Tempest'

SHELTON - Valley Shakespeare Festival is set to present “The Tempest” as the latest entry in its popular “Shakespeare in the Bar” script-in-hand performance series.  

Porky’s Café, 50 Center St., will again host the event Oct. 29 upstairs in its second floor bar venue.    

Doors will open at 6 p.m., and guests are invited to enjoy free pizza, courtesy of Porky’s, at 6:30 p.m. prior to the performance which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.  

“The Tempest” is a story about family, and all its complexities: loyalty, rebellion, betrayal, revenge, reconciliation and redemption. It is filled with love, magic, humor and music.  It is the last play that Shakespeare wrote on his own, and many say his most personal, in that the main protagonist, Prospero, represents the Bard himself relinquishing the “magic” of his craft to the next generation. 

Valley Shakespeare Festival traditionally presents two “SIB” offerings each year, one in October and another in March.  
This October’s performance is being dedicated to P.J. Carroll, beloved brother of VSF co-founder and dear friend, Stacey Carroll.

Tickets for the event are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.  Space is limited; advance purchase is recommended.  

For tickets and more information, visit www.vsfestival.org or call 203-513-9446.

This is a press release from Valley Shakespeare Festival, a 501(c)(3)non-profit theater company serving the communities of the Lower Naugatuck Valley.

Valley Shakespeare Festival to present Hamlet in Shelton

SHELTON - "Hamlet: The Bad Quarto" will be performed at 7 p.m. March 12 at Porky's Cafe, 50 Center St.  

The event is presented by Valley Shakespeare Festival and Young Emerging Professionals, a committee of the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Tickets are $10 in advance; $15 at the door. The performance is free for YEP members.

According to the Valley Shakespeare Festival's website, "This version of the “melancholy Dane” is widely accepted as being the first draft of the Bard’s tragedy and will be presented in a brisk 90 minutes as adapted by Valley Shakespeare Festival’s executive and artistic director, Tom Simonetti.
"As in the past, this script-in-hand adaptation will be performed in the intimate upper level bar area of Porky’s Café!"

This post is taken from several online sources, including the VSF website.