PCPA brings Shakespeare’s most provocative and morally complex play, Measure for Measure, to the Severson Theatre in Santa Maria February 26 through March 15.
The striking production features an all-woman design team and a cast comprising women and non-binary individuals, offering a fresh perspective on a story that feels startlingly contemporary.
When the Duke of Vienna leaves his austere deputy Angelo in charge, a wave of harsh morality sweeps through the city. But Angelo’s carefully guarded facade begins to crack when he is confronted by a virtuous young novice who pleads for her brother’s life.
Dangerous deception, power, and morality become tangled in a world where nothing is as it seems, and time is running out to uncover the truth and set things right.
Measure for Measure is a bold exploration of justice, morality, and the gray area between right and wrong. Shakespeare’s sharpest social drama is shockingly relevant and endlessly compelling— told with wit, suspense, and Shakespeare’s signature poetry and insight into human nature.
“I love Measure for Measure,” director Emily Trask says. “And it makes me furious. I’ve been in a fantastic argument with this play since the first time I worked on it over 20 years ago.
“And I’m far from alone,” Trask continues. “Though it’s one of Shakespeare’s more rarely produced works, it’s among his most hotly contested. It provokes intensely conflicting interpretations and arguments, and asks enormous questions about justice, power, mercy, gender, and consent. And then it has the nerve to refuse to answer them!
“I love this play because it refuses to behave. It wants to provoke you.”
PCPA’s production is staged by St. Mary’s Academy, an all-girls Catholic school—a frame that amplifies the play’s hierarchies of doctrine, morality, and authority.
The creative team includes Trask, scenic designer Natasha D’Amico, costume designer Caroline Rein, sound designer Molly Costello, lighting designer Alonna Hall, and stage manager Jennie White.
The cast includes Polly Firestone Walker, Kitty Balay, Molly Dobbs, Dahlia Ridenhour, Isabella Faith Scott, G So, Torilynn Hicks, Jamie Collins, Molly Bell, and Kelly Brenya.