Opens Thursday, March 15

Bag&Baggage Productions, a Portland-based theatre company, will remount its wildly successful 2005 tour of the production for eight shows in the beautiful Columbia Center for the Arts in downtown Hood River.

This record breaking hit is an irreverent, fast-paced romp through all 37 of the Bard’s plays in 97 minutes and was called “the funniest show you are likely to see your entire life,” by The Montreal Gazette.

This is a remounting of a 200r tour of “The Complete Works” which was called “So high on spontaneity it often feels like it is being made up as we watch!” by The Statesman Journal, “Filled with lunacy and classic bits of comedy!” by The Gresham Outlook, “A madcap, slapstick, unmissable performance!” by Salem Monthly, and “Truly something special...the best production of this classic I have ever seen!” by Corvallis Gazette Times.

When and Where           

The production takes place Thursday – Sunday, March 15th – 18th and 22nd – 25th. Performances are at 7:30pm Thursday – Saturday with matinees at 2:00pm only on Sundays. Tickets are $15 General admission ad $10 for Students/Seniors and can be reserved by calling the Columbia Center for the Arts at 541 387 8877.

The Director

The production in cooperation with Columbia Arts will be directed by Oregon native Scott Palmer.  A graduate of UofO, Palmer performed as an actor while an undergraduate at the University of Oregon and as a graduate student at Oregon State University before his theatrical baptism of fire in Glasgow, Scotland where he studied for a PhD in contemporary theatre practice and Scottish theatre at the University of Glasgow. 

In 1998, Scott founded Glasgow Repertory Company, the national Shakespeare theatre of Scotland, and continues to work with the company as the Founding Artistic Director.  Palmer has directed dozens of critically acclaimed productions of Shakespeare’s work, including Henry V, Antony and Cleopatra, Richard III, The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, Titus Andronicus, As You Like It and King Lear.  Recently, Palmer directed The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) for Salem Repertory Theatre in Oregon’s capital city where the show enjoyed sell out audiences and an extended run. That production was then toured to venues across Oregon where it played to enthusiastic audiences and received significant critical acclaim. Palmer was recently appointed the Director of Oregon State University’s new “Bard in the Quad” annual Shakespeare festival where he will be directing Much Ado About Nothing in the summer of 2007.

The Cast

The cast of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) includes: Andrew Dannhorn (recently seen in Lakewood Theatre’s “Ragtime” and Broadway Rose’s “Aladdin”), Tommy Cavanaugh (recently seen in Salem Rep’s “A Christmas Carol” and “Private Lives”) and Maggie Chapin (most recently a performer in Cirque Du Soleil’s Las Vegas spectacular “Ka” and Mt. Hood Rep’s “Talking With”).