CADENT SHAKESPEARE CO.
KING LEAR
A Staged Reading
March 2026
Northampton, MA
Co-Produced with Junkyard Shakespeare
Spend an evening with King Lear, a sprawling portrait of family, loyalty, leadership, and failure.
Known for its so-called redemption arc, we’ll be investigating the grey areas of accountability and the relationship between gender and patriarchy, asking whether any individual is free from systemic oppression – even when that very system bestows power upon them.
Heavy stuff, we know.
But there is redemption in this play: like any of Shakespeare’s works, there are bright glowing moments of humor and heart (not to mention soaring passages of poetry) that help us face the horrors while carving out space, tooth and nail, for humanity. We may even find our own salvation simply by engaging in the curiosity and imagination of storytelling.
Our process will likewise focus on exploration and curiosity more than polish and performance. This cast, made up of both local and NYC-based actors, will spend the day building ensemble, analyzing text, and finding a structure for this piece, until we open the doors to you, our audience, and the most important part of any theatrical venture.
This project is a co-production of Cadent Shakespeare Co. and Junkyard Shakespeare, and features Mark Dean, Hilary Dennis, Leslie Field, Kaileela Hobby, Ximena Salmeron, Tom Shane, Will Swyers, Dan Wilson, and Sarah Corbyn Woolf.
Remember Thy Friends
November 2025
Northampton, MA
Co-Produced with Community Shakespeare of New England
Community Shakespeare of New England and Cadent Shakespeare Co. warmly invite you to a celebration of the local Shakespeare community, gathering all who love these plays – dabbler and devotee, artist and academic, student and teacher, performer and patron – under one roof. The evening will feature brief reflections, guided conversation, and performances from local artists. We hope this event will strengthen our community in both spirit and action, with donations going towards plans for an interdisciplinary Shakespeare festival to help pollinate not only across companies and organizations, but also between an academic and an artistic approach to this work. This initiative was inspired by the memory of Milton E. Polsky — Shakespearean scholar, contributor to Shakespeare in the Park in NYC, and supporter of Community Shakespeare of New York – and his commitment to the power of Shakespeare’s canon to create and sustain community.
Marie greets her students as guests find their seats.
Ximena Salmeron, Sarah, and Will Swyers finalize performance details..
Sarah, Maddy Neely, and Marie Roche preparing for the event.