Suddenly, It’s Shakespeare 

Shakespeare is hot in the Santa Barbara region: Hot on the heels of Rubicon Theatre presenting The Acting Company’s reinterpreted version of A Comedy of Errors, both Ensemble Theatre Company and PCPA are readying new productions of classics by the Bard. L.A. theater veteran Margaret Shigeko Starbuck is directing her own reimagined adaptation of Hamlet, updating the Danish tragedy for the 21^st century where power, betrayal and family dysfunction meet cutting wit and existential angst, with Hamlet as a college student returning home. ETC fave Will Block (The Thanksgiving Play and The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley) heads the seven-strong Shakespearean actor-filled cast for the February 6-23 run at the New Vic. Visit www.etcsb.org. Twenty-year PCPA vet Andrew Philpot directs, with four resident artists starring in the five-person cast. Visit https://pcpa.org.