The Athenian Players invite you to join them for their Spring 2021 performance of “Love’s Fire: Seven Plays Inspired by Seven Shakespeare Sonnets,” featuring original works by Eric Bogosian, William Finn, John Guare, Tony Kushner, Marsha Norman, Ntozake Shange and Wendy Wasserstein.

Described as “a reimagining of Shakespeare’s poems through the creative minds of seven of the best playwrights in the late 20th Century,” according to Hugh Long, associate professor of drama and English at Athens State University, “Love’s Fire” explores the timeless romantic and sexual love inspired by the sonnets.

Originally commissioned by The Acting Company in 1998, the project attempts to answer the questions, “How does Shakespeare’s sonnets examine our concept of Love?”, “Are the sonnets relevant in today’s world?” and “Why after 400 years does Shakespeare still dominate our understanding of theatre?” With individual and unique voices, the playwrights engage these questions and pay homage to Shakespeare’s poems.

Directed by Long and Lauren Cantrell Salerno, “Love’s Fire” will run April 15-17. The performances will also be live streamed to the Athens State University YouTube channel. Go to facebook.com/athenianplayers to find details and the link to the YouTube channel.

The cast includes Chelsea Baker, Mickenzie Bowman, Mannie Galen, Trey Gulley, William Jenkins, Anna Grace Letson, Rachel McPeters, Vicki Montgomery, Marcus Patten, Collin Riddell, Madi Rost and Katie Springer.

Performances will take place in the Studio Theatre of the Performing Arts Center at the Alabama Center for the Arts, 133 Second Ave., Decatur.

General admission tickets are free, but audience members are required to wear masks, have their temperature checked and adhere to socially distanced seating in the Studio Theatre.

The production is rated Theatre-MA for mature language and adult themes. Audience discretion is advised.

About the Athenian Players

The Athenian Players are the resident theatre company at Athens State University. They make their home in the new Studio Theatre in the Alabama Center for the Arts, a black box theater that features state-of-the-art lights and sound. The Athenian Players produce a play each semester, drawing the cast and crew from the diverse and talented Athens State student body, students at other nearby schools and the local Alabama community.

Their goal is to continue the long tradition of quality dramatic productions from Athens State University’s illustrious history and to be a beacon for future theatre artists in the greater North Alabama region.

Visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/athenianplayers for more information or visit athens.edu/drama to find out about the program at Athens State.