Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Love’s Labor’s Lost brings a romantic comedy to Belmont University’s Troutt Theater. This co-production between Belmont University’s College of Music & Performing Arts and the Nashville Shakespeare Festival will open Feb. 16.
Love Labor’s Lost’s cast includes two professional actors, Dan Kassis and Mary D. Cheek, working alongside emerging artists from Belmont University’s College of Music & Performing Arts, allowing theatre students to work alongside professionals providing them with valuable experience for their college career and beyond.
Dr. Jane Duncan, Nashville Shakespeare Festival Board Member and Associate Dean of Belmont University’s College of Music & Performing Arts, said, “We are thrilled to strengthen our partnership with the Nashville Shakespeare Festival. We have enjoyed hosting the Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s productions every winter in the Troutt Theater, however this new format provides an incredible hands-on learning experience for our theatre students.”
Katie Fraley is a junior theatre performance and political science double major, who plays the role of Maria in the show. “This show and its process have been the cornerstone of these past few months for me. Getting to work with this amazing cast and director has been a precious gift that I could not have imagined,” she said.
After a three-year hiatus from traditional Winter Shakespeare programming due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Nashville Shakespeare Festival is enthusiastic about returning to in-person live performances at the Troutt. “We are all yearning for authentic connection. Humans need that. That is what live theatre is all about: art happening in real time in the same room as the audience. A shared, meaningful experience is good for the soul,” said Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s Executive Artistic Director Denice Hicks.
Love’s Labor’s Lost will run Feb. 16-26. Ticket prices start at $18, and VIP Royal Packages are available for purchase. For more information on the production, including performance dates and times, visit nashvilleshakes.org/winter-shakespeare.
