The Berea College Theatre Laboratory welcomes back The Actors From The London Stage to campus. Five professional actors will be on campus for a week-long residency speaking to the campus and larger community about the work they do, how they approach performance and offering instruction in a variety of performance areas.

In addition to the workshops, public demonstrations, and class visits, they will be performing William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice 22, 23 and 24 at 8pm in the McGaw Theatre, Jelkyl Drama Center. The entire play will be performed by the five performers, each of them taking on one or two major roles and several minor ones. The results are nothing short of spectacular.

In its 30th year, the Actors From The London Stage is one of the oldest touring Shakespeare theatre companies in the world. The program was founded by world-renowned actor Patrick Stewart and developed by Professor Homer Swander at the University of California-Santa Barbara. Visits to American colleges and universities are booked through the assistance of the Marie P. DeBartolo Center For The Performing Arts at the University of Notre Dame. Representing such prestigious performing companies as the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain, and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the performers are committed to teaching, accessibility to, and interaction with, students.

Performances of The Merchant of Venice will be March 22-24 at 8pm in the McGaw Theatre, Jelkyl Drama Center. All tickets are $5; Please contact the Theatre Box Office at (859) 985-3300 for reservations and additional information.