West Hartford Public Library and the Capital Classics Theatre Company team up to bring you the Shakespeare Book Club. Join Capital Classics Artistic Associate and Professor of Theatre Geoffrey Sheehan in discussions of Shakespeare’s great works of theatrical literature.
The Shakespeare Book Club is now hybrid (in-person and on Zoom)! To join or for other inquiries, email bard@westhartfordlibrary.org
2024-2025 Season at West Hartford Public Library
For the 2024-2025 season of the Capital Classics “Shakespeare Book Club” in this American election year the theme of Power Plays & Players seemed an appropriate and timely examination of Shakespeare’s stories of the players of power and how the seats of power are exchanged. The season will examine 8 of Shakespeare’s plays that do so, some based on historical events and some taking place in imaginary worlds. All of them thoughtfully and powerfully reveal human behavior in those moments when power is gained, and lost!
First Monday Each Month at 6:30PM
In-person at the Noah Webster Library’s Board Room and online through Zoom.
| Date | Play |
|---|---|
| October 7 | The Tempest |
| November 4 | King Richard II |
| December 2 | Henry IV, Part 1 |
| January 6 | Henry IV, Part 2 |
| February 3 | Henry VI, Part 3 |
| March 3 | As You Like It |
| April 7 | Timon of Athens |
| May 5 | Julius Caesar |
Capital Classics Mission Statement: Capital Classics, a non-Equity professional theatre company, was founded in 1991 to enrich the cultural environment of Greater Hartford through the theatre arts. We are committed to providing classical entertainment that is affordable, accessible, and engaging; serving the community with cultural and educational programming; and providing job opportunities and training to Connecticut’s professional theatre artists.
Geoffrey Sheehan is currently a professor of Theatre Arts at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport where he also serves as the Theatre Arts Program Coordinator. Prior to his work at HCC, Geoffrey taught theatre in many Connecticut schools and youth programs. Geoffrey is also the co-founder and Artistic Associate with Capital Classics Theatre Company, home of the Greater Hartford Shakespeare Festival produced every summer on the campus of the University of St. Joseph in West Hartford, CT. Geoffrey received his B.FA. in Drama from UCONN and his M.A.L.S. in Theatre from Wesleyan University.
To watch video recordings of Capital Classics Theatre Company Summer Sessions from 2024 and years prior, watch the playlist through YouTube below.
1. The Taming of the Shrew
2. Queen Margaret
3. Athol Fugard’s “Victory”
4. The Scenes We Thought We Knew: Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet
5. As You Like It
6. Calling Mom: Breathing, Enunciating, and Projecting for the Stage