Arts & Entertainment

Shakespeare Theater Partners With Local Businesses as 'Devil's Disciple' Opens

The Museum of Early Trades & Crafts and Poor Herbie's will be helping to promote the play that continues until July 27.

The Shakespeare Theatre has partnered with two Madison businesses to celebrate the opening of George Bernard Shaw's "The Devil's Disciple."

A special “pop-up” exhibit in conjunction with the Museum of Early Trades & Crafts’ ongoing exhibit "The American Revolution: Where the Battlefront Meets the Homefront" will be on display in the theater’s lobby throughout "The Devil’s Disciple’s" run. The exhibit will feature Revolutionary War artifacts from the museum’s exhibit. 

“The Museum of Early Trades & Crafts is happy to partner with The Shakespeare Theatre to create our own 'Crossroads of the Revolution' this summer. Visitors can enjoy quality theatre and visual arts while they learn local history," said Meg Wastie, the museum’s curator of education. 

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Patrons can enhance their theater experience by visiting the full exhibit at the museum. The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.metc.org.

Poor Herbie’s, Madison’s landmark tavern restaurant, will offer 10 percent discounts for patrons who show their ticket stub from "The Devil's Disciple." Poor Herbie's will also be offering a special cocktail, "Devil's Disciple," created specifically for the play by Dennis Mullins Jr.

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“We love working with The Shakespeare Theatre, and this specially-designed summer cocktail is a great pairing for this production," Mullins said.

Shaw’s only full-length play about America, "The Devil’s Disciple" is set in 1777 amid the tumult of the American Revolution and honors the spirit of the everyday people who fought for the nation’s independence. Performances continue through July 27 at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (at Lancaster Road).  

“Theater is such a collaborative art form, and we’re delighted for the opportunity to collaborate with our local community throughout this production, especially as we remember the proud history of this country and this state that ties us all together,” said Rick Engler, director of marketing at The Shakespeare Theatre.

"The Devil’s Disciple" was Shaw’s first commercial success and established the signature Shavian balance of comedy, drama, and his astute exploration of human nature. 

"The Devil’s Disciple" stands out both as a testament to Shaw’s mastery of impactful melodrama and, more importantly, as a skillful and moving examination of what it truly means to be an American. The story begins as nearby insurgencies send shockwaves through the small town of Westerbridge, N.H., particularly into the lives of the Dudgeon family. The choices of two unlikely anti-heroes eventually cause Loyalists and Revolutionaries alike to examine the true meaning of honor.

Individual tickets are now on sale and can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 973-408-5600 or by visiting www.ShakespeareNJ.org.  Performances are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays at 7:30 p.m.; Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. Individual tickets range from $15 to $75.


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