Brush Up Your Shakespur

Theatre Development Fund – TDF: Though it's categorized as a comedy and ends with multiple weddings, Measure for Measure has long been considered one of Shakespeare's "problem plays." It's a morally complex tale rife with abuse of power, sexual blackmail and some seriously toxic masculinity as corrupt judge Angelo demands nun Isabella's virginity in exchange for sparing the life of her imprisoned brother Claudio. Productions are often plagued by jarring tonal shifts, and yet playwright and writer Peter Kellogg was sure he could turn the source material into an unabashed crowd-pleaser by reimagining it as a musical comedy set in the Old West.