BakerShake to present ‘The Winter’s Tale’ March 8-10, 15-17

“The Winter’s Tale,” Shakespeare’s fairy tale of love and laughter, blindness and betrayal, redemption and reconciliation — and a bear, will be this semester’s production by Baker Shakespeare Theatre.

The show runs March 8-10 and 15-17 at 8 p.m. in the Baker College Commons. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students, $8 for Rice alumni, faculty and staff and $10 for the general public.

Often classified as a comedy, “The Winter’s Tale” begins as a tale of betrayal and jealousy and becomes a story of love and reconciliation. King Leontes is consumed with jealousy when he believes his pregnant wife has been having an affair with the King of Bohemia. In a trial, the Oracle of Delphi declares the queen guiltless, but the king still banishes her. The king and queen’s newborn daughter is saved from death by a Bohemian shepherd who raises her as his own. After 16 years apart, the family reunites in a happy ending that has a few surprises, including a bear, to be played by Baker College master Ivo van der Werff, a professor of viola at the Shepherd School of Music.

Since the premiere season in 1970, Baker College has brought the bard’s plays to both the undergraduate population and wider Houston audiences through Baker Shakespeare Theatre. With this semester’s production, Director Joseph “Chepe” Lockett celebrates his 25th consecutive year with the festival — the oldest continuous Shakespeare festival in Houston — and his seventh appearance as director.

For more information on Baker Shakespeare Theatre, visit www.bakershakespeare.org.