William Shakespeare wrote plays in the 16th century, but the character devices and archetypes he used to define and portray human emotion and conflict are just as relevant now as they were then.
His work continues to reflect aspects of humanity through the sets and stages of modern companies and the minds of the modern viewer.
One of these companies is Lansing's own Sunsets With Shakespeare, a troupe of young actors and actresses dedicated to exposing the playwright's vision to audiences today.
On Thursday, Sunsets presents "Measure For Measure," a dark comedy or "problem play" handpicked by director Caleb Probst for its spooky relevance and Machiavellian correlation to world events.
"I tell people that of the 37 plays Shakespeare wrote, it's about the 37th most popular," Probst said. "It's classified as what's called a 'problem play' because by form it's a comedy, but it deals with some very dark social and moral issues which make it sort of an anomaly in terms of comedy."
The play tells the tale of Vincentio as the benevolent, liberal and often aloof Duke of Vienna who leaves to take a vacation. During his leave, the ruler is replaced by Angelo, a conservative hard-liner. With this backdrop, the story focuses on the ethics, morals, compassion and justice of the people caught in political turmoil. Sound familiar?
"It's a play that deals with extremes," Probst said. "How neither of those extremes are the right way to go about doing things. I think in our society we do that, and we tend to swing from one extreme to the other and don't look for what's in the middle and how to resolve these issues."
Probst is no stranger to the stage. After graduating from Okemos High School in 2000, the young director has since graduated from Syracuse University, toured nationally playing Romeo in "Romeo and Juliet" and has trained at the Globe Theatre in London.
"It's so political, and we seem to be overly politically charged at the moment," Probst said. "The play itself deals with all sorts of sex and violence, and there's a war going on and people are all struggling with poverty, and these are issues within our own society. It's very relevant to the times," Probst said.
The cast and crew are made up of former players, apprentices of the dramatic arts, upstarts and a tight unit of MSU students who spend as much time with Shakespeare as they do with credit hours and football games.
"The cast is really friendly; we hang out all he time," Sunsets actor and MSU political theory junior J.C. Kibbey said while in character as Claudio. "It's a very tight-knit cast, and that's what makes it fun. I really have fun performing and having that connection with the audience. The great thing is when you give energy to the audience, and they bring it back to you."
The students involved with Sunsets hope "Measure for Measure" will spark interest in Shakespeare's work and shed light on his vision.
Interdisciplinary studies in social science and public policy studies senior Lindsay Palinsky plays Mariana, Angelo's lover.
"It's a dark comedy, which I think really does appeal to a more comedic sense," she said. "We have a little slapstick theme in there as well as some other humor that you really have to think about. I really think people are going to like it."
The Spartan actors are confident the play can portray aspects of events and interactions that are occurring right now.
Playing the part of Mistress Overdone is human biology junior Andrea Silva.
"'Measure for Measure' deals with a lot of issues that are timeless," she said. "I feel like the issues pertain a lot to our current time because it deals with so many political issues and religious themes."
The company was formulated and organized in 1999 by Todd Heywood.
Heywood said he thinks theater and Sunsets With Shakespeare will affect the young actors' futures.
"Obviously, everybody sort of thinks that theater is this throwaway thing," he said. "It's actually teaching a few of the most important skills for the workplace of today. It teaches teamwork and cooperation."
For the students, mentors and dramatic instructors involved in Sunsets With Shakespeare, the primary objective is to bring the legendary wordsmith to life. For the new play, the actors hope that Shakespeare's words can inspire insight into the issues of contemporary humanity.
"My favorite is the fact that it was written so long ago, but so many of the themes are vital to understanding our society today. And if we can properly understand those while enjoying a play, then we can understand a lot more about human nature and society in general," Silva said.
The show will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Louis F. Adado Riverfront Park in Lansing. The show is free and will run on Aug. 3-6 and Aug. 10-13.
