Theatre Nouveau casts ‘The Shakespeare Lonely Hearts Club’, a collection of four short plays

BELFAST — Theatre Nouveau has cast its first production for 2024 “The Shakespeare Lonely Hearts Club”, which will run at The Basil Burwell Theatre in Belfast and opens on Friday, May 31. This new piece, a collection of four short plays written by Suzanne Ramczyk, the company’s artistic director, addresses loneliness, particularly among seniors.

“The four categorizations of Shakespeare’s plays – the histories, the comedies, the tragedies and the romances – provide the overall structuring for this quartet,” said Ramczyk. “Scenes from Shakespeare’s canon are woven into the dramatic action as an integral part of the characters’ evolving relationships.”

In two of the pieces, the comedy and the romance, two elderly women, living in a senior residence, navigate friendship and create new ways to counteract their loneliness. In the history, a divorced couple runs into each other after many years apart. Shakespeare was a significant part of their former relationship, but can the Bard’s work bring them back together? In the tragedy, which takes place during a tumultuous civil war, an isolated elderly woman must find the strength to carry off what could be her final self-surpassing act.

The cast includes Theatre Nouveau company members, Cory Burns, Susan McConnell and Kathleen Reilly. Joining them are Maine-based actors, Michael Crockett and Lisa Stathoplos; and Elaine McKee Bragan is new to the Belfast stage. Boston-based actor Melanie Winters completes the cast. Camden-based actor Joseph Cote is the stage manager.

Performances are set for May 31, June 1, 7, and 8 at 7 p.m. and June 2 and 9 at 2 p.m. at the Basil Burwell Theatre at 17 Court Street. All tickets are $20. Tickets and information are available at www.theatrenouveau.com . Email contact theatrenouveau2023@gmail.com .