“POLISHING SHAKESPEARE”

Thursday, April 17th – Sunday, April 27th, 2025 BRIDGE STREET THEATRE presents... A hilarious and fiery satire on art, money and power  —  “POLISHING SHAKESPEARE”

Catskill, NY–Bridge Street Theatre is thrilled to present Polishing Shakespeare, a razor-sharp, high-stakes battle between art and commerce, penned by acclaimed playwright Brian Dykstra and directed by Bridge Street Theatre Artistic Director, John Sowle. This critically lauded satire—delivered entirely in iambic pentameter—will be setting fire to the stage from April 17-27, 2025, at 44 W. Bridge Street, Catskill, NY. Performances will be held Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM, with Sunday matinees at 2:00 PM. 

A dot-com billionaire offers a struggling theatre company a massive financial windfall—but only if they agree to “translate” Shakespeare’s plays into more accessible, modern English. What follows is a fiercely funny and whip-smart three-way verbal showdown between an idealistic playwright drowning in debt, a pragmatic artistic director fighting to keep the doors open, and a billionaire convinced that he knows what the audience really wants. 

Packed with rapid-fire wit, dazzling wordplay, and searing social commentary, Polishing Shakespeare is both a love letter to the theatre and a biting critique of the influence of money on art. This “exhilarating, entertaining rollercoaster” (The Edinburgh Reporter) has received critical acclaim from audiences and critics alike, earning praise for its “hilarious, finely wrought prose” (FringeFan) and “masterclass in precision iambic pentameter” (Get Your Coats On). 

Directed by the Berkie-winning John Sowle, with a powerhouse cast led by Steven Patterson, Yvonne Perry, and, making her Bridge Street Theatre debut, Angelique Archer, Polishing Shakespeare is a must-see for theatre lovers, Shakespeare enthusiasts, and anyone who has ever grappled with the tension between artistic integrity and financial survival. 

Don’t miss this electrifying production! Tickets and further information are available at our Box Office or at BridgeStreetTheatre.org!  

Bridge Street Theatre presentsPOLISHING SHAKESPEAREWritten by Brian Dykstra Friday April 17, 2025 - Sunday April 27, 2025Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2:00pm

Tickets:Online in advance: $30Ages 18 and under: $16https://bridgest.org/polishing-shakespeare-tickets/Director: John Sowle Assistant Director: Timothy Dakin-Dunn Sets and Sound: Carmen BorgiaLights: Eric LearyCostumes: Michelle RogersStage Manager: Hannarose Manning

Cast:

Steven Patterson as Grant Yvonne Perry* as Ms. Branch

Angelique Archer as Janet

Actor Bios:

Yvonne Perry* (Ms. Branch) is a Capital Region and NYC-based actress making her Bridge Street Theatre debut. Known for her role as Rosanna Cabot on As the World Turns (Soap Opera Award), her TV credits also include Law & Order (CI & SVU), Guiding Light, and All My Children. A frequent performer at Capital Rep and other regional theatres, she’s also appeared Off-Broadway and in indie film. Yvonne teaches, directs, choreographs intimacy, and is a certified Consent Forward Artist. Member: AEA, SAG-AFTRA. www.yvonneperry.com – For Maggie.

Steven Patterson (Grant) has performed Off- and Off-Off-Broadway and at regional theatres nationwide. He toured internationally with his solo show Beauty, inspired by Jean Genet. A co-founder of Bridge Street Theatre in Catskill, NY, Steven has appeared in over 20 BST productions, including Uncle Vanya, Frankie & Johnny, The Lion in Winter, and Miss Gulch Returns! (2021 Berkie Award for Best Solo Performance), and has directed The Glass Menagerie and more. Favorite past roles include Lear in King Lear and David in Poor Super Man.

Angelique Archer (Janet) is thrilled to make her Bridge Street Theatre debut, blending her love of poetry and contemporary work in Polishing Shakespeare! An actor, intimacy director, and teaching artist, she has performed at regional theatres nationwide, including Cincinnati Playhouse, Clarence Brown Theatre, and Utah Shakespeare Festival. Favorite roles include the Narrator in Every Brilliant Thing, Jessica in The Guest, and Jane Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. She’s performed in 12 of Shakespeare’s plays (and happily debates the canon). Film: Monica. angeliquearcher.com | @angelique.i.archer

Thank you! Hope to see you at the theatre soon!

Timothy Dakin-Dunn, Assistant Artistic Director

Bridge Street Theatre 

44 W. Bridge Street, Catskill, NY 12414 

www.bridgest.org 

Office Phone: 518-943-3894 

Box Office: 518-943-3818 

To contact Bridge Street Theatre directly for features and interviews or to reserve press seats, email contact@bridgest.org or call their offices at 518-943-3894. 

For more information on Bridge Street Theatre, visit www.bridgest.org. 

Events at Bridge Street Theatre are supported in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor of New York and the New York StateLegislature and by Public Funds from the Greene County Legislature. Bridge Street Theatre’s entire 2025 Season is dedicated to the memory of Mary E. Barrett, and sponsored by generous donations from Mary E. Barrett and Edwina Thorn.