Director Rebecca Bayle Taichman discusses her production of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.  One of Shakespeare's greatest comedies, Twelfth Night ponders love lost and found.  A shipwreck separates twins Viola and Sebastian, but tragedy quickly turns to comedy when they wash up in a land turned upside-down by love.  With raucous antics, ravishing language and rich characters, Shakespeare creates a bittersweet tale of laughter and longing.  Rebecca Bayla Taichman returns after her "chic, funny and marvelously actedâ€� production of The Taming of the Shrew (The Washington Post).  Veanne Cox will play Olivia, following her role in The Way of the World, and will be joined by STC favorites Floyd King and Nancy Robinette.  The production runs December 2, 2008, to January 4, 2009, in the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St. NW).

Director Michael Kahn discusses his production of William Congreve's The Way of the World.  Featuring witty repartee in the grand tradition of The Country Wife and The Beaux' Stratagem, Congreve's delicious comedy of manners sends up courtship and marriage. Amid the gossip and frivolous love affairs of fashionable London society, the clever and conniving lovers Millamant and Mirabell are determined to pursue "a marriage of true minds." But Millamant's jealous guardian stands in their way. The only way to achieve their goal is to beat the fops, the fools and the resentful rivals at their own game—through double-dealing and outrageous deception.  The productions runs September 30 to November 16, 2008, in the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Lansburgh Theatre (450 7th St. NW).

Director David Muse discusses his production of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.  The world’s greatest and most enduring love story, Romeo and Juliet follows its star-crossed lovers as they hurtle from their first shy glances to their last heartrending kiss. Caught between their feuding families, Romeo and Juliet desperately struggle to build a world insulated from the violence, but their love races toward a final confrontation with fate. Inspired by the Elizabethan tradition of all-male casts, Muse stages this poetic masterwork as Shakespeare would have, with men playing all of the roles.  The productions runs September 9 to October 12, 2008, in the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St. NW).

Director David Muse discusses his production of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. As swift and enthralling as a political thriller, Julius Caesar portrays the life-and-death struggle for power in Rome. Fearing that Caesar's growing strength and ambitions threaten the Republic, a faction of politicians plots to assassinate him. But when Caesar is killed, chaos engulfs Rome. In Caesar, Brutus and Mark Antony, Shakespeare created three fascinating, dynamic characters. The productions runs April 27 to July 6, 2008, in the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St. NW).

Director Michael Kahn discusses his production of William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. Featuring some of the most sublime poetry of love and loss ever written, Antony and Cleopatra is a dark portrait of an ill-fated love affair. The play begins almost a decade after the events of Julius Caesar, with civil unrest roiling imperial Rome. the aging Mark Antony, one of the empire's three rulers, lives a decadent life in Egypt, carousing with Queen Cleopatra. As Rome reasserts its claim on him, Antony struggles between his sense of duty and his love for Cleopatra. The production runs from April 26 through July 6, 2008, at the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St. NW).

Director Ethan McSweeny discusses his production of George Bernard Shaw's Major Barbara. Full of Shaw"s signature shrewd, urbane wit, Major Barbara depicts timeless tensions between wealth and charity, government and religion, business and family. At the center of the play is the rebellious but naively idealistic Barbara Undershaft. A major with the Salvation Army, Barbara finds the foundation of her beliefs rocked when the charity accepts a donation from her long-estranged father, a millionaire arms dealer.  Often called Shaw's greatest play, Major Barbara offers a provocative discourse on poverty, faith and justice, while entertaining us with vivid characters, intriguing plot twists and a hefty dose of pure fun. Ethan McSweeny returns for the first time since his production of The Persians, which The Washington Post proclaimed "stunning … acutely theatrical.â€? The production runs February 19 to March 23, 2008, at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St. NW, Washington, D.C.).

Director Gale Edwards discusses her production of the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Edward II. Deemed by many to be Marlowe’s crowning achievement, Edward II features the playwright’s most nuanced characters and some of his finest language.  In the weak, stubborn character of Edward II, Marlowe created a compelling portrait of a flawed monarch. Though the son of a great general, Edward is an ineffectual king and, in the grips of a romantic obsession, fails to recognize the threats to his crown. As the play unfolds, Marlowe turns the doomed Edward into a more tragic figure, contrasting his plight with the ruthless nobles who depose him. Gale Edwards (Titus Andronicus, Richard III, Hamlet) returns to direct. The Washington Post described her production of Richard III as “compulsively watchable ... restlessly inventive.â€? Wallace Acton returns for the first time since his 2003 performance as Richard III to play the title role. The production runs October 27, 2007, to January 6, 2008, at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St. NW, Washington D.C.).

Director Michael Kahn discusses his production of the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Tamburlaine. Marlowe's first play, Tamburlaine chronicles its hero's meteoric rise from humble origins to fearsome warrior and emperor of thousands. Tamburlaine desolates his adversaries, growing so ruthless that he marches on his beloved’s native country. With ravishing poetry, Marlowe ruminates on the corrupting influence of ambition and one man’s overwhelming desire for immortality. Tamburlaine exemplifies Marlowe’s extravagant style, immense sense of pageantry and bold characters. Michael Kahn directs, calling up "the combination of stylization and raw force that has brought his productions of classics to towering lifeâ€? (The Washington Post). Avery Brooks returns to play the title role after his acclaimed portrayals of Othello and Oedipus. Franchelle Stewart Dorn returns for the first time since 2000 to play the Empress of Turkey. The production runs October 28, 2007, to January 6, 2008, in Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St. NW, Washington, D.C.).