It's a match made in heaven!
What happens when you combine Shakespeare with the Symphony? You end up with something divine! Santa Cruz Symphony will join with Santa Cruz Shakespeare on March 29/30 for an artistic collaboration that will have you applauding for more. We're delighted to bring you two acclaimed actors, Charles Pasternak and Allie Pratt, whose Shakespeare recitations will add depth and resonance to symphonic works by Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, and Anna Clyne.
Come be swept away by the drama, romance, and whimsy of Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy, Mendelssohn's Overture for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Anna Clyne's Sound and Fury. You'll be enthralled by this fusion of music and theater. Buy your tickets today to reserve your preferred seats!
Charles Pasternak
Charles Pasternak is known nationally as a dynamic, compelling actor and director. He is the Artistic Director of Santa Cruz Shakespeare, and his recent roles with the company include the title role in Hamlet; Oliver in As You Like It; the Gentleman Caller in The Glass Menagerie (which he also directed); and the adaptor and director of A Christmas Carol. In 2025, he will be directing Pericles, which will play alongside A Midsummer Night's Dream, Into the Woods, and "Master Harold" ... and the Boys, and in December, A Christmas Carol.
Before assuming the role at Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Charles was the Founding Artistic Director of The Porters of Hellsgate in Los Angeles, CA for over fifteen years. Selected regional credits include American Players Theatre, Shakespeare Center LA, three seasons at Shakespeare Festival, St. Louis and four seasons with Shakespeare Santa Cruz.
Allie Pratt
Allie Pratt has been on stage and dazzling audiences with Santa Cruz Shakespeare since 2019. Most recently Santa Cruzans saw her in The Glass Menagerie, Hamlet, and The Importance of Being Earnest. Other SCS credits include The Book of Will, King Lear, The Formula, Pride and Prejudice, and Winter's Tale. Regional credits include The Play That Goes Wrong, The Graduate (Sierra Repertory), Arms and the Man (Jewel Theatre Company), The Tempest (Thin Air Shakespeare), Twelfth Night, Love's Labour's Lost (Seattle Shakespeare), The Winter's Tale (Shakespeare by the Sea), Alice in Wonderland, She's Come Undone (Book-It Repertory), Mr. Pim Passes By (Taproot Theatre), and Betty's Summer Vacation (Defunkt Theatre).
Allie is also a motion capture actor with 2K Games, a director, and a well-respected educator. She trained at PCPA Theaterfest, earned her BFA from Cornish College of the Arts, and holds an MA in Theater Arts from UCSC.
Free open rehearsal of Symphonic Shakespeare:
Friday, March 28 at 7:30 PM at the Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz
No reservations required
Evening performance of Symphonic Shakespeare:
Saturday, March 29 at 7:30 PM at the Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz
Pre-concert talk at 6:30 PM
Matinee performance of Symphonic Shakespeare:
Sunday, March 30 at 2:00 PM at the Henry J. Mello Center in Watsonville
Pre-concert talk at 1:00 PM