THE SHOEMAKER'S HOLIDAY
"Let's be merry whiles we are young!"
Banned, Bawdy, Brilliant!
Rarely performed in the modern world, BSF is proud to present the regional premier of Thomas Dekker’s hilarious London city comedy, The Shoemaker’s Holiday.
Loosely based on the real-life story of Simon Eyre, a commoner who rose to be Lord Mayor of London, Shoemaker’s Holiday earned the rare distinction of being banned during the Restoration—too dirty for England, but not for Baltimore!
First performed in 1599 by Shakespeare’s rival company, The Lord Admiral’s Men, and later performed for Queen Elizabeth I, it’s a perfect example of a genre untouched by Shakespeare—the City Comedy, largely focused on the lives of the city’s common people.
Shoemaker’s endearing characters and the love of life permeating every scene has ensured its survival. BSF is excited bring these charming characters and their story to Baltimore for the first time.
The Great Hall Theater at St. Mary's Community Center
3900 Roland Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21211
Coming to Boordy Vinyards!
Sunday, December 4, 11, and 18
Doors open at 1pm, show at 2pm
General Admission $20
November 4 - 20*
*November 4, 5, and 6 presented as a part of the Charm City Fringe Festival
Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm
Sundays at 4:00pm
Pre-show entertainment begins 30 minutes before showtime
Free pre-show lectures on the play will be presented at 7 pm each Saturday
Saturday, November 5 Jessica Clark, BSF Dramaturg
Saturday, November 12 Cass Morris, Academic Resources Manager at the American Shakespeare Center
Saturday, November 19 Tom Delise, BSF Artistic Director
About the Author
Thomas Dekker (c. 1572 – 1632) was a life-long Londoner. He had a hand in about 40 plays during his career and collaborated with famous Elizabethan/Jacobean playwrights like Thomas Middleton, William Rowley, John Ford, Henry Chettle, John Marston, and John Webster – just to name a few. In addition to writing plays, he wrote a number of pamphlets during his career. He was also plagued by debt, which earned him a seven year term in prison.