New Theater Alert
New Fort Worth theater co. has passion for tall drinks and taller tales
Raise a glass to the new kid in town:Taphouse Theatre is gearing up for its first production, a site-specific staging of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream that's set in a bar.
Founded by Clare Shaffer, Brendan McMahon, and Victoria Lee, Taphouse declares its mission to be "an immersive theatre company designed to empower local artists, promote local businesses, and build community through storytelling." They plan to revamp classics, develop new work, and "create opportunities for folks to get together, laugh, and share ideas."
This may sound similar to Shakespeare in the Bar, which is based in Dallas, but Lee believes there's room enough in each city for the concept.
"We found that Fort Worth was missing out on the bar theater scene," says Lee. "With all the amazing local breweries, pubs, and bars that Fort Worth has to offer, not to mention the incredible talent that exists there, it was a perfect opportunity to start a company to marry those two together."
Shaffer and McMahon had been part of a bar-based theater company in Washington, D.C., and were excited to bring that same idea here to Fort Worth. Lee's experience with community outreach and event planning has proved integral to the team kicking off its first event.
A Midsummer Night's Drinking Game is a one-night-only staged reading on August 18 from 5-8 pm, featuring actors from around DFW. It's completely free and will be held at Fort Brewery & Pizza at 1001 W. Magnolia Ave.