(WEST STOCKBRIDGE, Mass.) – An all-female company of actors will perform a staged reading of Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare at No. Six Depot Roastery and Café on Sunday, May 18 at 3p.m., as part of WAM Theatre’s Fresh Takes Play Reading Series, which offers new and reimagined works that tell women’s stories.

This story of a woman’s struggle to preserve her identity in the face of hypocrisy and exploitation will be given a unique telling with a case including Suzanne Ankrum (WAM’s Emilie), Ariel Bock (Ensemble for the Romantic Century’s None but the Lonely Heart), Barby Cardillo (WAM Theatre’s The Attic, the Pearls, & Three Fine Girls), Dana Harrison (Shakespeare & Company’s Private Lives), Tod Randolph (Shakespeare & Company’s Cassandra Speaks), and Kristen van Ginhoven (WAM Theatre Artistic Director). The reading will also feature Jacinthe G. Connor, Emma Dweck, Catherine Santino, and Josephine M. Wilson.

Jenna Ware of Shakespeare & Company (It’s a Wonderful Life) will direct the reading. “I’m really pleased to be directing for WAM Theatre, especially since it’s a Shakespeare piece,” says Ware. “Because the relationship between the actor and audience is so strong in Shakespeare’s work, I’m particularly excited that the reading includes a post-play discussion. I look forward to hearing the audience members’ responses to the play and their reactions the story being told by an all-female ensemble.”

One of Shakespeare’s “problem plays,” Measure for Measure is an at times uncomfortable blend of humor and gravitas. With his city in turmoil, the Duke of Vienna hands his power over to his deputy Angelo, who seeks to restore law and order. But when an aspiring nun, Isabella, comes to plead for the life of her condemned brother, Angelo gives in to his own unholy desires and exposes the political and moral corruption that pollutes the entire city.

There are only 25 tickets available for this reading. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by calling 1-800-838-3006 or going online to WAM Theatre’s Fresh Takes Play Reading Series. Due to the limited availability, advance booking is highly recommended. Food and drink will be available for purchase at the café prior to the reading, which will begin in the gallery at 3p.m.

The Fresh Takes Play Reading series is curated by WAM Theatre Artistic Associate Kelly Galvin and consists of: Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare (May 18, 2014 at 3:00 p.m.), How the World Began by Catherine Trieschmann (June 22, 2014 at 3 p.m.), Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England by Madeleine George (August 17, 2014 at 3 p.m.), and Waxworks by Trina Davies (September 21, 2014 at 3 p.m.).

WAM (Women’s Action Movement) Theatre was co-founded in 2010 by Artistic Director Kristen van Ginhoven. Inspired by the book “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide” by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, WAM Theatre is based in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. WAM Theatre’s philanthropic mission is two-fold: first, to create theatrical events for everyone, with a focus on women theatre artists and/or stories of women and girls; and second, to donate a portion of the proceeds from those events to organizations that benefit women and girls. Since 2010, WAM Theatre has donated more than $10,500 to its beneficiaries.

The Rogovoy Report is proud to be a media sponsor of WAM Theatre’s 2014 season.