“The Beard of Avon” is chockablock with wacky fractures of conventional Elizabethan wisdom — its anachronistic sensibility owes a thing or two to the Oscar-winning film comedy “Shakespeare in Love” — and it proves to be a nifty vehicle for Rorschach. Operating out of a Methodist church in the District’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood, the company works with a bare minimum of props and scenery and still manages a splendid send-up of 16th-century mores. Director Jessica Burgess and a well-drilled cast, led by the winning Grady Weatherford as Will, tackle their assignments with the ravenous pleasure of hyenas feasting on a leg of gnu.”
— Washington Post (CLICK HERE for the full article)

See also Will the Real ‘Beard of Avon’ Please Stand Up? (Washington Post Feature)

The Beard of Avon plays like a bunch of drunk Shakespeareans putting together an uncommonly clever episode of Saturday Night Live, and I meant that as compliment.
— Washington City Paper (CLICK HERE for the full article)

“This is a fun and witty show that moves at a very quick pace. David Ghatan’s set design takes you right back to the Globe Theatre, although sitting in the balcony may not be for everyone. Before you head over to Rorschach’s space in Columbia Heights, I suggest you type “Shakespeare controversy” into a search engine; you’ll have reading for hours.”
— Curtainup.com (CLICK HERE for the full article)

“Grady Weatherford makes a marvelous bard-as-bumpkin, both because of a physical resemblance to the image we know from prints, and because of his bumbling but believable comedy. He gradually takes his character from stage-struck neophyte to an experienced, slightly wiser member of the theater community.”
— Potomac Stages

The love of theatre is the prevailing theme in Rorschach’s latest production and it is quite clear that is what drives this company of very talented performers. Guaranteed laughs and a wonderful evening of theatre await if you have tickets for The Beard of Avon, if you don’t get them!
— DC Theater Reviews (CLICK HERE for the full article)

The show could easily have its roots in British comedy, with its effective mix of outright silliness and clever wordplay. It does an exceptional job weaving in historical content, Shakespearean shout-outs (an Ophelia allusion referencing a “15-year-old drowning in a duck pond” is one guffaw-worthy example), and pointed jabs at the often-pretentious nature of theater.
— DCist (CLICK HERE for the full article)

With BEARD OF AVON, Rorschach Theatre began our blog.
For some terrific blog posts (including coverage of one actual marriage proposal on stage)

click HERE for “behind the curtain” fun during rehearsals and beginning of the run

Click HERE for the rest of the run.