SHAKESPEARE’S SHAKEDOWN

The SUNY Sullivan Performing Arts Club is proud to announce world-premiere performances for SHAKESPEARE’S SHAKEDOWN by Jessica López-Barkl and Nick López, with help from the SUNY Sullivan Performing Arts Club.

Part Saturday Night Live. Part Karaoke. Part Talent Show. SHAKESPEARE’S SHAKEDOWN is a remount of SHAKESPEARE IN ISOLATION which was written during the height of the Covid-19 crisis, when SUNY Sullivan married professors Jessica López-Barkl and Nick López realized that live theater had to change its form in order to continue and to still train their students. They took inspiration from William Shakespeare who wrote some of most powerful plays while in isolation from the Black Plague. During the height of the first wave of the Covid-19 crisis the couple also watched a lot of WatchMoJo, as a distraction from the dire reality of the pandemic. This culminated in a romp of Shakespeare’s best monologues, scenes, fights, and messages. In 2025, the SUNY Sullivan Performing Arts Club reworked that play into a live version honoring the work during the 10 year history of the SUNY Sullivan Theater Program, and the 11 years that Jessica López-Barkl has worked at SUNY Sullivan.