By Jake Prinsen

The American Shakespeare Center will roll through Whitewater this week, performing plays back-to-back nights at the Young Auditorium.

The first play, “Doctor Faustus” by Christopher Marloe, will take place at 7:30 p.m. on March 11. The performance follows the life of Dr. Faustus, a scholar discontent with traditional forms of knowledge. To gain the unconventional knowledge he desires, Dr. Faustus practices dark magic, going as far as to sell his soul to the devil in exchange for wisdom and power.

The second play, “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare, will occur the following night, at 7:30 p.m. on  March 12. The Shakespearean comedy balances on a thin line between comedy and tragedy. It contrasts the love story of a younger couple, Claudio and Hero, to the love-hate-but-ultimately love story of an older couple, Benedick and Beatrice.

For both plays, tickets range in price from $15.50 to $25.50 for the general public and are $14.25 for UW-Whitewater students.

Patrick Earl has been acting with the American Shakespeare Center for four years and portrays different characters in both plays. In “Doctor Faustus,” he plays Lucifer and in “Much Ado About Nothing,” he plays Benedick.

Earl said there is something mysterious about playing the devil.

“Sometimes you have these roles where they’re not on stage a lot but when they are, they’re so much fun to play, and the audience responds so well to the character,” Earl said. “It’s sort of like you come on stage, drop the mic and leave. It’s so neat to be able to play a character with that much power – that much influence.”

In contrast to acting as the devil, Earl said playing Benedick in “Much Ado About Nothing” is some of “the most fun” he’s had on stage, partially because he gets to act with his wife (who plays Beatrice) and partially because of audience reactions.

“He’s this really funny guy,” Earl said. “He’s this mix of wit, but he can also poke fun at himself. He’s one of the most rewarding roles to play because the audience is always on your side and if they’re not, they’re laughing at you.”

Stacy Sherman, Young Auditorium associate marketing specialist, said the American Shakespeare Center has an “ongoing relationship” with UW-Whitewater because aside from performing, they also offer workshops and provide a fresh spin on the classic plays.

“I think what these companies really want to do and why they keep attracting audiences, is these are very old plays – old stories,” Sherman said. “But they can interpret them artistically. A little bit more modern, a little bit newer spin. They’re staying true to the tradition of the story, but they’re trying to make it more appealing.”

Sherman also said there’s something special about being able to see a play performed in person.

“There’s nothing like seeing a written piece of art interpreted live,” Sherman said. “Each time they do it, and they do it hundreds of times a year, it’s different. The way the audience feels and how they see the story play out, it lends more dimension to reading it in class.”

Earl also spoke of the enjoyment he gets from providing audience members with this new “dimension.”

“To hear people say ‘I understood what that meant’ or ‘that’s the best Shakespeare I’ve ever seen’ or ‘holy cow, I didn’t know Shakespeare could be like that.’ To me, that’s so rewarding,” Earl said.