Ken Ludwig

So then we move on to January and February.

And we are doing Ken Ludwig's Dear Jack, Dear Louise.

Ken Ludwig is a Tony Award-winning Broadway playwright who normally writes really snarky, ridiculous stuff.

He loves doing plays about Sherlock Holmes and just making fun of everyone.

But Dear Jack, Dear Louise is different.

It's the can't-miss event of the fall.

Jane Austen fans can also head to the Westport Country Playhouse for Ken Ludwig's Pride and Prejudice Part 2, Napoleon at Pemberley, October 20th through November 7th, 2026.

The setting is Darcy's estate at Pemberley, but what is Napoleon doing there? Wasn't he fighting Germany in 1813? Hmm.

I'm sorry we don't have more time to talk about what's happening in the state, but you can visit ctartstalk.com, become a member, and access a complete list of events for these weeks.

Right, because this is an adaptation.

Ken Ludwig is the, uh, gentleman that did that.

And so were there things he, that were changed, are you aware?

Yes, there are-

[laughs] Um, and, uh, so, um, yeah, so he's changed that.

He's amplified the humor.

If you know Ken Ludwig, he's known for his farces-

Mm-hmm

Hello, and welcome to On Staging, a discussion podcast highlighting the development and staging of community theatre in Calgary and the surrounding area.

I'm Kyle Gould, and today I have the pleasure of sitting it down again with Sean Anderson, the director of Morpheus Theatre's production of Ken Ludwig's Farce, A Fox on the Fairway, presented at the Pump House Theatre October 2nd through October 10th.

Sean, welcome back to the show.

Thank

related classical literature components, but then also this Shakespearean stuff and her constant, she does a great job of carrying this juxtaposition of a well-educated individual who is also supposed to be ditzy and a little in love.

Um, the other thing that we really focused on is the motivations of the lines and of the characters.

Why are they coming in at this point? What is it that they're trying to achieve in this particular scene and finding that from the actual script and understanding what Ken Ludwig was trying to get at.

And so there was, it wasn't about just, um, timing and choreography of the actors so that they would collide at a particular point on stage.

But it

was funny because right before Much Ado, I had done Lend Me a Soprano by Ken Ludwig.

And so in both of these shows, I'm playing somebody much younger than my actual age.

Don't even get me started on that.

Now, before you start reading any Shakespearean plays, I do suggest you do a few things first.

First, get your hands on the book How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig.

This book is a great resource.

It's a must-have for moms who want to encourage their kids to have fun learning Shakespeare.

When the plot and the storyline are known beforehand, then your attention is free to enjoy the details without having to keep track of who's who.

And Shakespeare usually had a lot of different characters in each play.

If you're using the book I suggested, How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig, He includes some very simple and engaging play summaries you can share with your kiddos before you start to read one.

We also like watching video spark note cartoon summaries of Shakespeare's plays.