{"id":89923,"date":"2026-09-18T11:51:37","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T18:51:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/?p=89923"},"modified":"2026-09-18T12:23:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T19:23:23","slug":"long-beach-playhouse-shakespeare-night-of-the-living-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/eat-see-do-2\/see\/long-beach-playhouse-shakespeare-night-of-the-living-dead","title":{"rendered":"Theater News: A weekend of student showcases and a modern take on the \u2018Night of the Living Dead\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A scene from the Long Beach Playhouse’s production of “Night of the Living Dead.” Courtesy of Long Beach Playhouse.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So many theaters, so little time! With so many new and returning shows on Long Beach stages this weekend, here are some options to choose from \u2014 including world-premiere new plays and the retelling of a scary classic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Long Beach Shakespeare Company<\/strong><\/a> is continuing the New Works Festival<\/strong> with three brand-new plays to experience this weekend, plus some fun student shorts. The New Works Festival<\/a>, which began in May and June this year, continues to showcase new work by up-and-coming playwrights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShav vs. Whitmore<\/strong>\u201d is a new one-act play by Thomas M. Copeland about two men trying to rewrite Shakespeare in what the theater calls \u201ca battle of pride, relevance and wit.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fully staged play is part of a double feature with \u201cThe Ghosts of the Globe Theatre<\/strong>\u201d by Arthur Allison, about how William Shakespeare\u2019s Globe Theatre in London burned down in 1613. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Allison\u2019s play, ghosts had to perform their plays alongside living actors on the Globe stage. The performance of Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cHenry VIII\u201d was haunted the night of the fire, according to the play, not only by ghosts, but by horrible actors, making the ghosts very angry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both plays will perform on Friday, Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 20 at 4 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Long Beach Shakespeare Company’s New Works Festival begins Friday, Sept. 18 – 20.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another new play, \u201cTucked Away<\/strong>\u201d by Joni Ravenna, will perform Saturday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 20 at 1 p.m. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The play, which has an adult-content warning, is about four very different women held captive by human traffickers on the top floor of an abandoned building with no electricity or running water who must find a way to connect before they can break free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The festival will round out with four shorter new plays by students on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 8 p.m.:<\/p>\n\n\n\n