Wyoming Shakespeare Company: Measure for Measure

Is William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure a comedy? Or to be taken seriously? The title of Measure for Measure comes from the gospel of Matthew: “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2). The themes are religion: morality, virtue, sin, punishment, death, and atonement. Yet it’s labeled a “problem play’ because it blurs the lines between tragedy and comedy. It is up to us to find the truth contained in each moment. William Shakespeare wrote Measure for Measure when he was well versed as a playwright. He experiments in form, mixing comedy and tragedy. His artistry guides the audience to concentrate more, engaging more fully in the play; we cannot rely on formulaic conventions of what to expect. In producing Measure for Measure with this wonderful cast, we question each other on when overt comedy is earned or when it nervously detours from the dreadful, the tragic. Like the scales of justice the title implies, we strive to find the right balance.