Lady Shakes presents Shakespeare's Measure for Measure., set in 1926 New York City, in the glitz and glamour of the Jazz Age.
This play explores themes of justice, power, desire, mercy, love, forgiveness and redemption.
And course there will be showgirls!
LOCATION: Black Box Theatre in Topeka Performing Arts Center
DATES: September 18 & 19, 2026 at 7:30 pm
September 20, 2026 at 2 pm
House opens one hour ahead of each performance.
VIP TABLES, PREMIUM INDIVIDUAL SEATS, AND GENERAL ADMISSION ON SALE NOW!
Tickets can be purchased online through the link below, with an additional online convenience fee.
Online fees got you down? Shimmy on over to the TPAC box office and skip them entirely.
TPAC Box Office
214 SE 8th Ave, Topeka, KS
Tuesday–Friday, 10am–4:30pm
Walk up tickets are also available at the TPAC Box Office one hour ahead of each performance.
IT'S NOT JUST A PLAY, IT'S A WHOLE EXPERIENCE, DARLING.
Lady Shakes Theatre Company invites you into the world of Measure for Measure: A Nightclub Experience—Shakespeare's most provocative play, reimagined in a 1926 Jazz Age speakeasy. Power. Desire. Justice. It has never felt more relevant.
This isn't just a night at the theatre. It's a speakeasy. There's a cash bar, cabaret seating, and - yes - there's a password. Puzzles start dropping on socials and our email list on September 14. Figure it out and our bouncer will let you in. Have trouble? Don’t worry, our fortune teller will be at the speakeasy entrance to help you out.
Three ways to experience the speakeasy:
VIP Tables: the full treatment. Drink ticket for every seat, charcuterie for the table, and cabaret seating right at the edge of the action. Three-top $159 | Four-top $212. Limited availability. Sales close at midnight September 17.
Premium Individual Seats: cabaret seating at a table inside the speakeasy, close to the action. $30/seat. (Listed as “Premium Seat Offer” under General Admission Seats if you are purchasing online.)
General Admission: open seating on risers. $20 adult | $13 student. (Listed as “Standard Admission” under General Admission Seats if you are purchasing online.)
Tickets available online (for an additional online convenience fee), ahead of time at the TPAC Box Office (214 SE 8th Ave, Tuesday-Friday 10am-4:30pm), or walk-up one hour before curtain.
Dress for the club. There may be a prize involved.
Online fees got you down? Shimmy on over to the TPAC box office and skip them entirely.
TPAC Box Office
214 SE 8th Ave, Topeka, KS
Tuesday–Friday, 10am–4:30pm
Walk up tickets are also available at the TPAC Box Office one hour ahead of each performance.
Lady Shakes is pleased to announce our all-women production of Measure For Measure. We will bring plenty of sizzle to Shakespeare's Measure for Measure with a 1920s Jazz Age cabaret setting for our 2026 full length production. Performances will be September 18, 19 and 20, 2026 at Topeka Performing Arts Center, where we will transform the Black Box Theatre into a New York City speakeasy.
While the setting is strictly the cat's meow of Manhattan in the 1920s, the language is the real McCoy—straight from the pen of William Shakespeare.
Directed by Alexandra Reilly.
Stage managed by Melissa Escobar.
DUKE — Katherine Lawrence
ESCALUS — Donna Lambrecht
ANGELO — Martha Boatright
ISABELLA — Brynna Darley
CLAUDIO — Amanda Burton
PROVOST — Robin Bonsall
LUCIO — Heather Robinson
MISTRESS OVERDONE — Mary Franz
POMPEY — Penni Hansen
FRIAR THOMAS/FROTH — Marsue Payne
ELBOW/FRANCISCA/FRIAR PETER/ABHORSON — Briana Hightower
BARNADINE — Kate Duncan Butler
DANCER 1/JULIET/FIRST GENTLEMAN/MESSENGER — Amanda Abbott
DANCER 2/MARIANA/SECOND GENTLEMAN/SERVANT — Jayden Monson
DANCER 3/KATE KEEPDOWN/OFFICER 2 — Hugo Gonzalez
DANCER 4/OFFICER 1/ATTENDANT — Jandy Wills
Producer Sponsors:
Alison & Jason Pollock
Director Sponsors:
Community Resources Council
Bill & Emilie Gahnstrom
FHLBank Topeka
Star Sponsors:
Shawn Walker, Cornerstone Advisors
Magic Meals Home Delivery
Anonymous KPR Sponsor
