For acclaimed British actor Michael Pennington, Shakespeare has been a companion and inspiration for more than 50 years. Lisa Wolpe, who may have played more of Shakespeare’s male roles than any other actress, has outright stated, “I feel like Shakespeare saved my life.” After his tour of duty in the army, it was Shakespeare that helped veteran Stephan Wolfert cope with PTSD and find his own way in the civilian world. All three artists are a part of Seattle Shakespeare’s new performance series that shares personal and unique relationships with Shakespeare.

The World’s a Stage series launches in November with Michael Pennington’s intimate and spirited salute to Shakespeare called Sweet William. In February Lisa Wolpe’s Shakespeare and the Alchemy of Gender explores her troubled family history juxtaposed with the Bard’s glorious insights into the human condition. The series wraps up in May with Cry Havoc! when Stephan Wolfert interweaves Shakespeare’s famous speeches with personal accounts to expose the national crises we face when we fail to reintegrate our veterans.

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“For years, Seattle Shakespeare has been emphasizing the universal appeal of Shakespeare’s works. And we think we’ve done well sharing our Pacific Northwest perspective on them,” said Artistic Director George Mount. “This series is a chance for us to broaden that view farther afield and for our audiences to see the impact of Shakespeare’s genius from prominent national and international artists. The artists in this series will be telling their unique, personal accounts of how working with Shakespeare has impacted and transformed their lives and the lives of those around them, onstage and in the audiences.”

The World’s a Stage series will be presented at the Isaac Studio Theatre at Taproot Theatre (212 N 85th St. Seattle, WA 98103). Ticket packages for the three-event series are now on sale. Single tickets to the events will go on sale August 15.