To beer or not to beer: New Jacksonville theater group debuting with 'ShakesBeer' shows

A new professional theater company, Lumen Repertory Theatre, is holding a series of "ShakesBeer" performances at Jacksonville breweries to introduce itself.

Five actors from the company will visit breweries, bringing along a big spinning wheel with the names of scenes from William Shakespeare's classic works. Spin the wheel and do the scene.

Seems simple, but it gets more complicated than that, said Brian Niece, a co-founder of Lumen and the director of the "ShakesBeer" shows. They're taking place in breweries, so things can get a little loose at times. Audience members may be invited to join in the scene, or an actor who has no role in a particular scene may start up drinking games with the crowd.

"Just like in Shakespeare’s day," Niece said. "They would make a festival out of it. There would be daydrinking involved, which is why Act 3 is always better than Act 1."

Niece said he tried out a demo version of "ShakesBeer" at Intuition Ale Works and it seemed to work, so he's taking the show on the road. The first full performances will be Saturday and Sunday at Ink Factory Brewing in Jacksonville Beach. The show is also scheduled to play at Bold City Brewery on Rosselle Street on April 23 and May 2, Strings Sports Brewery in Springfield on April 26 and the Intuition Ale Works Bier Hall on May 3. It will also return to Ink Factory on April 29 and 30. Tickets are $45.

100 fun things to do in the Jacksonville area in April

Dinner for two: What are the best romantic restaurants in Jacksonville? Here are some favorites

Brewery guide: 21 craft breweries you should know in the Jacksonville area. Here's a guide.

Actors may play the scene perfectly straight, or they may wing it and see where it goes. "There will be things that will be improvised, but there will also be excellent Shakespeare scenes every night," Niece said.

The "ShakesBeer" shows are a way to introduce Lumen to the Jacksonville community, but they aren't entirely what Lumen is about, Niece said. The company will also do Jean-Paul Sartre's "No Exit" this summer. Two other shows, "A Small Fire" and "Vincent," are also in the works.

Niece said he's searching for a venue that Lumen can call home. He said he has a good working relationship with Jacksonville University, so it's possible shows will end up in the school's Swisher Theater. The soundstage at the WJCT studios is another possibility, he said.

Ultimately, plans call for Lumen to do full seasons, with musicals and comedies and original works mixed in. "You may not like everything you see, but there will be something for everyone," he said.

Niece, who is a professor of humanities and theater at St. Johns River State College, founded Lumen with Kristin Livingston and Josh Andrews in 2020 — just before the pandemic broke out. He said he formed Lumen because he felt Jacksonville needed a professional theater group.

Lumen is an Actors Equity company, meaning that it has to provide health benefits and meet a minimum pay scale for actors. Not all of the actors associated with Lumen are part of Actors Equity, but the company is required to treat them as if they were, he explained.

Lumen is now the only Actors Equity company in Jacksonville. Alhambra Theatre & Dining had been associated with Actors Equity but was placed on the association's "Do Not Work" list in 2020, meaning that members are prohibited from appearing on the Alhambra stage. An Actors Equity spokesperson declined to say why Alhambra is on the list. The Actors Equity website notes that "there are times when good-faith negotiations between Actors’ Equity and employers do not result in an agreement acceptable for union members. Other producers may refuse to negotiate altogether or default on the terms of their agreement."

Niece said he formed an Actors Equity company in Nashville nearly 25 years ago. He "temporarily" moved to Jacksonville in 2010 and has been here since, but found acting opportunities to be scarce. "I realized I could direct around here and get paid but all of the acting around here was community theater-based and volunteer," he said. "There wasn't a place, really, for me to act."

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville theater group Lumen Repertory debuts 'ShakesBeer' shows