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The Sweet Briar Theatre will present William Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 25-27 and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 28 in Murchison Lane Auditorium.

The play’s director, Bill Kershner, professor and director of the theater, chose it for the fall production for several reasons. “It has some of the best-written scenes in Shakespeare,” he said. “There are a lot of funny scenes in it, too.”

Despite its comic relief, the plot exposes human failings that are as prevalent today as they were in Shakespeare’s time. That sense of timeliness attracted Kershner and, to ice the cake, “It’s not a play that’s been done to death,” he said.

Jared Anderson as Claudio and Elizabeth Zuckerman ’09 as Isabella in the Sweet Briar Theatre’s fall production, “Measure for Measure.” Photo by Kylene Hayslett ’08The setting is Vienna, a city whose harsh laws against fornication have been loosely enforced by the Duke. Realizing he has been too lax, the Duke announces that while he is away on business, the hard-line judge, Angelo, will govern. The Duke stays, however, disguised as a friar to keep an eye on Angelo.

Kershner’s set is modern-day Vienna, with sleek, fashionable and expensive-looking costuming to reflect the social status of the main characters. His interpretation is otherwise true to the Bard’s, except that the Duke is a Duchess, played by Mary Susan Sinclair-Kuenning ’09. He wanted a student to act the part.

Jared Anderson is Claudio, whom Angelo (John Robertson) has sentenced to death for impregnating Juliet (Tania Salas Platt ’10) before their wedding date. Claudio’s sister, the ultra-chaste nun Isabella (Liz Zuckerman ’09), abhors his sin but goes to Angelo to plead for his life.

Angelo is so attracted to Isabella’s purity, that he agrees to spare Claudio if she sleeps with him. Not willing to give up her chastity, she refuses, leading to a scene in which Claudio begs her to reconsider.

“That’s a great scene,” Kershner said, because she is unmoved, while he cannot see what’s so awful about Angelo’s terms if it means his life.

The Duchess, in the guise of the friar, intercedes by arranging a “bed trick,” in which Isabella tells Angelo she will submit to him, but it must be in total darkness. They send in her stead Mariana (Katy Johnstone ’10), whom Angelo previously promised to marry, but reneged when her dowry was lost at sea.

The Duchess, played by Mary Susan Sinclair-Kuenning ’09, and Tania Salas Platt ’11 as Juliet in a scene from “Measure for Measure.” Photo by Kylene Hayslett ’08Although the deception works, Angelo calls for Claudio’s head anyway, forcing the conspirators to devise a “head trick.”

Meanwhile the Duchess stages her “return” and hears Isabella’s and Mariana’s charges against Angelo. He denies them in a scene setting up the friar as a false accuser against him. The Duchess allows Angelo to judge the friar on this charge, but soon reveals her true identity and exposes the judge for a hypocrite.

Kershner sees Angelo as a conflicted man who genuinely believes in the laws of sexual morality he enforces so harshly. Angelo has always been on the side of right, as he defines it. “He finds himself a hypocrite and has some great lines about how a person like that tears himself up,” Kershner said.

“O cunning enemy,” Angelo cries at one point, referring to the devil, “that, to catch a saint, with saints dost bait thy hook!”

Once caught, “like all politicians, he tries to hide it,” Kershner said.

Because modern scandals unfold amid frenzied television coverage, Kershner will have video monitors among the audience. A press conference will be shown as a live feed. The monitors also will show some of the off-stage action.

In the end, the Duchess dishes out justice by forcing Angelo to marry Mariana. In a subplot, she also makes Claudio’s flamboyant bachelor friend Lucio – played by SBC religion professor John Gould – marry the prostitute Kate Keepdown, who is played by chemistry professor Jill Granger.

The offense for which Lucio is punished provides some humor, as he slanders the friar to the Duchess and the Duchess to the friar.

In another uncomfortable twist, the Duchess propositions Isabella. Although the plot turn gave him pause in casting a woman for the part, Kershner reasoned that it didn’t matter whether such an untoward proposal to an avowed nun came from a male or female.

“So we decided to go with it,” he said.

Kershner also decided to add an SBC stamp to the production by asking FaSt, a rock band formed by four members of the faculty and staff, to compose original music for the play. FaSt came up with two numbers, “Nein, nicht mir!” which band member Adam White describes as a German “industrial metal song,” and a “bluesy number.”

Admission is free for the SBC community. Non-SBC prices are $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and $5 for students 12 and older. Children younger than 12 admitted free. Tickets go on sale Monday, Oct. 15. Call 381-6120 or e-mail boxoffice@sbc.edu for reservations.