Improbable Fictions aims to help students uncover the majesty of the Bard, William Shakespeare, by performing a staged reading of Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost” tonight at 7:30 in Farrah Hall room 214.

“The plays of Shakespeare are not novels or even short stories,” director and dramaturge Scott Free said. “They are studied as literature, and rightfully so, as it is some of the finest writing in the English language, but they were never intended to be read. They were intended to be performed.”

Free works in the department of criminal justice at the University and has worked on a few theater projects in the past. He has also done some film directing, but he said this is his directorial debut with Shakespeare.

The turnaround for this performance is very quick, which Free said is a benefit of doing a staged reading. The actors do not have to memorize their lines and there will be limited use of props and costumes. The rehearsal process is short and began Monday with a read through. However, Free has been working on cutting and adjusting the script for about six or seven months to make it more understandable and fit the desired length.

“I feel that this particular play is uniquely suited for this form,” Free said. “There are no big battle scenes, no sword fights. It is charming witty people saying charming witty things.”

Free said the show should run about 90 minutes without intermission and admission is free. The cast is a mix of students, faculty and other members of the community. Mark Hughes Cobb and Nic Helms will perform pre-show music. The music will begin at 7:00 p.m. and should last about 20 to 25 minutes.

English classes on campus will be studying “Love’s Labour’s Lost” and “Hamlet” this semester. Nic Helms, who started Improbable Fictions with Alaina Jobe in 2010, said he hopes that by providing staged readings of Shakespeare’s work, English students who are currently studying Shakespeare can have a chance to hear it, as opposed to just reading it.

“The text is just the blueprint of the building, not the building itself,” said Jean Fuller-Scott, who will play the part of Rosaline. “It’s a guideline for how it’s supposed to be done… but it’s nowhere near the final, finished product.”

Free said, “The performance students will see tonight is a bit like taking a trip to the building site, better than looking at just the blueprints but not the finished product.

“A staged reading is a strange animal. It is a performance but not a complete one. You are visitors at what can only be described as an early rehearsal for the play,” he said.

This staged reading can provide a good jumping off point to do a full production at a later time because it allows the director to hear his cut of the script and work out any problems.

“[Shakespeare’s work] is daring and passionate and scary and dirty and mean and poetic and dangerous and romantic,” Fuller-Scott said. “It’s supposed to live and breathe and weep and bleed and sigh.”

Both Free and Fuller-Scott encourage those who enjoy the staged reading to seek out full productions to get a better grasp of Shakespeare’s work.

But to get a taste of the Majesty of the Bard, go see Improbable Fictions’ staged reading of “Love’s Labour’s Lost” tonight.

For information and a full cast list visit Improbable Fictions at improbablefictions.wordpress.com.