They do it like the King's Men did--almost: W.S. would feel right at home at Virginia's ASC.(CURRENTS)(William Shakespeare, American Shakespeare Center)

You can't teach an old dog new tricks, but can you teach a new dog the old tricks? That's the question posed, in a manner of speaking, by the American Shakespeare Center, the 17-year-old company that's rocketing along--fueled by "vaulting ambition," as the Bard might say--in the tiny town of Staunton, Va. Originally conceived as a touring company by an English professor and his precocious student, ASC (formerly Shenandoah Shakespeare) aims to resurrect the performance practices of Shakespeare's day, casting light on the particular genius of his writing, for the benefit of ...