Jim Hartman began directing plays at Schoolcraft in 1982, and this spring mounts his 50th production, Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. With Shakespeare, Hartman often takes a two-year look at the text, and edits it for a modern audience. Five of his versions of Shakespeare are being collected into a book, intended for colleges and university drama and English departments.

Hartman’s productions have spanned the range from Greek tragedies to contemporary and absurdist pieces, to comedies, dramas, farces and musicals. His credo is if you present good theatre, audiences will come no matter the genre, subject matter or artistic license. Measure for Measure, for example, has a disco theme.

His casts are a mixture of theatre students, other Schoolcraft students and members of the community. Hartman chooses the cast, and exercises almost complete artistic control over his productions. He directs the actors, conducts rehearsals, designs the sets and lighting, chooses the music and participates in putting together the costumes.

For information on the current production, see In Focus Events.