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CORVALLIS - A script written by an Oregon State University faculty member celebrating the female characters of William Shakespeare will make its American debut on April 22 on the Bard's 441st birthday - at the same time similar productions will be held in Scotland and New Zealand.

Scott Palmer wrote the script for "Infinite Variety: A Showcase of Shakespeare's Women Real and Imagined" that will debut in OSU's Withycombe Lab Theater that Friday beginning at 7:30 p.m. A second show has been scheduled for Sunday, April 24, at 2 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door only for $4.

Palmer will direct the play he wrote last year when he was jointly commissioned by the Glasgow Repertory Company, which is Scotland's national Shakespearean theater, and Toi Whakaari, New Zealand's national drama school, to celebrate Shakespeare's 440th birthday in 2004.

"The commission came about as a result of an Arts Council initiative to connect the cultural capitals in the United Kingdom and the Southern Hemisphere," said Palmer, who served as artistic director of the Glasgow Repertory before joining the OSU faculty.

"The script is an adaptation of various Shakespearean texts, but also includes some 'new' characters created by rewriting sonnets, poetry and various plays, which I undertook through workshops with actors in both Scotland and New Zealand," Palmer added.

The play showcases some of Shakespeare's most notable female characters - and some of the most obscure. The script includes Juliet and the Nurse from "Romeo and Juliet"; Helena and Hermia, "A Midsummer Night's Dream"; The Princess, Rosaline, Catherine and Maria, "Love's Labour's Lost"; Cleopatra, "Antony and Cleopatra"; Katherine of Aragon, "Henry VIII"; Mistress Quickly, "Henry V"; and numerous other characters.

Included is a selection of sonnets and pieces from the epic poem, "Venus and Adonis."

Palmer's play was staged last year in the U.K. and New Zealand, to critical acclaim. The Scotsman newspaper called it "a funny, poignant and emotionally charged rollercoaster." The Wellington News Dispatch in New Zealand said it was "a joyful and, at times, deeply moving romp through the breadth and width of the Bard's favorite women."

The idea that the play will be performed on April 22 in three different countries astounds Palmer.

"It is amazing to me that this script will be seen by people in Glasgow, Wellington and Corvallis on the same day," he said. "It's great to know that people all over the world will stop for an hour or so to enjoy Shakespeare, who contributed some of the most beautiful language ever written."

Charlotte Headrick, one of Palmer's faculty colleagues at OSU, is one of nine women who will perform in the play. The cast is comprised of students, faculty and community members.

"Many people find Shakespeare a bit daunting," she said, "but 'Infinite Variety' is incredibly funny and very accessible - even to people who don't know Shakespeare very well."

Because seating is limited, patrons are encouraged to arrive early for the performances. The theater is located at 30th Street and Campus Way in Corvallis.

Note to Editors: A rehearsal on Wednesday, April 20, at 7 p.m. in the Withycombe Hall Lab Theatre, 30th and Campus Way, will be an opportunity for photographers to get advance shots of the play.