DOWAGIAC — Lovers of Shakespearian theater can get their fix this weekend at the Beckwith Theatre in Dowagiac.

The Beckwith Theatre, 100 New York Ave., will host a staged reading of William Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure” this weekend. Showings will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. There is no admission fee for the show, but organizers are asking that those who would like to attend reserve seats by calling the office at (269) 782-7653.

The staged reading, along with a Friday reading of Tom Stoppard’s “Heroes,” is taking the place of “The Sisters Rosenweig,” which had to be cancelled for a number of reasons, according to Beckwith officials.

Unlike a traditional play, during this weekend’s performances, the actors will primarily be reading the lines of the play on stage, with minimal blocking and action.

For Director Andi Creasbaum, who is co-directing “Measure for Measure” with David Prouty, the move to host a staged reading of “Measure for Measure” was somewhat unexpected due to the cancellation of “The Sisters Rosenweig,” but she said she was up for the challenge.

“A lot of people, including actors, are freaked out by Shakespeare, so a reading is a good way to for us all to dip our toes into the Shakespeare waters,” Creasbaum said. “The reading will be really great, because even just having someone read [Shakespeare’s] works aloud makes them easier to understand than just looking at the words on a page.”

“Measure for Measure” is one of Shakespeare’s lesser performed comedies, which is why Creasbaum and Prouty wanted to direct it.

“We picked something not everyone has done a million times. I hadn’t even read [“Measure for Measure”] before this,” Creasbaum said. “We wanted to give people something different.”

Creasbaum has long wanted to perform and direct Shakespeare’s works at Beckwith, and even hopes to one day direct a full outdoor production of a Shakespeare play for Beckwith. She said she hopes that the staged reading of “Measure for Measure” will spark a love of Shakespeare in the audiences of Dowagiac that will leave them wanting more.

“This is kind of a trial to see if people are interested in more Shakespeare,” she said. “Shakespeare is someone that we still talk about even now, because the things he wrote about in his plays are so universal they are still happening today. Though the language is different, he is still so relevant. So, I would love to see Beckwith take on more Shakespeare, because I think his works have something for everyone.”

Hopeful that audiences will respond well to the staged reading, Creasbaum said she would encourage anyone to attend the reading and potentially become exposed to a new Shakespeare play.

“It should be a lot of fun. It is a comedy, after all,” she said.