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"' . . . twill be a storm"
"Love cools, friendship falls off, brothers divide; in cities, mutinies;
in countries, Portland Actors Ensemble is proud to announce its 40th Season of producing Shakespeare in Portland area parks. This year's shows focus on the nature of leadership, authority and the relationships between father and child.
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King Lear is perhaps Shakespeare’s most
uncompromising tragedy. Yet at its heart, it is about forgiving oneself,
demonstrated by the character journeys of both Lear and Cordelia as well
as Gloucester and Edgar. It is also one of the Bard's most insightful plays.
Lear examines the human condition on every level of society, from
the absolute monarch to the most outcast and wretched
people of the social order. Authority, loyalty, obedience, service, servility,
dignity, and pride are principal themes that are woven to
support each character’s journey.
Stark, soaring, and majestic, we have chosen to perform Shakespeare's great tragedy in locations that invoke those qualities: beneath the Willamette Valley's only suspension bridge, the St. Johns Bridge in Cathedral Park. Special to this year, the Maryhill Museum has invited Portland Actors Ensemble to perform for one night only, at the Stonehenge War Memorial in Maryhill, Washington on the evening of the Summer Solstice. |
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All Shows are FREE *scheduled to be an ASL Sign Interpreted Performance |
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2009 Shakespeare-in-the-Parks
The
History of Produced in collaboration with our sister company Northwest Classical Theatre (NWCTC), PAE celebrates its 40th year of FREE Shakespeare-in-the-Parks with its first history play production: The First Part of King Henry IV. NWCTC will co-produce The Second Part of King Henry IV in October at their own space, the Shoebox Theater, in Southeast Portland. The productions will share concepts, design, and actors wherever possible. Part of a larger narrative of the rise of the House of York, both parts of Henry IV focus on the disintegration of King Henry of Bolingbroke's kingdom, family, and body while he strives to atone for his usurpation of the throne of his cousin Richard II. At the same time the plays also follow young Prince Hal's progress to becoming one of England's greatest monarchs, Henry V. Classified by Shakespeare's contemporaries as a History (literally, a story), the two Henry IV plays are considered among the Bard's comic best, giving rise to some of his most memorable characters. Each part stands alone as its own story: They were rarely performed together prior to the 20th century. Today they are frequently bracketed with productions of Richard II and Henry V forming a tetralogy. Two of Shakespeare's unforgettable characters debuted in these plays: The patriotic and virtuous soldier Henry "Hotspur" Percy, whose motto Esperance (meaning hope or expectation) could be a watchword for all the characters, and the Bard's greatest comic creation, Sir John Falstaff. The larger-than-life Falstaff was so popular that it is said that Queen Elizabeth requested a comedy written for him so that she could see him in love (and the result was The Merry Wives of Windsor). For centuries the character ran riot through productions that were titled simply Falstaff, and often the political content was cut altogether. More recent stagings have returned the bawdy knight to a larger context. As our director John Monteverde writes: Hotspur and Falstaff serve as foils in contrast to Hal and Henry: Hotspur as the ideal others believe Hal should strive for, Falstaff as the father that King Henry is not. A central question, and one that gives the play its most contemporary relevance is “what is leadership?” As a king, as a father, what does being a good leader mean? We live in a fractured world where this question frequently comes into play. Our world of the play is one where the past and the present mix, where there is great wealth and great poverty, great heroism and great cowardice -often in the same person. To Hal it is a world where we piece together bits of our past, to create a new future; a world much like this one. As always, all park performances are free. Partake with us in this rare event of collaboration and history this summer, and help support two theater companies for the price of none. |
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The 1st Part
(directed by John Monteverde)
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Sister Companies: The below are companies with whom PAE has collaborated and have an ongoing relationship. Northwest Classical Theatre
Company -from their website (www.nwctc.org) Original Practice
Shakespeare Festival -from their website (www.opsfest.org) Blue Monkey Theatre Company
-from their website (www.bluemonkeytheater.org) | ||
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PO Box 8671 Portland, OR. 97207 503-467-6573 | ||
