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Portland
Actors Ensemble's Presents
The
History of
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Directed by John Monteverde Road Manager --STEPHANIE
L. EDWARDS THE CAST KING HENRY THE FOURTH
Chris Porter LADY MORTIMER, daughter to Glendower, and wife to Mortimer Tamara K. Burgess MISTRESS QUICKLY, hostess of a tavern in Eastcheap Bibi Walton MUSICIANS Robert Ciardi & Alex Sorenson |
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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 Lancaster, 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. Press Release (.pdf) Promotional Photos
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The 1st Part
(directed by John Monteverde)
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PO Box 8671 Portland, OR. 97207 503-467-6573 | ||
