Mary听Baldwin College鈥檚 mobile theatre company, Roving Shakespeare, presents听King Lear听at 7:30 p.m. January 28 at Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton. This is the fourth production of the season for this unique graduate-level company, which combines students鈥 diverse regional backgrounds and shared knowledge of early modern theatre to bring the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries to available audiences.
Guest artist and assistant professor in the Shakespeare and Performance program at 糖心视频, Matthew Davies, will join company ranks as Lear, an aging monarch who divides the power of his kingdom among his daughters, instigating a struggle for dominance. As his elder daughters work to minimize his control, he strives to hold on to his sanity and dignity amidst impending political turmoil.听King Lear听explores the rocky dynamics of family love and proffers a vision of forgiveness and destruction.
The production is based on the first quarto of听King Lear, published in 1608, which is distinguished from the first folio version, a compilation of works printed in 1623 after William Shakespeare鈥檚 death. The company will strive to recreate the rehearsal conditions for which Shakespeare originally wrote the play, imposing a series of restrictions upon the production based on research into the theatrical practices of Shakespeare鈥檚 day. Most notably, the cast of听King Lear听will produce the play without the aid of a director or designers.
Roving Shakespeare鈥檚 production of听King Lear听January 28 at 7:30 p.m . in the Blackfriars Playhouse is a 鈥減ay-as-you-like-it鈥 performance.
King Lear听is available for bookings, as well as Roving Shakespeare鈥檚 production of听The Comedy of Errors, which has optional educational workshops. For more information, contact Roving Shakespeare鈥檚 booking manager, Rachel Ratkowski, at听rovingshakespeare@gmail.com. 鈥淟ike鈥 Roving Shakespeare on Facebook, or follow the company on Twitter听for more information and ticket discounts. The season continues with听As You Like It听on March 18 and will wrap up March 31颅鈥揂pril 2 during the Roving Shakespeare Festival Season Finale of Shows at the Blackfriars Playhouse where audiences can catch all the company鈥檚 shows including Shakespeare鈥檚听The Tempest听and Fletcher and Massinger鈥檚听The Sea Voyage.