“If e’er again I meet him beard to beard, he’s mine or I am his.” – Act I, Scene X
(Lenox, MA) – Shakespeare & Company presents a special limited run workshop production of William Shakespeare’s Coriolanus in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre. Performances run from August 21 – August 25, and brings together Artistic Director Allyn Burrows and Founding Artistic Director Tina Packer performing together for the first time. The Company also welcomes Christopher V. Edwards, Artistic Director of Actors Shakespeare Project, to the Company’s stage.
“Shakespeare’s Coriolanus is a man of contradictions and complexities: noble, valiant, heroic in battle and unrivaled in military prowess; brutal, proud, impolitic and immune to advice; capable of great loyalty to family, friends, country, and of equally great betrayal,” said Director Daniela Varon. “His relationship with his mother, Volumnia, one of the fiercest women in the canon, could occupy every therapist vacationing in the Berkshires in August — and they would need time to spare to unpack his relationships with his adversary Aufidius, his friend/father-figure Menenius, his colleague Cominius, and his wife Virgilia. Small wonder then that this play draws and fascinates Allyn and Tina, and that they should want to engage with it together and see what happens. I am curious and grateful to be in the room with these formidable veteran actors, and our wonderful younger collaborators, in a spirit of inquiry into what is essential in the play.”
The workshop production of Coriolanus is an examination of what happens when an ambitious, arrogant general seizes power only to prove his complete ineptitude in a leadership role. Coriolanus, while successful in battle, learns that ultimately it is the people who choose their leaders, and in spite of joining with his arch enemy to exact revenge on the city of Rome that betrayed him, Coriolanus is doomed to meet the fate he deserves.
In this special workshop production, actors will perform scenes from the play with script in hand, and engage the audience in discussions exploring the themes and relationships of the play. Coriolanus is generously sponsored by Deborah and Bill Ryan, and will feature Allyn Burrows (Coriolanus), Brandon E. Burton (Ensemble), Christopher V. Edwards (Tullus Aufidius), Rory Hammond (Virgilia), and Tina Packer (Volumina). The creative team includes Daniela Varon (Director), Raz Golden (Assistang Director), J.P. Elins (Stage Manager), Dennis Ebert (Assistant Stage Manager), Grace Eldred (Wardrobe), Devon Drohan (Set Designer), Govane Lohbauer (Costume Designer), and Natalie Johnsonius Neubert (Sound Designer).
Tickets are $25-$55 and can be purchased online at shakespeare.org, or by calling Shakespeare & Company’s box office at (413) 637-3353. Berkshire Residents enjoy a 40% discount at select performances. The show runs from August 21 to August 25. The Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre is indoors, air-conditioned, and wheelchair accessible. Shakespeare & Company is located at 70 Kemble St. in Lenox, Massachusetts.
Following the performance, Canyon Ranch will be hosting an intimate post-performance dinner and discussion with the artists. Tickets for this exclusive dinner are $250 each (including performance ticket) and funds raised will be used to support the Company’s summer season. Seating for the dinner is limited, and those wishing to purchase tickets should call Natalie Johnsonius Neubert at 413-637-1199 ext. 180 to request availability.
The Company’s 2019 Summer Season also includes Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and The Taming of The Shrew; plus Tony nominee The Childrenby Lucy Kirkwood, The Pulitzer Prize-winning Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks, and Tony Award nominee, Time Stands Still by Donald Margulies.
AT A GLANCE:
PRODUCTION: Coriolanus
PLAYWRIGHT: William Shakespeare
DIRECTOR: Daniela Varon
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Raz Golden
STAGE MANAGER: J.P. Elins
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: Dennis Ebert
WARDROBE: Grace Eldred
SET DESIGNER: Devon Drohan
COSTUME DESIGNER: Govane Lohbauer
SOUND DESIGNER: Natalie Johnsonius Neubert
CAST MEMBERS:
CORIOLANUS: Allyn Burrows
ENSEMBLE: Brandon E. Burton
TULLUS AUFIDIUS: Christopher V. Edwards
VIRGILIA: Rory Hammond
VOLUMINA: Tina Packer
SCHEDULE:
Wednesday, August 21 – 7:30pm
Thursday, August 22 – 7:30pm
Friday, August 23 – 7:30pm
Saturday, August 24 – 3:00pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, August 25 – 3:00pm (Closing)
About William Shakespeare
Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist. His works, including some collaborations, consist of about 37 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
About Daniela Varon
Twenty-second season (Director, Coriolanus). For S&Co: Director, Ugly Lies the Bone, Red Velvet, Shakespeare’s Will, Romeo and Juliet, Sea Marks, Martha Mitchell Calling, Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, Love Letters, Collected Stories, Winter’s Tale, Wit, Room of One’s Own, Turn of the Screw. New York: Abingdon; Culture Project; EST; HERE; Joe’s Pub; Lincoln Center Theater Directors’ Lab; Mud/Bone; the Public; Shakespeare Society; Symphony Space; Vineyard Theatre. Regional: Boston Playwrights’; Connecticut Rep; LA Women’s Shakespeare; Sun Valley Shakespeare; Tygre’s Heart Shakespeare; Vineyard Playhouse; Wharton Salon. Co-founder,The Company of Women; co-creator, Conversations with Shakespeare; founding faculty, The Linklater Center; Drama League Fellow; NYTW Usual Suspect.
About Shakespeare & Company
Located in the beautiful Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, Shakespeare & Company is one of the leading Shakespeare festivals of the world. Founded in 1978, the organization attracts over 40,000 patrons annually. The Company is also home to an internationally renowned Center for Actor Training and award-winning Education Program. More information is available at www.shakespeare.org.
