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Home , Barbara Jefford, Emilia Fox, Ian McDiarmid, John Bennett (actor), Jonathan Kent (director), Ralph Fiennes

Brooklyn 30 I Cl filyelle /\venue Communications Department

Academy l~r oo t..l yn NY 1 l ; 1/ 1 · l ~b I lena Park of lelcpllone: /18 GJ6 ,II 1 1 Melissa Cusrck Music I ax: ll8.851.20? I /\my 11ugl1es larnara McCaw Krla Packell 118.636.4129 News Release Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Presents the Exclusive U.S. Engagements of Company's Richard II and

Ralph Fiennes will perform the title roles in repertory, leading a stellar cast including Linus Roache, for a limited run at the BAM Harvey Theater, September 6-0ctober 1

Almeida Theatre Company in association with HoriPro Inc. Written by Directed by Scenic and costume design by Paul Brown Lighting design by Mark Henderson Music by Jon a than Dove Sound design by John A. Leonard

BAM Harvey Theater Richard II 14 performances: September 6 at 8pm (gala); September 7 (press opening), 12, J 3. 16, 19, 20, 23, 26, 27 & 30 at 7:30pm; September 17, 24 & October I at 3pm Coriolanus 12 performances: September 9 (press opening). 14, 15 21, 22. 28 & 29 at 7:30pm; September 9, 16, 23 & 30 at I :30pm; September 10 at 3pm tickets: $25, 45, 75 (availability is extremely limited) September 6 gala performance: $25 (performance-only ga ll ery seating). 500, I 000

BAMdialogue with , Linus Roache, and Jonathan Kent fo ll ows the 7:30pm performance on September 12 (open on ly to that evening's ticketholders; free)

BAMcinbnatek presents screenin gs of One[?in on September 18 and Priest on September 25 (with a Q&A with Linus Roache)

BROOKLYN, February 18, 2000 (revised 9/1/00)-Brooklyn Academy or Music (BAM) announces the exclusive U.S. engagements of the Almeid a Theatre Company'. Richard II and Coriolanus, directed by Jonathan Kent and featuring Tony Award-winning Ralph Fiennes in the title roles. The cast also in cludes Linus Roache (The Winf?s of the Do1•e, Priest) as his rivals Henry Bolingbroke and Tullus Aufidius; the engagement marks hi s U.S. stage debut. BAM will present fourteen performances of Richard !! and twelve performances of Coriolanus at the BAM Harvey Theater (65 1 Fu lton Street), September 6- 0ctober I. The acclaimed British theater company, in association with HoriPro Inc., returns to BAM fo ll owing last January's hi ghl y-successful engagement of 's

more ... Brooklyn Academy of Music Richard II and Coriolanus 2

Phec!J-e and Britannicus, featuring Dame Diana Ri gg and staged by Kent, which opened BAM's 1999 Spring Season. In addition to Fiennes and Roache, the company features David Burke, , and (who won accolades for her performances in Phedre and Britannicus at BAM). The Almeida Theatre Company engagement is sponsored by Time Warner Inc. Ticket availability is limited. Remaining tickets are available through BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100 or Ticketmaster (2 12. 307.4100), or by visiting BAM's website at www.bam.org.

In the Almeida's most ambitious project to date, the company presented Richard II and Coriolanus this spring and summer at the Gainsborough Studios in , a former generating station that has been closed fo r fifty years. The studios-where Alfred Hitchcock created hi s classic films Th e Lodger and The Lady Vanishes-housed a temporary auditorium created specifically for these Shakespeare productions. The cast has dedi cated more than eight months to the project. Following the opening performance of Richard If on April 12 (previews began March 30), stated that Ralph Fiennes gave "an unequivocal star performance." Coriolanus, which the Daily Mail described as "superbly rendered in Jonathan Kent's production," began previews on June I , and opened on June 14; both plays ran in repertory at Gainsborough Studios until August 5.

Together, th e plays mark the third collaboration between director Jonathan Kent and Fiennes: the actor played the title roles in Kent's renderings of (a 1995 production that transferred to the Belasco Theatre on Broadway) and (a 1997 project that traveled to Moscow after a run at the Almeida). Following the September BAM engagement, the plays will be presented at the Akasaka Theatre in Tokyo from October 11 -29.

Shake, peare' hi storical verse tragedy Richard II traces the decline and fall of a yo ung, willful ruler. Coriolanus, set in the same volatile Rome as Shakespeare's and , is the story of a legend ary Roman warrior whose obstinate nature and obsessive sense of honor lead to exile, revenge and, ultimately, hi s own death. The plays will run in repertory at BAM; on three Saturdays (September 16, 23, and 30), it will be possible to attend both plays, with Coriolanus at I :30pm and Richard If at 7:30pm.

Two special performances will take place during the engagement. A gala benefiting BAM will take place in conjunction with the September 6 performance of Richard fl. Gala tickets for $1000 include a pre-performance dinner in BAM's Lepercq Space at 6pm, premium seating at the 8pm performance, and a post-performance dessert reception with the company. Gala ti ckets for $500 include preferred seating at the performance and the post-performance dessert reception with the company. For gala tickets, call BAM Patron Services at 718.636.4182. On September 27 at I :30pm, the company will give a special Richard If performance fo r an audience comprised of New York City hi gh school student (not open to the general public).

About Almeida Theatre Company

The Almeida Theatre Company, led by Artistic Directors Jonathan Kent and Ian McDiarmid, has been called "the most impressive achievement of the Nineties ... British theatre would be impoverished without it" (Lond on Daily Telegraph). Since 1990, the Almeida has established an international reputation, wi nning more than 40 major theater award s, including the Award for Outstanding Achievement. Its more than 70 acclaimed productions have put the Almeida at the forefront of British theater, and its home in Islington attracts capacity audiences as well as many of today' s leading , writers, and directors.

According to Wall Street Journal Europe, over the past ten years Kent and McDiarmid "have transformed [the company] from an obscure fr inge theater into arguably the most glamorous, exciting, and influential theater venue in London." Fourteen of its productions have played in London 's West End; four have moved to Broadway, including Homier with Ralph Fiennes and Medea featuring Dame Diana Rigg (both productions directed by Jonathan Kent), a we ll as last season's The Iceman Com eth with .

more ... Richard II and Coriolanus 3

About Ralph Fiennes

Ralph Fiennes' last New York appearance, as Hamlet in the 1995 Almeida produ ction on Broadway, resulted in Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Actor. His theater credits include Chekhov' s Ivanov (Almeida); Six Characters in Search of an Author, Father and Sons, Ting Tang Mine (); and Th e Man Wh o Came to Dinner, Troilus and Cress ida, and Love's Labour's Lost (Royal Shakespeare Company). In addition to hi s work on stage, Fienn es has performed numerous roles for the screen, including the recently-released feature films Sunshine, Th e End of th e Affair, and Onegin (of which he is also executive producer). Other television and film credits include The Baby qfMacon , Schindler's List (Oscar nominati on), Quiz Show, Strange Days, Oscar and Lucinda, (Oscar and Golden Globe nominations), Th e A vengers, , A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia (BBC), and Th e Cormorant (BBC).

About Linus Roache

Linus Roache, whose notable credi ts include the films Priest and Wings of th e Dove, makes hi s U.S. stage debut with Richard ll and Coriolanus. Roache has worked with some of Britain's most acclai med theater companies, including the Royal Shakespeare Company (Uncle Vanya, Richard ll, King , Th e Last Days of Don Juan , Diving Gossip, Julius Caesar, Keeping Tom Nice, , Indigo, A Question of Geography) and the Royal Exchange (Richard ll, Love's Labour's Lost, Th e Glass Managerie). Other theater work includes This is a Chair, A Colder Climate (); The Deep Blue Sea (Almeida Theatre, Apoll o Thatre); Juno and the Paycock (Royal National Theatre); A Taste of Honey (Theatre Royal Northampton); Th e Mother (Contact Theatre, Manchester); and Five Finger Exercise (The Cambridge Theatre Company, nati onal tour). Hi s credits also include the films Pandemonium (premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 15). Th e Venice Proj ect, Best, and Siam Sunset as well as numerous television appearances.

About Jonathan Kent

Jonathan Kent's productions of Phedre and Britannicus opened BAM's 1999 Spring Season. Kent is joint arti sti c director of the Almeida Theatre Company, where he has directed All for Love, The Rules of th e Game, Medea (also West End and Broadway), Chatsky, Th e School for Wi ves, Th e L~fe ofGalileo, Gangster No. 1, Ta rh~tfe, Ivanov (with Ralph Fienn es, also presented in Moscow), The Government Inspector, and Naked. His Hamlet, also featuring Fiennes, enj oyed West End and Broadway engagements. For the Royal Nati onal Theatre, he directed Le Cid and Mother Courage and Her Children; and hi s Almeida production of Plenty recentl y completed a run at the Albery Theatre on the West End.

Cast info rmation Performer, Roles in Richard II Roles in Coriolanus Scan Baker Bagot 2nd Citizen/Soldier Ian Barritt Lord Marshall/Lord 2nd Volsci Senator John Bennett Exton I 51 Volsci Senator Pa ul Benzin g Attendant/Keeper 6'11 Citizen/Soldier David Burke John of Gaunt Comin ius Stephen Campbell Moo re Harry Percy/2nd Herald I st Volsci/1 ~ ~Vo l sci Scrvin gman Alan David Welsh Captain/Gardener Sicinius Angela Down Duchess of Gloucester Valeri a Phi lip Dunbar Ross/Surrey/Groom I ~ ~ Roman Senator David Fah Bushy/Exton's Servant 2nd Vo lsci/2nd Vo lsci Servi ngman Ralph Ficnncs Ri chard II Co ri olanu s 111 Stephen Finegold Willoughby/Fitzwater 4 Citi;.en/Soldier Oliver Ford Davies Duke of York Menenius

Em ilia Fox Queen Isabel Vircr0 ili a Bernard Ga ll agher Bishop of Carl is le Brutu s Barbara JcfTord Duchess of York Volumni a Danic llc King Queen's Attendant Gentl ewoman Pau l Moriarty Mowbray I st Citi zen/Soldier Da mi an O'Hare I st Herald/York's Man/1 st Gard ener's Man 3'd C iti.~e n /So ldi e r

1110/"{! . .. Richard II and Coriolanus 4

(Cast continued) Performer, Roles in Richard II Roles in Coriolanus Linus Roache Bolingbroke Aufidis Ol iver Ryan Au merle 3rd Volsci Servingman/Messenger Marc Sma ll Attendant t 11 Citizen/Soldier Roger Swaine /Westminster 2nd Roman Senator Robert Swann Northumberland Titus Lartius Ed Waters Greene/2nd Gardener's Man 5111 Citizen/Soldier

Related BAMcinematek programming

BAMcinematek, BAM Rose Cinemas' repertory film program, complements the Almeida engagement with two notable film performances by Ralph Fiennes and Linus Roache, including a special post-screening Q&A with the latter. On September 18, BAMcinematek presents Onegin (1999), ' opulent adaptation of Pushkin's epic verse novel, a fi lm produced by and starring Ralph Fiennes. In addition, Antonia Bird ' s Priest ( 1994)-in which Linus Roache portrays a young, idealistic Roman Catholic priest whose sexual orientation leads to a crisis of faith­ wi ll be presented on September 25 . Roache wi ll be present for a Q&A fo llowing the 7pm showing of Priest. Screenings of the films are at 4:30, 7, and 9:30pm.

Advance tickets, priced at $8.50 or $5 for students (with valid I.D. Monday-Friday, except holidays), seniors, BAM Cinema Club members and children under 12, are available one week prior to screening at th e cinema box office or by cal ling 718.623.2770. For BAMcinematek press information, contact Nicki Lilavois at 718.636.4129 x3.

Credits

The Almeida Theatre Company engagement is sponsored by Time Warner Inc. Programming in the BAM Harvey Theater is supported and endowed by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Major supporters are Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden, Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, Richard B. Fisher & Jeanne Donovan Fi sher The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc., The Norman & Rosita Winston Foundation, Inc., The Howard Gilman Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Inc., The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Philip Morris Companies Inc., The British Counsel, and Finlay Printing. Official Broadcast Sponsor is Bloomberg Radio AM 1130. Official hotel is New York Marriott Brooklyn. The original London productions, presented by the Almeida Theatre Company in association with HoriPro Inc., are supported by Deutsche Bank and the Laura Pels Foundation.

General information

BAM Howard Gilman House, BAM Rose Cinemas, BAMcafe, and Shakespeare & Co. BAMshop are located in the main building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (Lafayette and Ashland) in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater (formerly the Majestic Theater) is located at 651 Fulton Street in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn's only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming. Award-winning Tentation Catering provides food and beverages at BAMcafe, which features an eclectic mi x of spoken word and li ve music on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. A package including dinner in BAMcafe and a movie ticket to BAM Rose Cinemas is available for onl y $30 (at the box office only).

Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, D, Q to Atlantic Avenue B, M, N, R to Pacific Street; G to Fulton Street, C to Lafayette Avenue Train: Long Island Railroad to Flatbush Avenue BAMbus: Departs from Whitney Museum at Philip Morris, 120 Park Avenue at 42nd Street, one hour prior to most performances. Car: Commercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM.

For ticket and BAMbus information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit www.bam.org. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster at 2 12.307.4 100.

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