Summer 2009 Greenstage Program
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GreenStage - 2009 SHAKESPEARE in the PARK KING JOHN directed by Teresa Thuman the COMEDY of errors directed by Ryan Higgins JULY 10 ~ AUGUST 15 Original art by GreenStage supporter Karen Richter Original art by GreenStage supporter Karen Seattle • Lynnwood • Burien • Fall City • Redmond is sponsored by Media Sponsor City of RedmondCity of ParksRedmond & Recreation Parks & Recreation Department Department and Redmond and ArtsRedmond Commission Arts Commission proudly present proudly present Located on theLocated green on space the greenbehind space Redmond behind City Redmond Hall, these City free Hall, performances these free performances are a great wayare ato great celebrate way tothe celebrate summer! the summer! PerformancesPerformances for Children for Children PerformancesPerformances for All for Ages All Ages FREE • TuesdaysFREE at • 12 Tuesdays noon • atRedmond 12 noon City • Redmond Hall Green City Space Hall Green Space FREE • FridaysFREE at 7pm • Fridays • Redmond at 7pm City • Redmond Hall Green City Space Hall Green Space July 14 July 14 August 4 August 4 July 17 July 17 August 7 August 7 Alleyoop MusicAlleyoop Music One WorldOne Taiko World Taiko You’re A GoodYou’re Man A Good ManOpen ImprovOpen Improv Musical performance,Musical performance, Japanese drumJapanese ensemble drum ensemble Charlie BrownCharlie Brown A fun night of Acomedy fun night using of comedy using games, and audiencegames, and audience with heart poundingwith heart pounding SecondStory RepertorySecondStory Repertory several styles ofseveral improv. styles of improv. participation makeparticipation for a fun make for a funpercussion. percussion. presents a playpresents based on a play based on Performed by seasonedPerformed by seasoned afternoon! afternoon! the comic stripsthe by comic Charles strips by Charlesartists from Unexpectedartists from Unexpected August 11 August 11 Shultz. This showShultz. is bright, This show is bright,Productions. Productions. July 21 July 21 StorytellingStorytelling and and fun, and adorable.fun, and adorable. The JungleThe Books Jungle Books Music Music August 14 August 14 Book-It Repertory’sBook-It adaption Repertory’s adaptionInteractive musicInteractive and stories music and stories July 24 July 24 Teen PerformancesTeen Performances of Rudyard Kipling’sof Rudyard classic Kipling’s classicfor the family. for the family. Comedy ofComedy Errors of Errors Now in their 3rdNow year, in thetheir 3rd year, the tale about a boytale growing about a boy growing An early ShakespeareAn early Shakespeare teens from theteens Old Firehouse from the Old Firehouse up in the jungleup with in the some jungle with someAugust 18 August 18 play about identicalplay about twins identical twinsTeen Center takeTeen the Center stage take the stage WILD friends! WILD friends! to perform originalto perform music original music Junk ChimeJunk Chime accidentally separatedaccidentally separated at birth. Performedat birth. by Performed by and spoken word.and Visitspoken word. Visit Play the big percussionPlay the big percussion July 28 July 28 Greenstage. Greenstage.GreenStage. www.theoldfirehouse.org.www.theoldfirehouse.org. instrument madeinstrument up of made up of Lelavision Lelavision recycled metal.recycled metal. Inventive instrumentsInventive and instruments and July 31 July 31 August 21 August 21 vehicles combinevehicles for a funcombine for a funAugust 25 August 25 Richard III Richard III UnexpectedUnexpected Theater Theater and unique performance.and unique performance. A variety of theatre,A variety movie, of theatre, movie, DandelionsDandelions and and Wooden O TheatreWooden presents O Theatre presents Shakespeare’s playShakespeare’s about the play aboutpop-culture, the andpop-culture, artistic and artistic DaydreamsDaydreams Machiavellian riseMachiavellian to power rise to powerstyles. Bring yourstyles. requests Bring your requests Redwood TheatreRedwood presents Theatre presents and subsequentand short subsequent reign short reignfor an amazingfor hour an ofamazing hour of the story of a girlthe who story falls of a girl who falls of Richard III ofof England. Richard III of England. whatever YOU whateverwant it to YOU be! want it to be! asleep in a garden.asleep in a garden. www.redmond.gov/artswww.redmond.gov/arts www.experienceredmond.comwww.experienceredmond.com 425-556-2316425-556-2316 2009 Season 21st Anniversary GREENStage HistorY Welcome to GreenStage’s Shakespeare in the Park! As of this summer, GreenStage has produced all but four of Shakespeare’s plays, as well as several new works in the Seattle Fringe Festival, and a few in our ongoing American Classics Series. Below is a list of all the plays we have produced. Can you name the four Shakespeare plays we haven’t tackled? 2009 The Comedy of Errors • King John • Titus Andronicus 2008 Hamlet • Twelfth Night 2007 Two Gentlemen of Verona • Richard III • Skin of Our Teeth 2006 A Midsummer Night’s Dream • Henry VI, parts 1, 2 and 3 2005 The Tempest • Henry V • Who’s Afraid Thanks for joining us today! Without an audience, theater can’t exist. By simply of Virginia Woolf? being here, you become part of the play, and help us to bring it to life. 2004 All’s Well That Ends Well • Coriolanus • The Man Who Came to Dinner For over four-hundred years, audiences have been watching, reading, enjoying, and captivated by Shakespeare’s plays. They have been a source of enlightenment, 2003 The Merry Wives of Windsor • The Merchant of Venice • The Night of the education, and entertainment the world over. There is little in our human experience Iguana that Shakespeare didn’t write about: love, hate, madness, war, deception, jealousy, revenge, ambition, grief... it’s all there. For over two decades now, GreenStage and our 2002 Henry IV, Part 2 • Taming of the Shrew • audiences have joined together to explore these magnificent plays. Touch of the Poet 2001 Troilus and Cressida • Macbeth • GreenStage’s mission is to inspire audiences to engage with live theater as part of their Squish recreation. Our productions are free, fun, and family-oriented. We believe in presenting 2000 Henry IV, Part 1 • Much Ado About Shakespeare’s plays simply, focusing on the text, story, characters and relationships in Nothing • Winter’s Tale • The Ballad of the play. Young Will Jones 1999 Comedy of Errors • Timon of Athens • Volpone • The Bind • The Root of Why We do thiS FoR free Chaos Because art is an essential part of our human existence. Because theater holds a mirror 1998 A Midsummer Night’s Dream • The Two up to our lives, allowing us a vital glimpse inside ourselves. Because experiencing a play Noble Kinsmen • Richard II is something that anyone should be able to do. 1997 Julius Caesar • As You Like It • GreenStage is committed to making Shakespeare’s plays accessible, fun, exciting and Cymbeline FREE. If you enjoy what we do, we invite you to make a donation. No member of 1996 Measure for Measure (indoors at our audience is ever required to donate, but anything you can afford to give is greatly Langston Hughes) • Measure for appreciated and helps to fund our programs. If you are unable to donate at this time, Measure (outdoors in the parks) • Love’s consider donating your time — volunteers are always welcome. Labour’s Lost 1995 Twelfth Night • Pericles • Titus Thank you for joining us this summer. Enjoy the show! Andronicus 1994 A Midsummer Nights Dream • The Cherry Orchard 1993 A Midsummer Nights Dream 1991 & 1992 Twelfth Night 1990 Romeo and Juliet 1989 Taming of the Shrew Pictured: Shawn Law with Heather Gautschi in 2008’s Hamlet. Photo by Ken Holmes page 3 Seattle’s Shakespeare in the Park Company DIRECtor’S Notes the CoMEDY of Errors KING JOHN Don’t read into this play. It has nothing to do with you. Welcome to the tumultuous and ever shifting political world of William Shakespeare’s rarely performed history The Life and The situation proposed is so fully ridiculous that it’s hard to Death of King John. Most people are generally familiar with imagine that anyone could find parallels between it and their England’s King John as the monarch who signed the Magna own life. Twins are rare. Identical twins are even more rare. Carta or as the legendary greedy, evil prince from the tales of Twins that are separated from each other during childhood by a Robin Hood. In this early play, probably written and performed shipwreck: rarest. Having slaves is pretty taboo and traveling to circa 1590, Shakespeare diverges from the historical King John Ephesus is rather unfashionable. Nobody does these things. and tilts toward the legendary King infamous for his ruthlessness and incompetence. Shakespeare develops a contradictory This is not your life. So relax and take amusement in the hardships and reckless king who changes allegiances easily for political of others as they find themselves in situations that you would expediency, yet forges a loyal brotherly bond with the illegitimate never find yourself. There are no similarities. son of his deceased brother, King Richard the Lionhearted. Who has ever gone to a new place in order to lose themselves in While working on King John, considered by some to be a strangers? Who has ever gone to a loved one only to be treated “minor” play, it has been common to find passages that seem like a stranger? Who’s ever been falsely accused, or been lied to oddly familiar when compared with later “major” works; many by friends, or had to choose between fight and flight? Who’s felt of the characters, the moments, the logic in the arguments, the relief when understanding and stability return to our turbulent and even passages of text echo aspects of Macbeth, Richard III, lives? Henry V, King Lear and others. Unique to King John, however, Absurd situations have the power to trigger the familiar in our is the central importance of the role of mothers. Here we are lives, despite how ridiculous they may be. We can find ourselves introduced to three influential mothers (Eleanor, Constance and in the shoes of each character, confronting forces that seem bent Lady Faulconbridge) all of whom play a vital role in the lives of on ruining their carefully plotted lives, no matter the seeming their sons, while such mothers are conspicuously absent from distance.