Christopher V. Edwards, Artistic Director

Mara Sidmore, Interim Managing Director & Director of Education

ASP Youth Performance Project by williamnaomi shakespeare stephenson directed by May 20-22, 2021 who's who Cast Production Team Iselle Cohen – Queen, Arviragus, Gaoler, Director – Naomi Stephenson Frenchman Teaching Artists – Michael Forden Walker, Lincoln Crockett – Cloten, Belarius Lindsay Williams & Steve Vieira Lara Gordon – Posthumus, Caius Lucius Education Intern – Julia Luisa Lee Rebecca Lapham – Pisanio, Philario, Roman Captain, British Captain Production Intern – Abraham Joyner-Meyers Sasha Lennox – Guiderius, Second Lord, Helen Sound Designer – Annie Flatt Winifred Nauda – Iachimo, Cornelius, First Lord Graphic Designer – Jules Talbot Ryan Whorf – Cymbeline, Jupiter Madeleine Yu-Phelps – Imogen

Additional unnamed roles played by members of the ensemble from the director Why Cymbeline? his own works and patching them into a Greatest Hits montage. The script is so thick with plots and Early in this process, I was chatting with a family friend characters that it can seem jumbled. And yet, in and Shakespeare scholar. I told him I was going to that chaos, the play delivers something beautiful. It be directing Cymbeline with ASP’s Youth Company. gives us Imogen, a beloved Shakespearean heroine, His face twisted into one of absolute disgust. “What considered in the 1800’s to be the pinnacle of a female possessed you,” he demanded, “to pick Cymbeline?” actor’s career. It has one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking songs in Shakespeare. This play allows His attitude reflected that of the Shakespeare world at an audience to laugh and cry and shout in surprise, large. Scholars hate Cymbeline, it’s rarely performed, all in the course of two hours. Our heroes descend and one of our Shakespeare-obsessed staff members to their lowest point, then rise from the ashes to a read it for the first time ever with all of us! Many (spoiler!) happy ending. What play could be more expected that we would turn to a more political, heavy fitting for our own chaotic, scary moment? Cymbeline play to suit our current moment, or revert to comedy. acts as a reminder that from chaos, hardship, and fear, So why did we pick this ugly duckling? How does it something beautiful can emerge. resonate in this moment? The wild, wacky nature of this play drew our cast Cymbeline is a chaotic play. It’s a hodge-podge of in, with many new to Shakespeare declaring it one genres, with Shakespeare shamelessly ripping off of their favorite plays ever. In a time when so little makes sense, it resonated with us. And we quickly discovered it had a political bite as well. Cymbeline tells a story of a nation on its last legs, determined to cut itself away from the rest of the world. It gives us beleaguered civil servants, a villainous Queen weaponizing nationalism for her own ends, and a young princess learning that the poor “savages” may be the most noble people in Briton. Cymbeline examines a state of political fragility, one we saw re- enacted in the 2016 US presidential election, in Brexit, and on January 6. Yet even in this, it shows that hope can prevail, that from the ashes of nationalism can rise a country governed more intelligently and fairly.

So, to the Shakespeare scholar who shall remain nameless (though I don’t doubt he will read this note) - this is why we chose Cymbeline. It reflects and acknowledges these troubled times of our world, and then offers us a picture of hope, and a reminder that all is not lost. -Naomi synopsis Imogen, daughter of King Cymbeline, has married for Posthumus. She is forgiving, believing Iachimo Posthumus against the wishes of her father, who had a true friend of Posthumus, and does him the his sights firmly set on Cloten (the brutish son of his favor of storing a trunk of riches overnight in her new wife, the country's devious Queen). Posthumus bedchamber. As she sleeps that night, Iachimo is banished and Imogen imprisoned for their offense. emerges from the trunk, records details of the room It is revealed also that twenty years previously, and features of her body, and steals a bracelet, Cymbeline had two sons that were stolen from their a parting gift from Posthumus, from her wrist as nursery as infants. she sleeps. The evidence is sufficient to convince Posthumus of Imogen’s infidelity, and he returns In banishment, Posthumus goes to Rome, where to England vowing revenge on Imogen. his host introduces him to Iachimo. Upon hearing Posthumus brag of Imogen’s beauty and virtue, Rome declares war on England for failure to Iachimo wagers Posthumus that he can corrupt pay tribute. As the country moves toward the Imogen’s chastity after one meeting, if Posthumus upheaval of war, Imogen flees the court to seek will provide a letter of introduction. Posthumus Posthumus, and the fate of Cymbeline’s long- agrees, on condition that if Iachimo should fail, he missing sons is revealed. The chaos of battle must face him in a duel for slandering Imogen. descends, and disguises, mistaken identities, death, and forgiveness move this epic story toward Imogen rebuffs Iachimo, who claims he only wished its resolution . . . to be sure of Imogen’s fidelity, out of his own love thanks TO OUR YOUTH PROGRAM SUPPORTERS: VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO:

Blue Piano Fund, Commonwealth Corporation, The wonderful families of our ensemble members. And Deborah Munroe Noonan Memorial Fund, The to Belmont High School and Matthew Stephenson, for all Hancock Family, The Mass Cultural Council, The their assistance with props. National Endowment for the Arts [ArtWorks], The Nellie Leaman Taft Foundation, The Parker Clare Fund, The Parker Family Foundation, The Ramsey McCluskey Family Foundation, and many individual donors.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Boston Cultural Council, a local agency which is funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, administrated by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.