February 28 & March 1 — The American Shakespeare Company presents “Henry V.”
On 25th October 1415 an English army, heavily outnumbered against the French, close to the village of Agincourt, turned what seemed like inevitable defeat and annihilation into an overwhelming victory. Focusing on this miraculous day led by an inspiring leader, Shakespeare’s “Henry V” seems to counter most of the political messages in the rest of his body of work … how come?
When: Thursday February 28 7:00 PM; Saturday March 1, 7:00 PM
Where: Christian Theological Seminary 1000 West 42nd Street, Indianapolis
The American Shakespeare Center On Tour is the international touring arm of the American Shakespeare Center. Direct from the stage of the ASC’s celebrated Blackfriars Playhouse, the worlds only re-creation of Shakespeare’s indoor theatre, the road shows strive to re-create the Blackfriars playhouse experience. ASC On Tour productions recognize that the actors are not alone in the theatre, and actively shatter the “fourth wall” between actors and audience. As they do on their home stage, ASC On Tour actors on the road double roles in a performance space unencumbered with the trappings of modern theatre, surround themselves with audience members on three sides* and perform with house lights on at all times. Thus, actors can see the audience, the audience can see the actors, and, most importantly, the audience can see each other. This inclusive arrangement allows the ASC On Tour to recreate the festive sense of community in which patrons of Shakespeare’s Blackfriars reveled during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. Rather than try to spin its tales through elaborate set pieces and electronic wizardry, the American Shakespeare Center On Tour focuses on performance, casting the finest actors, singers, and musicians available at auditions held throughout the country.
“Henry V,” the story of England’s hero-king and of the greatest upset in European military history, is described as being “touching, heroic, brutal, and comic.” Considered one of Shakespeare’s most controversial works, the play is Shakespeare’s exploration of the nature of greatness and its connection to theatre, according to the ASC. “The play strongly suggests what a nation can achieve when it is united under a charismatic leader,” says director Giles Block of London’s Globe Theatre. “Yet Shakespeare doesn’t flinch from raising the whole question of the legality of Henry’s war, nor does he avert his eyes from the inevitable horrors that war brings in its wake.”
For tickets ($10) or IUPUI reservations: Terri Bourus, tbourus@iupui.edu, 278-0887
January 4th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
[…] February 28 — The American Shakespeare Company presents “Henry V.” On 25th October 1415 an English army, heavily outnumbered against the French, close to the village of Agincourt, turned what seemed like inevitable defeat and annihilation into an overwhelming victory. Focusing on this miraculous day led by an inspiring leader, Shakespeare’s “Henry V” seems to counter most of the political messages in the rest of his body of work … how come? check it out […]
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:13 am
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