Nyack, NY
Contact: Brady Amoonclark: 845-269-1803
Children’s Shakespeare Theatre to perform King Lear
March 8, 9, 15 & 16 at 7pm, Palisades Presbyterian Church
Children’s Shakespeare Theatre will present performances of the next production in its Season of Questioning Authority, King Lear.
Presented by a cast of fifteen teenagers who hail from Rockland, Westchester and Bergen counties, this production will perform at Palisades Presbyterian Church, Friday and Saturday evenings (March 8, 9, 15 & 16) at 7pm.
King Lear is an ancient story, with universal themes of individual versus community, family misunderstandings, plans that go awry, forces of nature, justice and the lack of it. This play features an ensemble cast, iconic speeches, sword fights, and dark humor. Directed by Brady Amoonclark, and assistant directed by Richard Spitaletta and Marco Jo Clate, this tragedy will be set with a 1980s theme, with music by Ian Moore, costumes by Zacha Tuttle, fights by Giselle Chatelain, set pieces by Heather Aveson, and lighting by Michael Gnazzo.
Children’s Shakespeare Theatre strives to develop confident and creative young people through the performance of Shakespeare’s plays. Since their founding in 1999, they have been dedicated to offering quality educational theater, and building a community that enriches the lives of young actors and their families. In this production, long-time company members, Hela Giaever (King Lear), and Tessa Li (Gloucester), local high school seniors, will be giving their farewell CST performances.
Hela Giaever has spent twelve years with the company, and her performance of the titular character will be her first role as the protagonist. Last year Hela was Ross and the Porter in Macbeth. Hela’s experience with CST has included Jessica in Merchant of Venice, Lady Percy in Henry IV, Part 1, Doll Tearsheet in Henry IV, Part 2, and she started as a fairy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Tessa Li came to the company and amazed us as the Ghost and the Gravedigger in Hamlet, and Berowne in Love’s Labour’s Lost.
Audiences were wowed at CST’s production of Macbeth last year, with reviews such as: “I felt blessed and inspired after seeing your youngsters perform!” – Justin Gordon, NYC Actor and Teaching Artist.
After Antigone this past fall, local community members raved, “We were just absolutely rapt from start to finish- the script, the staging, the actors!- the whole enchilada – absolutely blew us away.”
King Lear is sure to be a similar success. As actor Tessa Li says, “Everyone dies in King Lear- it’s amazing”.
Tickets and more information about the play and the company are available at www.childrensshakespeare.org https://www.childrensshakespeare.org/ . The Palisades Presbyterian Church is located at 117 Washington Springs Road in Palisades, NY.