Yale Bulletin and Calendar

February 13, 2004|Volume 32, Number 18

Yale Rep's 'King Lear': A classic tale
in an ancient setting

King Lear," Shakespeare's mythic tale of a family's disintegration, will be transported back through time into an ancient Mesoamerican civilization in the Yale Repertory Theatre's next production, running Feb. 13-March 13.

The production is the result of a two-year collaboration between noted director Harold Scott and lead actor Avery Brooks that drew the two into a focused investigation of the mythology and way of life of the ancient Olmec -- a civilization dating as far back as 1200 B.C. and believed to be the "mother culture" of Mesoamerica. (See related story.)

By setting the action of the drama in this early civilization, Scott and Brooks allow the tale of untamed and unalloyed passion to drive the story from an historical black perspective. The production features an all-African-American cast.

The story, however, remains true to Shakespeare's original, in which a series of disastrous events are set in motion when the aged King Lear decides to divide up his kingdom among his three daughters. The fundamental drives and urges of mankind -- parenthood, power, sex, control and greed -- are explored in the tragedy, considered one of the playwright's most poetic dramas.

The production is the latest of numerous collaborations between Scott and Brooks. Scott has directed Brooks in "Paul Robeson" on Broadway and in an acclaimed Afrocentric production of "Othello" for the Shakespeare Theatre at the Folger, among other works. The two were also long-time colleagues at Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts, where Scott is now a professor emeritus and Brooks continues to teach.

"We are thrilled to be able to produce 'King Lear,' which is only possible when you have an actor of great gifts, such as Avery Brooks, and a director with the breadth of vision and sense of clarity, such as Hal Scott," says James Bundy, artistic director of the Yale Rep and dean of the School of Drama. "Their individually distinguished careers and their successful prior collaborations made us most pleased and honored that they accepted our invitation to come to the Yale Rep. That they subsequently assembled a large and talented company of African-American actors, as well as award-winning composer Anthony Davis [a 1973 Yale College graduate], to work on the project makes this an extraordinary event in the American theater."

The production, he notes, will draw large audiences of young people to the theater as part of the Yale Rep's new community outreach program "Will Power!" -- a three-year collaboration between the Yale Rep, School of Drama and New Haven public school teachers that engages students and teachers in a study of Shakespeare in the classroom and the experience of attending Yale performances of the playwright's works. "King Lear" is the centerpiece for the program this year. Bundy created the program to expose students, through the theater, to the broad scope of art and its relevancy in today's world.

"'King Lear' is a monumental theater work, in which the playwright has addressed subjects that will always be immediate in our culture," says Bundy. "The conflict between parents and children and battles for justice at the heart of the play spark immediate questions about the way we live today. Therefore, it is particularly gratifying that this production of 'King Lear' will be seen by thousands of Greater New Haven secondary school students, in the inaugural year of 'Will Power!' -- which has been funded, in part, by the Jane Marcher Foundation.

"We share this work with our audiences with the greatest sense of excitement and hope," Bundy adds.

Director Scott is also an Obie Award-winning actor who has directed in theaters across the country. He directed the first black play ever produced at the Shakespeare Theater at the Folger --"He's Got a Jones" -- and became the first African American to head a major regional theater when he was appointed artistic director of the Cincinnati Playhouse in 1972. His numerous directorial credits include "The Mighty Gents" starring Morgan Freeman on Broadway and the Roundabout Theater's 30th anniversary production of "A Raisin in the Sun" at the Kennedy Center, which broke all box office records and was filmed for PBS's "Great Performances." Scott was head of the Professional M.F.A. Directing Program at Rutgers' Mason Gross School of the Arts for 20 years and was acting artistic director of Crossroads Theatre Company in 2000.

A theater artist, musician and educator, Brooks has performed and directed extensively on American and international stages. Most recently, he appeared as Oedipus in the Sophocles trilogy with the Shakespeare Theater in the 2003 Athens Theatre Festival in Athens, Greece. Since 1982 he has performed at theaters nationwide in the title role in the Scott-directed "Paul Robeson" by Philip Hayes Dean. He has acted extensively for the New York Shakespeare Festival and sang the title role of Malcolm X in the American Music Theater Festival of Anthony Davis' opera "X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X." His work in film and television includes the role of Hawk in the television series "Spencer for Hire" and in "A Man Called Hawk"; Captain Sisko in the Star Trek series "Deep Space Nine"; and Uncle Tom in Showtime's production of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." He has hosted and narrated numerous television documentaries, and has performed and recorded with many jazz artists and orchestras.

The cast of "King Lear" includes Che Ayenda as Oswald; Johnny Lee Davenport as Kent; Justin Emeka as Edgar; Ray Ford as Fool; Wiley Moore as France and in the Ensemble; Petronia Paley as Regan; Jovan Rameau as Burgundy and in the Ensemble; John Livingstone Rolle as Albany; Roslyn Ruff as Cordelia; Marie Thomas as Goneril; John Douglas Thompson as Edmund; David Toney as Cornwall; and Charles Turner as Gloucester. Other Ensemble players include Yale freshmen Albert Lawrence and Kobi Libii, as well as Giovanni Adams, Baub R.J. Bidon, Larry W. Floyd, Mark Sage Hamilton and Lakai Worrell. Three New Haven children -- Nyle Clemons, Shayla Foreman and Ashley Morrison -- also make an appearance in the play.

In addition to composer Anthony Davis, the production team includes Blythe Quinlan (scenic design), Jessica Ford (costume design), Ryan Schmidt (lighting design), Catherine Sheehy and John Hanlon (dramaturgs), Beth McGuire (vocal coach), Rick Sordelet (fight director), Eli Fountain (music director) and Grace O'Brien (stage manager).

Opening night for "King Lear" is Thursday, Feb. 19. Performances are at 8 p.m. on weeknights, and at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturdays (with some exceptions). Special events include Yale Night on Friday, Feb. 13; "Re:Play," a question-and-answer session with the cast and crew following the matinee performance on Saturday, Feb. 21; and a senior matinee on Wednesday, Feb. 25. The production will be sign-interpreted and audio-described on Saturday, March 6, at 2 p.m. Matinees for students will take place Monday-Friday, March 8-12, at 11 a.m. as part of "Will Power!"

Tickets are $20-$45. For tickets or more specific information about the performance schedule, call the Yale Rep box office at (203) 432-1234 or visit the theater's website at www.yalerep.org.

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