Richard II 09-10

With additional material from Thomas of Woodstock, an anonymous Elizabethan play sometimes attributed to Shakespeare.

“The ripest fruit first falls.”

King Richard neglects his subjects and spends lavishly, giving rise to his charismatic cousin Henry Bolingbroke. As the battle to rule England approaches, Richard’s supporters abandon him for his rival. Will Richard learn what it means to be a king before he loses the crown? Written entirely in verse, Richard II contains some of Shakespeare’s most thrilling language. Director Michael Kahn’s previous examination of this troubled leader was hailed by The New York Times as “an evening of dynamic jolts and surprises.” Richard II plays in repertory with Henry V.

“We picked two contrasting plays: Richard II, about a leader who is born with power and misuses it but then, as that power is stripped from him, learns what it means to be a human being; and Henry V, about a flawed human being who learns what it means to be a great leader…It really interested me to deal with an issue that was on everyone’s mind before the presidential election and still is today: what are the qualities we look for in a great leader in a time of crisis?”
–Michael Kahn (director) in An American Classic: Shakespeare Theatre Company

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[accordion-item title=”The Cast”]
Philip Goodwin*
John of Gaunt/Gardener

Ted Van Griethuysen*
Duke of York

Floyd King*
Thomas of Woodstock/Bishop of Carlisle

Michael Hayden*
King Richard II

Louis Lotorto*
Bagot

Jason Marr
Bushy

Scott Whitehurst*
Green

Darren Matthias*
Thomas Mowbray/Sir Stephen Scroop

Robynn Rodriguez*
Duchess of Gloucester/Queen’s Lady

Larry Paulsen*
Cheney/Gardener’s Man/Groom

Patrick Vaill
Gloucester’s Servant

Tom Story*
Duke of Aumerle

Stephen Paul Johnson*
Lord Ross

Dan Kremer*
Lord Willoughby

Derrick Lee Weeden*
Earl of Northumberland

Rachael Holmes*
Queen Isabel

Sarah Mollo-Christensen
Queen’s Lady

Meredith Burns
Queen’s Lady

Charles Borland*
Henry Bolingbroke

David Joseph Regelmann
York’s Servant

DeVon Jackson
Henry Percy

John Lescault*
Salisbury

Conrad Feininger*
Welsh Captain/Abbot of Westminster/Keeper

Todd Quick
Gardener’s Man

Naomi Jacobson*
Duchess of York

Charlie Francis Murphy
First Murderer

Joseph Ibanez
Ensemble

Sun King Davis
Ensemble

William LeDent
Ensemble

Adam Navarro
Ensemble
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[accordion-item title=”The Artistic Team”]
Michael Kahn
Director

Lee Savage
Set Designer

Jennifer Moeller
Costume Designer

Mark McCullough
Lighting Designer

Martin Desjardins
Composer/Sound Designer

Ellen O’Brien
Voice and Text Coach

Rick Sordelet
Fight Director

Anne Ford-Coates for Elsen and Associates
Wig Designer

Erik Pearson
Assistant Director

Ryan Scott Whinnem
Directorial Assistant

Elizabeth Alman
Associate Voice and Text Coach

Akiva Fox
Literary Associate

William Shiner* and James Latus*
Stage Managers

Benjamin Royer*
Assistant Stage Manager

telsey + company
Casting
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