David Greig's Dunsinane, a production from the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Shakespeare Company, has been inserted into the Shakespeare Theatre Company's upcoming 2014–2015 season, replacing Enrico IV in the schedule. Feb. 4–17, 2015.
A dramatic sequel to Shakespeare's Macbeth, Dunsinane is a vision of one man's attempt to restore peace in a country ravaged by war and examines the struggle of an alien invader to grasp local customs and politics while trying to establish order. The production toured Scotland, the U.K., Russia, and China.
"It is a production that serves our mission to produce works inspired by Shakespeare and his contemporaries, delivered in a modern voice—and a play that will resonate with today's audiences," STC Artistic Director Michael Kahn wrote in an e-mail to patrons. He was slated to direct Pirandello's Enrico IV in a new version by Tom Stoppard. However, "the limited availability of [Dunsinane] restricts us to that slot, but it was important to me to be able to bring this powerful and timely work to our stage."
Dunsinane continues the relationship between the Washington, D.C.–based Shakespeare Theatre Company and the National Theatre of Scotland, which includes the highly praised Presentation Series performance of Black Watch and David Greig's play-in-a-pub, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, presented at the Bier Baron Tavern.
STC also announced this week that it will host the Insango Ensemble from South Africa performing Mozart's opera The Magic Flute and Shakespeare's epic love poem Venus and Adonis in repertory at the Lansburgh Theatre, Sept. 12–21, 2014. This is part of the STC Presentation Series. The Isango Ensemble's unique performances reset Western theater classics within a South African township, utilizing music, dance, and elements of South African heritage.
June 24, 2014
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