Oak Park Festival Theatre Closes The History of King Henry the Fourth

Oak Park Festival Theatre presents a new adaptation of William Shakespeare's classic history plays, Henry IV parts 1 and 2 by Professor Stanton Davis of Northern Illinois University. Davis also directs the play, entitled The History of King Henry the Fourth. Henry the Fourth will be performed outdoors in Austin Gardens in the 100 block of N. Forest Ave. in downtown Oak Park, IL. Previews are June 9 and 10, and the production runs June 11 to July 9. Performances are at 8:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at 7:00 on Sundays. There will be a Wednesday performance on July 6.

Stanton Davis, acclaimed Shakespeare scholar and director, has woven Shakespeare's two parts of the Henry IV saga into a single magnificent theatrical event. Artistic Director Jack Hickey (who won raves as Teddy in Faith Healer and in the title role of Cyrano de Bergerac) returns as the profligate, vainglorious, and impossibly endearing Falstaff in all his slapstick splendor. Michael Sherwin plays Henry IV, the troubled king and equally troubled father of the uncontrollable heir to the throne, Prince Hal. Festival Theatre veteran Dennis Grimes portrays the Prince. The History of King Henry the Fourth presents more than the bloody battlefields of England in contests for power and succession. At its heart are both the eternal struggle between kinship and friendship, and the private war within all of us to fulfill our duty and our destiny. These sober thoughts are leavened by the rapscallion character of Falstaff and all the vividly comic denizens of the Boar's Head Tavern.
Stanton Davis appeared as Slim in OPFT's Of Mice and Men in 2010 and as Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing in 2008. He also served as dialect/vocal coach for Dancing at Lughnasa in 2008. Davis is head of the BFA program in acting at Northern Illinois University where he is also the head of voice and speech. He received his MFA in acting from the University of Delaware's Professional Theatre Training Program, and his BFA from the University of Utah Actor Training Program. He has worked professionally as an actor (stage, film and TV commercials), fight choreographer, stagehand, director, voice-over artist, stunt man, voice coach, dialect coach, and education director at theaters throughout the country. He is a member of the Independent Fight Director's Guild, and is a certified Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voice Work. He has directed all over the country from Baltimore and Philadelphia to Arizona and Utah.
Davis says about Henry the Fourth, "[These are] my favorite [plays] by Shakespeare. I think it is so full of life that it is bursting at the seams. The characters are lovable and tragic. The family scenes are heart-breaking and the tavern scenes are laugh-till-your-sides-hurt funny. It also doesn't hurt to have all those great battles and comic brawls. It's like a roller-coaster if done right.... Watching [Prince Hal] grow into the heroic figure he becomes is fascinating and heart breaking. He turns his back on old friend because he must. He learns to wear the robe of majesty his father won for him. He is a bit of a Peter Pan who puts away childish things, but the journey to adult responsibly is fraught with great adventures."
Henry the Fourth features Michael Sherwin as Henry IV, Dennis Grimes as Prince Hal, and OPFT artistic director Jack Hickey as Falstaff. Chicago favorite Aaron Christensen plays Pistol. Sara M. Nichols plays Hostess Quickly and Charlie Cascino (returning after her appearance in Love's Labour's Lost last summer) is Doll Tearsheet.
The set is designed by Aimee Hanyzewski (Jeff nominated for her Of Mice and Men set in 2010), with lighting by Sara Lauryn Gorsky, costumes by Lindsay Schmeling, and properties design by Andrew Hildner. Robert W. Behr stage manages.
The History of King Henry the Fourth runs June 9 through July 9 in Austin Gardens in the 100 block of N. Forest Ave. in Oak Park. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 7:00 p.m. On Sunday June 26, the performance will be at 6:00 p.m. in connection with OPFT's Family Day activities (see below for more information). There will be a Wednesday performance at 8:00 p.m. on July 6. Please see OakParkFestival.com for the complete show schedule and to purchase tickets. Ticket prices are $25 for adults and $20 for students and seniors. On Friday, June 17 and Wednesday, July 6, students and seniors pay only $10 with ID. Tickets may be also purchased by calling the box office at 708-445-4440 or by e-mailing Tickets@OakParkFestival.com. Group rates available at the same phone number.

On Sundays, June 26, July 24, and August 7, OPFT will present Family Days, with Shakespearian and Medieval fun for the entire family. Starting at 4:30 on each of these days, there will be crafts, performances, stage combat demonstrations, and other activities relating to the mainstage plays, with a 6:00 performance of the play, preceded by a kid-friendly synopsis given by one of the characters in the play. Tickets for Family Day, including all activities and the full performance, are $15 for adults and $10 for children. Suitable for kids 6 to 16.

Oak Park Festival Theatre-Oak Park's only Equity theatre and the Midwest's oldest professional theatre performing the classics outdoors-is proud to present its 37th year of theatrical excellence and to provide Chicagoland with the greatest classical plays ever written. Since 1975, the greatest playwrights have illumined our stage and enlightened our audiences. More information on Oak Park Festival Theatre is available at http://oakparkfestival.com or by calling (708) 445-4440.