ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA Just Added to the OriginKC New Works Festival

Kansas City Repertory Theatre continues its 2016-17 season with an exciting addition to the ORIGINKC NEW WORKS FESTIVAL in the spring of 2017. Playwright Christopher Chen breathes new life into the classic tragedy by William Shakespeare as commissioned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Play On! program in which playwrights translate the bard into contemporary English. KC Rep and UMKC's department of theatre team up to support a developmental production of this new play.

Chen, known for his incisive look at global politics and his deeply imaginative theatrical approach to the complex interior lives of his characters, will render a powerful new look at the infamous star-crossed lovers who once ruled Rome and Ancient Egypt. Through Chen's nuanced, muscular language, this translation of Antony and Cleopatra will interpret the idea of empire-building through a contemporary lens, and reframe the tale to feature Cleopatra as the powerhouse heroine who drives the play. Although this harrowing love affair has been told for centuries, Christopher Chen's translation will bring us a production that is chillingly resonant and alive.

Winner of the Barrymore Award for Outstanding Play and the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award at the Vineyard Theatre, Chen's work has been hailed as "slyly metatheatrical, blissfully funny, [and] whiplash-smart," by the San Francisco Chronicle.

"I'm overjoyed to feature Christopher Chen's searing voice in our OriginKC festival alongside Christina Anderson and Larissa Fasthorse," says Director of New Works Marissa Wolf. "Delving into the breathtaking landscape of this new translation of Antony and Cleopatra with the talented group of UMKC MFA students will be an exciting collaborative opportunity."

Special thanks to the sponsor, Copaken Family Fund.

Performances begin Friday, May 5, 2017 and run through Sunday, May 14 at Spencer Theatre. Appropriate for ages 12+.

Tickets may be purchased at http://kcrep.org/show/antony-cleopatra or by calling 816-235-2700. For group ticket sales, please call 816-235-6122.

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