Folger Theatre Presents Special Performance of CRY 'HAVOC!' Tonight

Along with producing powerful Shakespeare plays like Julius Caesar (Oct. 28 - Dec. 7), Folger Theatre joins with Promundo-US to offer a special performance of Cry "Havoc!" tonight, November 4 at 7pm. This dramatic evening draws meaningful connections between soldiers and military personnel of our day with those of Shakespeare's works. It is written and performed by US military veteran Stephan Wolfert.

Twenty years ago, Wolfert, having completed six years in the United States Army, stepped off an Amtrak train in the mountains of Montana, and came across a life-changing performance of Shakespeare's Richard III. Since that day, Wolfert has been exploring what it means to be a soldier and a citizen through theater.

Using Shakespeare's timeless words, and a few of his own, actor and veteran Wolfert performs an interactive play about Shakespeare's soldiers, including iconic figures such as Richard III, Othello, and Henry V, among others. A testament to the healing power of art and human resilience, Cry "Havoc!" reveals how the military men and women of Shakespeare's time wrestled with the same hopes and worries that occupy our modern lives. Richard Lewis (HBO's The Larry David Show and Curb Your Enthusiasm) called Cry "Havoc!" "mind-blowing, riveting, gut-wrenching, stupendous!"

Tonight, November 4, the night of an important mid-term election, and as the world continues to be war-torn, we revisit Mark Antony's speech: "Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war." In the days preceding Veterans Day, we also honor those who have and do serve in the military.

Following the performance, Wolfert is joined in an audience talk-back by Niobe Way of New York University, Gary Barker of Promundo-US, and Michael Witmore, Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library.

Individual tickets for Cry "Havoc"! are $20, with $10 tickets for military and other discounts available. Tickets may be purchased at www.folger.edu/lectures or by calling the Folger box office at 202.544.7077.

About Stephan Wolfert: Stephan Wolfert, (USA Army, '86-'93, Medic & Infantry) left a career in the military for a life in the theatre. Since leaving the Army, as an Infantry officer, he has received his Master of Fine Arts degree, in theatre, from Trinity Rep Conservatory; helped create and direct the military segments for Twyla Tharp/Billy Joel's Tony-award winning Broadway musical Movin' Out; co-created the largest touring Shakespeare Company in New England and taught acting and Shakespeare at Cornell University. Stephan has performed throughout the entire U.S. and acted in, and/or directed over half of Shakespeare's canon. Currently, Stephan teaches and directs at the Antelope Valley College. He is the founding artistic director of both the Veterans Center for the Performing Arts and Shakespeare & Veterans.

About Folger Theatre and Folger Shakespeare Library: Folger Theatre is the centerpiece of Folger Shakespeare Library's programs for the public and is recognized for dynamic performances in the 250-seat Elizabethan-styled theatre, specializing in innovative stagings of works by Shakespeare, other classical work, and new plays inspired by these traditions. Since 1991, Folger Theatre has been honored by the Helen Hayes Awards with 21 awards and 125 nominations for excellence in acting, direction, design, and production-including the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Resident Play in 2011 for Hamlet (a year in which all three of Folger's theatrical productions were nominated in that category) and in 2013 for The Taming of the Shrew. In September 2012, Folger Theatre brought from London Shakespeare's Globe's Hamlet for the company's first Washington appearance. Earlier this year, Folger's collaboration with Shakespeare's Globe continued with the World-to-World two-year global tour of Hamlet, as well as their on tour production of King Lear featuring Joseph Marcell. Janet Alexander Griffin is the Artistic Producer of Folger Theatre and Director of Public Programs which includes the Folger's music and literary series.

Folger Shakespeare Library is a renowned center for scholarship, learning, culture, and the arts. Home to the world's largest Shakespeare collection and a primary repository for research material from the early modern period (1500-1750), Folger Shakespeare Library is an internationally recognized research library offering advanced scholarly programs in the humanities; a national leader in how Shakespeare is taught in grades K-12; and an award-winning producer of cultural and arts programs -theatre, music, poetry, exhibits, lectures, and family programs. A gift to the American people from industrialist Henry Clay Folger, Folger Shakespeare Library-located one block east of the U.S. Capitol-opened in 1932 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Learn more at www.folger.edu.

About Promundo-US - Founded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1997, Promundo works internationally to promote caring, non-violent and equitable masculinities and gender relations. Promundo's independently registered organizations in Brazil, the United States and Portugal and its representatives in Rwanda and Burundi collaborate to achieve this mission by conducting research to build the knowledge base on masculinities and gender equality; developing, evaluating and scaling up gender transformative interventions and programs; and carrying out national and international advocacy to achieve gender equality and social justice. For more information, see www.promundo.org.br.

DETAILS:

What: Cry "Havoc!" one-night only performance

When/Where: Tuesday, November 4 at 7:00pm at Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St., SE, Washington, DC, 20003

Tickets: $20, available at the Folger box office (202.544.7077) or online at www.folger.edu

Metro: Capitol South (blue/orange lines) or Union Station (red line)

Parking: Limited street parking in Capitol Hill neighborhood