All-Female King John Set to Open at CHAC on May 19th

upstart crow will present a new production of William Shakespeare's timely and gripping play, King John, at Capitol Hill Arts Center.  Performed by an all-female cast, this rarely staged historical thriller is set in the fast-paced world of back-room politics.  While war rages over the rightful successor to England/>/>'s throne, political alliances turn on a dime, and nations and families destroy each other and themselves.

King John is the inaugural production of upstart crow, an ensemble of female Seattle/>/> theatre artists, founded by director Rosa Joshi and actors, Betsy Schwartz and Kate Wisniewski.

"We were interested in the idea because we knew that there were so many women in town who wanted to work together, specifically on classical text." says director Rosa Joshi. "King John immediately grabbed us as an unnerving display of politics at work that had great resonance for us as a society today."

The all-female cast features Aimee Bruneau, Therese Diekhans, Peggy Gannon, Ki Gottberg, Sarah Harlett, M. Elizabeth Kennedy, Gretchen Krich, Christina Mastin, Tracy Repep, Amy Thone, Betsy Schwartz and Kate Wisniewski

The creative team includes Jennifer Zeyl (set), Patti West (lighting), Malanie Burgess (costumes), M. Elizabeth Eller (sound), and Liza Comtois (dramaturgy).

King John opens May 19^th (with a May 18^th Preview) and runs through June 4^th at CHAC. For tickets call (800) 838-3006, or visit www.brownpapertickets.com