City Parks Foundation’s SUMMERSTAGE Launches Week of Free Theater 8/27-9/2

City Parks Foundation brings the SummerStage theater program to East River Park from August 27 until September 2. During this week, SummerStage will present modern takes on classic works from the Greek cannon as well as William Shakespeare. All performances are free and do not require tickets. Set in the East River Park Amphitheatre, the original location of theater legend Joseph Papp's original "Shakespeare in the Park" series, SummerStage will present three unique shows that celebrate the spirit of outside theater.

Who: SummerStage Theatre presented by Time Warner at East River Park

HENRY V
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Jenny Bennett, Music by Patricia Ju
Co-produced by Classical Theatre of Harlem
Saturday, August 27 - Monday, August 29
8:00 PM

Artist Website: http://www.classicaltheatreofharlem.org
The Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH) is a professional theatre company founded at the Harlem School for the Arts. In each of its productions, which have included numerous works by playwrights such as Shakespeare and Euripides, CTH is dedicated to returning the "classics" to the stages of Harlem, to nurturing new, young, and culturally diverse audiences, and to producing theatre that truly reflects the diversity of ideas and the racial tapestry of America.

Explore the brutally thoughtful, fiercely funny, belligerent diplomacy of King Henry V with The Classical Theatre of Harlem as they interpret William Shakespeare's classic. Our young King Henry V takes the throne, his dying father's advice to "busy giddy minds with foreign quarrels" ringing in his ears. His reputation as a fun-loving lad who's lived among the common folk inspires love from commoners and disregard from his enemies. He lays claim to France, and invades the country with a "band of brothers." Join CTH's powerful exploration of what it means for a king to bear the burdensome expectations of the crown - and the people to bear the expectations of the king - as Henry V works to win the hearts of all.

Director Jenny Bennettt pilots a nonstop, intense scrutiny of kings and citizens in this play that dissects humanity's warmongering with gripping actors, a thrilling score and fierce dance.

OEDIPUS REX
By Sophocles
Co-produced by The Faux-Real Theatre Company
Tuesday, August 30 and Thursday, September 1
8:00 PM

Artist Website: http://www.fauxreal.org
The Faux-Real Theatre Company transcends boundaries traditionally placed between artists and the public by inviting audiences to engage and interact directly with performers in environments that challenge theatrical conventions. The name, Faux-Real, embodies an aesthetic in which the extraordinary and the quotidian meld into dynamic stage life. The company aims to deliver challenging texts, both classical and contemporary, in multi-dimensional productions that are engaging and accessible.

The Greeks, like us, knew that Oedipus was going to gouge his eyes out, even before the play began. And yet they still came out in droves. Come see what all the fuss was about as The Faux-Real Theatre Company brings their Dionysian depiction of Oedipus, featuring an all-male cast of twelve utilizing the performance techniques of the ancient Greeks including: brightly colored wigs, fantastical costumes, and masks that act as megaphones. By incorporating the colorful aesthetic of these ancient performances and utilizing a broad physical style of acting powered by live music, songs and dancing, this work looks beyond the "fate versus free will" interpretations of this classic, to explore the alluring underbelly of this primal text. Their heightened approach reveals what is terrifying and vital in this most tragic of tragedies, enhancing the story's power to roil our subconscious and to awaken the heroes within.

SEVEN AGAINST THEBES
By Aeschylus
Co-produced by The Faux-Real Theatre Company
Wednesday, August 31 and Friday, September 2
8:00 pm
Artist Website: http://www.fauxreal.org
The Faux-Real Theatre Company transcends boundaries traditionally placed between artists and the public by inviting audiences to engage and interact directly with performers in environments that challenge theatrical conventions. The name, Faux-Real, embodies an aesthetic in which the extraordinary and the quotidian meld into dynamic stage life. The company aims to deliver challenging texts, both classical and contemporary, in multi-dimensional productions that are engaging and accessible.

Written in 467 BC, Seven Against Thebes is the New York premiere of a fresh translation of Aeschylus' classic by NEA recipient, Aaron Poochigian. This rarely performed play begins with the city of Thebes preparing for an invasion led by seven warriors as their leader Eteocles, tries to silence the protests of the city's women. Faux-Real spins the Greek tradition of all-male theatre on its head by presenting this classic with an all-female cast of twelve. Clad in platform shoes, larger-than-life masks, and a chariot-full of colorful costumes, these actresses revel in song, dance and combat, as Aeschylus's words find new meaning in the mouths of these feisty females. The play ends with a post-mortem visit from Oedipus' daughter Antigone, as Aeschylus chisels an early exploration into the modern themes of gender politics and the negative impact of war.

This production combines the ribald street aesthetic of The Faux-Real Theatre Company with the classical sensibilities of Verse Theater Manhattan for a show that makes the erudite entertaining and the classic contemporary.

 

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