Theater for the New City Presents Real Live Theatre's THE LIFE AND DEATH OF QUEEN MARGARET

During the 100 Years' War between England and France, just after the time of Joan of Arc, a young French princess is torn from her home and sent to a foreign land to become its queen. Surrounded by powerful men who resent her and coupled with a king both weak-willed and prone to madness, she forms an alliance with her new lover to take down critics and seize control of the kingdom. When battle lines are drawn, can she lead the country in war and protect the crown for herself, her king, and her heirs?

The Life and Death of Queen Margaret, a new play from the Western Massachusetts-based ensemble Real Live Theatre, tells the story of Margaret of Anjou, a fierce, strong-willed and independent woman who was both an historical figure and one of Shakespeare's greatest characters. Adapted by Toby Bercovici and Dan Morbyrne from Shakespeare's Henry VI plays and Richard III, the dance theater piece chronicles Margaret's rise to leadership and subsequent downfall, portrayed through bitingly relevant and alarmingly prescient 400-year-old texts and holding a necessary mirror up to our modern society.

The play, set between Queen Margaret's final inhale and exhale, features an all-female cast of eight and a dynamic retelling of Queen Margaret's leadership of the Lancasters against the Yorks in England's War of the Roses. In a time when women's rights have been under attack by those in positions of supreme power, Real Live Theatre has created this 'new' Shakespeare play which examines what really goes on when women rise to power inside patriarchal systems.

Real Live Theatre is a cooperatively produced theatre company based in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, encompassing members and connections near and far. As a collective of theatre artists, they seek to create unique, dynamic, and powerful pieces of storytelling. With original plays like The Life and Death of Queen Margaret and previously The Lion & The Clown by Ellen Morbyrne, Real Live Theatre has performed regionally across the Northeast to critical acclaim over the past three years. This is their New York City debut.

The Life and Death of Queen Margaret, directed by Toby Bercovici with choreography by Annelise Nielsen, will be presented by the iconic Theater for the New City August 10th-20th, with performances at 8 PM Thursdays - Saturdays and 3 PM on Sundays. Now in its 47th year, Theater for the New City has earned a nationwide reputation for its dedication to nurturing established and emerging playwrights who experiment with new forms and to presenting experimental and developmental theater projects. Tickets are available at www.theaterforthenewcity.net.

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