TIMON OF ATHENS Opens July 31 at Oregon Shakespeare Festival

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival will open William Shakespeare's Timon of Athens, directed by Amanda Dehnert, on July 31 at 1:30 p.m. in the Angus Bowmer Theatre. Preview performances are offered July 28 and 29. This will be only the fourth time that OSF has presented Timon of Athens in its 81-year history, the last time being in 1997. This also marks OSF's fourth completion of Shakespeare's canon since 1935.

Timon of Athens tells the story of Timon, a wealthy, generous Athenian who constantly lavishes gifts and money on his many friends. When Timon's money runs out, he sends to his friends for aid, but all he gets back are excuses. He goes into exile in a cave, where he rails on humanity and discovers a buried treasure that makes him wealthy for a second time. Will Timon, made wiser by the knowledge that money can't buy everything, find true friends and rejoin society?

"One of the things I especially love about Timon of Athens is that it feels like a combination of my personal three favorite playwrights, which are Shakespeare, Shaw and Beckett," enthuses director Amanda Dehnert. "It's a lot of argument and great debate. It doesn't have any easy answers, and it's not supposed to. But if it's working right, you should absolutely identify with everybody in it."

Dramaturg Lezlie Cross adds: "It was a piece that was ahead of its time-and indeed there is no record of it being performed in Shakespeare's lifetime and very few performances until the last half of the 20th century. Yet, with its discussions of economics and politics, of income inequality, of individual responsibility and the importance of community, Timon of Athens is a play for now, for the capitalist society of the 21st century United States."

The cast of Timon of Athens features Anthony Heald as Timon, Vilma Silva as Apemantus, Jonathan Haugen as Alcibiades, Robert Vincent Frank as Lucullus/Senator/Hortensius, Miriam A. Laube as Ventidius/Varro/Senator, Michael Gabriel Goodfriend as Sempronius/Senator/Titus, Sarah J. Brizek as Flaminius/Painter/Ensemble, Daniel T. Parker as Servilius/Poet/Ensemble,Robin Goodrin Nordli as Flavius/Jeweler/Ensemble, Julian Remulla as Ventidius' Messenger/Caphis/Musician/Ensemble, Carlo Albán as Alcibiades' Messenger/Cupid/Soldier/ Ensemble (July 28-Sept. 18), Stephen Michael Spencer as Musician/Ensemble (July 28-Oct. 29) and Alcibiades' Messenger/Cupid/Soldier (Sept. 21-Oct. 29), and Sean Jones as Lucilius/Merchant/Ensemble.

Scenic design for Timon of Athens is by Daniel Ostling, costume design by Mara Blumenfeld, and lighting is by Jane Cox. Josh Horvath is composer/Sound Designer, Lezlie Cross is dramaturg, David Carey is voice and text director and U. Jonathan Toppo is fight director. Stage manager is Mandy Younger.

The Producing Sponsor for Timon of Athens is the Hitz Foundation; the Production Sponsor is The Chautauqua Guild; Production Partners are Lynne Carmichael and Mrs. Donald Hare.

Founded by Angus Bowmer in 1935 and winner of a 1983 Tony Award for outstanding achievement in regional theatre, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival has grown from a three-day festival of two plays to a major theatre arts organization that presents an eight-month season consisting of 11 plays that include works by Shakespeare as well as a mix of classics, musicals, and new works. The Festival also draws attendance of more than 400,000 to almost 800 performances every year and employs approximately 575 theatre professionals. In 2008, OSF launchedAmerican Revolutions: the United States History Cycle, a 10-year cycle of commissioning new plays that has already resulted in several OSF commissions finding success nationwide.

http://www.osfashland.org

Photo credit: Jenny Graham

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