San Francisco's Theater of Others to Stage Shakespeare's KING JOHN

Just when you thought, "Hey, I'm King, this could be good," France stirs up a war to make your nephew king, you piss off the Pope and get excommunicated, and a bastard shows up who, it turns out, your mom likes better than you. And actually, truth be told, you like better than you.

Theater of Others presents a new production of Shakespeare's King John - a story of loyalty, power, family, betrayal and war. Lijesh Krishnan directs a cast of 13 at the Theater of Others' home, the Kelly Cullen Community Auditorium, 220 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco. King John runs Thursdays through Sundays, November 3-20. As with all Theater of Others productions, admission is pay-what-you-will.

Featuring some of Shakespeare's most powerful scenes and characters, King John jumps rapidly between English courts and French battlefields, weddings and executions, to explore the thin line between ambition and ruthlessness, compassion and weakness. It features two of the strongest female roles in Shakespeare, Constance and Eleanor of Aquitaine.

This two-hour production incorporates text from The Troublesome Reign of King John -- the play thought by many to be Shakespeare's source. Theater of Others combines the rich poetry of the script with honest, stark performances, and aims to communicate the grand themes and conflicts of the play in as accessible and personal a way as possible.

Audiences will be riveted by this rarely seen classic that features an unexpected King, a formidable Queen Mother, a reluctant 12 year-old pretender to the throne, a scheming cardinal, rebellious barons, and a jesting, happy-go-lucky Bastard who finds himself at the fulcrum of history.