SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, FORST OF ARDEN & More Set for Folger Theatre's 2016-17 Season

Having just completed successful and critically acclaimed runs of Pericles and A Midsummer Night's Dream, Artistic Producer Janet Alexander Griffin today announced the program for Folger Theatre's upcoming twenty-fifth anniversary season.

The 2016/17 season begins in September with a new adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel Sense and Sensibility. Adapted for the stage by Kate Hamill, this timeless tale of passions-those smoldering and those more restrained-is directed by Eric Tucker, Artistic Director and co-founder of New York's Bedlam Theater, which successfully developed and ingeniously staged the adaptation which The New York Times called "irresistible theater...a force of nature." This new production of Sense and Sensibility marks the first time a Jane Austen title will be produced on the Folger stage.

Banishing winter, Folger Theatre will enter the Forest of Arden in January, staging one of Shakespeare's most beloved romantic comedies, As You Like It, directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch (Harper Regan and Bluebird at New York's Atlantic Theater Company).

The season concludes with Timon of Athens, Shakespeare's examination of generosity and greed. Directed by Robert Richmond (Othello, Henry V at Folger Theatre), the production will star Ian Merrill Peakes (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Macbeth at Folger Theatre) in the title role of Timon.

In a limited run, Folger Theatre, in collaboration with the Folger Consort early music ensemble, will present a rich blend of music and theater in The Second Shepherds' Play. Developed as a holiday production by the Folger in 2007, this captivating telling of the Nativity story, called "a lovely seasonal surprise" (The Washington Post), is adapted and directed by Helen Hayes Award-winner Mary Hall Surface.

"Producing Shakespeare and other terrific plays in this peerless theatre at the Folger-the first Elizabethan-styled theatre built in North America-has been an absolute joy. The space itself is inspiring and has inspired 25 years of performances of plays-works among the greatest the English language has to offer," said Janet Alexander Griffin. "In this anniversary season, we'll not only stage Shakespeare, but another literary icon-Jane Austen-and in a smart, sharp adaptation by an American woman. And it will be wonderful to welcome another American woman, Gaye Taylor Upchurch, for the first time to direct one of the great Shakespearean comedies. Closing our season, we're excited to have Robert Richmond back to tackle Timon of Athens, Shakespeare's pointed play about the uses and abuses of money."

Subscriptions are currently on sale. Single tickets will go on sale in August. Visit www.folger.edu/theatre for more information, or call the Folger Box Office at (202) 544-7077.

25TH ANNIVERSARY
FOLGER THEATRE'S 2016/17 SEASON

Sense and Sensibility

By Jane Austen

Adapted for the stage by Kate Hamill

Directed by Eric Tucker

September 13 - October 30, 2016

Reason and passion collide in Jane Austen's beloved tale of sisterhood and romance. When sudden financial straits force the Dashwood family to move to a distant cottage, sisters Elinor and Marianne become ensnared in heart-wrenching romances. Directed by Eric Tucker (The Wall Street Journal's 2014 "Director of the Year"), this all-new production of the critically acclaimed play is produced in conjunction with the Folger Shakespeare Library exhibition Will & Jane: Shakespeare, Austen, and the Cult of Celebrity (August 6 through November 6, 2016).

The Second Shepherds' Play

Featuring music by Folger Consort

Adapted and Directed by Mary Hall Surface

Special Holiday Engagement

November 27 - December 18, 2016

This magical retelling of the Nativity story combines beautiful music and a moving story for the holiday season. Folger Consort, the award-winning early music ensemble in residence at the Folger Shakespeare Library, performs festive medieval English tunes against the backdrop of this engaging mystery play adapted by Mary Hall Surface (LIFT: Icarus and Me and Goodnight Moon). Set in the English countryside, The Second Shepherds' Play beautifully weaves together the stories of the shepherds, a sheep thief and his cunning wife, and the miracle in a humble manger in Bethlehem.

In Association with the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival

As You Like It

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch

January 24 - March 5, 2017

Rosalind is banished to the Forest of Arden and discovers Orlando and a world of passion and possibility in one of Shakespeare's most cherished romantic comedies. When she disguises herself as a rustic shepherd, enchantment abounds and blossoms into an exploration of the beauty and complexities of young love.

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Timon of Athens

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Robert Richmond

May 9 - June 11, 2017

Fortune strains the bonds of friendship. Timon is a wealthy and popular aristocrat with but one flaw-an excess of generosity. Sparing no expense on lavish parties, expensive gifts, and charity, Timon later suffers a downturn of fortune and friendship. Robert Richmond (Othello, Richard III and Henry V at Folger Theatre) directs Shakespeare's tragic satire about the fickleness of prosperity, with Ian Merrill Peakes (Othello, Macbeth, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead at Folger Theatre) in the title role.

Tickets & Information:

Tickets/Information: www.folger.edu/theatre or 202.544.7077

Subscriptions begin at $110. Individual tickets are $35 - $75, with discounts offered to students, seniors, military, educators, and groups of ten or more.

Performances are held at Folger Theatre, located at 201 East Capitol Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003. The nearest metro stations are Capitol South (blue/orange lines, 4 blocks) and Union Station (red line, 7 blocks). Street parking is available in the surrounding Capitol Hill neighborhood.