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Lane Community College, Eugene, Oregon
Public information officer: Joan Aschim, (541) 463-5591, aschimj@lanecc.edu
Sam Morehouse, S.P.A. Publicity: 463-5761 mambatree@yahoo.com
Judith "Sparky" Roberts, Director: 686-9781 motherwit@gmail.com
News for immediate release
August 24, 2007
"King Lear" is a mind-bending tale
EUGENE, Ore. – William Shakespeare's mythical play "King Lear" will be presented by the Lane Community College Student Productions Association (SPA), co-produced by the Lane Theater Arts Department, the Associated Students of Lane Community College, and the Lane Foundation. The play runs three weekends only, with nine performances, October 4 through 20, on the main stage of the campus Performance Hall, Building 6.
Joe Cronin, featured guest artist, is coming to Eugene to play the role of Lear with an ensemble of student, faculty, and community actors. Cronin has acted with the Oregon and Utah Shakespeare Festivals, and has twice received the Portland drama critics' award for best actor. He appears courtesy of Actors' Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.
Julie Fether, an actress formerly with the Indiana Shakespeare Festival and now a culinary arts instructor at Lane, will play the role of Lear's oldest daughter, Goneril, whose bite is "sharper than a serpent's tooth."
"King Lear" is directed by Judith "Sparky" Roberts, with lighting by Lane technical director James McConkey, scenery by Amy Dunn, and costumes by Heather Kidd. The set will incorporate Lane's replica of the London Globe stage.
The play is action-packed -- a clash of good and evil, with tangled strands of intrigue, madness, violence and tenderness.
The story follows the tormented journey of old King Lear. With dementia setting in, he bequeaths his kingdom to his three daughters. But he impulsively banishes Cordelia, his youngest, loving daughter, and bestows his powers on Goneril and Regan, his two heartless daughters. When they turn on him, their "filial ingratitude" inflames his madness. Homeless and delusional, he braves a wild thunderstorm, along with his Fool. Lear has an epiphany when he meets a naked beggar, Tom O'Bedlam. The king's plight intersects with that of his friend, the Earl of Gloucester, who is cruelly betrayed by his evil son, Edmund.
Director Roberts says, "Edmund the Bastard, who destroys his father, is one of Shakespeare's most engaging, utter villains, like Iago or Richard III. The play exposes humanity's beastly elements. Yet, amazingly, it's infused with a spirit of unconditional love and hope."
One inspiration used for this production is Ian Pollock's Illustrated King Lear (IanPllck@aol.com), a graphic novel published by Can of Worms Press, London.
The play is for mature audiences, and only people over age 10 will be admitted. Performance dates are: Friday-Saturday, October 5-6; Oct. 12-13; Oct. 19-20, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday matinee, October 14, at 2:00 p.m.
General admission is $12.50; students and seniors: $10. Discount Thursdays are October 4 and 18 at 7:30 p.m., all tickets $8 and further discounts for high school teachers with groups.
Reservations for "King Lear" are recommended, with open seating. Season ticket holders and advance reservations will have priority seating. The box office opens at 6:30 p.m. on performance evenings. Tickets are available at the door (with cash or check only).
For further information and reservations, please call the SPA box office at (541) 463-5761.
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