Press Room
Washington Shakespeare Company presents
by Peter Shaffer
Beginning July 21 at WSC’s Clark Street Playhouse
Arlington, VA – WSC concludes its 15th season as it started it, by assembling a large, dynamic cast and crew to mount a play of epic proportions. This time it’s Peter Shaffer’s The Royal Hunt of the Sun, which, according to director Steven Scott Mazzola, “is uncompromising in its language, philosophy, and heart. It contains some of the most potent theatre imagery of the past fifty years of Western dramatic literature as well as unforgettable characters and a journey across time, the Atlantic Ocean, two civilizations, the landscape of Peru, and a vanishing kingdom made of gold.”
Mazzola, who Washingtonian magazine named one of the 100 Washingtonians to watch, is a familiar face at WSC, having directed In the Summer House in 2001, and worked as assistant director for The Winter’s Tale and the Helen Hayes Award winning Marat/Sade. Elsewhere, he has directed at The American Century Theater, The Keegan Theatre, The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, Cherry Red Productions, Source Theatre Company, and The Shakespeare Theatre Re-Discovery Series, among others. In addition to teaching at the Wooly Mammoth Theatre and The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, Mazzola is on the faculty of The University of Maryland -University College.
The twenty-member cast is a talented mix of WSC veterans and faces fresh to Clark Street Playhouse. WSC audiences will recognize both leading men: James Foster, Jr. (Pizzaro) was Antigonus in The Winter’s Tale; and Peter Pereyra (Atahuallpa) was Boy in Waiting for Godot. The cast features company members Daniel Ladmirault and Chris Galindo, both of whom played leads in The Tempest and Scaramouche, among many others. The other WSC alumni in the cast include William Aitken (Incident at Vichy), Jim Jorgensen (Lady Chatterley’s Lover), Nick Scott (Titus Andronicus), and Addison Switzer (As You Like It). Leslie Sarah Cohen, Brian Crane, Edward Daniels, Theo Hadjimichael, Katherine E. Hill, Steve Lee, Matt Mezzacappa, Alex Perez, Francisco Reinoso, Beth Madeline Rubens, Michael Sherman, and Shane Wallis are making their WSC debuts.
In addition to Mazzola, the production team is made up largely of WSC alumni. WSC resident assistant director H. Lee Gable, who directed The Night of the Iguana and will present next season’s The Children’s Hour, is assisting Mazzola, along with stage manager Karen Currie, who stage managed Titus Andronicus. Scenic designer Matthew Soule, who received the Theatre Lobby Mary Goldwater Award in recognition of his work on Titus, and who designed the Scaramouche set, returns along with lighting designer Ayun Fedorcha, who received the Mary Goldwater for her lighting of WSC’s Metamorphosis. Royal Hunt is the fifteenth show Fedorcha has designed for WSC, her first being Julius Caesar in the company’s first season, and this season’s Medea her most recent. Fight choreographer John Gurski, who received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for his work on Scaramouche, and properties designer Eleanor Gomberg, who stage-managed Twelfth Night, complete the list of returners. Costume designer Cynthia Abel Thom and sound designer Matthew Nielsen, along with choreographer Krissie Marty, are all new to WSC.
The production features original music composed and directed by Mariano Vales, conductor of the Washingon Saengerbund and music director of the experimental ensemble Musica Aperta. The original pieces are performed by the company in four languages throughout the production under Vales' musical direction. Says Vales, "I worked for the theater in Argentina for many years (as a composer of musicals and music for many theater plays). I am very happy to have found in Steven a great artistic partner. I have composed seven original musical pieces, utilizing texts from the author, but also by doing extensive research into traditional Quechua music. The songs are set to texts chosen by me from a variety of poetic sources. I have also crafted an orchestral soundtrack, some of it featuring traditional indigenous sounds, to serve as a playback for the show."
The Royal Hunt of the Sun tells the story of the Spanish conquistadors, led by Francisco Pizarro, who set out to conquer the majestic Inca Empire in the name of God while on a quest for gold. Based on historical events in 16th-century South America, this riveting epic written by the author of Equus and Amadeus details the defeat of a glorious and peaceful empire by a small band of mercenaries set on spreading Christianity while acquiring vast wealth for their king.
The Royal Hunt of the Sun starts at the Clark Street Playhouse on July 21, 2005 and runs until August 28, 2005. For tickets, please call 800-494-TIXS (8497) or visit our website: www.washingtonshakespeare.org. For more information or for group sales, call 703-418-4808 or visit our website.
THE ROYAL HUNT OF THE SUN performs July 21st through August 28th, 2005, at WSC’s Clark Street Playhouse.
Performance schedule: Previews are July 21st, 22nd, 23rd, and 25th at 8pm; Opening/Press Night, Tuesday, June 26th at 8pm; thereafter Thursday through Saturday at 8pm; Saturday & Sunday at 2pm. Tickets: Thursday - $22; Friday 8pm & Sunday 2pm - $25; Saturday 8pm - $30; Saturday 2pm – pay-what-you-can; all tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-494-TIXS (8497) or online at www.washingtonshakespeare.org.
NOTE: Pay-what-you-can performances include preview nights July 21st, 22nd, 23rd, and 25th at 8pm, and all Saturday Matinees at 2pm throughout the performance run. Tickets are available at the theatre box office half an hour prior to show time. No reservations are taken for pay-what-you-can performances.
NOTE: WSC continues its "25 and under" offering of $10 rush tickets. Patrons 25 and under with valid ID will be given $10 rush tickets for all performances. The tickets can be purchased at the theatre box office half an hour prior to show time, depending on seating availability. No reservations will be taken or honored in conjunction with this discount.
Founded in 1990, Washington Shakespeare Company is dedicated to providing classic theatre with an edge, producing a variety of classic works throughout its season, both time-tested and contemporary, and providing a provocative, bold, and intimate approach to all its programming. WSC is also the premiere training and showcasing theatre for emerging artists in the Washington, DC area. By giving emerging talent the opportunity to work on the best plays in the world alongside accomplished theatre artists, including the WSC Acting Company and its Artistic Associates, WSC has been the launching pad for countless actors, designers, directors, and others into the professional world. WSC’s mission is expressed through its commitment to artistic excellence and collaboration, developing talent, and promoting educational and social outreach.
Washington Shakespeare Company is supported in part by Arlington County through the Cultural Affairs Division of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Resources and the Arlington Commission for the Arts; The Virginia Commission for the Arts; The Weissberg Foundation; The Community Foundation of Greater Washington; The Dallas Morse Coors Foundation; and The Bureau of National Affairs.
Fact Sheet – THE ROYAL HUNT OF THE SUN
by Peter Shaffer
Washington Shakespeare Company
Contact: Jay Hardee/Director of Public Relations, 703-418-4808 ext. 4 or jhardee@washingtonshakespeare.org
EVENT: THE ROYAL HUNT OF THE SUN
PLAYWRIGHT: Peter Shaffer
DIRECTOR: Steven Scott Mazzola
ORIGINAL MUSIC COMPOSER/MUSIC DIRECTOR: Mariano Vales
SET DESIGNER: Matthew Soule
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Ayun Fedorcha
COSTUME DESIGNER: Cynthia Abel Thom
SOUND DESIGNER: Matthew Nielson
PROPERTIES DESIGNER: Eleanor Gomberg
CHOREOGRAPHER: Krissie Marty
FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHER: John Gurski
STAGE MANAGER: Karen Currie
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: H Lee Gable
ASSISTANT CHOREOGRAPHER: Erin Jelacic
ASSOCIATE LIGHTING DESIGNER: Don Slater
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: Eryn Chaney
SECOND ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: Lindsay Palmer
CAST: William Aitken, Leslie Sarah Cohen, Brian Crane, Edward Daniels, James Foster, Jr., Chris Galindo, Theo Hadjimichael, Katherine E. Hill, Jim Jorgensen, Daniel Ladmirault, Steve Lee, Matt Mezzacappa, Peter Pereyra, Alex Perez, Francisco Reinoso, Beth Madeline Rubens, Nick Scott, Michael Sherman, Addison Switzer, and Shane Wallis
OPENING/PRESS NIGHT: Tuesday, July 26 at 8pm
PERFORMANCE DATES: July 21, 2005 – August 28, 2005
LOCATION/METRO:
WSC’s Clark Street Playhouse, 601 S. Clark Street, Arlington, VA; accessible to patrons with disabilities; free parking; 5 blocks from Crystal City Metro. More information and directions available at www.washingtonshakespeare.org
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Previews: July 21, 22, 23, and 25 at 8pm
Opening Night: Tues., July 26 at 8pm
Thereafter through August 28: Thurs. – Sat. 8pm; Sat. – Sun. 2pm
PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN PERFORMANCES:
PWYC Previews: Thursday, July 21 at 8pm; Friday, July 22 at 8pm;
Saturday, July 23 at 8pm; Monday, July 25 at 8 pm
All Saturday matinee shows are pay-what-you-can: July 30, August 6, 13, 20, and 27; all shows at 2pm.
Tickets are available at the theater box-office, one half-hour prior to show time. No reservations are taken for pay-what-you-can performances.
BOX OFFICE/TICKETS: By phone at 1-800-494-TIXS (8497) or online at www.washingtonshakespeare.org; tickets range from $22 - $30.
DISCOUNTS: Groups (6 or more) call 1-800-494-TIXS or e-mail info@washingtonshakespeare.org;
$3 off seniors & students; $10 "25 and under" rush tickets available half an hour prior to show time, pending availability.
PSA/LISTINGS: For information and tickets, visit www.washingtonshakespeare.org.
WSC's Clark Street Playhouse
601 S. Clark St.,
Crystal City (Arlington), VA 22202 (Directions)