Turning Glass Shakespeare, the 2014–15 Master of Fine Arts company of Mary Baldwin University’s Shakespeare and Performance graduate program, in association with the American Shakespeare Center, announces the third production in their four-show season: William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, directed by guest director Lisa Wolpe.
One of Shakespeare’s romances, The Winter’s Tale blends tragedy and comedy in a story of family, loss, and redemption. Leontes, King of Sicilia, is convinced that his pregnant wife, Hermione, is having an affair with his childhood friend, Polixenes, the King of Bohemia. In his anger, he wrongly imprisons Hermione, banishes Polixenes, and orders his servant to kill his newborn daughter. As a result, Leontes’ wife and older son both die of extreme grief. It seems all is lost until it is revealed that Leontes’ servant does not kill his daughter, Perdita. She survives and becomes, unbeknownst to her, the last hope for Leontes’ redemption.
Turning Glass Shakespeare’s production is set in the 1920s, when European nations were rebuilding after World War I, jazz music reigned, and women all across the Western world fought for the right to vote. It promises to be a powerful, funny, and thought-provoking evening of theatre.
The Winter’s Tale will play at the Blackfriars Playhouse at 8 p.m. on February 9–11. All performances are Pay What You Will.
Wolpe is the founder and artistic director of the Los Angeles Women’s Shakespeare Company, an all-female, multi-cultural theatre company that Los Angeles Magazine has called “one of the 10 coolest things to do in Los Angeles.” She is also an accomplished actor, especially noted for her acclaimed portrayals of Shakespeare’s leading male characters.