Shakespeare

Audiences will have an opportunity to watch a French connection this weekend.

Not the one with big city narcotics detectives investigating a heroin smuggling ring, but rather, the royal Shakespearean drama of “King John,” about the difficulties of who the lead character was and that he usurped the throne, Director E. Jane Burk says.

“One of the other characters that is in this play, his name is Arthur, he is John's nephew, he was the son of John's older brother, Jeffrey, who died. John took the throne before Arthur could ascend to it; he actually usurped the throne from his nephew Arthur. So much of the play revolves around a French connection. That's why we have (on the banners at the back of the stage) English lions on one side, and we have French fleur-de-lis on the other side,” Burk said during rehearsal Tuesday. “There is a significant threat of war because the French segment, the French king, King Philip, wants to put John's nephew Arthur on the English throne. So it all revolves around the situation that it was very militaristic. You could almost say contemporary in terms of the different factions that were trying to come to power.”

Batavia Players will present Shakespeare in Springtime’s “King John” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Main St. 56 Theater in Batavia City Centre.

Playwright William Shakespeare penned a significant number of plays that were histories about notables such as Richard the Third and Henry the Eighth, and this lesser known figure, King John, Burk said. 

“It is not frequently performed anywhere,” she said. “And it’s interesting because, actually, this particular play is all in verse. It’s all poetry; it’s not prose, it’s not normal, conversation-type stuff.”

A passage from King John’s character states:  

O cousin, thou art come to set mine eye.

The tackle of my heart is cracked and burnt,

And all the shrouds wherewith my life should sail

Are turnèd to one thread, one little hair.

My heart hath one poor string to stay it by,

Which holds but till thy news be utterèd,

And then all this thou seest is but a clod

And module of confounded royalty.

The time period is 1216, and the play is paying homage to the Magna Carta, which King John signed in 1215, a year before his death at 49, Burk said. The cast quickly became familiar with the setting, the lines and the demands of such a production, and has fulfilled its responsibilities with aplomb, she said.

Auditions were in mid-January, everyone received their scripts and immediately began to learn their lines after being cast for roles, and, because another show was happening during a portion of February, rehearsals didn’t even begin until later in the month.  

“And this is only March 19. And kudos to the cast. I give them so much credit. They have done an extraordinary job of creating this place that is not Western New York. That is not Batavia. That does not sound anything like the way we speak. I have French people that are speaking with French accents,” she said. “We have worked hard on this. They have learned their lines, their scripts, word for word. If you were to sit right now — I'm not exaggerating — if you were to sit and actually listen to what they are saying, watching but listening, and reading the script as you're going along, you will see that it’s word for word. It is extraordinary. That's exceptionally difficult. You cannot take away from the fact that they have given heart and soul to making this happen.”

And who are “they?” By all other accounts, they are ordinary people, volunteers in the world of community theater with a passion for the arts, people who have jobs, work for a living, tend to families, she said, and dedicate many hours to memorizing their lines and create the character they will eventually bring to life up on stage. 

The premise of “King John” is that he goes to war against the French after claiming that his nephew should be king instead. John has conflict with the church, orders his nephew's death, and turns the nobles against himself. In the end, John dies after a monk poisons him, the French retreat and his own son becomes king.

Burk isn’t necessarily looking to convert the masses onto Shakespeare; however, she’s hoping that folks are willing to give it a try.

“My idea is that, on some level, most of the people that will come to see the show probably have not had any sort of prior experience with Shakespeare,” she said. “But what we hope is that if we can make a difference in the life of one person if we can make the lightbulbs click on for one person, and they understand and discover what Shakespeare is all about, then we’ve succeeded. That’s what it’s all about.”

Tickets are $22 adults, $20 students and seniors online and $24 adults, $22 students and seniors for cash at the door.

Press release:

The Holland Land Office Museum will be hosting its next Trivia Night at the Museum on Thursday, April 8^th at 7 p.m. In honor of his birthday, the topic will be life and works of William Shakespeare.

You can either join us in person at the museum or via Zoom. Our in-person audience will be limited to 12 people, and masks and social distancing will be required.

The Holland Land Office Musuem welcomes James Black on Wednesday, April 14^th at 7 p.m. for its next edition of its Guest Speaker Series. The presentation will be on edged weapons of the Civil War from both the Union and Confederate armies.

The presentation will be available via Facebook Live and in person to a small group of up to 12 people to come to watch on our big screen. All those in attendance must wear masks and follow social distancing protocols.

If you would like to attend in either event person, please contact the museum by phone at (585) 343-4727 to preregister. If you would like to come in person we are asking for a donation in place of the regular admission.

Please visit the museum’s Facebook page or website, www.hollandlandoffice.com, for more details, and for links to attend the April 8 Zoom event on Shakespeare.

The Batavia Players and the Harvester 56 Theater are pleased to announce that they will be offering Theater and Acting Master Classes over this Thanksgiving weekend.

The classes will be conducted by Emilio Viera, an award-winning Toronto-based actor.

Classes offered are:

• Unlocking Shakespeare: Breaking Down the Text -- 1 to 4 p.m., Friday, Nov. 29
• Unarmed Stage Combat 101 -- 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Nov. 30
• Unlocking Shakespeare: Monologue Workshop -- 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 30

Each class has a limited attendance and will be on a first-come first-serve basis. The cost of each three-hour class will be $75, or take all three for $180.

All classes will be limited in attendance and be on a first-come first-serve basis.

“This is an exciting and wonderful opportunity for all our local actors," said Patrick Burk, executive and artistic director of the Harvester 56 Theater. "Emilio is an amazing performer that has an incredible presence on stage. His ability to work with all ages and provide a solid Master Class Program makes him ideal for our theater community.”

Emilio Viera has been featured in "Much Ado About Nothing" and "Measure for Measure" with the Canadian Stage’s critically acclaimed Shakespeare in High Park. Other classical credits include "Titus Andronicus" and "As You Like It" (Canadian Stage), and "Romeo and Juliet" (Guild Festival Theatre).

His performances at the National Shakespeare Festival Theater in Stratford, Ontario, Canada have included several roles in "The Tempest," "Coriolanus," "Twelfth Night" and "Macbeth."

He has also appeared in "Romeo and Juliet" (Guild Festival Theatre.) Viera was part of the original cast of Hannah Moscovitch’s "Bunny" at the Stratford Festival. This past year he was part of the original cast of Andrew Kushnir’s "Towards Youth" at the Crows Theatre in association with Project Humanity.

In 2016, he became one of the youngest recipients of The Peter Donaldson Award at The Stratford Festival, which recognizes an actor with ability in classical texts.

Always game for a candid discussion about the work, Viera enjoys participating in theater education whether it be as a student or a teacher. He is looking forward to being part of the Harvester 56 Theater family and providing classes to the actors that are a part of this exciting regional theater.

Actors interested in any of the classes should contact Patrick Burk at:  pburk@bataviaplayers.org

Enrollment sheets and payments can be made at the Harvester 56 Theater Box Office, which is open Tuesdays and Thursdays, or they can be sent to: Patrick Burk, Harvester 56 Theater, 56 Harvester Ave., Batavia, NY 14020.