"What if your leader was a dangerous buffoon?” Christin L Goff, Director at RI Shakespeare Rep (RISR) refers to the royal namesake of their latest production: Shakespeare’s King John. This work, one of the least performed plays of Shakespeare, comes out of obscurity and into the Black Box theater at AS220 with this new production. “The themes–leadership, loyalty, and inheritance–are expected of a play set in medieval times. But, there’s humor too,” said Goff, “and even more contemporary happenings like overt sarcasm, helicopter parenting, and gaslighting–it’s surprising how relatable this play is for today’s audiences!!”
RI Shakespeare Rep (RISR) was founded by actors who met through Shakespeare acting workshops at other theaters. During COVID they collaborated on recording scenes of Shakespeare in local spaces and in August of 2022, produced their first, full-length production: A Midsummer Night’s Dream on the lawn of the John Brown House in Providence. “That production played to over 200 people in a weekend,” Goff said. “The best compliment I got was overhearing two patrons afterwards saying that they never understood Shakespeare before, until seeing that play,” she related. One of the main goals of RISR, according to Goff, is to make Shakespeare’s plays understandable to as much of the audience as possible. Other goals include fostering collaboration in production, as well as actor empowerment.
King John’s cast lists some actors well-versed in Shakespeare: among them are Amy Thompson (Hubert), Andy Stigler (King Philip), John Brennan (Pandulph), Philip Tomposki (Chatillon), Juliet Antonio (Blanch), and Jon Klos (King John). RISR both welcomes Shakespeare newcomers: Julie Shukan (Lady Faulconbridge) and Dorian Park Wang (Constance), and presents RISR founders: Stefan DiPippo (Philip Faulconbridge), Clayson Fox (Lewis the Dauphin), and Richard Schieferdecker (Pembroke). RISR is incredibly grateful for the talents of actors and crew from other theater groups: Anastasia LaFrance (Elinor) and Mark Wilburn (Austria) from Reverie Theatre Group in New Bedford, MA, and Nicole LaBresh (Arthur) and Audrey Dubois (Stage Manager) from Swamp Meadow Community Theatre in Foster, RI. Sound design is by the talented Sam Hickson of MA.
Shakespeare’s King John was one of two of his plays written entirely in verse and was most likely written early in his career (mid-1590s). Though performed much in the Victorian era–because of spectacle and pageantry–it is performed infrequently today. RISR’s production is expertly edited and relies on dialogue and acting to tell the story rather than spectacle.
The play runs at AS220 Black Box Theater, 119 Empire Street, Providence, 7/10-13 and 7/17-20; Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 2:30 pm. Tickets are by reservation (walk-ins seated just before curtain) and are $25 per single ticket, $20 each for two, $15 each for parties of four or more. Pay What You Can on Thursday, July 17. Run time is under two hours and includes one intermission. Contact AS220 or check out their calendar online.
RI Shakespeare Rep (RISR) is a RI theater company whose mission is to both foster education and perform works of Shakespeare’s text through workshops, productions, and recordings. For more information, please email rishakespearerep@gmail.com.
