Shakespeare BASH'd to Present Contemporary Take on THE TWO NOBLE KINSMEN

Shakespeare BASH'd will bring a contemporary perspective to a rarely-produced gem in The Two Noble Kinsmen.

Director: James Wallis

Featuring: Daniel Briere, Joshua Browne, Tristan Claxton, Jennifer Dzialoszynski, 郝邦宇 Steven Hao, Madelaine Hodges (賀美倫), Melanie Leon, Michael Man, Kate Martin, Julia Nish-Lapidus, Breanne Tice, Le Truong, Emilio Vieira, Jeff Yung 容海峯

With an original score by Matt Nish-Lapidus, fight direction by Jennifer Dzialoszynski, and choreography by Breanne Tice

The Two Noble Kinsmen runs January 25 to February 4, 2024 at The Theatre Centre, BMO Incubator (1115 Queen St W).

Returning to The Theatre Centre after a sold-out run of The Tragedy of King Lear, Shakespeare BASH'd is shifting gears from one of the most well-known Shakespeare plays to one of the least known or performed.

The Two Noble Kinsmen, a collaboration between playwrights Shakespeare and John Fletcher, explores many of the same themes we expect, including love, honour, and duty. But in this quirky play, those familiar topics are shown to us from new and unfamiliar perspectives, challenging expected ideas of gender, sexuality, romance, and ceremony.

Although it was written over four-hundred years ago, much of this play feels incredibly modern, exploring a multitude of relationships, including same-sex love and attraction in some of the most overt ways of a play from this period.

BASH'd is embracing the collaborative origins of the play in every element of the process. This includes an open rehearsal process featuring continued room for conversation, inviting the cast to bring their full identities to the fold to explore how that reflects and informs their performances.

"I'm excited for audiences to be able to connect with how surprisingly queer-coded this 400 year old play is, and perhaps see themselves reflected in elements of these characters they maybe wouldn't expect to in classical work," offers actor Madelaine Hodges (賀美倫).

"I find myself reflecting on themes of love. What it is to love someone, a friend, a comrade, a colleague, someone you know really well, someone you don't know really well. What it is to hold compassion for that person. This play is such a beautiful exploration of the different capacities of love," adds actor 郝邦宇 Steven Hao.

The collaborative theme extends to the design as well, with the music and costumes examining the relationship between the classic and modern, further highlighting that these explorations of love and gender have been going on for hundreds of years.

The production brings together an all-star cast of festival favourites and BASH'd regulars, under the direction of James Wallis (BASH'd Co-Artistic Director and newly appointed Co-Artistic Director of the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival).

Shaw Festival favourite Michael Man and Stratford star Emilio Vieira are the titular cousins Arcite and Palamon. Joined by Kate Martin (A Million Billion Pieces, YPT) as the object of their affection Emilia, BASH'd Co-Artistic Director Julia Nish-Lapidus (and newly appointed Co-Artistic Director of the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival) as shunned lover the Jailer's Daughter, Melanie Leon (Goneril, BASH'd Lear; Shakespeare By the Sea) and Jeff Yung 容海峯 (Prodigal, Howland/Crow's; Trojan Girls and the Outhouse of Atreus, OtM/Factory Theatre) as the royal Hippolyta and Theseus, Daniel Briere (Stratford Festival, RMTC, BASH'd) as the Jailer and Schoolmaster, and 郝邦宇 Steven Hao (Dream In High Park; Cockroach, Tarragon) as Pirithous and the Wooer.

Rounding out the cast are two powerhouse trios: Jennifer Dzialoszynski (Shaw Festival; Fairview, Canadian Stage), Madelaine Hodges (賀美倫) (Regan, BASH'd King Lear; Killing Time: A Gameshow Musical, Mixtape Projects), and Breanne Tice (Cordelia, BASH'd Lear; YES Theatre, Theatre Direct) as the Queens and more. And Joshua Browne (The Antipodes, Coal Mine Theatre), Tristan Claxton (Oswald, BASH'd Lear; Three Ordinary Men, Cahoots Theatre), and Le Truong (The Revenger's Tragedy, BASH'd) as Countrymen, Knights, and more.

This beautiful play is too rarely performed and likely hasn't been seen by even the most enthusiastic Shakespeare fans. Exploring themes of love and relationships, audiences are sure to see themselves reflected in unexpected places.

Showtimes:

Thursday, January 25 - 7:30pm

Friday, January 26 - 7:30pm

Saturday, January 27 - 7:30pm

Sunday, January 28 - 2:00pm (audience is required to wear masks at this performance)

Tuesday, January 30 - 7:30pm

Wednesday, January 31 - 7:30pm

Thursday, February 1 - 7:30pm

Friday, February 2 - 7:30pm

Saturday, February 3 - 7:30pm

Sunday, February 4 - 7:30pm

Tickets:

$25 to $50 online at https://theatrecentre.org/tickets/?eid=110137

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