2008-2009 SEASON
Sensational Comedies. Enduring Love Stories. Powerful Dramas.
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Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare
directed by David Muse
September 9 to October 12, 2008
Sidney Harman Hall
See our first production staged in the thrust configuration.
The
world’s
greatest and most enduring love story, Romeo
and Juliet follows its star-crossed lovers as they hurtle from their
first shy glances to their last heartrending kiss. Caught between their
feuding families, Romeo and Juliet desperately struggle to build a world
insulated from the violence, but their love races toward a final confrontation
with fate. Inspired by the Elizabethan tradition of all-male casts, Associate
Artistic Director David Muse stages this poetic masterwork as Shakespeare
would have, with men playing all of the roles. Muse has been praised for
his “wonderfully sensitive guidance” creating productions that
are “triumphant … glorious” (Washington City Paper).
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The Way of the World
by William Congreve
directed by Michael Kahn
September 30 to November 16, 2008
Lansburgh Theatre
Featuring witty repartee in the grand tradition of The Country Wife and The
Beaux' Stratagem, Congreve's delicious comedy of manners sends up
courtship and marriage. Amid the gossip and frivolous love affairs of fashionable
London society, the clever and conniving lovers Millamant and Mirabell
are determined to pursue "a marriage of true minds." But Millamant's
jealous guardian stands in their way. The only way to achieve their goal
is to beat the fops, the fools and the resentful rivals at their own game—through
double-dealing and outrageous deception. Michael Kahn directs this great
English comedy, one of the finest of the Restoration era. The cast features
Veanne Cox (The Beaux’ Stratagem) and STC favorites Floyd
King, Andrew Long and Nancy Robinette.
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Twelfth Night
by William Shakespeare
directed by Rebecca Bayla Taichman
December 2, 2008, to January 4, 2009
Sidney Harman Hall
One of Shakespeare’s greatest comedies, Twelfth Night ponders
love lost and found. A shipwreck separates twins Viola and Sebastian, but
tragedy quickly turns to comedy when they wash up in a land turned upside-down
by love. With raucous antics, ravishing language and rich characters,
Shakespeare creates a bittersweet tale of laughter and longing. Rebecca Bayla
Taichman returns after her “chic, funny and marvelously acted” production
of The Taming of the Shrew (The Washington Post). Veanne
Cox will play Olivia, following her role in The Way of the World,
and will be joined by STC favorites Floyd King and Nancy Robinette.
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The Dog in the Manger
by Lope de Vega
translated and adapted by David Johnston
directed by Jonathan Munby
February 10 to March 29, 2009
Lansburgh Theatre
A master of Spain's Golden Age, Lope de Vega explores love, fidelity and
class with wry humor in The Dog in the Manger. The haughty countess
Diana rejects her many aristocratic suitors only to fall in love with her
handsome young secretary, Teodoro. To pursue this forbidden love, Diana must
sabotage her suitors, deceive her friends and concoct ever-more elaborate
schemes. De Vega balances high tragedy and low comedy, examining the savage
whims of the human heart. Jonathan Munby makes his STC debut directing the
East Coast premiere of David Johnston’s translation of this rarely
performed classic. Munby, a frequent director with the Royal Shakespeare
Company, has been praised for his “high-octane” productions (The
Sunday Times).
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Ion
by Euripides
translated and adapted by David Lan
directed by Ethan McSweeny
March 10 to April 12, 2009
Sidney Harman Hall
In Ion, the Greek playwright Euripides crafts a remarkable
romance of loss and reconciliation. Abandoned by his parents, Ion grows
up as an orphan at Apollo’s temple. But when his mother appears
in search of a prophecy, Ion must confront both his painful past and
his unexpected destiny. Euripides’ plot
twists and turns with jealousy and revenge before culminating in a reunion
scene of deep tenderness and pathos. Ethan McSweeny returns to direct his
second Greek tragedy for STC, after his “stunning … acutely
theatrical” production of The Persians in 2006 (The Washington
Post). He will direct the American premiere of David Lan’s translation,
which captures the rich beauty of this neglected masterpiece.
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Design for Living
by
Noël Coward
directed by Michael Kahn
May 12 to June 28, 2009
Lansburgh Theatre
The master of 20th-century English comedy, Noel Coward continued the style
of William Congreve and Oscar Wilde with this hilarious and sophisticated
look at love, friendship and the joys and perils of fame. Filled with Coward’s
trademark sparkling wit, Design for Living follows three glamorous
Bohemians—Otto, Leo and Gilda—as they fall in and out of love
with each other. Moving restlessly from Paris to London to New York, the
three both pursue and repel each other in an ever-more-maddening love triangle.
Michael Kahn directs this provocative and surprisingly moving modern comedy
classic.
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King Lear
by William Shakespeare
directed by Robert Falls
June 16 to July 19, 2009
Sidney Harman Hall
One of the most powerful dramas in Western literature, King Lear is
both an intimate family drama and an explosive political epic. Beginning
with a monarch’s division of his kingdom amongst his three daughters, Lear explores
the most basic questions of human existence: love and duty, power and loss,
good and evil. Tony Award winner Robert Falls remounts his 2006 production,
which captures both the stark violence and devastating passion of Shakespeare's
masterpiece. Stacy Keach will play the title role, returning to STC for the
first time since Macbeth in 1995. When the show premiered at Chicago’s
Goodman Theatre, The Chicago Tribune raved, “A colossal, eye-popping
operatic production,” and The New York Times proclaimed it
one of the best productions of 2006.
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