"King Lear"

Mythical "King Lear" is a Mind-bending Tale

William Shakespeare's play King Lear will be presented by the Lane Community College Student Productions Association ( S.P.A.), and co-produced by the Theater Arts Department, the Associated Students, and the L.C.C. Foundation. Nine performances are scheduled over three weekends, October 4th through 20th, on the Main Stage at the campus Performance Hall (reconfigured with a thrust).

King Lear will be played by Guest Artist Joe Cronin, who appears courtesy of Actors' Equity (the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States). Mr. Cronin has appeared in 15 Shakespeare plays, several of them twice; all but three were at the Oregon and Utah Shakespeare Festivals. He twice received the Portland Drama Critics' Award for Best Actor. His only other performance in King Lear was as a spear-carrier in high school. Mr. Cronin also will offer an actor's workshop during his stay.

Julie Fether, formerly an actress with the Indiana Shakespeare Festival -now a Culinary Arts Instructor at L.C.C. - will play Lear's oldest daughter Goneril, whose bite is "sharper than a serpent's tooth".

King Lear is directed by Judith "Sparky" Roberts, with lighting by L.C.C. Technical Director James McConkey, scenery by Amy Dunn, costumes by Heather Kidd, and swordfights by John Elliott. English artist Ian Pollock provided a visual inspiration to the production with his graphic novel, Illustrated King Lear ( IanPllck@aol.com), published by Can Of Worms Press, London.

The play is an action-packed clash of good and evil, with tangled strands of intrigue, madness, violence and tenderness. Based in ancient legends, it's the story of an 80-year-old man on the brink of dementia, who bequeaths his kingdom of Britain to his daughters. But he impulsively disowns and banishes his youngest, loving daughter, Cordelia, and he cedes his powers to his two heartless daughters, Goneril and Regan. They turn against him, and their "filial ingratitude" inflames his madness. Homeless, powerless and delusional, he outfaces a wild thunderstorm, along with his Fool. His journey careens between chaos and lucidity. Lear has a revelation when he meets a naked beggar, Tom O'Bedlam. There's a parellel between the king's plight and the fate of his friend, the Earl of Gloucester, who also is cruelly betrayed by a child - his bitter son, Edmund.

In this tragedy, as in a fairy tale, the characters embody their good or bad qualities. Director Roberts says, "Edmund the bastard, scheming to destroy his half-brother and father, is one of Shakespeare's top-notch villains, like Iago and Richard III. The playwright's poetic genius is in how he contrasts human beastliness and unconditional love."

Supporting roles are played by students who have appeared in L.C.C.'s recent Shakespeare productions - Michelle Nordella (playing Lear's daughter Regan), Barbie Wu (Cordelia), Matt Keating (Lear's Fool), Dylan Skye Kennedy (Edmund), Kory Weimer (Edgar), Kyle Cooper (Earl of Kent), Sam Morehouse (Oswald), Jonathan Heritage (Duke of Cornwall), and Joe Gehring (King of France). Other key actors are community actors, Steve Wehmeier (Earl of Gloucester), Scott Shirk (Duke of Albany), and Bob Glasser (Herald), along with an ensemble of players in multiple roles. David Stuart Bull is Lear's understudy.

The production is intended for mature audiences, and admittance is limited to people age 10 and older. Performance dates are: Friday-Saturday, October 5-6; Oct. 12-13; Oct. 19-20, at 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinee, October 14, at 2:00 p.m. General admission: $12.50; Students and Seniors: $10 Discount Thursdays, October 4 and 18 - 7:30 p.m. [All tickets $8; further discounts for high school teachers with groups.] Reservations for King Lear are recommended, with open seating. Season ticket holders and advance reservations will have priority seating. The box office opens at 6:30 p.m. on performance evenings. Tickets are available at the door, with cash or check. For further information and reservations, please call the S.P.A. box office at (541) 463-5761.