King John
July 2017
It's the story of a self-centered man-child, a demagogue in control of the world as we know it. The action begins in a time of great imbalance in the western world. The French have raised an army to refute the English King John’s claim to the throne, and the Pope has sent a representative to stir up some lucrative conflict. John’s supporters grow anxious about his ability to lead, and all his enemies have to do is wait for his next mistake. John seems to live in his own reality; the fate of the modern world depends on his words and actions, but the most worrying thing of all is how little he seems to care.
The Life and Death of King John is one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known plays, but in a modern context feels shockingly familiar. While parallels can certainly be drawn from the play to the White House, the creative team has made it a goal to avoid satire or judgement, in favor of finding their characters’ honesty and reminding us that even our enemies are human beings. In addition to the production, a pop-up gallery on opening night will feature original work from local artists, commenting on themes of the play as well as artistic identity in 2017 America.
Certainly we find ourselves in an ugly point of history, but if Shakespeare has anything to say about ugliness, it’s that it will, eventually, pass.
CALENDAR INFORMATION
WHERE
The Arcade Theatre (at the Underground Collaborative)
161 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee WI, 53203
The Arcade Theatre (at the Underground Collaborative)
161 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee WI, 53203
WHEN
July 12 - 22, 2017
July 12 - 22, 2017
PERFORMANCE DAYS
Wednesday July 12
Thursday July 13
Friday July 14
Saturday July 15
Sunday July 16
Thursday July 20
Friday July 21
Saturday July 22
Wednesday July 12
Thursday July 13
Friday July 14
Saturday July 15
Sunday July 16
Thursday July 20
Friday July 21
Saturday July 22
7:30 PM
7:30 PM
7:30 PM
7:30 PM
2:00 PM
7:30 PM
7:30 PM
2:00 PM/7:30 PM
RUNNING TIME
120 minutes (with a 15 minute intermission)
120 minutes (with a 15 minute intermission)
Parking: Free street parking after 6:00pm
Surface lots between Michigan & Clyborne/2nd & Plankinton
The Grand Avenue Mall garage on Plankinton Ave (between Michigan St and Wisconsin Ave)
Surface lots between Michigan & Clyborne/2nd & Plankinton
The Grand Avenue Mall garage on Plankinton Ave (between Michigan St and Wisconsin Ave)
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Production Team
Executive Producer
ERIC SCHMALZ
ERIC SCHMALZ
Festival Director/Producer
HALEY HAUPT
HALEY HAUPT
Director/Graphic Design
JAKE RUSSELL THOMPSON
JAKE RUSSELL THOMPSON
Stage Manager
KRISTA KANDERSKI
KRISTA KANDERSKI
Assistant Stage Manager
MIRANDA FLORES FARLEY
MIRANDA FLORES FARLEY
Lighting Designer
AARON SUGGS
AARON SUGGS
Music Director/Set Designer
HANNAH TAHTINEN
HANNAH TAHTINEN
Costume Design
TIFFANY NICOLE TRESEMER
TIFFANY NICOLE TRESEMER
Fight DIrector
TAWNIE THOMPSON
TAWNIE THOMPSON
Fight Director
ALEC LACHMAN
ALEC LACHMAN
Rhetoric Dramaturg
SARAH CAVENEY
SARAH CAVENEY
Psych Dramaturg/Social Media
ALEXIS FURSETH
ALEXIS FURSETH
Construction
ETHAN EICHSTEDT-ANDERSON
ETHAN EICHSTEDT-ANDERSON
Musicians
Composer/Tuba
KARL SREFANS
KARL SREFANS
Trumpet
GRAHAM WESTLEY
GRAHAM WESTLEY
Oboe
MIRANDA ALDRICH
MIRANDA ALDRICH
Trombone
MICHAELA PRALL
MICHAELA PRALL
Cast
Arthur/A Monk
GRAHAM BILLINGS
GRAHAM BILLINGS
John
BRANDON JUDAH
BRANDON JUDAH
Constance/John's Mistress
BRITTANY ANN HAUT
BRITTANY ANN HAUT
Philip
KIRA RENKAS
KIRA RENKAS
Cardinal Phandulph/Citizen
SARAH ZAPIAIN
SARAH ZAPIAIN
Louis
BRANDON HAUT
BRANDON HAUT
Melun
ANDREW KELLY
ANDREW KELLY
Limoges/Robert
ANDY MONTANO
ANDY MONTANO
Bigot
SAMANTHA TAYLOR
SAMANTHA TAYLOR
Blanche
RACHEL ZEMBROWSKI
RACHEL ZEMBROWSKI
Hubert
NICK HURTGEN
NICK HURTGEN
Richard aka Phillip Faulconbridge
JEREMY LABELLE
JEREMY LABELLE
Pembroke
KIAN NELSON
KIAN NELSON
Eleanor
CLAIRE KINDER
CLAIRE KINDER