Brian Isaac Phillips directs the next installment in CSC’s 5 year, 8 play history cycle!
Jim Hopkins & Joneal Joplin.
CINCINNATI, March 5 2014 — Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Cincinnati’s stage for the classics, is proud to present William Shakespeare’s HENRY IV: PARTS 1 & 2, playing from March 28- April 19, 2014. This production is directed by Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Producing Artistic Director Brian Isaac Phillips and features CSC Resident Ensemble Members Jim Hopkins, Justin McCombs and Matthew Lewis Johnson. The History Cycle Sponsor is Osborne Rohs Williams & Donohoe and the design is sponsored by Messer Construction.
“Henry IV” features an incredible mix of exhilarating battles, boisterous comedy and heart-wrenching emotion. After usurping the throne from King Richard II (Brent Vimtrup), King Henry IV (Jim Hopkins) finds he has inherited a country in chaos. Rebellions abound, lines are being drawn and one false step could plunge the country into civil war. To make matters worse, his son Hal (Justin McCombs) is now heir to the throne but has forsaken his duties at court and taken up with a band of brigands under the charge of that notorious drunkard and pot-bellied prankster, Sir John Falstaff (Matthew Lewis Johnson), one of Shakespeare’s most hilarious characters!
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is only the 2nd theater company in the United States to present Shakespeare’s 8 play history cycle in chronological order. Last season’s “Richard II” began this multi-season history cycle at Cincinnati Shakespeare that includes this upcoming production of “Henry IV: Part 1 & 2” as well as next season’s recently announced “Henry V”. The cycle concludes with “Henry VI: Parts 1, 2 & 3” and “Richard III” which CSC will present in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Producing Artistic Director Brian Isaac Phillips has noted that “as the company has produced Shakespeare’s less familiar works, like the wildly popular “Henry VIII: All is True” and “The Life and Death of King John”, audiences and artists alike have discovered something wonderful in each play that expands their appreciation of Shakespeare’s artistry and skill.”Performances of “Henry IV: Parts 1 & 2” are scheduled from March 28- April 19, 2014 on Thursday, Friday & Saturday evenings at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm. No show on Easter Sunday April 20, so a performance has been added for Saturday April 19 at 2pm. Preview performances are on Wednesday Mar. 26 and Thursday Mar. 27 at 7:30pm and tickets are $20. The theater is located at 719 Race Street, downtown Cincinnati, two blocks west of the Aronoff Center. Single ticket prices range from $22-$31 on Thursdays and Sundays and from $26-$35 on Fridays and Saturdays. If available, $14 student rush tickets may be purchased 30 minutes before a show with a valid student ID. Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted. Ticketing fees may apply. Discounts are available for students, seniors and groups as well as Enjoy the Arts and AAA members. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the CSC Box Office at 513.381.BARD (2273) ext. 1, or go online at www.cincyshakes.com.
Performances on Thursday feature a pre-show presentation about the production and performances on Sundays feature a Q&A with the cast following the show. Both are free and included in the ticket.
Performance Schedule:
- Wednesday March 26th at 7:30 pm *Preview
- Thursday March 27th at 7:30 pm *Preview
- Friday March 28th at 7:30 pm
- Saturday March 29th at 7:30 pm
- Thursday April 3rd at 7:30 pm
- Friday April 4th at 7:30 pm
- Saturday April 5th at 7:30 pm
- Sunday April 6th at 2:00 pm
- Thursday April 10th at 7:30 pm
- Friday April 11th at 7:30 pm
- Saturday April 12th at 7:30 pm
- Sunday April 13th at 2:00 pm
- Thursday April 17th at 7:30 pm
- Friday April 18th at 7:30 pm
- Saturday April 19th at 2:00 pm
- Saturday April 19th at 7:30 pm
*Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC) Union
About the 20th Anniversary Season:
The 20th Anniversary is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Ohio Arts Council, the Shubert Foundation and is supported, in part, by the generosity of thousands of individuals and businesses that give annually to ArtsWave. The season design sponsor is Mark & Sue Ann Painter. Production dates and information on the 20th Anniversary are available online at http://www.cincyshakes.com. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program/organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.
About Cincinnati Shakespeare Company:
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company dedicated to bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for audiences of all ages. Located in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, CSC produces a dozen mainstage productions each season. The repertoire is made up of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations and contemporary classics. CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of the Theater Communications Group and the Shakespeare Theater Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs reached nearly 30,000 young people and underserved community members last season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by hosting educational matinees of mainstage productions at its home on Race Street. This season, CSC is proud to become one of only five theaters in the United States to “Complete the Canon” by producing all 38 plays by William Shakespeare. CSC is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to be Cincinnati’s stage for the classics!
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 