American evening – World premiere of the theatre play King Lear by William Shakespeare,

Directed by John Blondell
Lit Moon Theatre Company

Lit Moon World’s King Lear, by William Shakespeare, is a world premiere performance developed specifically for the Ohrid Summer Festival.  Created by an international company of artists from North Macedonia, Armenia, Finland, and the US, the performance is tailor made for the Vestibule of the Church of Saint Sophia.  Shakespeare’s great tragedy, about domestic and dynastic order, vision and blindness, aging and madness, is thought by many to be the pinnacle of his art – a complex, hearbreaking, and rich meditation on foolish choices and misplaced trust.

The play interweaves stories of two families…  In one, Lear divides his kingdom between two daughters who flatter him and exiles his youngest who loves him.  In another, the Duke of Gloucester trusts a treacherous son, and suspects a loyal one.  The stories merge into one by play’s end, after much heartache.  The play ends with some of the most moving scenes in Shakespeare, when loyal children find their battered and beleaguered fathers.

Lit Moon World’s production compacts the story, presenting vivid images and visual storytelling, fused with Shakespeare’s incomparable language.  The performance evokes worlds lost and times past, atmospheres drenched in ancient rituals, ghosts and dreams, simple storytelling, and original music.  The performance is intended as an intimate story in a vast outdoor space – perfect for the symbolic and cultural richness of the Church of Saint Sophia.

Founded in 1991, Lit Moon Theatre Company is a Santa Barbara-bred and based collective of theatre artists.  The company is an independent, laboratory theatre company that integrates aesthetic experimentation with cross-cultural interaction and understanding.  Since 1992, Lit Moon has created 45 new theatrical projects, produced thirteen international theatre festivals, received dozens of awards for its artists, developed numerous residencies with artists from eight countries, and toured to Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Scotland, Canada, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Armenia, Georgia, and China.

John Blondell is the recipient of 13 Independent Theatre Awards for excellence in Directing, the 2003 Faculty Research Award from Westmont College, and in 2013 was named Teacher of the Year in the Humanities at Westmont. In 2009, the Santa Barbara Independent named John a “Local Hero” for his “tireless devotion” to the international theatre community.

Text Adaptation and Director John Blondell

Scenography and Costumes Blagoj Micevski

Music Composition and Performance James Connolly

Toy, Puppet, and Photographic Art Yulya Dukhovny

Lighting Danielle Jeanette Draper

Assistant Directors Ciena Fitzgerald, Damjan Dimovski

Cast:

King Lear, King of Britain: Irwin Appel

Goneril, Lear’s Eldest Daughter:  Brian Harwell

Duke of Albany, Her Husband: James McCarthy

Regan, Lear’s Second Daughter: James McCarthy

Duke of Cornwall, Her Husband: Brian Harwell

Cordelia, Lear’s Youngest Daughter: Nina Sallinen

Earl of Kent: Michael Bernard

Fool: Matthew Tavianini

Earl of Gloucester: Vardan Mkrtchyan

Edgar, His Elder Son: Mitchell Thomas

Edmund, His Younger and Illegitimate Son: Duane Henry

Kings, Messengers, Stewards, and Others: The Company

Running Time is 1 Hour 40 minutes, No Interval

Not Recommended for audience under 13 years of age