Natasha Solomon and Kelley Van Dilla in King Lear Summer 2009

For many reasons, I keep returning to Kent’s words to his king in an attempt to understand this monster of a play. They were the first cited by the wisest man I know when he discovered I’d be directing King Lear. And I may have chosen selfishly, since a director’s most important job is to watch and critique a production from the outside when her actors on stage cannot. In addition to my own fascination with the lines, the goal of “seeing better” captures this entire production perfectly. This company has spent months debating the actions of the characters you’ll be watching–who acts nobly? Despicably? Where do we find morals and justice in this world? We have few answers to these questions. The time we have spent asking, though, makes more apparent that which is not just and that which we cannot fit easily into categories of good and evil. We have learned to look head-on at the things we may prefer to ignore. Our project is not an exercise in morality or academia. We pass no judgments and make no claims. Instead, we choose to tell a story, one filled with characters who, both literally and figuratively, cannot see. Alluring memories of the past blind some and the future’s glittering promises make others far-sighted. All gloss over moments of their present. The actors depicting these people must compensate for their mistakes by becoming more conscious of those things their characters miss. No one will ever see the world of Lear in quite the same way as these twelve actors. Their opened eyes have made a 400-year-old play breathe and come alive. During the performance today, we hope to share with you the things we have seen and the unique journey we have made.

To see better requires the Kents of the world, those whose commitment to uncompromising reality challenges and inspires the people fortunate enough to be around them. Working on this production has made me even more grateful to “the true blanks” of my eye who push me to ask difficult questions, to face even more difficult truths and yet never allow me to forget how beautiful this flawed world really is. This show, or at least my small part of it, is for them.

- Katie Logan, Director

Video of the cast singing the opening song from our production of King Lear

Cast and Crew of King Lear

Cast:

Kent: Caroline Brent

Beggar/Ensemble: Joan Cummins

Albany/Servant 2: Mark Guthrie

Goneril: Lee Havlicek

Gloucester: Matthew Minnicino

Oswald/Burgundy: Amalia Oswald

Edmund/Soldier: Julia Sears

Regan/Knight 1: Samantha Sheahan

King Lear: Natasha Solomon

Cordelia/Knight 4/Servant 1/Old Man: Rebecca Speas

Cornwall/Knight 2/Doctor: Mark Tucker

Edgar: Kelley Van Dilla

Fool/France/Herald/Captain: Nico Zevallos

Crew:

Director: Katie Logan

Assistant Director: Quill Nebeker-Monch

Stage Manager: Allison Miller

Assistant Stage Manager: Olivia Meyers

Assistant Stage Manager: Maria Raffaele

Costume Designer: MaryLynne Smith

Set Designer: Andrew Derbyshire

Lighting Designer: Michael Gibbs

Dramaturge: Joan Cummins

Fight Choreographer: Julia Sears

House Manager: Mollie Welborn

Program Design: Frances Koogler

Program Cover Art: Kelley Van Dilla

Producer: Elizabeth Nearing

Producer: Julia Sears

Production Assistant: Micheal Van Ness