KING JOHN

I directed this production culminating in 16 outdoor performances in June, 2014. It was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my directing career.

Let's be clear. There is nothing subtle about William Shakespeare's delightfully sprawling epic of royal woes entitled KING JOHN.

I am in love with this play. I love the audacity of King John. I love the excess of King John. I love the bombastic, rhetorical splendor of every character's ultimate want: to be loved, to be in control, to be respected, and when all is said and done, to have mattered. It is entirely unapologetic, and every choice made by every character is the biggest choice in that character's life. It is a play of extremes, and it is extremely entertaining.

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Contact me to request a copy of my adaptation of the script.

Story and Prologue

King John is not a well-known story. The majority of our patrons would have zero knowledge of the plot and characters. Many had never heard of it at all. My prime directive on this project was to tell the story with clarity and accessibility. I wanted the average patron to leave the show knowing and loving the story of King John. So from cutting & adaptation, to framing, concept and execution, everything revolved around empowering our audience to get the full enjoyment out of this amazing play.

In order to equip the audience for 105-minute journey ahead, I devised a prologue in which the cast would introduce themselves and their characters. This short speech served three functions. First, it gave us a little backstory and helped to cement the character identities for the fast-paced scenes to come. Second, it gave the audience permission to laugh. (The jokes and quips of the actors made it clear that the plot was not to be taken too seriously.) And Third, the prologue put the audience and the performers on the same team. I believe that the teamwork of storyteller and listener is at the heart of a truly magical experience at the theatre.

Yair Ben-Dor as 1st Citizen of Angeirs: The First Citizen becomes the advocate for the audience, (the staging is such that the audience become the town folk, besieged by the two royal armies), so it made sense to allow him to lead the prologue and to establish a personal report with the crowd.

 

Themes

 

The play is about identity.

About loyalty.

The play is about survival.