David Tennant-Led 'KING AND COUNTRY' Begins Tonight at BAM

In a major theatrical event marking the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death, BAM, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and The Ohio State University present the US Premiere of Shakespeare's History plays in KING AND COUNTRY: SHAKESPEARE'S GREAT CYCLE OF KINGS. Following performances at the Barbican, and in China in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, the plays are directed by RSC Artistic Director Gregory Doran and performed in repertory at the BAM Harvey Theater from tonight, Mar 24, through May 1, 2016.

Doran's renowned productions of Richard II and Henry IV, Parts I and II are joined by a new critically acclaimed production of Henry V, which premiered in October 2015 at Stratford-upon-Avon (marking the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt).

Reprising their roles at BAM, David Tennant makes his US stage debut in the title role of Richard II; Antony Sher and Jasper Britton play Falstaff and Henry IV, respectively, in the Henry IV plays; and Alex Hassell continues the journey of young Prince Hal, who reaches maturity as Henry V in the final play of the tetralogy.

The cast portrays multiple roles throughout the cycle: Daniel Abbot (Francis/Clarence/Travers/ Gloucester/Monsieur Le Fer) , Martin Bassindale, Antony Byrne (Worcester/Rumor/Porter/ Pistol), Sean Chapman (Northumberland/Earl of Douglas/Exeter), Oliver Ford Davies, Nicholas Gerard-Martin, Robert Gilbert, Julian Glover (John of Gaunt), Jim Hooper, Emma King (Lady- in-Waiting/Lady Mortimer/Doll Tearsheet), Jennifer Kirby (Lady Percy/ Katherine), Jane Lapotaire, Sam Marks (Aumerle/Poins/Constable of France), Dale Mathurin, Christopher Middleton, Evelyn Miller, Matthew Needham (Harry Percy), Keith Osborn (Archbishop of York/Sheriff/Scroop/Abbot/ Montjoy), Sarah Parks (Duchess of York/Mistress Quickly/Queen Isobel), Leigh Quinn, Joshua Richards, Simon Thorp, Obioma Ugoala, Andrew Westfield (Willoughby, Westmorland/MacMorris), and Simon Yadoo.

KING AND COUNTRY marks the return of the RSC to BAM, following its acclaimed production of Julius Caesar (Winter/Spring 2013) directed by Gregory Doran, and the 2007 repertory productions of King Lear (featuring Ian McKellen) and Chekhov's The Seagull, directed by Trevor Nunn.

Considered core curriculum in British history, this tetralogy follows the rise of Henry IV through his usurpation of Richard II's crown. Simultaneously, it interweaves the trajectory of a young Henry V, who eventually rejects a life of revelry as he takes the throne.

Beginning tonight, March 24th, BAM is also pleased to announce an exclusive mobile lottery partnership for KING AND COUNTRY: SHAKESPEARE'S GREAT CYCLE OF KINGS with TodayTix, the theater ticket app. A limited number of $30 on-stage cushion seat tickets will be available via mobile lottery on the TodayTix app for entry beginning midnight on each performance day through 4 hours before curtain.

Exhibition-KING AND COUNTRY: Treasures of the Folger

Complementing the engagement, the Folger Shakespeare Library-home to the world's largest Shakespeare collection-will share rare books and artifacts from its Washington, DC vaults with BAM audiences in a special exhibition related to the four history plays. KING AND COUNTRY: Treasures of the Folger (one of several touring exhibitions produced by the Folger in 2016 as part of The Wonder of Will, commemorating the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death) will feature a multi-media showcase of photos, reviews, program materials, and narrative content by Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro.

The jewels of the exhibition are two rare 16th- and 17th-century Richard II quartos, and a Richard II promptbook used by Charles Kean (who appeared at BAM with Ellen Kean in Henry VIII and Merchant of Venice in 1865).

Also on view is Edwin Forrest's Macbeth promptbook from 1862. Forrest gained fame 13 years earlier when his public dispute with British actor William Charles Macready catalyzed New York City's Astor Place Riots, which left at least 25 dead and more than 120 injured. Forrest appeared at BAM in more than 20 productions between 1862 and 1872.

Master Classes

Visit BAM.org/master-classes for more information and to register.

Embodying Shakespeare

Co-presented by BAM and Mark Morris Dance Group
With Assoc Director Owen Horsley, Alex Hassell, and Leigh Quinn Apr 5 at 2pm
Mark Morris Dance Center (3 Lafayette Ave)
Price: $25
For actors with a minimum of undergraduate training

Behind the Scenes: KING AND COUNTRY

With Neil Kutner, Ryan Gastelum, and Ben Tyreman Apr 20 at 5pm
BAM Fisher, Hillman Studio (321 Ashland Pl)
Price: $35 ($25 for BAM members)

Talks

Gregory Doran with James Shapiro Apr 7 at 6pm
BAMcafe? (30 Lafayette Ave)
Price: $20 ($10 for BAM members)

A Look at the Stars: Shakespeare and the Cosmos

With Summer Ash of Columbia Astronomy Public Outreach Apr 15 & 16 at 9:30pm; Apr 17 at 8:30pm
BAM Fisher Terrace Rooftop (321 Ashland Pl)
Free

Teacher Development

Visit BAM.org/education/2016/Shakespeare-conference for more information and to register

Professional Development for Teachers: Shakespeare Conference

Apr 16, 9am-5pm
BAM Fisher
Tickets: $75 (NY DOE teachers get 20% discount)

The Royal Shakespeare Company creates theater at its best, made in Stratford-upon-Avon and shared around the world. They produce an inspirational artistic program each year, setting Shakespeare in context, alongside the work of his contemporaries and today's writers.

Everyone at the RSC - from actors to armourers, musicians to technicians - plays a part in creating the world you see on stage. All their productions begin life at our Stratford workshops and theaters, and they bring them to the widest possible audience through our touring, residencies, live broadcasts and online activity. So wherever one experiences the RSC, one experiences work made in Shakespeare's home town.

They have trained generations of the very best theater makers and continue to nurture the talent of the future. The RSC encourages everyone to enjoy a lifelong relationship with Shakespeare and live theatre. They reach 530,000 children and young people annually through their education work, transforming their experiences in the classroom, in performance, and online.

The RSC has always had a special relationship with America, welcoming more than 20,000 US visitors to Stratford each year and bringing productions and education programs here regularly, with their presenting partner in the US, The Ohio State University. www.rsc.org.uk

Gregory Doran was officially appointed as the RSC's artistic director in September 2012, and took up the reins properly in January, 2013. He programmed his first season beginning in September 2013. He was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Birmingham in recognition of his outstanding contribution to classical theater in the region, nationally, and internationally in July 2015.

As associate artistic director and artistic director of the RSC, he directed Death of A Salesman, The Witch of Edmonton, Henry IV Part I and Part II, Richard II, The Orphan of Zhao, Julius Caesar, Written on the Heart, Cardenio, Le Morte D'Arthur, Twelfth Night, Love's Labour's Lost, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Antony and Cleopatra, The Rape of Lucrece, Venus and Adonis, Merry Wives the Musical, Coriolanus, the Gunpowder Season 2005, Sejanus: His Fall, The Canterbury Tales, Othello, All's Well that Ends Well, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tamer Tamed, The Winter's Tale, The Island Princess, Much Ado About Nothing, Timon of Athens,

Jubilee, King John, All Is True (Henry VIII), As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, Oroonoko, and The Odyssey. He directed the Jacobean Season 2002 (receiving the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement of the Year in 2003).

Other theater credits include: Anjin: The Shogun and English Samurai (Tokyo/Sadlers Wells); The Giant (Hampstead); The Merchant of Venice (Japan); The Real Inspector Hound/Black Comedy (Donmar/West End); Mahler's Conversion (Aldwych); Titus Andronicus (Market Theatre Johannesburg/National Theatre Studio); The Joker of Seville (Boston/Trinidad); Someone to Watch Over Me (Theatr Clwyd); The Importance of Being Earnest, Bedroom Farce, An Inspector Calls, Private Lives (Century Theatre); Long Day's Journey into Night, Waiting for Godot, and The Norman Conquests (Nottingham Playhouse).

For television he directed Michael Wood's In Search of Shakespeare, Midsummer Night's Dreaming, and also directed the films Julius Caesar (BBC4) Hamlet (BBC2 / PBS), and Macbeth (Channel 4).

In May 2013 the RSC announced "Live From Stratford-upon-Avon," a new program that screened its productions live from Shakespeare's home town, in collaboration with Picturehouse/Cityscreen Cinemas, and with Ravensbourne which streamed the production for UK schools. Richard II was the first RSC production to play live in cinemas around the world on November 13, 2013. This success was followed by Henry IV Parts I and II, broadcast in May and June 2014.

Gregory Doran is an Honorary Fellow of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and Honorary Senior Research Fellow of the Shakespeare Institute. He has honorary doctorates from University of Huddersfield, University of Nottingham, University of Bristol, and University of Warwick. He won the Sam Wanamaker Award (2012), and was the 2012-13 Humanitas Visiting Professor in Drama at Oxford University.

His writing credits include Shakespeare's Lost Play: In Search of Cardenio, The Shakespeare Almanac, and co-wrote Woza Shakespeare! with Antony Sher.

The Ohio State University Arts Initiative supports a global community of the arts through collaborative alliances with state, national, and international organizations advancing the daily impact of the arts on the city of Columbus, the nation, and the world. The Arts Initiative positions The Ohio State University as a leader through connections with local, national, and international arts organizations, arts-supportive companies, educational institutions, and established creative professionals in many fields. It is located in downtown Columbus, OH, in the historic Lazarus Building. Learn more at artsinitiative.osu.edu.

Folger Shakespeare Library is a world-renowned center for scholarship, learning, culture, and the arts. Home to the world's largest Shakespeare collection and a primary repository for research material from the early modern period (1500-1750), the Folger is an internationally recognized research library offering advanced scholarly programs in the humanities; a national leader in how Shakespeare is taught in grades K-12; and an award-winning producer of cultural and arts programs-theater, music, poetry, exhibits, lectures, and family programs. A gift to the American people from industrialist Henry Clay Folger, the Folger Shakespeare Library-located one block east of the US Capitol-opened in 1932. Learn more at folger.edu.

TodayTix (Merritt Baer, CEO & Co-Founder; Brian Fenty, Executive Chairman & Co-Founder) is the first and only free mobile app for iOS and Android that provides access to the best prices on last-minute theater tickets, booked same-day or within a week's time. Operating in the world's most iconic theater markets, TodayTix secures the best discounted and full price tickets available for more than 100 shows on Broadway and Off-Broadway in New York City, London's West End, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

TodayTix aims to make theater a readily-available and exciting option for everyone. Through its personalized, intuitive and easy-to-use service, TodayTix delivers an efficient, affordable and reliable user experience for theatergoers around the world.

Life-long friends and former Broadway producers Merritt Baer and Brian Fenty launched TodayTix in New York City in December 2013. The company has partnerships with many New York institutions, including The Public Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, St. Ann's Warehouse, Blue Man Group, Stomp, MSG Entertainment, Atlantic Theater Company, Labyrinth Theater Company, New York City Center, Manhattan Theatre Club, The Metropolitan Opera, Signature Theatre Company and more. The TodayTix app has also launched in London's West End, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Chicago.

TodayTix launched New York's first mobile lottery in 2014, and has partnered with The Public Theater on its Free First Previews initiative, The Atlantic Theater Company on its TodayTix30 initiative, and The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company's £15 Front Row initiative. TodayTix has also launched daily mobile lotteries for Atlantic Theater Company's Threepenny Opera and Found, The Public Theater's Hamilton, Grounded, Shakespeare in the Park, and Eclipsed, and Dry Powder, Broadway's Fun Home, On The Town, and An Act of God, and New York Theatre Workshop's Lazarus, The New Group's Buried Child and The West End's Kinky Boots.

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, and BAMcafé are located in the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater is located two blocks from the main building at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell Places). Both locations house Greenlight Bookstore at BAM kiosks. BAM Fisher, located at 321 Ashland Place, is the newest addition to the BAM campus and houses the Judith and Alan Fishman Space and Rita K. Hillman Studio. BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn's only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming. BAMcafé, operated by Great Performances, offers a dinner menu prior to BAM Howard Gilman Opera House evening performances. BAMcafé also features an eclectic mix of live music for BAMcafé Live on Friday and Saturday nights with a bar menu available starting at 6pm.

For ticket information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit BAM.org.