Red Bull Theater to Present PERICLES 2021

RED BULL THEATER today announced that the 2021-'21 Season will continue with PERICLES 2021, a multi-faceted online endeavor to provide an opportunity for the entire community to explore William Shakespeare's Pericles - the founding production of Red Bull Theater (in 2003) - this time with even more Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) voices.

Artistic Director Jesse Berger explains: "Shakespeare's Pericles is at the heart and soul of Red Bull in many ways: our founding play, Jacobean in period, hopeful in spirit, and about the power of imagination at its core. "It hath been used as restoratives", the poet Gower says right at the beginning of the play. To me, this play is about restoring hope and peace after a period of turmoil and tragedy. Pericles was the first play we ever produced, featuring a wonderful and diverse cast, led by Daniel Breaker in the title role. I've always loved the idea of this play as a hero journey, and a play about the healing power of storytelling itself. As the play that began the life of our theater company, it seems most appropriate that we explore this play anew, continuing our journey-towards our 20th year of existence as a company, re-emerging out of the pandemic shut down, and inviting new voices to be in creative conversation with the play and the Western classical canon-something we have been very actively working to invigorate over the past few years at Red Bull Theater."

Running from October 4th through 28th, the multi-program online-only fall PERICLES 2021 initiative will include a Benefit Reading of Pericles starring Grantham Coleman (Much Ado About Nothing for Shakespeare in the Park, The Great Society with Brian Cox, Choir Boy at Manhattan Theatre Club, and starred opposite Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys in "The Americans"); a two-part seminar series, "Exploring Pericles in 2021," featuring three established BIPOC artists/Red Bull artistic associates who will also introduce five emerging BIPOC artists to read and discuss Shakespeare's Pericles with celebrated director Kent Gash; and a RemarkaBull Podversation with Raphael Nash Thompson (who played Gower in Red Bull's 2003 production) along with Jesse Berger, Red Bull's Artistic Director, for a conversation focused on Shakespeare's Pericles, hosted by Nathan Winkelstein, Red Bull's Associate Artistic Director.

Red Bull Theater is committed to continuing connection with artists and audiences online and in person as we move through this transitional period in the pandemic. Red Bull's online readings offer the unique opportunity to hear rarely-produced classic plays, and brand new plays in conversation with the classics, performed by the finest actors in New York. All of Red Bull Theater's PERICLES 2021 offerings are FREE, but advance reservations are recommended. Tax-deductible donations are encouraged to support Red Bull and invest in the vitality of classical theater for a contemporary audience. For details visit https://www.redbulltheater.com/pericles-2021.

To post a comment, you must register and login.