KING LEAR Closes at People's Light & Theatre

People's Light & Theatre Company presents KING LEAR, by William Shakespeare, thru March 28, 2010 on the Main Stage. Steve Umberger directs. People's Light & Theatre is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern. For tickets call 610.644.3500 or visit www.peopleslight.org. KING LEAR is part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, a national initiative sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts Midwest. It is also sponsored by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and Unwired Appeal.

In this classic tragedy, considered to be one of Shakespeare's finest, Lear's decision to divide his kingdom among his three daughters ignites a firestorm of greed, betrayal, and murder. Displaced as King, cast out as patriarch, Lear discovers the fragility of familial bonds as he descends into madness.

According to Artistic Director AbiGail Adams, People's Light tackles this monumental production at the perfect time in its 35-year history. "Our maturity allows us to produce an epic work like KING LEAR," says Adams. "It's exciting to finally be able to produce LEAR with many of our resident artists in leading roles."

Graham Smith reprises the role of King Lear. He and director Steve Umberger both worked on the 2008 production at the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival.

With this production People's Light continues its program called The Scoop: History, Context, and Gossip, a lively discussion before every performance. A member of the cast or artistic staff will discuss the world of the play, how and why it was chosen, as well as how it was cast, designed, and rehearsed. Refreshments will be available in the lobby before The Scoop begins and before the performance. The program will start one hour before the curtain and will take place in the theatre. No reservations are necessary.

Single tickets start at $29, with special discounts available for students, seniors, and groups of 10 or more. Special performances, discount meal packages, and talk-backs with the artists are also available for groups of 10 or more. For more information or to purchase group tickets, call 610.647.1900, ext. 134 or email group@peopleslight.org. Audiences are encouraged to join the artists after each Thursday night performance to discuss the production.

Three-play and two-play subscriptions are still available. In addition to KING LEAR, plays in the series include Stretch: A Fantasia (March 31 - April 25, 2010) and The Secret of Sherlock Holmes (July 7 - August 8, 2010). Subscriptions to the TARGET Family Discovery Series are also available. The two-play subscription includes Gossamer (April 29 - May 23, 2010) and The Emperor's New Clothes (June 16 - July 11, 2010). For information, tickets, and subscriptions, please call the box office at 610.644.3500 or visit www.peopleslight.org.

KEY BIOS

William Shakespeare (Playwright) was born in April of 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England to John Shakespeare, a successful glove-maker, and Mary Arden, the daughter of a wealthy landowner. It is believed, although not documented, that Shakespeare attended a local grammar school which would have included intensive study of Latin and the classics. In 1582 Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway when he was 18 and she was 26, and they had three children: Susanna, born in 1583, and twins Hamnet and Judith born in 1585. The years from 1585 to 1592 are known as Shakespeare's "lost years," as there is no record of his whereabouts or actions during this time. By 1592 his plays were appearing on the London stage. Shakespeare worked as an actor and writer with The Lord Chamberlin's Men, an acting company under the protection of Queen Elizabeth I and in 1599 he became part owner of the famous Globe Theatre. King Lear, written in 1605-1606 and first performed on December 26, 1606, is considered one of Shakespeare's great tragedies (with Hamlet, Othello, and Macbeth). Shakespeare retired to Stratford in 1610 and died on April 23, 1616. He was survived by Anne and his two daughters, Susanna and Judith. Shakespeare is buried in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. Shakespeare's extant works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

Steve Umberger (Director) directed the 2008 premiere of Sherlock Holmes & The Case of the Jersey Lily for People's Light. His credits include Wit, Proof, Falsettos, Cabaret, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Three Hotels, A Delicate Balance, The Substance of Fire, The Road to Mecca, and The Tempest for theatres including Riverside Theatre, Barter Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre, The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, and Charlotte Repertory Theatre. As Founding Artistic Director of Charlotte Rep (LORT), his work included developing a playbill for a diverse audience of 5,000 subscribers; a theatre/symphony collaboration on three of Shakespeare's plays; and regional premieres such as Death and the Maiden, The Exact Center of the Universe, Proof, and Angels in America. He has worked with new plays at many theatres including the Rep's annual new play festival. Among the premieres he's developed/directed are The Guy Upstairs by Mark Eisman, Boca by Christopher Kyle, Lunch at the Piccadilly by Clyde Edgerton and Mike Craver, The Deer and the Antelope Play by Mark Dunn (published by Dramatists), and three plays by Wendy Hammond, including The Ghostman. Last fall for NCSF, he directed his seventh production of A Midsummer Night's Dream (and the fourth in an ongoing project with Cirque du Soleil colleague Karl Baumann). He is a member of Actors' Equity and The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
Graham Smith (Lear) received his B.A. from Davidson College and his M.F.A. from Hilberry Classic Theatre, and has been a PLTC company member since 1999. Work at PLTC includes Buks/Author in Valley Song, the singing Hedge Hog in More Grimm Tales, Tobias in A Delicate Balance, Danforth in The Crucible, Henry Ford in Camping with Henry and Tom, Argan in The Miser, Toby in Twelfth Night, and more recently Dinko Tasovich in The Day of the Picnic and Lay Brother in Nathan the Wise. Other recent work includes Salter in A Number with the NC Stage Company and Gonzalo in The Tempest at Actors' Theatre of Louisville. This Lear is his 40th Shakespeare of more than 180 plays. He first worked with Steve Umberger in 1979 and has been married to Audrey Brown since 1991. He began his career in 1961 touring the U.S. with his father's family-vaudeville-magic show, Saucy Sorcery, a one-man show with others.

Kevin Bergen (Edmund) has appeared in over twenty People's Light productions, including A Tale of Two Cities, The Persians, The Glass Menagerie, and Twelfth Night. Kevin was nominated for a Barrymore Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play for his portrayal of Harry Brown in Man from Nebraska. Other Philadelphia region credits include: The Wilma Theatre, Arden Theatre Company, Bristol Riverside Theatre, and InterAct Theatre Company. Kevin has acted at numerous other Regional Theatres, including American Repertory Theatre, Commonwealth Shakespeare, The Studio Theatre (D.C.), and the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival.

Kim Carson (Cordelia) previously performed at PLTC in Cinderella, Six Characters in Search of an Author, Anne of Green Gables, and The Crucible. Other credits include Arden Theatre Co., Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Co., Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, New Jersey Rep., Engeman Theatre, and Azuka Theatre Co., where she received a Barrymore award for her role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Peter DeLaurier (Kent) recently performed at PLTC as The Patriarch in Nathan the Wise, Defarge in A Tale of Two Cities, The Persians, Sherlock Holmes & The Case of the Jersey Lily, and the Director in Six Characters in Search of an Author (Barrymore Nomination). An Artistic Associate at PLTC, he has been with the Theatre since 1981. Other PLTC productions: Hard Times, Galileo, Abundance, Holes, In the Blood, Sister Carrie and the international tour of Kabuki Achilles. Nominated for the Outstanding Actor Barrymore Award for PLTC's Man from Nebraska, he won for Underneath the Lintel at the Lantern (where he directed Sizwe Bansi is Dead last season). He playEd Matthew Cuthbert at PLTC in his recently published stage adaptation of Anne of Green Gables (nominated for the Barrymore for Outstanding New Play). He has directed at PLTC and at theatres around the country, serving as Artistic Director of New Stage Theatre in Jackson, MS. With his wife, PLTC actress Ceal Phelan, and other friends, he co-founded The Delaware Theatre Company in 1978.

Lenny Haas (Cornwall) was last seen at PLTC in Sherlock Holmes & The Case of the Jersey Lily. A member of the Resident Ensemble of Artists here since 1988, he has performed in over 30 productions. Favorites include The Foreigner, Born Yesterday, The Importance of Being Earnest, Sister Carrie and The Fantasticks, for which he won a Barrymore Award. He has also appeared in two independent films: cellar and Lebanon, both directed by Ben Hickernell.
Mark Lazar (Fool) is a company member celebrating his twelfth year with PLTC. And in addition to spending the last six holiday seasons in a dress for the annual Panto, he includes Twelfth Night, The Foreigner, The Crucible, The Miser, Born Yesterday, The Little Foxes, Camping with Henry and Tom, and Hearts, among some of his recent favorites here. And also Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes & The Case of the Jersey Lily, directed by Steve Umberger. While a ten-year Resident Company Member of The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Mark spent many off-seasons at The Charlotte Repertory Theatre and includes productions there with Mr. Umberger as some of his favorites: Speed of Darkness, Prelude to a Kiss, Boca, Mrs. Warren's Profession, and the CRT/Charlotte Symphony co-production The Tempest. Up next at People's Light: The Secret of Sherlock Holmes.
Susan McKey (Regan) has called People's Light her artistic home since 1988. She has been in all six holiday Pantos and last summer played Sylvia Stein in End Days. Susan last worked with Steve Umberger when she performed the role of Lillie Langtry in 2008's Sherlock Holmes & The Case of the Jersey Lily. Susan is a Barrymore award winner, a Cape Codder, and the mother of Griffen (10) and Ella (7).

Christopher Patrick Mullen (Edgar) is a DeSales graduate and has been a People's Light artist since 1989. His recent PLTC credits include: Snow White, Getting Near to Baby, Splittin' the Raft, Twelfth Night, and The Crucible. Other credits include: When You Comin' Back Red Ryder (Retro Productions); Candide, Assassins, and The Stinky Cheese Man (Arden Theatre Company); King Lear, Dracula: The Journal of Jonathan Harker, The Mystery of Irma Vep, and As You Like It (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival); Around the World in 80 Days (Syracuse Stage); Hamlet, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Orlando Shakespeare Theatre); and The Pavilion (Chester Theatre Company). Television credits include appearances on Law & Order. Chris is a member of Quinnopolis NY and Retro Productions.
Stephen Novelli (Gloucester) most recently playEd Saladin in Nathan the Wise. Last season he appeared at People's Light as Dr. Manette in A Tale of Two Cities and Darius in The Persians. Other recent roles include The Father in Eurydice at The Wilma Theater, and The Father in Six Characters in Search of an Author at PLTC. He has directed Tuesdays with Morrie, Camping with Henry and Tom, Measure for Measure and Glengarry GLen Ross. A member of the resident company since 1974, he now serves as an Artistic Associate.

Mary Elizabeth Scallen (Goneril) has been a company member since 1991 and has most recently appeared in A Tale of Two Cities, The Persians and Getting Near to Baby. She just played Winnie in Samuel Beckett's Happy Days with the Lantern Theatre downtown. She's also worked with the Arden, PlayPenn, Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Weston Theatre (VT) and Gretna Theatre (PA). She teaches acting at Penn and consults for FAIMER, an international medical education foundation, on communications skills and interactive teaching.

PRICES: Tickets start at $29, with special discounts available for students, seniors, and groups of 10 or more.

CONTACT: For tickets or information call the box office at 610.644.3500 or visit www.peopleslight.org

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