REBATEnsemble and Theatre Off Jackson presents RICHARD III
By: A.A. Cristi May. 02, 2017
Directed by Elizabeth Wu, in association with Theatre Off Jackson, presents William Shakespeare's RICHARD III
The War of the Roses, beginning in Shakespeare's HENRY VI and ending in RICHARD III, tells the story of two large families (The Yorks and the Lancasters) fighting over a dozen civil wars for control of England. We reimagined this war as a conflict amongst the major minority groups in South Jackson Street with all the messiness of family ties, taboo marriages and shady alliances. Richard, an outsider among outsiders, rises from the woodwork of this society and murders his way to the top.
Seattle's Chinatown in the 1930's was a time when fishing, canneries, logging, building development and bootlegging were at the center of commerce. At that time, anyone who was anyone could be found singing and dancing in the nightclubs of South Jackson Street; Anna May Wong, Sessue Hayakawa, Hollywood movie stars, big name politicians, and Duke Ellington were among the stars seen there. A kingpin known as "Noodles" singlehandedly ran the underground and dealt in the seedier side of the law. Between facilitating daytime legal businesses and night time dealings of alcohol and drugs, Chinatown had its very own economy with an autonomous law of the land. Racial tensions were high between the two major minority groups, the Blacks and the Chinese, who often employed their family associations, gangs/tongs, and hitmen to maintain the status quo. To add to the mix, Seattle's upper white middle class and politicians purposefully turned away from enforcing the law on South Jackson because the money that was brought into the city via the liquor trade was profitable. Our production sets Shakespeare's RICHARD III in this culturally rich and chaotic time.
Our production showcases the rich diversity of Jazz era Seattle by featuring actors of color. This production of RICHARD III is a chilling testament to Seattle's own ghosts of tyranny in national politics.
For interviews with the cast and artistic team as well as high resolution photography, contact Rojo Davis at rojoadavis@gmail.com.
Produced in association with Theatre Off Jackson, RICHARD III was produced with support from Northwest Wushu.
CAST:
King Richard III - Tom Dang
Duke of Buckingham - Bunthay Cheam
Queen Elizabeth - Danela Butler
Lady Anne - Annie Murray / Camrynne Sullivan
Queen Margaret - Aimee Decker
George, Duke of Clarence - Marquis Hill
King Edward IV - Tee Dennard
Lord Mayor - Buddy Todd
Lord Hastings - Season Qiu
Duchess of York - Cindy Chen
Richmond - Cameron Duckett
Brackenbury - Ben Symons
Catesby - Frank Sun
Ratcliffe - Michael Cercado
Edward, Prince of Wales - Catalino Manalang*
Richard, Duke of York - Tyler Kapone Cheam*
Princess Margaret - Ariel Trent*
*Youth Actors
ARTISTIC TEAM:
Director - Elizabeth Wu
Assistant Director - Malie Fujii
Stage Manager - Meghan Woffinden-Luey
Lighting Designer - Bryce Bartle-Geller
Props Master - Parker Kennedy
Set Designer - Elizabeth Schiffler
Sound Designer - Brian Dang
Wardrobe Construction - Elizabeth Mendenhall
Co-Costume Designer - Mairin Hackett
Co-Costume Designer - Luna McMeen
Voice Coach - Kimberly White
Music Composer - Devin Reilly
Dance Choreographer - Sierra Burnham
Tickets
www.rebatensemble.org or riii.bpt.me
Facebook event - https://www.facebook.com/events/1395974120455552/
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
Elizabeth Wu (Director) - Directing credits include: Yellow Face (Undergraduate Theatre Society); Stories from Chinatown (University of Washington Independent Project); Venus in Fur (an independent production). Elizabeth is a practicing theatre artist working out of Seattle, WA.
She graduated with Honors from the University of Washington School of Drama in 2015; passionate about the application and emersion of classical training techniques with bodies of color in America. Last year she was a finalist for the U.S. Fulbright Grant to pursue a Masters in Classical Acting in the U.K.
Elizabeth has worked as Assistant Dramaturg, Production Manager, Stage Manager, Producer and Director with Seattle Repertory Theatre, ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery , Off Road Shakespeare, Seattle Shakespeare Company, ACT, and SIS Productions.
http://www.elizabethwuproductions.com/
ABOUT THE PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Tom Dang (Richard III) - Tom Dang is an American-Vietnamese actor, director, theatre producer, singer and dancer based in Los Angeles, California. He studied Theatre Performance, Dance and Sales at the University of Washington and graduated in 2013. In 2011 he co-founded REBATEnsemble Theatre Group and has served the company for the past eight years as Producing Artistic Director. Producing credits include: Hamletmachine, Richard III (2012), Cafe Dante, ICONS: The Martin Show, RASHOMON: Reloaded, The Tempest, and Richard III (2017). He is also co-founder of Kent's Theatre Battery and has worked with other theatre organizations in Seattle and Los Angeles. On screen, Tom has been featured on SyFy (Z Nation), TNT (Librarians) and his feature films The Last Virgin and B.F.E. has gone on to win international film awards. Seattle theatre credits include: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Owen Meany's Christmas Pageant (Book It Repertory Theatre), Red Earth, Gold Gate, Shadow Sky (ACT Theatre), Chatroom, Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom (Theatre Battery). Los Angeles theatre credits include: As You Like It, Hamlet (Colonials, An American Shakespeare Company), Kaidan Project, Kaidan: Walls Grow Thin (Rogue Artist Ensemble), and Living Room Series (Blank Theatre).
ABOUT REBATENSEMBLE THEATRE GROUP
REBATEnsemble produces contemporary, classical and original plays with an experimental twist for the greater Seattle area. We pursue a dialogue with our audiences by generating theatre inspired by immediate and relevant socio-political issues. Our work blends theatre with other artistic mediums in unconventional and non-traditional spaces.
?Our company believes in the strength of an ensemble and our artistic philosophy is rooted in the idea that theatricality and spectacle begins with the actor. Therefore our plays are usually ensemble driven and we look to nurture our relationship with the artists that work with us.
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