September 7 – November 25, 2017
In Shakespeare’s brilliant, brutal, and innovative play, England’s royal cousins play a deadly game of thrones. The House of Lancaster, led by the fearsome Queen Margaret, plots revenge and counter-revenge against the House of York, led by Richard and his sons: Edward (who becomes King Edward IV), George, and Richard Duke of Gloucester (who will become King Richard III). Patricide, filicide, regicide, extreme cruelty, and fierce love: Shakespeare holds nothing back in the thrilling final chapter in the life of King Henry VI.
Chris Johnston and Allison Glenzer in THE FALL OF KING HENRY. Photo by LINDSEY WALTERS. 2017.
Allison Glenzer and Christopher Seiler in THE FALL OF KING HENRY. Photo by LINDSEY WALTERS. 2017.
Allie Babich and Benjamin Reed in THE FALL OF KING HENRY. Photo by LINDSEY WALTERS. 2017.
René Thornton, Jr. in THE FALL OF KING HENRY. Photo by LINDSEY WALTERS. 2017.
Greg Brostrom, Shunté Lofton, and Tim Sailer in THE FALL OF KING HENRY. Photo by LINDSEY WALTERS. 2017.
The cast of THE FALL OF KING HENRY. Photo by LINDSEY WALTERS. 2017.
Shunté Lofton, Allison Glenzer, and Tim Sailer in THE FALL OF KING HENRY. Photo by LINDSEY WALTERS. 2017.
René Thornton, Jr. and Chris Johnston in THE FALL OF KING HENRY. Photo by LINDSEY WALTERS. 2017.
René Thornton, Jr and Allie Babich in THE FALL OF KING HENRY. Photo by LINDSEY WALTERS. 2017.
Artistic Team
THIS SEASON: Actor in THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (abridged) [revised] (again)
Co-Director
Jim Warren is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the American Shakespeare Center. He directed ASC’s first show, Richard III (in which he played Buckingham), and by the end of …
Mercutio and Montague in Romeo and Juliet and Dromio of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors; Fight Captain
Asst. Stage Manager/Understudy
Favorite credits include Cressida/Hector (Troilus and Cressida) and Puck (Midsummer Night’s Dream) with Compass Shakespeare Ensemble. She has previously worked with Great River Shakespeare Festival as an Education Artist (and graphic designer). She holds an MFA and MLitt in Shakespeare and Performance from Mary Baldwin University.
Tweet Me: @CatieOsaurus
Jenny McNee joined the ASC in 2002 after studying in Richmond, Charlottesville, and Edinburgh, Scotland. She has designed and built nearly 100 shows (60 resident and touring shows, 35 holiday …
Assistant Costume Designer
Sabrina is a 2017 graduate of the New York University’s Visual Culture: Costume Studies Master’s program. She previously attended Savannah College of Art and Design where she received her BFA in Fashion Design and Art History.
Properties Master
Chris has been designing and building props for the ASC since 2012. In that time, he’s provided props for over 60 productions, including (from Shakespeare): The Merchant of Venice; The Two Gentlemen of Verona; Cymbeline; King John; Love’s Labour’s Lost; Twelfth Night; Julius Caesar; Henry VIII; The Two Noble Kinsmen; Romeo and Juliet; All’s Well That Ends Well; Troilus and Cressida; Othello; The Merry Wives of Windsor; Henry IV, Part 1; As You Like It; Timon of Athens; Macbeth; The Comedy of Errors; Pericles; Hamlet; Much Ado about Nothing; The Taming of the Shrew; Antony and Cleopatra; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Winter’s Tale; Henry VI, Parts 1, 2, and 3; Henry V; The Tempest; Measure for Measure; and King Lear.
Stephanie Holladay Earl is an accomplished actor, director, choreographer, & educator with over 15 years of experience, known for her impactful work.
David holds a B.A. in Theatre Studies from the University of Wisconsin, an M.F.A. in Acting from Florida Atlantic University, and is currently pursuing an M.Litt degree in Mary Baldwin’s …
Cast
Chris Johnston has over 20 years of theatre experience and more than 120 productions at the American Shakespeare Center.
More than 186 roles in 101 productions, including Volumnia in Coriolanus, Olivia in Twelfth Night; Regan in King Lear; Margaret in both Henry VI, Part 1 and Part 2; Isabella in Measure for Measure;…
Lauren has been an actor at the American Shakespeare Center in 32 productions and is currently the Properties Master and Choreographer for the Summer/Fall Season. She has a BA from …
THIS SEASON: Richard in RICHARD III
Allie Babich is an innovative performer and director whose bold vision and creative energy inspire captivating storytelling at ASC and beyond.
Christopher Seiler is a seasoned actor and musician whose performances embody transformation and connection, captivating audiences at ASC and beyond.
THIS SEASON: Anne Page, John Rugby in The Merry Wives of Windsor; Sir Walter Blunt, Lady Mortimer, Francis in Henry IV, Part 1; Aaliyah Essam in…
Christopher Seiler is a seasoned actor and musician whose performances embody transformation and connection, captivating audiences at ASC and beyond.
Benjamin has been a resident company member with the American Shakespeare Center since 2014.
Polonius, Fortinbras in Hamlet; Northumberland in Richard II; Polonius, Fortinbras in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead; Mirabell in The Way of the World; Alberto, Page in Antonio’s Revenge.
PREVIOUSLY WITH ASC: More than 137 roles in 113 productions, including the title roles in Coriolanus; King Lear; Edward II; Timon of Athens; The Merchant of Venice; Pericles; Doctor Faustus; …
THIS SEASON: Anne Page, John Rugby in The Merry Wives of Windsor; Sir Walter Blunt, Lady Mortimer, Francis in Henry IV, Part 1; Aaliyah Essam in…
Hamlet in Hamlet; Mowbray, Percy, Groom in Richard II; Hamlet in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead; Petulant in The Way of the World; Castillo, Senator in Antonio’s Revenge.
David holds a B.A. in Theatre Studies from the University of Wisconsin, an M.F.A. in Acting from Florida Atlantic University, and is currently pursuing an M.Litt degree in Mary Baldwin’s …
David Anthony Lewis is an accomplished Actor with over 70 professional theatre credits A Christmas Carol 2024 is his 36th production with ASC.
David Anthony Lewis is an accomplished Actor with over 70 professional theatre credits A Christmas Carol 2024 is his 36th production with ASC.
Allie Babich is an innovative performer and director whose bold vision and creative energy inspire captivating storytelling at ASC and beyond.
THIS SEASON: Anne Page, John Rugby in The Merry Wives of Windsor; Sir Walter Blunt, Lady Mortimer, Francis in Henry IV, Part 1; Aaliyah Essam in…
THIS SEASON: Anne Page, John Rugby in The Merry Wives of Windsor; Sir Walter Blunt, Lady Mortimer, Francis in Henry IV, Part 1; Aaliyah Essam in…
THIS SEASON: Richard in RICHARD III
THIS SEASON: Anne Page, John Rugby in The Merry Wives of Windsor; Sir Walter Blunt, Lady Mortimer, Francis in Henry IV, Part 1; Aaliyah Essam in…
Stuff that Happens Before the Play
- Richard Plantagenet, the Duke of York, leads a civil war against his cousin King Henry VI.
- Supporters of the House of York wear the symbol of the white rose; supporters of Henry’s House of Lancaster wear the red rose.
- England’s Wars of the Roses continues . . .
STUFF THAT HAPPENS DURING THE PLAY
- After winning the Battle of St. Albans, the Earl of Warwick urges York to take the English throne. King Henry arrives and offers for York to succeed him as king. York agrees. Queen Margaret is outraged that Henry has disinherited their son, Prince Edward.
- Two of York’s sons, Edward and Richard, urge their father to seize the crown immediately. They resume the war against Henry.
- Clifford, avenging his father’s death, murders York’s son Rutland.
- Margaret and Clifford capture and murder York.
- Richard fights Clifford to avenge his father and brother.
- Edward takes the throne and becomes King Edward IV. He names his surviving brothers Duke of Clarence, and Duke of Gloucester.
- Warwick leaves for France to arrange King Edward’s marriage to Lady Bona, the King of France’s sister-in-law.
- Margaret also leaves for France to seek help from the French king.
- Henry is captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London.
- Meanwhile, Edward decides to marry Lady Elizabeth Grey instead of Lady Bona.
- In France, Warwick learns of King Edward’s marriage to Elizabeth. Humiliated, Warwick switches sides and offers his daughter Anne to Prince Edward (Margaret and Henry’s son).
- Richard reveals his true ambitions and intentions.
- The game of thrones ensues.
Spoiler Alert: York and King Henry Both Die
(and Rosebud is the name of Citizen Kane’s sled)
Shakespeare’s three plays that cover the reign of King Henry the Sixth have not gotten the love they deserve over the years. Maybe the reason is that some scholars believe 1H6 was co-authored by Thomas Nashe (and/or others). Perhaps it’s that some scholars believe 2H6 and 3H6 were written first and then Shakespeare wrote 1H6 as a prequel. Or maybe some elitist folks are just snobbish about the “baseness” in the large number of fights, skirmishes, and broad battle scenes that seem to be inspired by the box office blockbuster Tamburlaine the Great by Christopher Marlowe. Maybe it’s that the titles of these plays usually have a Roman numeral and a “Part” in them. Whatever the criticisms may be, our mission with this production is to entertain your socks off with the climactic closing chapter of Shakespeare’s King Henry the Sixth trilogy (which is also the prequel to Shakespeare’s own box office bonanza play about King Richard the Third). Call this third chapter: The Return of the Hunchback.
One of the many joys that comes with producing these Henry the Sixth plays for you in successive years with a true rotating repertory troupe is the opportunity to give great actors some great roles into which they can sink their teeth over multiple years in multipleplays. Chris Johnston returns as the beleaguered King Henry (maybe you saw him as Gratiano in The Merchant of Venice this past Ren Season, or as Crumpet the Elf in The Santaland Diaries in December, or as Feste in Twelfth Night or the Fool in King Lear last year at this time). Allison Glenzer returns as Henry’s fierce Queen Margaret (perhaps you saw her as Scrooge in our 2015 A Christmas Carol, or as Mary in The Twelve Dates of Christmas, or last Summer/Fall Season as the Storyteller in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and Olivia in Twelfth Night). René Thornton, Jr. returns as “that valiant crook-backed prodigy Dicky” (perchance you spied him as the title character in Coriolanus or King Lear or as Malvolio). If you’ve never seen any of these three brilliant actors before, you are in for a treat that will make you want to see them again. OR, if you’ve seen these Shakespeare rock stars many times in multiple dozens of plays over the last decade- plus here at the Blackfriars, you’re primed in a manner similar to watching one of your favorite sports figures play first-string in the ultimate all-star game.
While some fans have seen Robert Downey, Jr. play Iron Man in every Marvel movie, each film and each story stands on its own. If you’re new to the ASC and have not seen the earlier chapters of the Henry the Sixth saga, don’t sweat it, you’ll be fine. This play is Iron Man plays a Game of Thrones in a House of Cards as everyone considers himself or herself the Avengers hero in this righteous battle for power and glory. Enjoy the ride.
JIM WARREN
ASC Artistic Director and Co-Founder
Pro tips: When Edward becomes King, he gives his brother, George, the title of Duke of Clarence and his other brother, Richard, the title Duke of Gloucester. As a result, George is called Clarence, and Richard is called Gloucester.
Find additional notes from the director online at http://bit.ly/ASC-3H6