NEWS RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Carla Sameth
iMinds PR
Tel: 626.318.7311, 626.793.7393
carla@imindspr.com
Amy Thomas
The Broad Stage
thomas_amy@smc.edu
Natasha Shrieves
The Broad Stage
shrieves_natasha@smc.edu
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre returns to
The Broad Stage with King Lear
The world-renowned ensemble, and local favorites, presents the
ultimate tragedy starring Joseph Marcell (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)
SANTA MONICA, CA, June 12, 2014 — Two years after wowing audiences with their production
of Hamlet, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre opens King Lear at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica on
Wednesday, November 5, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. for thirteen performances.
The Globe’s award-winning small-scale touring program returns to the road in 2014 with a new
production of King Lear. Directed by Bill Buckhurst, the title role will be played by Joseph
Marcell, best known as Geoffrey in the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and last at
the Globe in the 2011 production of Much Ado About Nothing.
Old King Lear proposes to give up his crown and divide his kingdom between his three
daughters, but his rash generosity is cruelly repaid. Lear discovers too late the falsity of the
values by which he has lived, and is ultimately plunged into despair and madness. Its
tempestuous poetry shot through with moments of humor and heart-rending simplicity, King
Lear is a profound exploration of the human condition in all its extremes and complexity.
Director Bill Buckhurst is well known at Shakespeare’s Globe, where he has previously directed
Hamlet with Dominic Dromgoole and played Antipholus in The Comedy of Errors. In Globe
Education’s annual Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank series, he has played Benedick in
Much Ado About Nothing (2007 and 2008) and has directed Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and A
Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Using an Elizabethan style booth stage–inspired by paintings and etchings from Shakespeare’s
time, when touring was prevalent–eight actors will visit beautiful and inspiring settings across
the UK, Europe and Asia with this production. The tour will include a stop at one of Istanbul’s
most famous churches, The Aya Irini, which dates from 548 AD.
"In jest, there is truth."–William Shakespeare, King Lear
ABOUT SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE THEATRE
Shakespeare’s Globe has become one of the most popular visitor destinations in the UK, at the
heart of the regeneration of London’s Bankside. Shakespeare’s Globe is a charity and continues
to operate without annual government funding.
Under the leadership of Artistic Director, Dominic Dromgoole, the theatre season plays in
repertory from April to October annually, and has gained an international reputation for
performance excellence. Globe Education, directed by Patrick Spottiswoode, is one of the
largest arts education departments in the country, and shares its approaches to the teaching of
Shakespeare with over 100,000 students a year. Shakespeare’s Globe Tour and Exhibition is
open all year round and is the world’s only permanent exhibition dedicated to Shakespeare’s
theatrical career.
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For Calendar Section
Who:
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
What:
King Lear
Where:
The Eli & Edythe Broad Stage / 1310 11th St. Santa Monica CA 90401
When:
Tuesday, November 4, 2014 / 7:30PM (Preview)
Wednesday, November 5, 2014 / 7:30PM (Opening Night)
Thursday, November 6, 2014 / 7:30PM
Friday, November 7, 2014 / 7:30PM
Saturday, November 8, 2014 / 2PM
Saturday, November 8, 2014 / 7:30PM
Sunday, November 9, 2014 / 2PM
Tuesday, November 11, 2014 / 7:30PM
Wednesday, November 12, 2014 / 7:30PM
Thursday, November 13, 2014 / 7:30PM
Friday, November 14, 2014 / 7:30PM
Saturday, November 15, 2014 / 2PM
Saturday, November 15, 2014 / 7:30PM
Sunday, November 16, 2014 / 2PM
Tickets:
Prices $53-$98
www.thebroadstage.com or call the Box Office at 310.434.3200
About The Broad Stage
Under the leadership of Director Dale Franzen and Artistic Chair Dustin Hoffman, The Eli and Edythe
Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center opened its doors in October 2008.
Inspired by Italian "horseshoe" theaters, yet conceived in an absolutely contemporary vernacular,
The Broad Stage is an artist’s dream and an audience’s delight. Unlike any performance space in the
country, it is sublimely intimate with 499-seats and strikingly grand at the same time–allowing eye
contact with artists from the boxes to the back row–forging a new kind of artist and audience
experience in Los Angeles. Theater shows, dance, film, operas, musicals, symphony and chamber
orchestras are presented on one of the city’s largest proscenium stages. In addition to The Broad
Stage, The Edye, a smaller black box theater, presents new, developing and innovative work in
theater, music and dance as part of the Under the Radar Series. Featuring younger, innovative artists
and chamber pieces and plays, programming at The Edye is intentionally spontaneous, reflecting the
dynamic nature of the space and allowing the latest, most exciting artists to be booked on short
notice. The Broad Stage’s education and outreach program offers opportunities for cultural exposure
through various student events, currently reaching 16,000 students and diverse community
members annually through over 30 free and low-cost events. The Broad Stage is located at 1310
11th Street, Santa Monica CA 90401. Parking is FREE.