Road Tripping Mediterranean Shakespeare Comes to Stratford Library

The Hudson Shakespeare Company closes out its ninth season of touring productions with a performance of Shakespeare’s “Pericles” at the Stratford Public Library, 2203 Main Street, this Saturday (Aug. 23) at 2 p.m.

If it rains, the performance will be held in the Lovell Room at the library. The performance is free and family friendly. Patrons are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets and coolers to enjoy the festival atmosphere.

Read more about Pericles from the press release below:

A wandering king looking for love and family, a jousting tournament for a princess’ hand, Greek dances, bold
assassins, goofy pirates, and a visit to a down on its luck brothel with a dash of divine intervention punctuate Hudson
Shakespeare Comapany’s production of “Pericles, Prince of Tyre, by William Shakespeare and George Wilkens. The
final installment in their 23rd season of traveling Shakespeare in the parks program directed by Noelle Fair and will be
performing at:

Saturday, August 23rd @ 2pm
Stratford Public Library, Stratford, CT
2203 Main Street
(Rain location Stratford Public Library Lovell Room)

The show marks the end of 9th season of touring productions to Stratford Library. Shakespeare’s great adventure
story is about the King of Tyre who travels to exotic lands in search of a bride and the unexpected turns of fate
which steers his life in remarkable ways. “Pericles” is full of exotic locales and provides a visual feast for the audience
as we sail from coast to coast meeting an eclectic cast of characters. Pericles is full of murder plots, jousting knights,
belly dancing, magic, love, loss, hope – and – most of all – PIRATES!

According to director, Noelle Fair, this quote from the show perfectly encapsulates her vision take on the show:
“And what ensues in this fell storm
Shall for itself itself perform.
I will relate, action may
Conveniently the rest convey;
Which might not what by me is told.
In your imagination hold. . . .” (Gower, Act 2, v)”

Fair adds, “One could choose to let these speeches serve as they are, but we thought it would be more fun to tell
you, AND show you, said Noelle Fair, the director of the production. “We’re using music and physical storytelling to
help the audience along the way. We create shipwrecks and other magical feats by using simple elements like
wooden dowels, pretty umbrellas, blue scraps of fabric and variety of international music. I’m hoping to deepen
certain character moments, elaborate on other points within the story, and to also display the depth of these events
and show how integral they are to the pay off at the end.”

About the play:
Written in 1607-8, “Pericles, the Prince of Tyre”, marked a departure for Shakespeare. After several years of writing
the great tragedies like “Macbeth” and “King Lear”, he dabbled in a new style of mixing comedy and tragedy
together, usually with a mix of divine intervention and a journey that would dominate the rest of his writing career.
The new style has come to be known as his “Romances” of which “The Tempest” is a part.

“Pericles” holds two distinctions that set it apart from other Shakespeare plays. First it was not originally published in
the collection of his works known as the First Folio. For years it was a disputed work but was finally accepted into his
cannon of accepted work. Secondly, it was written in collaboration with another writer named George Wilkens, who
moonlighted as a brothel owner. This fact, obviously, adds a level of authenticity to the brothel scenes late in the
play. Published in 1609 in a cheap volume known as a “quarto”, the text was cobbled together from recollections of
actors who had appeared in productions, leading to a difficult text to work from. This is perhaps one of the reasons
it was left out of the First Folio.

The play is free to the public and family friendly. Patrons are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets and
coolers to enjoy the festival atmosphere. In case of rain the show will be held in the air conditioned Lovell Room. For
more information, visit hudsonshakespeare.homestead.com or call 385-4164.

(Pictured: King Pericles of Tyre (Lawrence james) goes on a road trip through far flung Mediterranean locales to reunite with his wife Thaisa (Lisa LaGrande, left) and Marina (Morgan Patton) in Hudson Shakespeare Company’s production of “Pericles.”)