GLENVILLE, WV – The Rustic Mechanicals will bring their performance “The Age of Rebels and Revels – Henry IV, Part One” to Glenville State University’s Fine Arts Center Auditorium on Tuesday, April 11 at 7:00 p.m. The performance is free and open to the public.
According to the troupe, “The Age of Rebels and Revels” focuses on Henry IV, with his crown under threat from enemies both foreign and domestic, as he prepares for war. Having deposed the previous king, he is only too aware how tenuous his position is, and the price to be paid if he falters. As his father prepares to defend his crown, Prince Hal is languishing in the taverns and brothels of London, reveling in the company of his friend, the notorious Sir John Falstaff. With the onset of the war, Hal and Falstaff are thrust into the brutal reality of the battlefield, where Hal must confront his responsibilities to family and throne.
The performance is Directed by Jim Warren alongside Intimacy Director Jessica Morgan, Fight Director Millie Omps, Movement Coach Tommy Schoffler, Voice and Text Coach Bridget Rue Esterhuizen, and Dramaturg John S. Shirley. The production’s Technical Director is David Byard, Costume Designer is Jason A. Young, Hair and Make-Up Designer is Samantha Huffman, and Production Manager is Haley Wilson. The Mechanicals featured in this production include Riley Barriger, Joshua Brooks, Niki DeWitt, Miranda Folmsbee, Justin Grow, Samantha Huffman, James Matthews, Pippa McGinley, Stephen Phillips, Jason A. Young, and Sarah Young.
Founded by Celi Oliveto in the summer of 2014, The Rustic Mechanicals is the only troupe of actors in West Virginia dedicated to touring the works of William Shakespeare and other classical playwrights.
The Mechanicals now tour five shows annually, including their summer West Virginia Shakespeare in the Park(s) outdoor tour and script-in-hand productions they call, “a Play, a Pie, and a Pint,” focusing on making Shakespeare’s plays accessible to modern audiences by utilizing dynamic and extreme casting techniques paired with Shakespeare’s staging conditions.
